Phyllolais pulchella
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The buff-bellied warbler (Phyllolais pulchella) is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is monotypic within the genus Phyllolais. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
It is a small, dull coloured warbler found in savanna and acacia woodland. It particularly favours Acacia xanthophloea and Acacia abyssinica and can often be seen foraging among the branches in pairs or small groups. It is inconspicuous in its habits but can often be seen feeding in mix-species flocks.
Ryan, Peter (2006). Family Cisticolidae (Cisticolas and allies). pp. 378–492 in del Hoyo J., Elliott A. & Christie D.A. (2006) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11. Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers Lynx Edicions, Barcelona ISBN 978-84-96553-06-4 Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 10 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 12 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 13 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 15 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 16 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 17 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Buff-bellied Warbler sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 125 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 207th most-seen of the 398 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.
February, April–June and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Buff-bellied Warbler in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in March, July–October and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Buff-bellied Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
13th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Buff-bellied Warbler sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 13th at under 5%. The best odds are in Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 20%), Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 20%) and Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 20%).
Same family: Cisticolidae
The closest relatives of the Buff-bellied Warbler that you can see in Masai Mara National Reserve (family Cisticolidae, Cisticolas and Allies) are Rattling Cisticola (about 30%), Stout Cisticola (about 20%) and Green-backed Camaroptera (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Buff-bellied Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (125 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.
