Brown-throated Wattle-eye

Brown-throated Wattle-eye

Platysteira cyanea

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

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

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

26 Verified sightings at Yaoundé
2,527 In all 13 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Brown-throated Wattle-eye

The brown-throated wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea), also known as the common wattle-eye or scarlet-spectacled wattle-eye, is a small, insectivorous passerine bird. The wattle-eyes were previously classed as a subfamily of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, but are now usually separated from that group.

This species breeds in west, central and northeast tropical Africa. This common species is found in secondary forest and other woodland areas, including gardens. The eggs are laid in a small neat lichen and cobweb cup low in a tree or bush.

The adult brown-throated wattle-eye is a stout bird about 14 cm (5.5 in) long. The breeding male has glossy black upperparts, and white underparts with a neat black breast band. There is a strong white wingbar, and fleshy red wattles above the eye.

The females are grey-black above, and also have the white wing bar and red wattles. There is a small patch of white below the bill, and the throat and breast are maroon, separated from the white belly by the black breast band. Young males are washed-out, greyer versions of the female.

These active insect-eating birds are found in pairs or small groups. The ringing call of the brown-throated wattle-eye is a very characteristic six note doo-dd-dum-di-do-do. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:48

Senegal · 2026

© Peter Boesman · XC1081339 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:57

Tanzania · 2021

© Abdulrahman Adam · XC666375 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:46

Gabon · 2024

© Paul Lenrumé · XC927173 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~40%
2 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
3 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~30%
4 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
5 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
6 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
7 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
8 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
9 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
10 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
11 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
12 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
13 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yaoundé 🇨🇲 Cameroon
~30%
2 Brazzaville 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo
~20%
3 Abuja 🇳🇬 Nigeria
~20%
4 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
5 Serrekunda 🇬🇲 Gambia
~10%
6 Freetown 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
~10%
7 Lagos 🇳🇬 Nigeria
~10%
8 Monrovia 🇱🇷 Liberia
~10%
9 Accra 🇬🇭 Ghana
<5%
10 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Brown-throated Wattle-eye in Yaoundé?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-throated Wattle-eye sighting in Yaoundé on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 19th most-seen of the 72 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Brown-throated Wattle-eye in Yaoundé?

May and November

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-throated Wattle-eye in Yaoundé on a given day, against about 20% in September and December–February, the lowest months. March and June–July have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Brown-throated Wattle-eye?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown-throated Wattle-eye 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 Yaoundé the best place to see a Brown-throated Wattle-eye?

Yes

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Brown-throated Wattle-eye sightings, Yaoundé has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo, about 20%) and Abuja (Nigeria, about 20%).

Where does the Brown-throated Wattle-eye sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Brown-throated Wattle-eye is recorded against all the birds logged in Yaoundé (26 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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