List Of Birds Of Malawi on:
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This is a list of the bird species recorded in Malawi. The avifauna of
Anatidae includes the
Guineafowl are a group of African, seed-eating, ground-nesting birds that resemble partridges, but with featherless heads and spangled grey plumage.
* Helmeted guineafowl, ''Numida meleagris''
* Southern crested guineafowl, ''Guttera edouardi''
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of
The turacos, plantain eaters and go-away-birds make up the bird family Musophagidae. They are medium-sized arboreal birds. The turacos and plantain eaters are brightly coloured, usually in blue, green or purple. The go-away birds are mostly grey and white.
*
The family Cuculidae includes
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the
Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances".
* Gray crowned-crane, ''Balearica regulorum''
*
The thick-knees are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats.
* Water thick-knee, ''Burhinus vermiculatus''
*
The family Charadriidae includes the
Painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured.
*
The jacanas are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found throughout the tropics. They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat.
*
Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the
Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the
Laridae is a family of medium to large
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute, but bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory.
*
Anhingas or darters are often called "snake-birds" because of their long thin neck, which gives a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged. The males have black and dark-brown plumage, an erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than the female. The females have much paler plumage especially on the neck and underparts. The darters have completely webbed feet and their legs are short and set far back on the body. Their plumage is somewhat permeable, like that of cormorants, and they spread their wings to dry after diving.
*
The hamerkop is a medium-sized bird with a long shaggy crest. The shape of its head with a curved bill and crest at the back is reminiscent of a hammer, hence its name. Its plumage is drab-brown all over.
*
The family Ardeidae contains the
The family Pandionidae contains only one species, the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large
Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes
Barn-owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons.
* African grass-owl, ''Tyto capensis'' (A)
*
The
The mousebirds are slender greyish or brown birds with soft, hairlike body feathers and very long thin tails. They are arboreal and scurry through the leaves like rodents in search of berries, fruit and buds. They are acrobatic and can feed upside down. All species have strong claws and reversible outer toes. They also have crests and stubby bills.
*
The family Trogonidae includes trogons and quetzals. Found in tropical woodlands worldwide, they feed on insects and fruit, and their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits. Although their flight is fast, they are reluctant to fly any distance. Trogons have soft, often colourful, feathers with distinctive male and female plumage.
*
The woodhoopoes are related to the
Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible. Frequently, the bill is brightly coloured.
*
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.
*
The bee-eaters are a group of
Rollers resemble
The African barbets are plump birds, with short necks and large heads. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. Most species are brightly coloured.
*
Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.
*
Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed
The helmetshrikes are similar in build to the shrikes, but tend to be colourful species with distinctive crests or other head ornaments, such as wattles, from which they get their name.
* White helmetshrike, ''Prionops plumatus''
*
Bushshrikes are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush. Although similar in build to the shrikes, these tend to be either colourful species or largely black; some species are quite secretive.
*
Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.
* Red-backed shrike, ''Lanius collurio''
*
The family Corvidae includes
The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub.
*
The members of this family are usually rather large for "warblers". Most are rather plain olivaceous brown above with much yellow to beige below. They are usually found in open woodland, reedbeds, or tall grass. The family occurs mostly in southern to western Eurasia and surroundings, but it also ranges far into the Pacific, with some species in Africa.
* African yellow-warbler, ''Iduna natalensis''
*
The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.
* Plain martin, ''Riparia paludicola''
*
Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throats or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests.
*
Leaf warblers are a family of small insectivorous birds found mostly in Eurasia and ranging into Wallacea and Africa. The species are of various sizes, often green-plumaged above and yellow below, or more subdued with grayish-green to grayish-brown colors.
*Willow warbler, ''Phylloscopus trochilus''
*Yellow-throated woodland-warbler, ''Phylloscopus ruficapilla''
As both the English and scientific names of these birds imply, they feed on ectoparasites, primarily ticks, found on large mammals.
*Red-billed oxpecker, ''Buphagus erythrorhynchus''
*Yellow-billed oxpecker, ''Buphagus africanus''
The Thrush (bird), thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.
*Spotted ground-thrush, ''Geokichla guttata''
*Orange ground-thrush, ''Geokichla gurneyi''
*Groundscraper thrush, ''Turdus litsitsirupa''
*Abyssinian thrush, ''Turdus abyssinicus''
*Kurrichane thrush, ''Turdus libonyana''
*Olive thrush, ''Turdus olivaceus''
Old World flycatchers and chats are a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small insectivores. The appearance of these birds is highly varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls.
