Colius leucocephalus
Silhouette: Enoch Joseph Wetsy (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The white-headed mousebird (Colius leucocephalus) is a bird belonging to the mousebird family, Coliidae. It is found only in east Africa where it occurs in southern Somalia and parts of Kenya with its range just extending into southern Ethiopia and northern Tanzania. It inhabits arid bushland up to 1,400 metres above sea-level.
It is 32 cm long with the long, graduated tail accounting for over half of this. The plumage is mainly greyish with black and white barring on the back, neck and breast. It has a white crest, crown and cheeks. There is a white stripe down the back which becomes visible when the bird flies. Around the eye is a patch of dark, bare skin. The bill is bluish-white above and buff below. In juvenile birds, the throat and breast are buff.
The contact call is a scratchy chattering and the bird also has a descending song. Sinclair, Ian & Ryan, Peter (2003) Birds of Africa south of the Sahara, Struik, Cape Town. Zimmerman, Dale A.; Turner, Donald A. & Pearson, David J. (1999) Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania, Christopher Helm, London. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Mousebird sighting in Amboseli National Park on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 224th most-seen of the 362 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Mousebird in Amboseli National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and April–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-headed Mousebird 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 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate White-headed Mousebird sightings, Amboseli National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 50%) and Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-headed Mousebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Amboseli National Park (35 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.
