Smithornis capensis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The African broadbill (Smithornis capensis), also known as the black-capped broadbill or Delacour's broadbill, is a species of bird in the suboscine family Calyptomenidae. The African broadbill is a boldly streaked, largely brown, stocky, flycatcher-like bird. They have dark crowns, which are black in the males and grey in the females of the eastern subspecies, and blackish in both sexes of the subspecies S.c. meinertzhageni. The upperparts are mainly olive-brown with black streaks, the bases of the feathers on the lower back and rump are white and are hidden when the bird is at rest. The underparts are buff or creamy-white with black streaks on the flanks and the breast. There is subspecific variation with S.c. meinertzhageni and S.c. suahelicus being whiter below with thicker streaks than, for example S.c. medianus. It measures 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) in length and in South Africa males weighed 21–26.9 g (0.74–0.95 oz) and females 17.4–27.5 g (0.61–0.97 oz).
The African broadbill produces a very loud sound which has been compared to an old-fashioned car horn. It is loud, vibrating "Prrrrup" which is produced during a display flight, and it may... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 4 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 6 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 9 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 10 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 11 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Broadbill sighting in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 183 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 147th most-seen of the 400 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Broadbill in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Broadbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 11 parks where we can rate African Broadbill sightings, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, under 5%) and Kafue National Park (Zambia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Broadbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (183 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.
