Nilaus afer
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The brubru (Nilaus afer) is a species of bushshrike (family Malaconotidae) found in most of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Nilaus. Slight plumage and size variations reflect different ecological niches. The subspecies include:
Nilaus afer afer — West Africa, with distinctive male plumage Nilaus afer massaicus — East Africa, including northeastern Uganda Nilaus afer minor — East Africa, including Kenya and Tanzania Nilaus afer nigritemporalis — Katanga region of DRC and adjacent Zambia
Nilaus afer solivagus — Southern Africa and southern Zambia Its habitat is dry open woodland, but varies geographically. The six northern races and the subspecies N. a. Brubru of southern Africa are found in acacia and broadleaved woodland, whereas the three subspecies in a belt from northeastern Angola and northern Namibia east to Tanzania and northern Mozambique occur in Brachystegia miombo woodland.
The brubru is a small passerine, 12–15 cm long. The adult male of the nominate subspecies, N. a. afer, has a black crown, white supercilium and forehead... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brubru sighting in Nairobi National Park on a given day, based on 156 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 179th most-seen of the 371 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.
March and April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brubru in Nairobi National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May to February, the lowest months. Those are among Nairobi National Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brubru sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
23rd of 41
Of the 41 parks where we can rate Brubru sightings, Nairobi National Park ranks 23rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 40%), Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 30%) and Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 30%).
Same family: Malaconotidae
The closest relatives of the Brubru that you can see in Nairobi National Park (family Malaconotidae, Bushshrikes and Allies) are Tropical Boubou (about 40%), Slate-colored Boubou (about 40%) and Black-backed Puffback (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brubru is recorded against all the birds logged in Nairobi National Park (156 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.
