Kurrichane Thrush

Kurrichane Thrush

Turdus libonyana

Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Johannesburg

In 3 days ~10%

68 Verified sightings at Johannesburg
2,987 In all 16 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Kurrichane Thrush

The Kurrichane thrush (Turdus libonyana) is a species of bird in the thrush family Turdidae. The species is found from central through to southern Africa. Its natural habitat is dry savanna and woodland, predominantly miombo woodland.

The Kurrichane thrush was described in 1836 by the zoologist Andrew Smith, on the basis of a specimen collected in the Transvaal in South Africa. It was originally assigned to the defunct genus Merula. The species is a sister species to the Comoro thrush.

The specific epithet of the Kurrichane thrush, libonyana, is derived from the Tswana name for the red-billed buffalo weaver, Lebonyana. It was given by mistake to this species, possibly because it also has a reddish bill. Its common name is derived from a corruption of Kaditshwene (rendered as 'Kurrichane'), a former town in northern South Africa where the original specimen was collected.

It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The Kurrichane thrush is 21 to 23 cm (8.3–9.1 in) long and weighs around... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:15

Botswana · 2023

© Marc Anderson · XC1004838 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:26

Zimbabwe · 2024

© Dries Van de Loock · XC963078 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Alarm call0:09

South Africa · 1968

© Nature sounds by Simply Birding · XC646385 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
2 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
3 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
4 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
5 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
6 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
7 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
8 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
9 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
10 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
11 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
12 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~10%
13 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
14 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
15 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
16 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Harare 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~50%
2 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
3 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Maputo 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
5 Lusaka 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
6 Lilongwe 🇲🇼 Malawi
~10%
7 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Kurrichane Thrush in Johannesburg?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Kurrichane Thrush sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 68 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 118th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Kurrichane Thrush in Johannesburg?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Kurrichane Thrush in Johannesburg on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Kurrichane Thrush?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Kurrichane Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Johannesburg the best place to see a Kurrichane Thrush?

7th of 7

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Kurrichane Thrush sightings, Johannesburg ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Harare (Zimbabwe, about 50%), Pretoria (South Africa, about 20%) and Durban (South Africa, about 10%).

Where does the Kurrichane Thrush sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Kurrichane Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Johannesburg (68 verified sightings), 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.

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