Turdus olivaceus
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The olive thrush (Turdus olivaceus) is, in its range, one of the most common members of the thrush family (Turdidae). It occurs in African highlands from the montane regions in Eastern and Central Africa in the north to the Cape of Good Hope in the south. It is a bird of forest and woodland, but has locally adapted to parks and large gardens in suburban areas.
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the olive thrush in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. He used the French name Le merle olive du Cap de Bonne Espérance and the Latin Merula Olivacea Capitis Bonae Spei. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the olive thrush. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Turdus olivaceus and cited Brisson's work.
Six subspecies are recognised: Turdus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monkeyland | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Birds of Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Olive Thrush sighting in Golden Gate Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 81st most-seen of the 108 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Olive Thrush in Golden Gate Highlands National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and December–February, the lowest months. March has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Olive Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Olive Thrush sightings, Golden Gate Highlands National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 40%), Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 40%) and Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Olive Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (9 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.