*African dusky flycatcher, ''Muscicapa adusta''
*Spotted flycatcher, ''Muscicapa striata''
*Böhm's flycatcher, ''Bradornis boehmi''
*Pale flycatcher, ''Agricola pallidus''
*Gray tit-flycatcher, ''Fraseria plumbea''
*Ashy flycatcher, ''Fraseria caerulescens''
*Southern black-flycatcher, ''Melaenornis pammelaina''
*White-eyed slaty-flycatcher, ''Melaenornis fischeri''
*Bearded scrub-robin, ''Cercotrichas quadrivirgata''
*Miombo scrub-robin, ''Cercotrichas barbata''
*Rufous-tailed scrub-robin, ''Cercotrichas galactotes'' (A)
*Red-backed scrub-robin, ''Cercotrichas leucophrys''
*Olive-flanked robin-chat, ''Cossypha anomala''
*Cape robin-chat, ''Cossypha caffra''
*White-browed robin-chat, ''Cossypha heuglini''
*Red-capped robin-chat, ''Cossypha natalensis''
*Collared palm-thrush, ''Cichladusa arquata''
*White-starred robin, ''Pogonocichla stellata''
*Cholo alethe, ''Chamaetylas choloensis''
*White-chested alethe, ''Chamaetylas fuelleborni''
*Sharpe's akalat, ''Sheppardia sharpei''
*East coast akalat, ''Sheppardia gunningi''
*Thrush nightingale, ''Luscinia luscinia''
*Collared flycatcher, ''Ficedula albicollis''
*Miombo rock-thrush, ''Monticola angolensis''
*Whinchat, ''Saxicola rubetra''
*African stonechat, ''Saxicola torquatus''
*Mocking cliff-chat, ''Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris''
*Arnot's chat, ''Myrmecocichla arnotti''
*Northern wheatear, ''Oenanthe oenanthe''
*Capped wheatear, ''Oenanthe pileata''
*Familiar chat, ''Oenanthe familiaris''
*Boulder chat, ''Pinarornis plumosus''
The sunbirds and spiderhunters are very small passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.
*Anchieta's sunbird, ''Anthreptes anchietae''
*Western violet-backed sunbird, ''Anthreptes longuemarei''
*Collared sunbird, ''Hedydipna collaris''
*Green-headed sunbird, ''Cyanomitra verticalis''
*Olive sunbird, ''Cyanomitra olivacea''
*Mouse-colored sunbird, ''Cyanomitra veroxii''
*Amethyst sunbird, ''Chalcomitra amethystina''
*Scarlet-chested sunbird, ''Chalcomitra senegalensis''
*Bronze sunbird, ''Nectarinia kilimensis''
*Malachite sunbird, ''Nectarinia famosa''
*Red-tufted sunbird, ''Nectarinia johnstoni''
*Western Miombo sunbird, ''Cinnyris gertrudis''
*Eastern Miombo sunbird, ''Cinnyris manoensis''
*Stuhlmann's sunbird, ''Cinnyris stuhlmanni''
*Montane double-collared sunbird, ''Cinnyris ludovicensis''
*Forest double-collared sunbird, ''Cinnyris fuelleborni''
*Shelley's sunbird, ''Cinnyris shelleyi''
*Purple-banded sunbird, ''Cinnyris bifasciatus''
*Oustalet's sunbird, ''Cinnyris oustaleti''
*White-breasted sunbird, ''Cinnyris talatala''
*Variable sunbird, ''Cinnyris venustus''
*Copper sunbird, ''Cinnyris cupreus''
The weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches. They are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season.
*White-headed buffalo-weaver, ''Dinemellia dinemelli''
*White-browed sparrow-weaver, ''Plocepasser mahali''
*Chestnut-backed sparrow-weaver, ''Plocepasser rufoscapulatus''
*Red-headed weaver, ''Anaplectes rubriceps''
*Bertram's weaver, ''Ploceus bertrandi''
*Baglafecht weaver, ''Ploceus baglafecht''
*Spectacled weaver, ''Ploceus ocularis''
*African golden-weaver, ''Ploceus subaureus''
*Holub's golden-weaver, ''Ploceus xanthops''
*Southern brown-throated weaver, ''Ploceus xanthopterus''
*Lesser masked-weaver, ''Ploceus intermedius''
*Southern masked-weaver, ''Ploceus velatus''
*Village weaver, ''Ploceus cucullatus''
*Forest weaver, ''Ploceus bicolor''
*Olive-headed weaver, ''Ploceus olivaceiceps''
*Cardinal quelea, ''Quelea cardinalis''
*Red-headed quelea, ''Quelea erythrops''
*Red-billed quelea, ''Quelea quelea''
*Southern red bishop, ''Euplectes orix''
*Black-winged bishop, ''Euplectes hordeaceus''
*Yellow bishop, ''Euplectes capensis''
*White-winged widowbird, ''Euplectes albonotatus''
*Yellow-mantled widowbird, ''Euplectes macroura''
*Red-collared widowbird, ''Euplectes ardens''
*Fan-tailed widowbird, ''Euplectes axillaris''
*Buff-shouldered widowbird, ''Euplectes psammocromius''
*Grosbeak weaver, ''Amblyospiza albifrons''
The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but have wide variation in plumage colours and patterns.
*Bronze mannikin, ''Spermestes cucullatus''
*Magpie mannikin, ''Spermestes fringilloides''
*Black-and-white mannikin, ''Spermestes bicolor''
*Yellow-bellied waxbill, ''Coccopygia quartinia''
*Green-backed twinspot, ''Mandingoa nitidula''
*Red-faced crimsonwing, ''Cryptospiza reichenovii''
*Black-tailed waxbill, ''Glaucestrilda perreini''
*Fawn-breasted waxbill, ''Estrilda paludicola''
*Common waxbill, ''Estrilda astrild''
*Crimson-rumped waxbill, ''Estrilda rhodopyga''
*Quailfinch, ''Ortygospiza atricollis''
*Locustfinch, ''Paludipasser locustella''
*Cut-throat finch, Cut-throat, ''Amadina fasciata''
*Zebra waxbill, ''Amandava subflava''
*Southern cordonbleu, ''Uraeginthus angolensis''
*Lesser seedcracker, ''Pyrenestes minor''
*Green-winged pytilia, ''Pytilia melba''
*Orange-winged pytilia, ''Pytilia afra''
*Peters's twinspot, ''Hypargos niveoguttatus''
*Red-billed firefinch, ''Lagonosticta senegala''
*African firefinch, ''Lagonosticta rubricata''
*Jameson's firefinch, ''Lagonosticta rhodopareia''
*Brown firefinch, ''Lagonosticta nitidula''
The indigobirds are finch-like species which usually have black or indigo predominating in their plumage. All are
Old World sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.
