Melaenornis pammelaina
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The southern black flycatcher (Melaenornis pammelaina) is a small passerine bird of the genus Melaenornis in the flycatcher family, Muscicapidae, native to open and lightly wooded areas of eastern and southern Africa. This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 4,000,000 square kilometres (1,500,000 sq mi). The global population size has not been quantified but the bird is listed by the IUCN as being of "Least concern".
The southern black flycatcher is entirely black, with a black beak and black legs. The iris of the eye is brown and this, along with the square-cut tail, helps distinguish it from the otherwise similar fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis) which has a red iris and long forked tail.
The southern black flycatcher is native to eastern and southern Africa. It has been recorded from Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia, Eswatini, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa. It is typically found in habitats with open areas and light woodland, riparian corridors, the edges of plantations... Wikipedia →
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Black Flycatcher sighting in Mkomazi National Park on a given day, based on 55 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 51st most-seen of the 272 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Black Flycatcher in Mkomazi National Park on a given day, against about 20% in February, April, July–August, October and December, the lowest months. That is one of Mkomazi National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 150 mm in December. May has too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Black 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.
2nd of 34
Of the 34 parks where we can rate Southern Black Flycatcher sightings, Mkomazi National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Black Flycatcher that you can see in Mkomazi National Park (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Spotted Morning-Thrush (about 50%), African Gray Flycatcher (about 40%) and White-browed Scrub Robin (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Black Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Mkomazi National Park (55 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.
