Birds of Africa

african penguins (jackass penquins)

little grebe, reed cormorant, goliath heron, grey heron, green-backed heron, yellow-billed stork, marabou stork, saddle-billed stork, african openbill stork, wooley-necked stork, greater flamingo, african spoonbill, hamerkop, hadeda ibis, glossy ibis, sacred ibis, egyptian goose, cape teal

Africa - Predatory & Scavenging Birds

eagles: african fish, bateleur, tawny, martial,wahlberg's
southern pale chanting goshawk, yellow-billed kite, black-shouldered kite, pygmy falcon, rock kestrel, greater kestrel, spotted eagle-owl, secretarybird

Africa Francolins-Spurfowl, Ostrich, Gallinule, Crake, Bustards

swainson's spurfowl, red-necked spurfowl, cape francolin, natal's francolin, grey-winged francolin, crested francolin, common ostrich, black crake, african jacana, kori bustard, northern black korhaan, red-crested korharrn

African Waders

african jacana, black-winged stilt, three-banded plover, crowned lapwing, white-crowned lapwing, blacksmith lapwing, wood sandpiper, common greenshank, greater painted-snipe, spotted thick-knee, water thick-knee

Africa Sandgrouse, Pigeons, Doves

double-banded sandgrouse, namaqua sandgrouse, speckled pigeon, african mourning dove, red-eyed dove, laughing dove, namaqua dove

Africa Parrots, Turacos, Cuckoos, Coucals

brown-headed parrot, purple-crested turaco, grey go-away-bird, great spotted cuckoo, diderick cuckoo, and burchell's coucal

Africa Trogon, Kingfishers, Bee-eaters & Rollers

narina trogon, white-backed mousebird, pied kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, african pygmy kingfisher, brown-hooded kingfisher, european bee-eater, white-fronted bee-eater, swallow-tailed bee-eater, little bee-eater, lilac-breasted roller, purple roller

Africa Hornbills, Hoopoes, & Barbets

southern ground-hornbill, african grey hornbill, southern yellow-billed hornbill, red-billed hornbill, african hoopoe, black-collared barbet, crested barbet, golden-tailed woodpecker

Africa Drongos, Babblers, Bulbuls, Thrushes & Chats

large-billed lark, fork-tailed drongo, pied crow, arrow-marked babbler, southern pied babbler, african red-eyed bulbul, dark-capped bulbul, karoo thrush, kurrichane thrush, groundscraper thrush, familiar chat, ant-eating chat

Africa - Crombec, Cisticola, Flycatchers & Wagtails

long-billed crombec, levaillants cisticola,
southern black and chat flycatchers, african pied and cape wagtails

Africa - Shrikes, Starlings, Oxpeckers & Sunbirds

crimson-breasted shrike, magpie shrike, grey-headed bush-shrike, brubru, greater blue-eared starling, cape glossy starling, violet-backed starling, meve's starling, red-winged starling, red-billed oxpecker, malachite sunbird

Africa Weavers, Bishops, Whydahs & Waxbills

cape sparrow, southern gray-headed sparrow, red-billed buffalo weaver, sociable weaver, southern masked weaver, lesser masked weaver, red-headed weaver, cape weaver, red-billed quelea, southern red bishop, pin-tailed whydah, common waxbill, blue waxbill, yellow-fronted canary

Return to African Wildlife

This album contains thirteen galleries.

The layout of the galleries follows an order closely aligned with a popular guide book, Birds of Southern Africa by Sinclair, Hockey and Tarboton.

It is commonly noted that Africa is the wildlife continent. This is said in the context of the exotic large mammal species that still hang onto an existence there. Associated with the enormous herds of herbivores providing the food base for large mammals, avian species in Africa also form a unique collection of wildlife. For example, there are more vultures (scavengers) and avian predators than elsewhere.

Africa’s collection of birds range from penguins and ostriches to secretary birds, storks and hornbills. There are approximately 951 species in Southern Africa. Of these, about 144 are endemic to the area. Some species are distributed world wide, such as the European starling. But the starlings of Southern Africa are absolutely gorgeous. One particular photo that Terry submitted to an international nature photography review website brought broad recognition and appreciation from some of the world’s most active nature photographers. You will find that image among the starlings. It is called the violet-backed starling.

And no bird in Africa has a more interesting job than the oxpeckers. They have the most intimate relationships with some of the most rare and exotic mammals on the planet – rhinos, giraffes, cape buffalo, warthogs, wildebeests and others. It is interesting that the elephants do not tolerate the oxpeckers. Apparently their active pecking of insects from the hides of their hosts is irritating to the touch-sensitive elephants. Because of the diverse and sometimes extreme habitats in Southern Africa, many birds have developed unique qualities to compensate. The Namaqua Sandgrouse male is able to absorb water among its breast feathers and will fly twenty miles or more to provide for its thirsty chicks. A large part of learning the bird species of Southern Africa is the fun of learning how they survive and make a living.