Common Scimitarbill
Common ScimitarbillCommon ScimitarbillCommon ScimitarbillCommon Scimitarbill

Common Scimitarbill

Rhinopomastus cyanomelas

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Etosha National Park
137 Verified sightings at Etosha National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,160 Verified sightings across all 43 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Common Scimitarbill

The common scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Adults weigh roughly 35 grams and 26 cm in length. As adults, their beaks are black but as juveniles, their beaks are grey. Females and juveniles are more brown on the front of their body. They feed almost entirely on insects behind the bark of a tree, which is the reason for their probing beak.

(Scimitarbilled woodhoopoe=) Common scimitarbill – Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Etosha National Park

Violet Wood Hoopoe
LC

Violet Wood Hoopoe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phoeniculus damarensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Green Wood Hoopoe
LC

Green Wood Hoopoe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phoeniculus purpureus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
LC

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tockus leucomelas

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
African Grey Hornbill
LC

African Grey Hornbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lophoceros nasutus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Southern Red-billed Hornbill

Southern Red-billed Hornbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tockus rufirostris

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
African Hoopoe

African Hoopoe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Upupa africana

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Damara Red-billed Hornbill
LC

Damara Red-billed Hornbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tockus damarensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Common Hoopoe
LC

Common Hoopoe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Upupa epops

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Monteiro's Hornbill
LC

Monteiro's Hornbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tockus monteiri

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Bradfield's Hornbill
LC

Bradfield's Hornbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lophoceros bradfieldi

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
2 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~20%
3 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
4 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
5 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~20%
6 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
7 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
8 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
9 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
10 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
11 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
12 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
13 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
14 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
15 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
16 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
17 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
18 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
19 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
20 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
21 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
22 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
23 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
24 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
25 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
26 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
27 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
28 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
29 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
30 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
31 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
32 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
33 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
34 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
35 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
36 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
37 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
38 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
39 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
40 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
41 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
42 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
43 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Common Scimitarbill in Etosha National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Scimitarbill sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 137 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Common Scimitarbill in Etosha National Park?

July has the highest sighting rate for Common Scimitarbill in Etosha National Park in our monthly data.

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