Laniarius erythrogaster
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster) is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found in the African countries of Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. The black-headed gonolek is a distinctively coloured bush-shrike though it is generally shy and retiring. However, close to human habitation and in gardens, it often becomes much bolder. It has a very distinctive call which it makes in concert with its partner. The male makes a loud, clear, bell-like sound to which the female responds almost simultaneously with a harsh grating response. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 5 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 6 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 7 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 10 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gonolek sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 353rd most-seen of the 398 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gonolek in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed Gonolek sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Black-headed Gonolek sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda, about 70%), Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, about 50%) and Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Laniarius
The closest relatives of the Black-headed Gonolek that you can see in Masai Mara National Reserve (genus Laniarius, Boubous and Gonoleks) are Slate-colored Boubou (about 30%) and Tropical Boubou (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Gonolek is recorded against all the birds logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (15 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.
