Antelopes & Gazelles Mammal Least Concern (IUCN)

Bushbuck

Tragelaphus sylvaticus Kiswahili: Pongo / Mbawala

A solitary, richly marked forest antelope — the most widespread antelope in Africa and a regular in Manyara’s groundwater forest.

Where to look: Lake Manyara National Park Arusha National Park Mahale Mountains National Park Ngorongoro Conservation Area — forested crater rim Nyerere, Mikumi and Ruaha national parks
Best time: Year-round in forested parks, at first and last light along forest edges and water.
Habitat: Riverine and groundwater forest, montane forest edge, dense thicket and well-wooded savanna near permanent water.

All Tanzania wildlife

In the field

Photograph coming soon

We publish our own photographs rather than stock pictures, so this profile is waiting on a bushbuck image from one of our guides. It will be added as soon as we have one worth showing — the field notes below are complete in the meantime.

Species profile

About the bushbuck

The bushbuck is the smallest of the spiral-horned antelope and by far the most widely distributed antelope in Africa, living anywhere with thick cover and water. Males are dark chocolate with white spots and stripes and carry single-twist horns; females are a bright chestnut and hornless.

It is a creature of edges and shadows, and Tanzania's forested parks — Manyara's groundwater forest, Arusha's montane woodland, Mahale's lower slopes — are the best places to meet one. A startled bushbuck barks like a dog, a sound that carries a surprising distance through forest.

Life in the wild

Behavior & relationships

Behavior

Mostly crepuscular and nocturnal where disturbed, more diurnal in protected forest. Barks loudly when alarmed and slips into cover rather than running far.

Social life

Essentially solitary. Ranges overlap without defended territories, and adults associate only briefly to mate.

What makes it remarkable

Special features

White spots and stripes unique to each animal, a raisable dorsal crest, and a dog-like alarm bark.

At a glance

Kiswahili name: Pongo / Mbawala
Wildlife group: Antelopes & Gazelles
Type: Mammal
Family: Bovidae
Habitat: Riverine and groundwater forest, montane forest edge, dense thicket and well-wooded savanna near permanent water.
Tanzania locations: Lake Manyara National Park
Arusha National Park
Mahale Mountains National Park
Ngorongoro Conservation Area — forested crater rim
Nyerere, Mikumi and Ruaha national parks
Sighting availability: Fairly common in forest and thicket, but shy and usually seen alone.
Best time to see: Year-round in forested parks, at first and last light along forest edges and water.

Where to see it

Browse every profile recorded in one of these destinations.

Food & life cycle

Diet: Predominantly a browser on leaves, shoots, flowers and fallen fruit, with some fresh grass after rain.
Gestation / incubation: About 6 months; a single calf, hidden for the first weeks.
Lifespan: Around 12 years in the wild.