Rwenzori Batis

Rwenzori Batis

Batis diops

Silhouette: Mathieu Pélissié · PhyloPic

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

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

415 Verified sightings at Nyungwe National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,097 In all 4 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Rwenzori Batis

The Rwenzori batis (Batis diops) is a bird native to the Albertine Rift montane forests, where it inhabits altitudes of 1,340–3,300 m (4,400–10,830 ft). The Rwenzori batis is a small, active black and white Old World flycatcher. The upperparts are dark bluish black with a white stripe along the wing and a white loral spot. The underparts are mostly white except for a glossy bluish black breast band, a black chin spot and black thighs and grey axillaries. The tail is black with the feathers having white tips and white edges on the outer tail feathers. The sexes are similar except that males have yellow eyes and females have been reported sometimes to have orangey-red eyes. Juveniles are similar to adults but the plumage has a more rufous cast. The Rwenzori batis measures 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in) in length, and it weighs 8–15.5 g (0.28–0.55 oz).

The territorial call is a slow low-pitched whistle, which has been described as both ventriloqual and eerie. It is repeated with an interval of 2–4 seconds between each whistle. The Rwenzori batis occurs in the Albertine Rift from the Rwenzori Mountains in the north to Mount Kabobo in the... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:53

Uganda · 2015

© Martin St-Michel · XC234727 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Duet0:28

Burundi · 2026

© Bram Piot · XC1083764 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:40

Uganda · 2022

© Peter Boesman · XC739433 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
2 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
3 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
4 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rwenzori Batis in Nyungwe National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rwenzori Batis sighting in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, based on 415 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 37th most-seen of the 252 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 Rwenzori Batis in Nyungwe National Park?

July and October–January

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rwenzori Batis in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, against about 20% in March–April, June and August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Rwenzori Batis?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rwenzori Batis sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Nyungwe National Park the best place to see a Rwenzori Batis?

Among the best

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Rwenzori Batis sightings, Nyungwe National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda, about 30%).

Where does the Rwenzori Batis sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rwenzori Batis is recorded against all the birds logged in Nyungwe National Park (415 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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