Birding Safari in Tanzania : Tanzania, a country in East Africa, apart from being known as a tourist destination, especially for wildlife safaris in the Serengeti national park, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, and Lake Manyara national parks, and also the hiking destination on Mount Kilimanjaro, is also known as a birding destination, hosting larger numbers of bird species in different habitats. The majority of visitors come to Tanzania to see wildlife, participate in cultural tours, climb mountains, and relax on the beach during a safari drive. Bird watching takes a significant beating, or as some might say, a backseat, as a result of all these pleasantries. Fortunately for bird lovers, East Africa, particularly Tanzania, is one of the best sites in the world to see birds in their natural habitat.
Tanzania is one of the top birding destinations in Africa. It boasts one of the most diverse species lists of any African country, with over 1,100 species, including over 800 resident species and approximately 200 regular migrants. There are 22 endemic species (meaning they are exclusively found in Tanzania) and 43 near-endemic species (meaning they are only found in Tanzania and surrounding countries). There are various types of birds, including larger and smaller birds, migratory and resident birds, water-loving bird species, woodland birds, and so on. You can see and watch birds in all of Tanzania’s 22 national parks, but the most well-known destinations/national parks in Tanzania are the famous national parks for wildlife safaris in the northern Tanzania safari circuit, which include the Serengeti, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and Ngorongoro conservation area, which are all considered to be among the country’s top bird destinations.
Bird watching in Tarangire National Park.
Apart from being famed for its vast herds of elephants, Tarangire is also a popular birding destination in Tanzania and throughout Africa. It is an excellent bird-watching location, with over 500 species documented.
Several dry-country bird species, such as the northern pied babbler and the vulturine Guinea fowl, can be found in the park. It has both resident and migratory birds, with the migratory birds arriving from all over the world, including Europe and Asia. Tarangire National Park is considered the birding paradise of all Tanzania bird destinations for bird lovers who need to explore birds in Tanzania.
Some of the Tarangire national park birds include the Common Red-and-yellow Barbet, the locally common and endemic Ashy starling, The Common White-headed buffalo-weaver, the Common Tawny eagle, the Common African orange-bellied parrot, the Common Speckle-fronted weaver, the African grey flycatcher, the Ashy starling endemic to Tanzania, Bare-faced go-away bird, Donaldson-Smith’s nightjar, The great white pelican, Northern pied babblers are nearly endemic to Tanzania. Northern white-crowned shrike, Ostrich, Pink-breasted lark, Rufous-tailed weaver, all of which are endemic to Tanzania.Slate-coloured boubou, Von der Decken’s hornbill, Vulturine guineafowl, Yellow-collared lovebird, etc
Serengeti National Park bird watching
The Serengeti National Park is another birding safari destination in Tanzania. The Serengeti National Park is well known as an African wildlife attraction, with vast numbers of wild creatures from all over Africa and the world, as well as massive wildebeest migrations. Tanzania is widely known as a birding destination, with vast populations of practically all types of bird species, including resident birds, migratory birds, and others. Serengeti National Park is home to over 500 bird species, making it an ideal destination for bird watchers. The Kori bustard, ostrich, and African Fish Eagle are among the Serengeti’s most iconic bird species, Birding Safari in Tanzania .
Some of the Serengeti bird species include black-headed ganolek, Fischer’s lovebird, Green-backed woodpecker, Grey-backed fiscal, Grey-breasted spur fowl, Grey-crested helmet-shrike, Hildebrandt’s starling, Red-capped robin-chat, Rufous-tailed weaver, Rappel’s vulture, Southern ground hornbill, Schalow’s turaco, Silverbird, Usambiro barbet, Verreaux’s eagle, Yellow-throated sandgrouse, etc.
Bird watching in Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara National Park, which is next to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, is particularly well-known for attracting larger species, and visitors may enjoy bird viewing from a variety of settings. Many birding habitats exist in the Lake Manyara national park, which attract and host a diverse range of bird species. For example, the groundwater forest attracts and hosts forest birds, as well as the well-known lake Manyara, where flamingos and other water-loving bird species can be seen in large numbers. It is home to more than 300 bird species, including Eurasian migrating birds, acacia-associated birds, raptors, and three threatened Tanzanian birds’ species: the Rufous-tailed weaver, Ashy starlings, and Black-collared Lovebird , Birding Safari in Tanzania .
