Short-toed Rock-Thrush

Short-toed Rock-Thrush

Monticola brevipes

Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Pilanesberg National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%

62 Verified sightings at Pilanesberg National Park From 2019 to 2026
220 In all 5 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Short-toed Rock-Thrush

The short-toed rock thrush (Monticola brevipes) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Birds in the eastern part of its range are sometimes regarded as a separate species, the Pretoria rock thrush or Transvaal rock thrush (M. pretoriae).

Short-toed rock thrush - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Short-toed rock-thrush Structured guide to the species in southern Africa Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:09

Namibia · 2016

© Peter Boesman · XC346902 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:52

Namibia · 2015

© Joris Komen · XC277330 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
2 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
5 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Short-toed Rock-Thrush in Pilanesberg National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Short-toed Rock-Thrush sighting in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 129th most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Short-toed Rock-Thrush in Pilanesberg National Park?

July and August

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Short-toed Rock-Thrush in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to April, the lowest months. Those are among Pilanesberg National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 130 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Short-toed Rock-Thrush?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Short-toed Rock-Thrush 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 Pilanesberg National Park the best place to see a Short-toed Rock-Thrush?

2nd of 5

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Short-toed Rock-Thrush sightings, Pilanesberg National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 20%).

Where does the Short-toed Rock-Thrush sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Short-toed Rock-Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Pilanesberg National Park (62 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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