*House sparrow, ''Passer domesticus'' (I)
*Northern gray-headed sparrow, ''Passer griseus''
*Swahili sparrow, ''Passer suahelicus''
*Southern gray-headed sparrow, ''Passer diffusus''
*Yellow-throated bush sparrow, ''Gymnoris superciliaris''
Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground feeding insectivores of open country.
Mountain wagtail, ''Motacilla clara''
*Gray wagtail, ''Motacilla cinerea''
*Western yellow wagtail, ''Motacilla flava''
*African pied wagtail, ''Motacilla aguimp''
*White wagtail, ''Motacilla alba'' (A)
*African pipit, ''Anthus cinnamomeus''
*Woodland pipit, ''Anthus nyassae''
*Long-billed pipit, ''Anthus similis''
*Plain-backed pipit, ''Anthus leucophrys''
*Buffy pipit, ''Anthus vaalensis''
*Striped pipit, ''Anthus lineiventris''
*Tree pipit, ''Anthus trivialis''
*Bush pipit, ''Anthus caffer''
*Golden pipit, ''Tmetothylacus tenellus'' (A)
*Yellow-throated longclaw, ''Macronyx croceus''
*Rosy-throated longclaw, ''Macronyx ameliae''
Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well.
*Oriole finch, ''Linurgus olivaceus''
*Yellow-fronted canary, ''Crithagra mozambica''
*Southern citril, ''Crithagra hyposticuta''
*Lemon-breasted seedeater, ''Crithagra citrinipectus''
*Brimstone canary, ''Crithagra sulphurata''
*Yellow-browed seedeater, ''Crithagra whytii''
*Black-eared seedeater, ''Crithagra mennelli''
*Reichard's seedeater, ''Crithagra reichardi''
*Yellow-crowned canary, ''Serinus flavivertex''
Checklist of the Birds of Malawi
'. Retrieved on 30 December 2007. * * Dowsett-Lemaire, Françoise & Dowsett, Robert J. (2006) ''The Birds of Malawi'', Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. *
- World Institute for Conservation and Environment {{Africa topic, List of birds of Lists of birds by country, Malawi Birds of East Africa, 'Malawi Lists of birds of Africa, Malawi Lists of biota of Malawi, birds
This is a list of the bird species recorded in Malawi. The avifauna of Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
include a total of 683 species, of which 2 have been introduced by humans. 1 species is endemic.
This list's taxonomic
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World
''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World'' is a book by Jim Clements which presents a list of the bird species of the world.
The most recent printed version is the sixth edition (2007), but has been updated yearly, the last version in 2022 ...
'', 2022 edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for Malawi.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories, but not all species fall into one of these categories. Those that do not are commonly occurring native species.
*(A) Accidental - a rarely occurring species in Malawi
*(E) Endemic - a species endemic to Malawi
*(I) Introduced - a species introduced to Malawi as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
*(Ex) Extirpated
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...
- a species that no longer occurs in Malawi although populations exist elsewhere
Ducks, geese, and waterfowl
Order:Anseriformes
Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...
Family: Anatidae
The Anatidae are the biological family of water birds that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica. These birds are adapted for swimming, floating ...
Anatidae includes the duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
s and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese
A goose (plural, : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family (biology), family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser (bird), Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some o ...
and swan
Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...
s. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.
* White-faced whistling-duck, ''Dendrocygna viduata''
*Fulvous whistling-duck
The fulvous whistling duck or fulvous tree duck (''Dendrocygna bicolor'') is a species of whistling duck that breeds across the world's tropical regions in much of Mexico and South America, the West Indies, the southern United States, sub-Sahar ...
, ''Dendrocygna bicolor''
*White-backed duck
The white-backed duck (''Thalassornis leuconotus'') is a waterbird of the family Anatidae. It is distinct from all other ducks, but most closely related to the whistling ducks in the subfamily Dendrocygninae, though also showing some similarities ...
, ''Thalassornis leuconotus''
*Knob-billed duck
The knob-billed duck (''Sarkidiornis melanotos''), or African comb duck, is a duck found in tropical wetlands in Sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar and the Indian Subcontinent from northern India to Laos and extreme southern China.
Most taxonomic au ...
, ''Sarkidiornis melanotos''
*Egyptian goose
The Egyptian goose (''Alopochen aegyptiaca'') is a member of the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. It is native to Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile Valley.
Egyptian geese were considered sacred by the Ancient Egyptians, and appeared ...
, ''Alopochen aegyptiacus''
*Spur-winged goose
The spur-winged goose (''Plectropterus gambensis'') is a large bird in the family Anatidae, related to the geese and the shelducks, but distinct from both of these in a number of anatomical features, and therefore treated in its own subfamily, th ...
, ''Plectropterus gambensis''
*African pygmy-goose
The African pygmy goose (''Nettapus auritus'') is a perching duck from sub-Saharan Africa. It is the smallest of Africa's waterfowl
Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds ...
