Black-headed Gonolek

Black-headed Gonolek

Laniarius erythrogaster

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Kampala

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

720 Verified sightings at Kampala
3,474 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-headed Gonolek

The black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster) is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found in the African countries of Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. The black-headed gonolek is a distinctively coloured bush-shrike though it is generally shy and retiring. However, close to human habitation and in gardens, it often becomes much bolder. It has a very distinctive call which it makes in concert with its partner. The male makes a loud, clear, bell-like sound to which the female responds almost simultaneously with a harsh grating response. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Duet0:26

Uganda · 2025

© Bernard BOUSQUET · XC1052278 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:06

Uganda · 2025

© GOUMAND · XC1018628 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:54

Kenya · 2018

© Frank Lambert · XC469199 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~70%
2 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~50%
3 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~50%
4 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~50%
5 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~40%
6 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
7 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
8 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
9 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
10 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~40%
2 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-headed Gonolek in Kampala?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gonolek sighting in Kampala on a given day, based on 720 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 34th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-headed Gonolek in Kampala?

March–May and September–October

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gonolek in Kampala on a given day, against about 20% in January and February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Black-headed Gonolek?

Between 5 and 8 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed Gonolek sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Kampala the best place to see a Black-headed Gonolek?

2nd of 2

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Black-headed Gonolek sightings, Kampala ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Kigali (Rwanda, about 40%).

Where does the Black-headed Gonolek sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Gonolek is recorded against all the birds logged in Kampala (720 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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