Turdoides gymnogenys
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The bare-cheeked babbler (Turdoides gymnogenys) is a passerine bird in the family Leiothrichidae and is native to arid savannas of southwestern Africa, specifically northwestern Namibia and southwestern Angola. It is known for its brown feathers and the bare skin on its cheeks. The species is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is a commonly found local bird.
The species was first described in 1865 by Gustav Hartlaub as Crateropus gymnogenys and later reassigned to Turdoides. It is classified to the family Leiothrichidae, known as the laughingthrushes and allies, which is a group recognized for its social living and unique vocals. The bare-cheeked babbler is identified as having two different species, gymnogenys in Angola and kaokensis in Namibia but most authorities regard the species as one due to minimal variation.
Adults measure 23–25 cm (9–10 in) in length and weigh roughly 60–70 g (2.1–2.5 oz). Their upperparts are a medium brown, have gray or white underparts, and a light gray crown. The bare bluish gray facial skin on the cheeks and the yellow eyes are the most distinctive features... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bare-cheeked Babbler sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 299 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 77th most-seen of the 260 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.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Bare-cheeked Babbler in Etosha National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January to June, the lowest months. That is one of Etosha National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 75 mm in January.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bare-cheeked Babbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Etosha National Park, in our data
Etosha National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Bare-cheeked Babbler sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Turdoides
The closest relatives of the Bare-cheeked Babbler that you can see in Etosha National Park (genus Turdoides, Turdoides Babblers) are Black-faced Babbler (about 10%) and Southern Pied-Babbler (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bare-cheeked Babbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Etosha National Park (299 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.