Other bird species that can be observed or spotted during your Tanzania lake Manyara national park safari includes the greater flamingo, the lesser flamingo, white pelican, pink-backed pelican, marabou stork, yellow-billed stork, white stork, Abdim’s stork, black stork, open-billed stork, saddle-billed stork, great cormorant, long-tailed cormorant, grey-headed heron, African darter, little bittern, dwarf bittern, black-crowned heron, cattle egret, common squacco heron, little egret, black heron, great egret, black-headed heron, goliath heron, purple heron, African spoonbill, sacred ibis, glossy ibis, Egyptian goose, spur-winged goose, Southern pochard, African jacana, pied avocet, little stint, black-winged stilt, hammerkop, pied kingfisher, grey-headed kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, little bee-eater, white-throated bee-eater, silvery-cheeked hornbill, African grey hornbill, Von der Decken’s hornbill, Southern ground hornbill, grey crowned crane, Fischer’s lovebird, red-and-yellow barbet, red-collared widowbird, black-headed weaver, Southern red bishop, African crowned eagle, Egyptian vulture, Ruppell’s griffon vulture, African fish eagle etc.
Bird watching in Ngorongoro conservation area
Apart from the larger populations of wild animals in the crater, the Ngorongoro conservation area is also home to bird species that can be plainly observed or easily spotted on your safari to Tanzania, specifically to the Ngorongoro conservation area. There are around 500 bird species in the park, including those in the crater and the Ngorongoro highlands. Among the most commonly seen and heard birds in the Ngorongoro Crater are the white-eyed slaty flycatcher, Livingstone turaco, ostrich, Kori bustard, crowned crane, and secretary bird.
Other Ngorongoro bird species that are found there and can be observed during the bird watching on the Ngorongoro safari include the African spoonbill, the Augur buzzard, Capped wheatear, Eastern double-collared sunbird, Egyptian vulture, Fan-tailed widowbird, Greater flamingo, Hartlaub’s turaco, Hildebrandt’s francolin, Hildebrandt’s starling, Jackson’s widowbird, Northern anteater chat, Namaqua doveRed-and-yellow barbet, rosy-throated long claw, Rufous-tailed weaver, Scarlet-chested sunbird, Schalow’s wheatear, Speke’s weaver, Verreaux’s eagle, White-eyed slaty flycatcher, etc.
Ruaha National Park bird watching
This is yet another excellent bird-watching site in Tanzania, and it is only a short distance from the famous northern safari circuit parks of Kilimanjaro National Park. On a Tanzania safari, you’ll discover that Ruaha and other national parks are home to a plethora of fascinating bird species, which can be seen on a variety of Tanzania safaris. Ruaha’s large bird diversity is due to its position, which lies on the border between East Africa’s acacia savannah and southern Africa’s miombo woodland belt.
The park is home to around 450 species of birds, including the crested barbet, yellow-collared lovebird, and ashy starling. Other bird species in the Ruaha national park include African fish eagle, Ashy starling, Black-bellied bustard, collared palm-thrush, crested barbet, Eleonora’s falcon, Emerald-spotted wood dove, Goliath heron, Long-crested eagle, Namaqua dove, Southern ground hornbill, Tanzanian red-billed hornbill, White-bellied go-away bird, Yellow-collared lovebirds etc.
Tanzania has both migratory and endemic birds which can be only found in Tanzania during your bird safari in Tanzania and Some of the endemic birds include Ashy starling, Banded green sunbird, Fischer’s lovebird, Grey-breasted spur fowl, Iringa akalat, Kilombero weaver, Loveridge’s sunbird, Moreau’s sunbird, Mrs. Moreau’s warbler, Pemba green pigeon, Pemba scops owl, Pemba sunbird, Pemba white-eye, The Rufous-tailed weaver, the Rufous-winged sunbird, Tanzanian red-billed hornbill, Tanzanian seedeater Forest partridge, Udzungwa Uluguru bush-shrike, Usambara akalat, Usambara eagle owl, Usambara weaver, etc.
The best time for bird watching in Tanzania
Unlike animal watching, which is best done during the dry season from May to November, bird watching is more exciting in the wet season. Although birdlife is abundant throughout the year, migrating birds from Europe and northern Africa are present from November to April, and many resident species are in breeding plumage during this time, As a result it is the best time to go bird watching in Tanzania.
