Piliocolobus badius
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius), also known as the bay red colobus, rust red colobus or Upper Guinea red colobus, is a species of Old World monkey in West African forests from Senegal to Ghana. All other species of red colobuses have formerly been considered subspecies of P. badius.
The monkey is a frequent prey of the common chimpanzee. In 1994, western red colobus monkeys infected many chimpanzees with Ebola virus after being hunted and consumed by the chimps. The western red colobus has two subspecies, including the nominate: Bay red colobus, Piliocolobus badius badius
Temminck's red colobus, Piliocolobus badius temminckii Both subspecies are endangered. The western red colobus grows to a head-and-body length of 450 to 670 mm (18 to 26 in) with a tail of 520 to 800 mm (20 to 31 in), and a weight of between 5 and 11 kg (11 and 24 lb). It has red or chestnut-brown head and limbs and black, slatey-grey or dark brown upper parts. It does not have long fringes of hair, or tufts of hair on the tail. Compared to monkeys in the genus Colobus, the nostrils are V-shaped, the digits are long and the big toe is short. Wikipedia →
Call1:12
Senegal · 2025
© Frank Lambert · XC1031639 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Call0:55
Ivory Coast · 2023
© Étienne Leroy · XC960205 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Recording0:23
Gambia · 2026
© monicaprieto · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Taï National Park | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Western Red Colobus sighting in Taï National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June, August and November
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Western Red Colobus in Taï National Park on a given day, against about 10% in July, the lowest month. October and December–February have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Red Colobus sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Western Red Colobus sightings, Taï National Park ranks 2nd at about 60%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 60%).
Same family: Cercopithecidae
The closest relatives of the Western Red Colobus that you can see in Taï National Park (family Cercopithecidae, Old World Monkeys) are Smoky Mangabey (about 50%), Diana Monkey (about 50%) and King Colobus (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Red Colobus is recorded against all the mammals logged in Taï National Park (15 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.
