Turdoides sharpei
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The black-lored babbler or Sharpe's pied-babbler (Turdoides sharpei) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in southwestern Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and the part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo immediately adjacent to the three last-named countries. This bird was formerly considered the same species as Turdoides melanops of southern Africa, now known as the black-faced babbler.
These birds are mostly grey-brown with white mottling, especially on the underparts, that varies according to location and the individual. The population near Nanyuki, Kenya, is darker but can have a pure white chin or entire throat. The combination of pale yellow or white eyes and black lores (the areas between the eye and the bill) separates adults of this species from similar babblers except melanops, though all juvenile babblers have brown eyes.
In Kenya, single birds give repeated single or double harsh notes such as waaach or a muffled kurr-ack; pairs or groups give longer phrases in chorus. The tempo is frequently slow for a babbler. They are most vocal in the early morning and late afternoon.
Like other Turdoides, it is found low or on the ground in or near dense woody vegetation, including in cultivated areas. Kenyan birds forage in bushes and tall grass. They are "restless, noisy, and suspicious" and "typical gregarious babblers".
Single birds give repeated single or double harsh notes such as waaach or a muffled kurr-ack; pairs or groups give longer phrases in chorus. The tempo is frequently slow for a babbler. They are most vocal in the early morning and late afternoon. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 2 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 10 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 11 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-lored Babbler sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, based on 116 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 141st most-seen of the 369 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-lored Babbler in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-lored Babbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Black-lored Babbler sightings, Lake Nakuru National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 30%), Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda, about 30%) and Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-lored Babbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Lake Nakuru National Park (116 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.