, ''Nettapus auritus''
*Garganey
The garganey (''Spatula querquedula'') is a small dabbling duck. It breeds in much of Europe and across the Palearctic, but is strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to southern Africa, India (in particular Santragachi), Banglades ...
, ''Spatula querquedula''
*Blue-billed teal
The blue-billed teal, spotted teal or Hottentot teal (''Spatula hottentota'') is a species of dabbling duck of the genus ''Spatula''. It is migratory resident in eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan and Ethiopia west to Niger and Nigeria and ...
, ''Spatula hottentota''
*Northern shoveler
The northern shoveler (; ''Spatula clypeata''), known simply in Britain as the shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and across most of North America, wintering in southern Euro ...
, ''Spatula clypeata'' (A)
*African black duck
The African black duck (''Anas sparsa'') is a species of duck of the genus ''Anas''. It is genetically closest to the mallard group, but shows some peculiarities in its behavior and (as far as they can be discerned) plumage; it is accordingly pla ...
, ''Anas sparsa''
*Yellow-billed duck
The yellow-billed duck (''Anas undulata'') is a 51–58 cm long dabbling duck which is an abundant resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa. This duck is not migratory, but wanders in the dry season to find suitable waters. It is hig ...
, ''Anas undulata''
*Cape teal
The Cape teal (''Anas capensis'') also Cape wigeon or Cape widgeon is a 44–46 cm long dabbling duck of open wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa.
Taxonomy
The Cape teal was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich G ...
, ''Anas capensis'' (A)
*Red-billed duck
The red-billed teal or red-billed duck (''Anas erythrorhyncha'') is a dabbling duck which is an abundant resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa typically south of 10° S. This duck is not migratory, but will fly great distances to fin ...
, ''Anas erythrorhyncha''
*Northern pintail
The pintail or northern pintail (''Anas acuta'') is a duck species with wide geographic distribution that breeds in the northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and North America. It is migratory and winters south of its breeding ra ...
, ''Anas acuta'' (A)
*Southern pochard
The southern pochard (''Netta erythrophthalma'') is a species of duck, and a member of the genus ''Netta''. There are two subspecies, the South American (southern) pochard ''N. e. erythrophthalma'' (Wied-Neuwied, 1833) and the African (southern) p ...
, ''Netta erythrophthalma''
*Tufted duck
The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...
, ''Aythya fuligula'' (A)
*Maccoa duck
The Maccoa duck (''Oxyura maccoa'') is a stiff-tailed diving duck found across Eastern and Southern Africa.
Description
As members of the stiff-tailed duck group, Maccoas are often found wading in the water with their tail feathers cocked upwar ...
, ''Oxyura maccoa'' (A)
Guineafowl
Order:Galliformes
Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often ...
Family: Numididae
Guineafowl (; sometimes called "pet speckled hens" or "original fowl") are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Phylogenetics, Phylogenetically, ...
Guineafowl are a group of African, seed-eating, ground-nesting birds that resemble partridges, but with featherless heads and spangled grey plumage.
* Helmeted guineafowl, ''Numida meleagris''
* Southern crested guineafowl, ''Guttera edouardi''
Pheasants, grouse, and allies
Order:Galliformes
Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often ...
Family: Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family (biology), family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, Turkey bird, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular Game (hunti ...
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy.
Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New Wor ...
s, partridge
A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They a ...
s, snowcock
The snowcocks or snowfowl are a group of bird species in the genus ''Tetraogallus'' of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are ground-nesting birds that breed in the mountain ranges of southern Eurasia from the Caucasus to the Himalayas and we ...
s, francolin
Francolins are birds in the tribe Gallini that traditionally have been placed in the genus ''Francolinus'', but now commonly are divided into multiple genera.
As previously defined, they were paraphyletic as the genus ''Pternistis'', which was ...
s, spurfowl Spurfowl are two genera of birds:
* ''Galloperdix'', from India and Sri Lanka
* ''Pternistis
''Pternistis'' is a genus of galliform birds formerly classified in the spurfowl group of the partridge subfamily of the pheasant family. They are d ...
s, tragopan
''Tragopan'' is a bird genus in the pheasant family Phasianidae. Member of the genus are commonly called "horned pheasants" because males have two brightly colored, fleshy horns on their head that can be erected during courtship displays. The ha ...
s, monal
A monal is a bird of genus ''Lophophorus'' of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. Description
The males all have colorful, iridescent plumage. Their physique is rather plump. Their diet consists of plants such as roots and bulbs and insects. D ...
s, pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family (biology), family Phasianidae in the order (biology), order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera na ...
s, peafowl
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are refe ...
s and jungle fowl
Junglefowl are the only four living species of bird from the genus ''Gallus'' in the bird order Galliformes, and occur in parts of South and Southeast Asia. They diverged from their common ancestor about 4–6 million years ago.
Although origin ...
s. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.
*Crested francolin
The crested francolin (''Ortygornis sephaena'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
It is found in southern Africa. One of its subspecies, ''Ortygornis sephaena rovuma'', is sometimes considered a separate species, Kirk's francolin.
...
, ''Ortygornis sephaena''
*Coqui francolin
The Coqui francolin (''Campocolinus coqui'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
Taxonomy
Formerly classified in the genus ''Peliperdix'', a 2020 study found it, the white-throated francolin (''C. albogularis''), and Schlegel's fr ...
