Cichladusa guttata
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The spotted palm thrush (Cichladusa guttata), also known as the spotted morning-thrush, is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family. They are small birds mostly consisting of the colors brown, black, and cream. They can be found in eastern African countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Their natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. This bird is a forager that has a diet consisting of invertebrates. These birds create a variety of different vocal duets as a form of communication.
The spotted palm thrush measures around 16-17 centimeters (6.3-6.7 inches) long and weighs around 17-30 grams (<0.1 pounds). This bird features a warm brown color from crown to back and wings, with a dark brown eye stripe, and black-arrowed, creamy white underparts. The males and females are monomorphic, having little variance in their appearance regardless of sex.
The spotted palm thrush is located in most parts of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. They can also be found in the easternmost parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 2 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 13 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 15 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 16 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dar es-Salaam | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 2 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Morning-Thrush sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 171st most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Morning-Thrush in Meru National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Meru National Park's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain a month against almost none in July. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spotted Morning-Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 16
Of the 16 parks where we can rate Spotted Morning-Thrush sightings, Meru National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 50%), Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 50%) and Lake Manyara National Park (Tanzania, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Spotted Morning-Thrush 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 Spotted Morning-Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Meru National Park (13 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.
