Cinnyris venustus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The variable sunbird or yellow-bellied sunbird (Cinnyris venustus), formerly Nectarinia venusta, is a sunbird. The sunbirds are a group of small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time.
The variable sunbird is a fairly common resident breeder in equatorial Africa. Two eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. This species is found in open woodland and cultivation. Variable sunbirds are small, only 10 cm long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding.
The adult male has a glossy green head, throat and nape, and a maroon breast band. In most subspecies, the belly of the male is yellow, but in a few it is orange or white. The female has grey-brown upperparts and yellowish underparts, and an obvious pale supercilium. The eclipse male is like the female, but shows some green, especially on the throat. The call is a clear tew-tew-tew-tew-tew. Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Papiliorama | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Sunbird sighting in Volcanoes National Park on a given day, based on 364 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 156 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and May
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Sunbird in Volcanoes National Park on a given day, against about 40% in September, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Sunbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 35 parks where we can rate Variable Sunbird sightings, Volcanoes National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 60%) and Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Cinnyris
The closest relatives of the Variable Sunbird that you can see in Volcanoes National Park (genus Cinnyris, Cinnyris Sunbirds) are Regal Sunbird (about 30%), Stuhlmann's Sunbird (about 30%) and Northern Double-collared Sunbird (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Volcanoes National Park (364 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
