Parus funereus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The dusky tit (Melaniparus funereus) is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae. It is native to the African tropical rainforest. The dusky tit was formerly one of the many species placed in the genus Parus. It was moved to the resurrected genus Melaniparus based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013.
This bird has an unknown population size in the middle of Africa. The dusky tit is known for being almost entirely black with brownish or gray tones, depending on its sex. It is a relatively minor bird to a medium-sized bird; it may range from 13 to 15 cm depending on the sex. It is characterized by red eyes and a chirp that sounds like "dree di-di-di".
The males are mostly black, and the only distinct color resides in the eyes. The eyes will almost always be primarily red, but can vary from red to orange-red. Another key feature is its bill, which is smaller and thus easier to identify. In general, the male is the dominant sex. Therefore, its length will vary more towards the 14-15 cm mark.
The female has similar characteristics as the male; however, the upper body parts are more blackish-gray. Their tail is fringed gray and brown; however,... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo | |
| 3 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 4 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Tit sighting in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, based on 135 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 99th most-seen of the 252 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.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Tit in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February to December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dusky Tit sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Dusky Tit sightings, Nyungwe National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda, about 20%) and Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Republic of the Congo, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dusky Tit is recorded against all the birds logged in Nyungwe National Park (135 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.