, ''Campocolinus coqui''
*Red-winged francolin
The red-winged francolin (''Scleroptila levaillantii'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Uganda, a ...
, ''Scleroptila levaillantii''
* Shelley's francolin, ''Scleroptila shelleyi''
* Whyte’s francolin, ''Scleroptila whytei''
* Blue quail, ''Synoicus adansonii''
* Common quail, ''Coturnix coturnix''
*Harlequin quail
The harlequin quail (''Coturnix delegorguei'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Arabian Peninsula.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sull ...
, ''Coturnix delegorguei''
*Hildebrandt's francolin
Hildebrandt's spurfowl (''Pternistis hildebrandti'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia. The species is named for Johan ...
, ''Pternistis hildebrandti''
* Scaly francolin, ''Pternistis squamatus''
*Swainson's francolin
Swainson's spurfowl or Swainson's francolin (''Pternistis swainsonii'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In the Sh ...
, ''Pternistis swainsonii''
*Red-necked spurfowl
The red-necked spurfowl or red-necked francolin (''Pternistis afer''), is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae that is a resident species in southern Africa.
Taxonomy
The red-necked spurfowl was described in 1776 by the German zoologist ...
, ''Pternistis afer''
Flamingos
Order:Phoenicopteriformes
Phoenicopteriformes is a group of water birds which comprises flamingos and their extinct relatives. Flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes) and the closely related grebes ( Podicipedidae) are contained in the parent clade Mirandornithes.
Fossil rec ...
Family: Phoenicopteridae
Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean) ...
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of Wader, wading bird in the Family (biology), family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas ...
s are gregarious wading birds, usually tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.
*Greater flamingo
The greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It is found in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and in southern Europe.
Taxonomy
The greater flamingo was desc ...
, ''Phoenicopterus roseus''
*Lesser flamingo
The lesser flamingo (''Phoeniconaias minor'') is a species of flamingo occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and western India. Birds are occasionally reported from further north, but these are generally considered Vagrancy (biology), vagrants.
Charac ...
, ''Phoenicopterus minor''
Grebes
Order: PodicipediformesFamily: Podicipedidae
Grebe
Grebes () are aquatic diving birds in the order Podicipediformes . Grebes are widely distributed freshwater birds, with some species also found in marine habitats during migration and winter. Some flightless species exist as well, most notably ...
s are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land.
*Little grebe
The little grebe (''Tachybaptus ruficollis''), also known as dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''takhus'' "fast" and ''bapto'' "to sink under". The specific ''ruficollis'' is from Latin ...
, ''Tachybaptus ruficollis''
Pigeons and doves
Order:Columbiformes
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
Family: Columbidae
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
Pigeon
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
s and dove
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
s are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere
The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, ...
.
*Rock pigeon
The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon ( also ; ''Columba livia'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon".
The domestic pigeon (''Columba livia domes ...
, ''Columba livia'' (I)
*Speckled pigeon
The speckled pigeon (''Columba guinea''), or (African) rock pigeon, is a pigeon that is a resident breeding bird in much of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common and widespread species in open habitats over much of its range, although there ...
, ''Columba guinea''
*Rameron pigeon
The African olive pigeon or Rameron pigeon (''Columba arquatrix'') is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in much of eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to the Cape. Populations also are found in western Angola, southwestern Saudi Ara ...
, ''Columba arquatrix''
*Delegorgue's pigeon
The eastern bronze-naped pigeon (''Columba delegorguei'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Angola, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is part of the ''Turt ...
, ''Columba delegorguei''
*Lemon dove
The lemon dove or cinnamon dove (''Columba larvata'') is a species of bird in the pigeon family (biology), family Columbidae found in montane forests of sub-Saharan Africa. The São Tomé lemon dove is usually treated as a subspecies. The lemon d ...
, ''Columba larvata''
* Dusky turtle-dove, ''Streptopelia lugens''
* Mourning collared-dove, ''Streptopelia decipiens''
*Red-eyed dove
The red-eyed dove (''Streptopelia semitorquata'') is a dove that is a widespread and common in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004.
Taxonomy
The red-eyed dove was formally described by the G ...
, ''Streptopelia semitorquata''
*Ring-necked dove
The ring-necked dove (''Streptopelia capicola''), also known as the Cape turtle dove or half-collared dove, is a widespread and often abundant dove species in East and southern Africa. It is a mostly sedentary bird, found in a variety of open ha ...
, ''Streptopelia capicola''
*Laughing dove
The laughing dove (''Spilopelia senegalensis'') is a small pigeon that is a resident breeder in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Western Australia where it has established itself in the wild after being released from Perth Zoo in 1898. Th ...
, ''Streptopelia senegalensis''
* Emerald-spotted wood-dove, ''Turtur chalcospilos''
* Blue-spotted wood-dove, ''Turtur afer''
*Tambourine dove
The tambourine dove (''Turtur tympanistria'') is a pigeon which is a widespread resident breeding bird in woodlands and other thick vegetation in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Its range extends from Senegal east to Ethiopia and Kenya and sou ...
, ''Turtur tympanistria''
*Namaqua dove
The Namaqua dove (''Oena capensis'') is a small pigeon. It is the only species in the genus ''Oena.'' It is found over much of Sub-Saharan Africa as well as Arabia and Madagascar.
Taxonomy
The Namaqua dove is the only species in the monotypic g ...
