Neotis denhami
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Denham's bustard, Stanley bustard or Stanley's bustard (Neotis denhami) is a large bird in the bustard family. It breeds in much of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a species of open ground, including agricultural land, grassland, flood-plains and burnt fynbos. It is resident, but some inland populations move to lower altitudes in winter. The common names for this species refer to the English explorer, Major Dixon Denham, and the English naturalist Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby.
Denham's bustard is the largest species in the genus Neotis, although is smaller than the bustards in the genus Ardeotis (as well as the great bustard). The male is 9 to 10 kg (20 to 22 lb) and 100–116 cm (39–46 in), the female is much smaller at 3 to 4 kg (6.6 to 8.8 lb) and 80–87 cm (31–34 in). The back is brown, darker and plainer in the male, and the underparts are white. The neck is pale grey with an orange nape. Its grey crown is bordered with black, and a black line runs through the eye with a white line forming an eyebrow above. The long legs are pale yellow. The wings are strikingly patterned in brown, white and black, the male showing more white in flight than the female or...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pendjari National Park | 🇧🇯 Benin | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Mole National Park | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 6 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda |
No species of the same family or order lives in Pendjari National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Denham's Bustard sighting in Pendjari National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 15 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.
December and January
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Denham's Bustard in Pendjari National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June to November, the lowest months. Those are among Pendjari National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 190 mm in August.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Denham's Bustard sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Denham's Bustard sightings, Pendjari National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 30%) and Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Denham's Bustard is recorded against all the birds logged in Pendjari National Park (15 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.
