Empidornis semipartitus
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The silverbird (Empidornis semipartitus) is an Old World flycatcher native to Eastern Africa, from Sudan to Tanzania. The species is the only member of the genus Empidornis, although it is sometimes placed in the genus Melaenornis.
The silverbird is a stunning flycatcher of open areas west of the Rift Valley, silvery grey above and tawny orange below. Juveniles have black-bordered tawny spots on upperparts, mottled buff and black on throats and breasts. The species is 18 cm (7.1 in) long and weighs 22–23 g (0.78–0.81 oz).
The call of the silverbird uses short phrases which are slightly thrush-like. Sometimes the terminal note is higher and thinner, eee-sleeur-eeee or sweet siursur-eet-seet; also a longer eep-eep churEErip, eep-eep cherip chch chchch eee, embellished with chattering and seep notes.
Dale A. Zimmerman, Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Princeton University Press, 1999 del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-96553-06-X.
Image at ADW Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Silverbird sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 406 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 106th most-seen of the 398 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 October–December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Silverbird in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in January–March and May–September, the lowest months. Those are among Masai Mara National Reserve's wettest months, with about 100 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 Silverbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Silverbird sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, about 50%), Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 50%) and Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Silverbird that you can see in Masai Mara National Reserve (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Sooty Chat (about 40%), White-browed Robin-Chat (about 30%) and African Gray Flycatcher (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silverbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (406 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.