, ''Oena capensis''
* African green-pigeon, ''Treron calva''
Sandgrouse
Order:Pterocliformes
Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae , a family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes . They are traditionally placed in two genera. The two central Asian species are classified as '' Syrrhaptes'' and the othe ...
Family: Pteroclidae
Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae , a family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes . They are traditionally placed in two genera. The two central Asian species are classified as '' Syrrhaptes'' and the other ...
Sandgrouse have small, pigeon like heads and necks, but sturdy compact bodies. They have long pointed wings and sometimes tails and a fast direct flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn and dusk. Their legs are feathered down to the toes.
*Double-banded sandgrouse
The double-banded sandgrouse (''Pterocles bicinctus'') is a species of ground-living bird in the family Pteroclidae. It is found in arid parts of southern Africa.
Subspecies
There are three subspecies: ''P. b. ansorgei'' is found in south west A ...
, ''Pterocles bicinctus''
Bustards
Order: OtidiformesFamily:Otididae
Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and on the steppes of the Old World. They range in length from . They make up the family Otididae (, formerly known as Otidae). Bustards ...
Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World. They are omnivorous and nest on the ground. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. They have long broad wings with "fingered" wingtips and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays.
*Denham's bustard
Denham's bustard, Stanley bustard or Stanley's bustard (''Neotis denhami'') is a large bird in the bustard family. It breeds in much of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a species of open ground, including agricultural land, grassland, flood-plains and ...
, ''Neotis denhami''
* Black-bellied bustard, ''Lissotis melanogaster''
Turacos
Order:Cuculiformes
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separa ...
Family: Musophagidae
The turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae ( "banana-eaters"), which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as loeries. They are semi-zygodactylous: the fourth ( ...
The turacos, plantain eaters and go-away-birds make up the bird family Musophagidae. They are medium-sized arboreal birds. The turacos and plantain eaters are brightly coloured, usually in blue, green or purple. The go-away birds are mostly grey and white.
*Livingstone's turaco
Livingstone's turaco (''Tauraco livingstonii'') is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae, which was named for Charles Livingstone, the brother of David Livingstone.
It is distributed through the subtropical lowlands of southeastern Afric ...
, ''Tauraco livingstonii''
*Schalow's turaco
Schalow's turaco (''Tauraco schalowi'') is a frugivorous bird in the family Musophagidae. This bird's common name and Latin binomial commemorate the German banker and amateur ornithologist Herman Schalow.
Characteristics
These birds are light f ...
, ''Tauraco schalowi''
*Purple-crested turaco
The purple-crested turaco (''Gallirex porphyreolophus'') or, in South Africa, the purple-crested loerie, is a species of bird in the clade Turaco with an unresolved phylogenetic placement. Initial analyses placed the purple-crested turaco in the ...
, ''Tauraco porphyreolophus''
*Bare-faced go-away-bird
The bare-faced go-away-bird (''Crinifer personatus'') is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae which is native to the eastern Afrotropics. It is named for its distinctive and uniquely bare, black face.
Description
The sexes are similar, ...
, ''Corythaixoides personatus''
* Gray go-away-bird, ''Corythaixoides concolor''
Cuckoos
Order:Cuculiformes
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separa ...
Family: Cuculidae
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoo
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...
s, roadrunner
The roadrunners (genus ''Geococcyx''), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, us ...
s and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasite
Brood parasites are animals that rely on others to raise their young. The strategy appears among birds, insects and fish. The brood parasite manipulates a host, either of the same or of another species, to raise its young as if it were its own ...
s.
*Senegal coucal
The Senegal coucal (''Centropus senegalensis'') is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the hoatzin. It is a medium-sized member of its genus and is found in lightly-wooded c ...
, ''Centropus senegalensis''
*Coppery-tailed coucal
The coppery-tailed coucal (''Centropus cupreicaudus'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It was first described ...
, ''Centropus cupreicaudus''
*White-browed coucal
The white-browed coucal or lark-heeled cuckoo (''Centropus superciliosus''), is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa. It inhabits areas with thick cover afforded by rank undergrowth and scrub, including i ...
, ''Centropus superciliosus''
*Black coucal
The black coucal (''Centropus grillii'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide distribution in Africa south of the Sahara.
Description
The male black coucal is in length while the female is , otherwise they are similar i ...
, ''Centropus grillii''
*Green malkoha
The green malkoha or whistling yellowbill (''Ceuthmochares australis'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. This species and the blue malkoha were previously considered conspecific and together known as the yellowbill.
It has a green ...
, ''Ceuthmochares australis''
*Great spotted cuckoo
The great spotted cuckoo (''Clamator glandarius'') is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.
It is widely spread throughout Africa and the Mediterranean Basin. It i ...
, ''Clamator glandarius''
*Levaillant's cuckoo
Levaillant's cuckoo (''Clamator levaillantii'') is a cuckoo which is a resident breeding species in Africa south of the Sahara. It is found in bushy habitats. It is a brood parasite, using the nests of bulbuls and babblers. It was named in h ...
, ''Clamator levaillantii''
*Pied cuckoo
The Jacobin cuckoo (''Clamator jacobinus''), also pied cuckoo or pied crested cuckoo, is a member of the cuckoo order of birds that is found in Africa and Asia. It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the mons ...
, ''Clamator jacobinus''
*Thick-billed cuckoo
The thick-billed cuckoo (''Pachycoccyx audeberti'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Pachycoccyx''. It can easily be distinguished from other brood parasitic cuckoo species by its very thick bill, ...
