Lissotis hartlaubii
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Hartlaub's bustard (Lissotis hartlaubii) is a species of bird in the family Otididae. It is a medium-sized bustard with a long, thick neck, and long legs. It is found in open, tall grassland, range from 1,600 to 2,000 metres (5,250 to 6,560 ft) in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the German physician and ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub. They initially classified under the genus Eupodotis in 1839, a subsequent genetic study revealed that the genus Lissotis represents a distinct, long-standing lineage, separate from Eupodotis, emerging during the evolutionary diversification of bustards at the generic level.
A mature Hartlaub's bustard is about 60 centimetres (24 in), recorded weights range from 1,500–1,600 g (3.3–3.5 lb). They are indistinguishable from a far distance, as they are similar to L. melanogaster. The male Hartlaub's bustard has a grayish coloration with a more distinct black stripe on its face, as well as a black stripe running down its neck that connects to its black belly. They have a small head set on a long neck, and a bulky body with large legs. The female is similar in appearance to... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 10 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hartlaub's Bustard sighting in Nairobi National Park on a given day, based on 180 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 177th 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.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hartlaub's Bustard in Nairobi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month. That is one of Nairobi National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 180 mm in April.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hartlaub's Bustard sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Hartlaub's Bustard sightings, Nairobi National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 20%) and Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hartlaub's Bustard is recorded against all the birds logged in Nairobi National Park (180 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.
