Rhaphidura sabini
Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Sabine's spinetail ( SAY-bin; Rhaphidura sabini, sometimes spelled Raphidura sabini) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is widespread across the African tropical rainforest. Its common name and Latin binomial commemorate General Sir Edward Sabine.
The Sabine's spinetail is a frugivore. Wikipedia →
Alarm call0:06
Uganda · 2012
© Wendy James · XC620058 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taï National Park | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | |
| 2 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sabine's Spinetail sighting in Taï National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 44th most-seen of the 74 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sabine's Spinetail 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 5 parks where we can rate Sabine's Spinetail sightings, Taï National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 10%) and Semuliki National Park (Uganda, under 5%).
Same family: Apodidae
The closest relatives of the Sabine's Spinetail that you can see in Taï National Park (family Apodidae, Swifts) are Cassin's Spinetail (about 10%) and African Palm-Swift (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sabine's Spinetail is recorded against all the birds logged in Taï National Park (7 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.
