Zanzibar Boubou

Zanzibar Boubou

Laniarius sublacteus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Zanzibar City

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

52 Verified sightings at Zanzibar City
19 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Zanzibar Boubou

The East Coast boubou or Zanzibar boubou (Laniarius sublacteus) is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found from southeast Somalia to northeast Tanzania, and Zanzibar island. Its natural habitat is moist savanna.

It has vestigial or no white wing stripe. Outer tail feathers may have white tips. Juveniles have no barring on underside. An all-black morph occurs in the area around the lower Jubba and Tana Rivers and on the Lamu Archipelago.

The East Coast boubou was formerly lumped with the tropical boubou, the black boubou, and the Ethiopian boubou. The species complex was split based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2008. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:25

Tanzania · 2026

Kileo Jumah · XC1148963 · CC0

Duet1:20

Kenya · 2025

© Louis A. Hansen · XC1070555 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:44

Tanzania · 2025

© isaac kilusu · XC1005231 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
2 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mombasa 🇰🇪 Kenya
~60%
2 Zanzibar City 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
3 Dar es-Salaam 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Zanzibar Boubou in Zanzibar City?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Zanzibar Boubou sighting in Zanzibar City on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 49th most-seen of the 86 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Zanzibar Boubou in Zanzibar City?

December

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Zanzibar Boubou in Zanzibar City on a given day, against about 10% in February, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Zanzibar Boubou?

Between 6 and 9 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Zanzibar Boubou 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 Zanzibar City the best place to see a Zanzibar Boubou?

2nd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Zanzibar Boubou sightings, Zanzibar City ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Mombasa (Kenya, about 60%).

Where does the Zanzibar Boubou sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Zanzibar Boubou is recorded against all the birds logged in Zanzibar City (52 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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