Nilaus afer
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The brubru (Nilaus afer) is a species of bushshrike (family Malaconotidae) found in most of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Nilaus. Slight plumage and size variations reflect different ecological niches. The subspecies include:
Nilaus afer afer — West Africa, with distinctive male plumage Nilaus afer massaicus — East Africa, including northeastern Uganda Nilaus afer minor — East Africa, including Kenya and Tanzania Nilaus afer nigritemporalis — Katanga region of DRC and adjacent Zambia
Nilaus afer solivagus — Southern Africa and southern Zambia Its habitat is dry open woodland, but varies geographically. The six northern races and the subspecies N. a. Brubru of southern Africa are found in acacia and broadleaved woodland, whereas the three subspecies in a belt from northeastern Angola and northern Namibia east to Tanzania and northern Mozambique occur in Brachystegia miombo woodland.
The brubru is a small passerine, 12–15 cm long. The adult male of the nominate subspecies, N. a. afer, has a black crown, white supercilium and forehead... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Brubru sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 407 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 50th most-seen of the 341 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Brubru in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, against about 20% in January, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brubru 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 41 parks where we can rate Brubru sightings, Samburu National Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 30%) and Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 30%).
Same family: Malaconotidae
The closest relatives of the Brubru that you can see in Samburu National Reserve (family Malaconotidae, Bushshrikes and Allies) are Slate-colored Boubou (about 50%), Rosy-patched Bushshrike (about 50%) and Three-streaked Tchagra (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brubru is recorded against all the birds logged in Samburu National Reserve (407 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.
