Calamonastes simplex
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The grey wren-warbler (Calamonastes simplex) is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Its natural habitat is dry savanna. The grey wren-warbler is a shy bird found in dense bush and undergrowth. It is normally found singly or in pairs and is a dark brownish-grey with inconspicuous barred markings. The tail is black and the eye red. It is more likely to be heard than seen though there may be an occasional glimpse of its tail which wags up and down as it forages. Its sharp call is rather like two stones striking each other. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 5 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Wren-Warbler sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 39th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Wren-Warbler in Meru National Park on a given day, against about 30% in September and December–March, the lowest months. That is one of Meru National Park's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain against almost none in July. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray Wren-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.
2nd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Gray Wren-Warbler sightings, Meru National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Tsavo West National Park (Kenya, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Cisticolidae
The closest relatives of the Gray Wren-Warbler that you can see in Meru National Park (family Cisticolidae, Cisticolas and Allies) are Ashy Cisticola (about 40%), Green-backed Camaroptera (about 30%) and Yellow-breasted Apalis (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gray Wren-Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Meru National Park (62 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.
