The ornate sunbird was formally described in 1827 by the French naturalist René Lesson under the binomial name Cinnyris ornatus.

[1] He based his description on a hand-coloured plate showing the male and female birds that had been published in 1822 as part of a book by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.

A comparison of mitochondrial DNA sequences has revealed deep genetic divergence from the other groups sampled.

[8] The ornate sunbird is resident in Myanmar, southern China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

[6] It is found in various habitats including mangroves, forest edge, open scrub as well as parks and gardens.

It is constructed by the female using grass, bark, moss, lichens, leaf fragments, vegetable fibres and spider webs.