The source's main name for Cinnyris venustus is Variable Sunbird. The candidate English name Yellow-bellied Sunbird is also used for other birds, so this entry is identified by its scientific name. The source lists five subspecies and distinct male and female plumages.
In typical plumage, males have glossy green heads, throats, and napes, a maroon breast band, and a yellow belly. Females have grey-brown upperparts, yellowish underparts, and a pale supercilium. The source describes an eclipse male as similar to the female but retaining some green on the throat.
It feeds on nectar and suspends its nest from a tree. It is found in dry forest, forest edges, savanna, woodland and bushland, as well as cultivated areas and suburban gardens.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.