, ''Pachycoccyx audeberti''
*Dideric cuckoo
The diederik cuckoo (''Chrysococcyx caprius''), formerly dideric cuckoo or didric cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners and the anis.
Taxonomy
The diederik cuckoo was described ...
, ''Chrysococcyx caprius''
* Klaas's cuckoo, ''Chrysococcyx klaas''
*African emerald cuckoo
The African emerald cuckoo (''Chrysococcyx cupreus'') is a species of cuckoo that is native to Africa.
Taxonomy and phylogeny
As a member of the family Cuculidae, the African emerald cuckoo is an Old World cuckoo. There are four subspecies, name ...
, ''Chrysococcyx cupreus''
*Barred long-tailed cuckoo
The barred long-tailed cuckoo (''Cercococcyx montanus'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European ...
, ''Cercococcyx montanus''
*Black cuckoo
The black cuckoo (''Cuculus clamosus'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. The species is distributed widely across sub-Saharan Africa. There are two subspecies. This cuckoo has a very wide range and is quite common so it is classifi ...
, ''Cuculus clamosus''
*Red-chested cuckoo
The red-chested cuckoo (''Cuculus solitarius'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is a medium-sized bird found in Africa south of the Sahara. In Afrikaans, it is known as "Piet-my-vrou", after its call.
Description
The red-ches ...
, ''Cuculus solitarius''
*Lesser cuckoo
The lesser cuckoo (''Cuculus poliocephalus'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae.
It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malawi, Mya ...
, ''Cuculus poliocephalus''
*African cuckoo
The African cuckoo (''Cuculus gularis'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa where it migrates within the continent, generally arriving and breeding in any one locality during the rainy season. A fair ...
, ''Cuculus gularis''
*Madagascar cuckoo
The Madagascar cuckoo (''Cuculus rochii''), also known as the Madagascar lesser cuckoo, is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. Though it breeds only in Madagascar, it spends the non-breeding season in a number of countries in the African ...
, ''Cuculus rochii'' (A)
*Common cuckoo
The common cuckoo (''Cuculus canorus'') is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.
This species is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa. I ...
, ''Cuculus canorus''
Nightjars and allies
Order:Caprimulgiformes
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tal ...
Family: Caprimulgidae
Nightjar
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk ta ...
s are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves.
*Pennant-winged nightjar
The pennant-winged nightjar (''Caprimulgus vexillarius'') is a species of nightjar that occurs from Nigeria to northern South Africa. It is an intra-African migrant and displays remarkable sexual dimorphism in the breeding season.
Range and ha ...
, ''Caprimulgus vexillarius''
*Eurasian nightjar
The European nightjar (''Caprimulgus europaeus''), common goatsucker, Eurasian nightjar or just nightjar, is a crepuscular and nocturnality, nocturnal bird in the nightjar family that breeds across most of Europe and the Palearctic to Mongolia ...
, ''Caprimulgus europaeus''
*Fiery-necked nightjar
The fiery-necked nightjar (''Caprimulgus pectoralis'') is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae, which is found mostly in Africa south of the equator, though it has been spotted in a few countries north of the equator. It is most oft ...
, ''Caprimulgus pectoralis''
*Montane nightjar
The montane nightjar (''Caprimulgus poliocephalus''), mountain nightjar or Abyssinian nightjar, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is native to upland regions of Central and Eastern Africa where it is a locally common speci ...
, ''Caprimulgus poliocephalus''
*Freckled nightjar
The freckled nightjar or freckled rock nightjar (''Caprimulgus tristigma'') is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It has a wide yet patchy distribution throughout the Afrotropics.
Range and habitat
This species occurs throughout ...
, ''Caprimulgus tristigma''
*Square-tailed nightjar
The square-tailed nightjar (''Caprimulgus fossii'') is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae which is native to tropical and subtropical woodlands of the Afrotropics. It has an extensive range south of the African equator. Despite no ...
, ''Caprimulgus fossii''
Swifts
Order:Caprimulgiformes
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tal ...
Family: Apodidae
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are not closely related to any passerine species. Swifts are placed in the order Apodiformes with hummingbirds. The treeswifts are closely r ...
Swift
Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to:
* SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks
** SWIFT code
* Swift (programming language)
* Swift (bird), a family of birds
It may also refer to:
Organizations
* SWIFT, ...
s are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang.
*Mottled spinetail
The mottled spinetail (''Telacanthura ussheri'') is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.
It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, E ...
, ''Telacanthura ussheri'' (A)
* Bat-like spinetail, ''Neafrapus boehmi'' (A)
*Scarce swift
The scarce swift (''Schoutedenapus myoptilus'') is a species of Swift (bird), swift in the family Apodidae.
It has a disjunct range of presence throughout the Afromontane : Cameroon line, Albertine Rift montane forests, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi a ...
, ''Schoutedenapus myoptilus''
*Alpine swift
The alpine swift (''Tachymarptis melba'') formerly ''Apus melba'', is a species of swift found in Africa, southern Europe and Asia. They breed in mountains from southern Europe to the Himalaya. Like common swifts, they are migratory; the souther ...
, ''Apus melba''
*Mottled swift
The mottled swift (''Tachymarptis aequatorialis'') is a species of bird in the swift family, Apodidae. It is one of two species in the genus '' Tachymarptis'' together with the alpine swift (''T. melba'').Chantler, Phil & Gerald Driessens (2000) ...
