Western Cape
Goukamma · Garden Route · Keurbooms River
Self-driveMalaria-free
Stays in Western CapeWhere to see
Where to see the Black-backed Puffback in South Africa
Hosts have recorded the Black-backed Puffback at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Kwandwe Private Game Reserve.
Dryoscopus cubla
Planning a trip
When and where to find the Black-backed Puffback
Hosts have recorded the Black-backed Puffback at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Kwandwe Private Game Reserve.
Best hours of the day
- The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
- Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.
Where to base yourself
- Western Cape
Limpopo
Kruger
LimpopoSelf-driveStays in Limpopo
Eastern Cape
Kwandwe
Eastern CapeGuided drivesMalaria-freeStays in Eastern Cape
KwaZulu-Natal
Hluhluwe-Imfolozi · iSimangaliso Wetland
KwaZulu-NatalStays in KwaZulu-Natal
Ways to look
Drive yourself
Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.
Where hosts record it
Guided drives from a lodge
A guide who knows where to look, with off-road and night drives in the private reserves.
Where hosts record it
Species
Dryoscopus cubla
Records
1,735
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Black-backed Puffback on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
Which parks and reserves are best for the Black-backed Puffback in South Africa?
Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Black-backed Puffback at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Garden Route National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.
Where can you see the Black-backed Puffback in South Africa?
The Black-backed Puffback is most recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (26% of records), Mpumalanga (26% of records), Limpopo (25% of records), based on 1,735 iNaturalist observations. 39 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Black-backed Puffback on site or nearby.
When is the best time to see the Black-backed Puffback?
The Black-backed Puffback is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Kwandwe Private Game Reserve: year-round, best Mar-May, Sep-Nov; Garden Route National Park: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.
What is the Black-backed Puffback?
The black-backed puffback (Dryoscopus cubla) is a species of passerine bird in the Malaconotidae family. They are common to fairly common sedentary bushshrikes in various wooded habitats in Africa south of the equator. They restlessly move about singly, in pairs or family groups, and generally frequent tree canopies.
Stays that give back
Where to stay for a chance to see the Black-backed Puffback
Every stay on the Black-backed Puffback page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.
See where to stay