Emberiza tahapisi
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The cinnamon-breasted bunting (Emberiza tahapisi) or cinnamon-breasted rock-bunting is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae. It is widespread in Africa south of the Sahara. The cinnamon-breasted bunting was formally described in 1836 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith under the current binomial name Emberiza tahapisi. His description was based on specimens found near the source of the Vaal River in South Africa. The specific epithet tahapisi is from the Tswana word "Thagapitse" that is used for various finches in the family Emberizidae.
The species is also known as the cinnamon-breasted rock bunting or African rock bunting. They are small passerines in the genus Emberiza, which consists of other Old World buntings. There have been some discrepancies regarding the relation to other species and subspecies. However, recent mitochondrial analyses of African buntings suggest that the Gosling's bunting (Emberiza goslingi) should be treated as a separate species.... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnamon-breasted Bunting sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 163 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 184th most-seen of the 398 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November to April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnamon-breasted Bunting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May to October, the lowest months. Those are among Masai Mara National Reserve's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cinnamon-breasted Bunting sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 35
Of the 35 parks where we can rate Cinnamon-breasted Bunting sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 12th at about 10%. The best odds are in Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 20%), Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and Ruaha National Park (Tanzania, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cinnamon-breasted Bunting is recorded against all the birds logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (163 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.
