Pityriasis gymnocephala
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The Bornean bristlehead (Pityriasis gymnocephala), also variously known as the bristled shrike, bald-headed crow or the bald-headed wood-shrike, is the only member of the passerine family Pityriasidae and genus Pityriasis. This enigmatic and vulnerable species is endemic to the southeast Asian island of Borneo, where it lives in small groups in the rainforest canopy.
The relationships of this species have been controversial. At times it has been placed in the Prionopidae, the Cracticidae, the Artamidae or the Corvidae. A more recent suggestion has been to include it in the Tephrodornithidae, a new family that includes Hemipus and Tephrodornis.
The Bornean bristlehead is a medium-sized bird, c. 25 cm (9.8 in) in length. It is mostly black, with bright red thighs, head, throat and neck, and grey ear-coverts. The featherless crown is deep yellow and covered in short, 3–4 mm long, bristle-like skin projections, giving it a bald appearance from afar. This gives the species its common name "bristlehead", genus name Pityriasis (from Greek, "having dandruff") and specific name gymnocephala (from Greek, "bald-headed"). Red flank patches are present in all females... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bornean Bristlehead sighting in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, based on 336 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 68th most-seen of the 258 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.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bornean Bristlehead in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, against about 10% in May and June, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bornean Bristlehead sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Bornean Bristlehead sightings, Danum Valley Conservation Area has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Sepilok (Malaysia, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Bornean Bristlehead that you can see in Danum Valley Conservation Area (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Pacific Swallow (about 60%), Little Spiderhunter (about 60%) and Slender-billed Crow (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bornean Bristlehead is recorded against all the birds logged in Danum Valley Conservation Area (336 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.
