Philantomba monticola
Silhouette: [unknown] · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The blue duiker (Philantomba monticola) is a small antelope found in central, southern and eastern Africa. It is the smallest species of duiker. The species was first described by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg in 1789. 12 subspecies are identified. The blue duiker reaches 32–41 centimetres (13–16 in) at the shoulder and weighs 3.5–9 kilograms (7.7–19.8 lb). Sexually dimorphic, the females are slightly larger than the males. The dark tail measures slightly above 10 centimetres (3.9 in). It has short, spiky horns, around 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long and hidden in hair tufts. The subspecies show a great degree of variation in their colouration. The blue duiker bears a significant resemblance to Maxwell's duiker.
Activity is diurnal (limited to daytime). Secretive and cautious, the blue duiker confines itself to the forest fringes. Territorial, individuals of opposite sexes form pairs and occupy territories, nearly 0.4–0.8 hectares (0.0015–0.0031 sq mi) large and marked by preorbital gland secretions. The blue duiker feeds on fallen fruits, foliage, flowers and pieces of bark, provided mainly by the forest canopies in their habitat. The age when sexual maturity is gained has been given differently by different studies. The species is monogamous, with pairs remaining together throughout the year. The length of the gestational period has been estimated from as little as four months to as long as seven months. Births occur throughout the year, though the birth rate might fall in the dry season. The calf is mainly kept in hiding and weaning occurs at 2.5 to 3 months.
The habitat consists of a variety of forests, including old-growth, secondary, and gallery forests. Forests are preferred as these provide the animal with shelter through the dense understory and forage through the canopy. Though categorized as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the blue duiker is under threat from extensive bushmeat hunting across its range. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Duiker sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 44 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Duiker in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue Duiker sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Blue Duiker sightings, Addo Elephant National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Republic of the Congo, about 20%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Bovidae
The closest relatives of the Blue Duiker that you can see in Addo Elephant National Park (family Bovidae, Bovids) are Greater Kudu (about 50%), African Buffalo (about 50%) and Khama (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Duiker is recorded against all the mammals logged in Addo Elephant National Park (25 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.
