Black-billed Barbet

Black-billed Barbet

Lybius guifsobalito

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Murchison Falls National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

405 Verified sightings at Murchison Falls National Park From 2019 to 2026
463 In all 3 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-billed Barbet

The black-billed barbet (Lybius guifsobalito) is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family. This species has an extremely large range in the Afrotropical realm. It is present in Cameroon, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, from eastern Sudan to western Ethiopia, western Kenya, northern Tanzania, and Uganda.

These birds occur at altitudes between 900 and 2,200 meters above sea level, in open forests, forest edges, woodland vegetation, savannah, scrubs, gardens and cultivated areas with fruit-bearing trees. Lybius guifsobalito can reach a wingspan of 7.9–9.4 cm (3.1–3.7 in) in males. The tail length is between 4.5 and 5.4 centimeters. The beak reaches a length between 1.9 and 2.2 centimeters. Females have similar body measurements, without noticeable sexual dimorphism.

Males and femalesof these medium-sized barbets are glossy blue-black, the wings and the belly are a little more brown. They also have a bright red or red-orange face, throat and upper chest. The upperwing are narrowly lined with yellow to white. The beak is rather strong and black, the featherless skin of the face is gray, the eyes are reddish brown... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Duet0:15

Ethiopia · 2015

© Peter Boesman · XC300440 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:19

Ethiopia · 2014

© Andrew Spencer · XC216063 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
2 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~20%
3 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-billed Barbet in Murchison Falls National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-billed Barbet sighting in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, based on 405 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 46th most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-billed Barbet in Murchison Falls National Park?

June to September

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-billed Barbet in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Black-billed Barbet?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-billed Barbet sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Murchison Falls National Park the best place to see a Black-billed Barbet?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Black-billed Barbet sightings, Murchison Falls National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Awash National Park (Ethiopia, about 20%) and Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 10%).

Where does the Black-billed Barbet sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-billed Barbet is recorded against all the birds logged in Murchison Falls National Park (405 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.

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