Lophoceros bradfieldi
Silhouette: Charles J. Sharp and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Bradfield's hornbill (Lophoceros bradfieldi) is an African hornbill. It is a medium-sized bird, 50–57 cm (20–22 in) in length, characterized by black back and wings and a white belly. The tip feathers of the long tail are white. Females are smaller than males and can be recognized by turquoise facial skin. The eyes are yellow and the beak is red. The beak is long and presents no casque.
This is an uncommon resident of the mopane woodlands and mixed thorn fields of northeastern Namibia (especially on the Waterberg plateau), northern Botswana, southern Angola and eastern Zimbabwe. They feed on fruits, large insects, nuts and small reptiles.
The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the South African naturalist R. D. Bradfield (1882-1949). Bradfield's hornbill - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 3 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 5 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bradfield's Hornbill sighting in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 77th most-seen of the 118 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bradfield's Hornbill in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, against about 10% in January, March, May and July–October, the lowest months. That is one of Waterberg Plateau Park's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain against almost none in May. April and June have too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bradfield's Hornbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Bradfield's Hornbill sightings, Waterberg Plateau Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Hwange National Park (Zimbabwe, about 30%) and Chobe National Park (Botswana, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bradfield's Hornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Waterberg Plateau Park (22 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.
