Phyllolais pulchella
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The buff-bellied warbler (Phyllolais pulchella) is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is monotypic within the genus Phyllolais. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
It is a small, dull coloured warbler found in savanna and acacia woodland. It particularly favours Acacia xanthophloea and Acacia abyssinica and can often be seen foraging among the branches in pairs or small groups. It is inconspicuous in its habits but can often be seen feeding in mix-species flocks.
Ryan, Peter (2006). Family Cisticolidae (Cisticolas and allies). pp. 378–492 in del Hoyo J., Elliott A. & Christie D.A. (2006) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11. Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers Lynx Edicions, Barcelona ISBN 978-84-96553-06-4 Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 10 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 12 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 13 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 15 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 16 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 17 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Buff-bellied Warbler sighting in Serengeti National Park on a given day, based on 407 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 116th most-seen of the 469 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–April and November–December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Buff-bellied Warbler in Serengeti National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and September, the lowest months. Those are among Serengeti National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain a month against 5 mm in July.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Buff-bellied Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Buff-bellied Warbler sightings, Serengeti National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 20%), Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 20%) and Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 20%).
Same family: Cisticolidae
The closest relatives of the Buff-bellied Warbler that you can see in Serengeti National Park (family Cisticolidae, Cisticolas and Allies) are Rattling Cisticola (about 50%), Green-backed Camaroptera (about 30%) and Zitting Cisticola (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Buff-bellied Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Serengeti National Park (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.
