Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike

Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike

Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Masai Mara National Reserve

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

142 Verified sightings at Masai Mara National Reserve From 2019 to 2026
5,514 In all 40 parks
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike

The orange-breasted bushshrike or sulphur-breasted bushshrike (Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus) is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. Another bird, Braun's bushshrike, is also sometimes called the orange-breasted bushshrike.

The orange-breasted bushshrike is widespread throughout Sub-Saharan Africa (relatively absent from most of Central, Southern and the Horn of Africa). Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna and moist savanna. It is not a migrant species.

The bushshrike eats mainly insects, such as beetles, caterpillars, bees, ants, and wasps. BirdLife International 2016. [BirdLife International. 2016. Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22707647A94133019. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22707647A94133019.en. Downloaded on 7 December 2018.]

Orange-breasted Bushshrike - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Photo at The Internet Bird Collection Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:16

South Africa · 2024

© Sunčana Bradley · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Recording0:32

Botswana · 2019

© Dewald du Plessis · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:14

Burkina Faso · 2026

© mlanguy · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~50%
2 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~30%
3 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
4 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
5 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
6 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
7 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~20%
8 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
9 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
10 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
11 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
12 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~20%
13 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
14 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
15 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~20%
16 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
17 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
18 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
19 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
20 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
21 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
22 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~10%
23 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
24 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
25 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
26 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
27 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
28 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
29 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
30 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
31 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
32 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
33 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
34 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
35 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
36 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
37 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
38 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
39 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
40 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mombasa 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
2 Ouagadougou 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
~10%
3 Lilongwe 🇲🇼 Malawi
~10%
4 Freetown 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
~10%
5 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
6 Harare 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
7 Lusaka 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
8 Abuja 🇳🇬 Nigeria
<5%
9 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
10 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike in Masai Mara National Reserve?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 142 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 196th 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.

When is the best time to see a Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike in Masai Mara National Reserve?

February–April, June, September and November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May, July–August, October and December–January, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sulphur-Breasted 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.

Is Masai Mara National Reserve the best place to see a Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike?

28th of 40

Of the 40 parks where we can rate Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 28th at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 50%), Kafue National Park (Zambia, about 30%) and Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 30%). All parks ranked.

Which relatives of the Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike live in Masai Mara National Reserve?

Same family: Malaconotidae

The closest relatives of the Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike that you can see in Masai Mara National Reserve (family Malaconotidae, Bushshrikes and Allies) are Slate-colored Boubou (about 30%), Black-backed Puffback (about 20%) and Tropical Boubou (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (142 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.

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