Laniarius erythrogaster
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster) is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found in the African countries of Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. The black-headed gonolek is a distinctively coloured bush-shrike though it is generally shy and retiring. However, close to human habitation and in gardens, it often becomes much bolder. It has a very distinctive call which it makes in concert with its partner. The male makes a loud, clear, bell-like sound to which the female responds almost simultaneously with a harsh grating response. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 5 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 6 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 7 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 10 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gonolek sighting in Queen Elizabeth National Park on a given day, based on 1,405 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 434 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gonolek in Queen Elizabeth National Park on a given day, against about 60% in February–April, August and November, the lowest months. Those are among Queen Elizabeth National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 150 mm in April.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed Gonolek sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Black-headed Gonolek sightings, Queen Elizabeth National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, about 50%) and Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Laniarius
The closest relatives of the Black-headed Gonolek that you can see in Queen Elizabeth National Park (genus Laniarius, Boubous and Gonoleks) are Papyrus Gonolek (about 10%) and Tropical Boubou (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Gonolek is recorded against all the birds logged in Queen Elizabeth National Park (1,405 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.
