Rhinoptilus africanus
Silhouette: Cristian Gutierrez-Ibanez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The double-banded courser (Smutsornis africanus), also known as the two-banded courser, is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. It was formerly placed in the genus Rhinoptilus but is now the only species placed in the genus Smutsornis.
The double-banded courser was formally described in 1807 as Cursorius africanus by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. The specimen had been collected by François Levaillant in Namaqualand on the west coast of southern Africa. This species was formerly placed in the genus Rhinoptilus. A 2022 molecular genetic study by David Cerný and Rossy Natale found that the double-banded courser diverged genetically from the other species in Rhinoptilus. The species was therefore moved to the resurrected genus Smutsornis that had been introduced in 1922 by South African zoologist Austin Roberts. The genus name combines the name of the South African politician Jan Smuts with the Ancient Greek ορνις/ornis, ορνιθος/ornithos meaning "bird".
Eight subspecies are recognised: S. a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tierpark Hagenbeck | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Double-banded Courser sighting in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 273rd most-seen of the 380 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.
April–May and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Double-banded Courser in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and September–March, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Double-banded Courser sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Double-banded Courser sightings, Tsavo West National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 40%), Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 30%) and Tarangire National Park (Tanzania, about 20%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Double-banded Courser is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo West National Park (23 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.
