Anthoscopus minutus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The Cape penduline tit or southern penduline tit (Anthoscopus minutus) is a species of bird in the family Remizidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savannah, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. At eight centimetres (3 in) in length, it is one of the smallest species of bird found in Africa, along with its cousins the grey penduline tit and the mouse-coloured penduline tit.
The Cape penduline tit was formally described and illustrated in 1812 by the English naturalist George Shaw under the binomial name Sylvia minuta. The species is now placed in the genus Anthoscopus that was introduced in 1851 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek anthos meaning "blossom" or "flower" with skopos meaning "searcher". The specific epithet minutus is Latin meaning "little".
Three subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Penduline Tit sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 162nd most-seen of the 260 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Penduline Tit in Etosha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and April–November, the lowest months. Those are among Etosha National Park's wettest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against almost none in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Penduline Tit sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Southern Penduline Tit sightings, Etosha National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 30%) and Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 20%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Southern Penduline Tit that you can see in Etosha National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Fork-tailed Drongo (about 80%), Red-shouldered Glossy-starling (about 70%) and African Red-eyed Bulbul (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Penduline Tit is recorded against all the birds logged in Etosha National Park (53 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.
