Rhinoptilus chalcopterus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The bronze-winged courser or violet-tipped courser (Rhinoptilus chalcopterus) is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. This species is named for its characteristic bronze-tipped feathers that are visible during flight. It is found living throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, inhabiting semi-arid savannas and woodlands. This is a nocturnal species which mainly feeds on ground-dwelling insects. Bronze-winged coursers are typically solitary, only forming monogamous pairs for breeding. A female may produce 2-3 eggs per clutch, and the chicks receive parental care from both sexes when young. The bronze-winged courser is considered of Least Concern for conservation status, and is thought to be a very stable species.
The bronze-winged courser is a species of small wading birds with long legs and short wings. The bronze-winged courser is the largest of the coursers, with a body length of 25-29 centimeters, a wingspan up to 58 centimeters, and body weight between 91 and 220 grams.
The bronze-winged courser can be recognized by its characteristic head markings and overall coloration. The adult plumage differs from the juvenile plumage in this species... Wikipedia →
Call0:17
South Africa · 2021
© Derek Solomon · XC696623 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Song1:23
Zambia · 2023
© Marc Anderson · XC830765 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Recording0:42
South Africa · 2025
© Sascha Schumann · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 4 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 6 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 7 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 8 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 9 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 12 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 13 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 15 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze-winged Courser sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 253rd most-seen of the 283 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze-winged Courser in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bronze-winged Courser sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
10th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Bronze-winged Courser sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Hwange National Park (Zimbabwe, about 10%), Ruaha National Park (Tanzania, about 10%) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, under 5%).
Same order: Charadriiformes
The closest relatives of the Bronze-winged Courser that you can see in uMkhuze Game Reserve (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are African Jacana (about 40%), Whiskered Tern (about 30%) and Crowned Lapwing (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bronze-winged Courser is recorded against all the birds logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (11 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.
