Laniarius erythrogaster
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gonolek sighting in Serengeti National Park on a given day, based on 106 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 266th most-seen of the 469 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, June and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gonolek in Serengeti National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April–May, July–October and December, the lowest months.
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.
7th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Black-headed Gonolek sightings, Serengeti National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda, about 70%), Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, about 50%) and Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Gonolek is recorded against all the birds logged in Serengeti National Park (106 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.
