Emberiza tahapisi
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The cinnamon-breasted bunting (Emberiza tahapisi) or cinnamon-breasted rock-bunting is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae. It is widespread in Africa south of the Sahara. The cinnamon-breasted bunting was formally described in 1836 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith under the current binomial name Emberiza tahapisi. His description was based on specimens found near the source of the Vaal River in South Africa. The specific epithet tahapisi is from the Tswana word "Thagapitse" that is used for various finches in the family Emberizidae.
The species is also known as the cinnamon-breasted rock bunting or African rock bunting. They are small passerines in the genus Emberiza, which consists of other Old World buntings. There have been some discrepancies regarding the relation to other species and subspecies. However, recent mitochondrial analyses of African buntings suggest that the Gosling's bunting (Emberiza goslingi) should be treated as a separate species.... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnamon-breasted Bunting sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 192nd most-seen of the 257 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.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnamon-breasted Bunting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months. That is one of South Luangwa National Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 310 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cinnamon-breasted Bunting sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
23rd of 35
Of the 35 parks where we can rate Cinnamon-breasted Bunting sightings, South Luangwa National Park ranks 23rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 20%), Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and Ruaha National Park (Tanzania, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Cinnamon-breasted Bunting that you can see in South Luangwa National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Meves's Glossy-starling (about 80%), White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (about 70%) and Blue-breasted Cordonbleu (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cinnamon-breasted Bunting is recorded against all the birds logged in South Luangwa National Park (19 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.
