Batis molitor
Silhouette: Mathieu Pélissié · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The chinspot batis (Batis molitor) is a small songbird of the genus Batis in the family Platysteiridae which is a common and widespread species in the woodlands of southern Africa from the Eastern Cape north to 3°N in southern Kenya and Gabon. It forms a superspecies with other rather similar members of the genus Batis.
The chinspot batis is a rather stout bird 12–13 cm (4.7–5.1 in) in length. It has a black mask on its face, with a short white eyestripe, a grey cap and a white throat. The upperparts are grey with a prominent white wing stripe. The eyes are yellow while the legs and bill are black. The underparts are white with a black breast band in the males, the female has a chestnut breast band and a chestnut spot on the throat. Young birds are similar to females but the breast band and spot on the throat are tawny.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Eswatini, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The chinspot batis is not normally sociable and is usually encountered singly or in pairs. It is a very active bird... Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chinspot Batis sighting in Mkomazi National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 198th most-seen of the 272 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, April, June–July, September and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chinspot Batis in Mkomazi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March, August and October–November, the lowest months. May has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chinspot Batis sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
31st of 44
Of the 44 parks where we can rate Chinspot Batis sightings, Mkomazi National Park ranks 31st at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 60%), Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 40%) and Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Batis
The closest relatives of the Chinspot Batis that you can see in Mkomazi National Park (genus Batis, turtleweeds) are Eastern Black-headed Batis (about 40%) and Pygmy Batis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chinspot Batis is recorded against all the birds logged in Mkomazi National Park (11 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.
