Malaconotus blanchoti
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The grey-headed bushshrike (Malaconotus blanchoti), colloquially known as the ghostbird, is a species of passerine bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, although relatively absent in Central Africa and the interior of southern Africa. It is the most widespread species of its genus, which consists of large bushshrikes with massive bills and mournful hooting calls. It occurs sparsely in a range of wooded habitats, though typically in denser vegetation within dry or moist savannah. The monogamous pairs occupy woodland with sufficient cover. They are sedentary, but will undertake limited post-breeding movements.
Six or seven subspecies are recognized. Wikipedia →
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Bushshrike sighting in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, based on 117 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 80th most-seen of the 275 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Bushshrike in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, against about 10% in April, the lowest month. March has too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray-headed Bushshrike sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 35 parks where we can rate Gray-headed Bushshrike sightings, Mana Pools National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 30%).
Same family: Malaconotidae
The closest relatives of the Gray-headed Bushshrike that you can see in Mana Pools National Park (family Malaconotidae, Bushshrikes and Allies) are Tropical Boubou (about 50%), Black-backed Puffback (about 50%) and Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gray-headed Bushshrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Mana Pools National Park (117 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.
