Bradornis pallidus
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The pale flycatcher (Agricola pallidus) is a passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, native to Sub-Saharan Africa. The pale flycatcher was previously placed in the genus Bradornis but was moved to Melaenornis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010. It was subsequently moved to the genus Agricola based on a study published in 2023.
It is widely present across Sub-Saharan Africa, although absent in the Congo Basin and Southern Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
Pale flycatcher - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Flycatcher sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 219th most-seen of the 243 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.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Flycatcher in Meru National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, September–October and December–April, the lowest months. That is one of Meru National Park's wettest months, with about 200 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 Pale Flycatcher 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 32
Of the 32 parks where we can rate Pale Flycatcher sightings, Meru National Park ranks 12th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 30%), uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%) and Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 20%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Pale Flycatcher that you can see in Meru National Park (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Spotted Flycatcher (about 30%), Southern Black Flycatcher (about 20%) and White-browed Scrub Robin (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pale Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Meru National Park (8 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.
