Turdus libonyana
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Kurrichane thrush (Turdus libonyana) is a species of bird in the thrush family Turdidae. The species is found from central through to southern Africa. Its natural habitat is dry savanna and woodland, predominantly miombo woodland.
The Kurrichane thrush was described in 1836 by the zoologist Andrew Smith, on the basis of a specimen collected in the Transvaal in South Africa. It was originally assigned to the defunct genus Merula. The species is a sister species to the Comoro thrush.
The specific epithet of the Kurrichane thrush, libonyana, is derived from the Tswana name for the red-billed buffalo weaver, Lebonyana. It was given by mistake to this species, possibly because it also has a reddish bill. Its common name is derived from a corruption of Kaditshwene (rendered as 'Kurrichane'), a former town in northern South Africa where the original specimen was collected.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The Kurrichane thrush is 21 to 23 cm (8.3–9.1 in) long and weighs around... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 7 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 8 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 9 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 10 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 12 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 13 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 14 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 15 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 16 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Kurrichane Thrush sighting in Kafue National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 232nd most-seen of the 338 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Kurrichane Thrush in Kafue National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Kurrichane Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
14th of 16
Of the 16 parks where we can rate Kurrichane Thrush sightings, Kafue National Park ranks 14th at under 5%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 40%), Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 30%) and Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Kurrichane Thrush that you can see in Kafue National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Common Bulbul (about 70%), Tropical Boubou (about 60%) and Black-backed Puffback (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Kurrichane Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Kafue National Park (22 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.
