Oriolus larvatus
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-headed oriole (Oriolus larvatus) is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is found in Africa and has a very striking appearance with a bright yellow body, contrasting black head and flesh-coloured beak.
Some authorities have considered the mountain oriole to be a subspecies of the black-headed oriole. Alternate names for the black-headed oriole include the African black-headed oriole, Eastern black-headed oriole and Eastern oriole.
Five subspecies are recognised: Oriolus larvatus rolleti – Salvadori, 1864: Originally described as a separate species. Found from southern Sudan and southern Ethiopia to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and central Kenya
Oriolus larvatus reichenowi – Zedlitz, 1916: Found from Somalia to eastern Tanzania Kenya black-headed oriole or tropical blackhead oriole (Oriolus larvatus angolensis) – Neumann, 1905: Found from Angola and Namibia to western Tanzania and northern Mozambique
Oriolus larvatus tibicen – Lawson, 1962: Found from coastal southern Tanzania to coastal southern Mozambique Southern black-headed oriole (Oriolus larvatus larvatus) – Lichtenstein, MHK, 1823: Found from southern... Wikipedia →
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Oriole sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 213th most-seen of the 341 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March and May–June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Oriole in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in February, April and July–December, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed Oriole sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
31st of 43
Of the 43 parks where we can rate Black-headed Oriole sightings, Samburu National Reserve ranks 31st at under 5%. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 60%), Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 50%) and Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Oriole is recorded against all the birds logged in Samburu National Reserve (41 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.