, ''Apus aequatorialis''
*Common swift
The common swift (''Apus apus'') is a medium-sized bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin but somewhat larger, though not stemming from those passerine species, being in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between th ...
, ''Apus apus''
*African swift
The African black swift (''Apus barbatus''), also known as the African swift or black swift, is a medium-sized bird in the swift family. It breeds in Africa discontinuously from Liberia, Cameroon, Zaire, Uganda and Kenya southwards to South Afri ...
, ''Apus barbatus''
*Little swift
The little swift (''Apus affinis''), is a small species of swift found in Africa and southwestern Asia, and are vagrants and local breeders in southern Europe. They are found both in urban areas and at rocky cliffs where they build nests in a way ...
, ''Apus affinis''
*Horus swift
The Horus swift (''Apus horus'') is a small bird in the Swift (bird), swift family. Horus, whose name this bird commemorates, was the ancient Egyptian god of the sun, son of Osiris and Isis.
Description
The Horus swift is 13–15 cm long an ...
, ''Apus horus''
*White-rumped swift
The white-rumped swift (''Apus caffer'') is a species of swift. Although this small bird is superficially similar to a house martin, it is not closely related to that passerine species. The resemblances between the swallows and swifts are due to ...
, ''Apus caffer''
* African palm-swift, ''Cypsiurus parvus''
Flufftails
Order:Gruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order (biology), order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird family (biology), families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like".
Traditionally, a number of wading and t ...
Family: Sarothruridae
Sarothruridae is a family of small- to medium-sized ground-living birds found mostly in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa, with the genus ''Rallicula'' being restricted to New Guinea and the Moluccas. The species in this family were once consider ...
The flufftails are a small family of ground-dwelling birds found only in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa.
*Buff-spotted flufftail
The buff-spotted flufftail (''Sarothrura elegans'') is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eswa ...
, ''Sarothrura elegans''
*Red-chested flufftail
The red-chested flufftail (''Sarothrura rufa'') is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae
Sarothruridae is a family of small- to medium-sized ground-living birds found mostly in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa, with the genus ''Rallic ...
, ''Sarothrura rufa''
* Chestnut-headed flufftail, ''Sarothrura lugens'' (A)
* Streaky-breasted flufftail, ''Sarothrura boehmi''
*Striped flufftail
The striped flufftail (''Sarothrura affinis'') is a species of bird in the flufftail family Sarothruridae. It is also known as the red-tailed flufftail. The species is closely related to the Madagascar flufftail.
The species has a disjunct distr ...
, ''Sarothrura affinis''
Rails, gallinules and coots
Order:Gruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order (biology), order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird family (biology), families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like".
Traditionally, a number of wading and t ...
Family: Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small- to medium-sized, ground-living birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules. Many species are associated with wetlands, althoug ...
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails
Rail or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
, crake
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small- to medium-sized, ground-living birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules. Many species are associated with wetlands, althoug ...
s, coot
Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually ...
s and gallinule
Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen".
They are close relatives of coots. They are of ...
s. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.
*African rail
The African rail (''Rallus caerulescens'') is a small wetland bird of the rail family that is found in eastern and southern Africa.
Taxonomy
The African rail was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in ...
, ''Rallus caerulescens''
*Corn crake
The corn crake, corncrake or landrail (''Crex crex'') is a bird in the rail family. It breeds in Europe and Asia as far east as western China, and migrates to Africa for the Northern Hemisphere's winter. It is a medium-sized crake with buff- ...
, ''Crex crex''
*African crake
The African crake (''Crecopsis egregia'') is a small- to medium-size ground-living bird in the rail family, found in most of central to southern Africa. It is seasonally common in most of its range other than the rainforests and areas that have ...
, ''Crex egregia''
*Spotted crake
The spotted crake (''Porzana porzana'') is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae. The scientific name is derived from Venetian terms for small rails.
The spotted crake's breeding habitat is marshes and sedge beds across temperate Europe into ...
, ''Porzana porzana''
*Lesser moorhen
The lesser moorhen (''Paragallinula angulata'') is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is sometimes placed into the genus '' Gallinula''. It is the only member of the genus ''Paragallinula''.
It is widely spread across Sub-Saharan Afri ...
, ''Gallinula angulata''
*Eurasian moorhen
The common moorhen (''Gallinula chloropus''), also known as the waterhen or swamp chicken, is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae). It is distributed across many parts of the Old World.
The common moorhen lives around well-vegetated mars ...
, ''Gallinula chloropus''
*Red-knobbed coot
The red-knobbed coot or crested coot, (''Fulica cristata''), is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae.
It is a resident breeder across much of Africa and in southernmost Spain on freshwater lakes and ponds. It builds a nest o ...
, ''Fulica cristata''
*Allen's gallinule
Allen's gallinule (''Porphyrio alleni''), formerly known as the lesser gallinule, is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae. Its former binomial name is ''Porphyrula alleni''. ''Porphyrio'' is the Latin for "swamphen", and ''alleni'', like the ...
, ''Porphyrio alleni''
*African swamphen
The African swamphen (''Porphyrio madagascariensis'') is a species of swamphen occurring in Egypt, Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen, which it resembles, but with bronze green or gre ...
, ''Porphyrio madagascariensis''
* Striped crake, ''Amaurornis marginalis''
*Black crake
The black crake (''Zapornia flavirostra'') is a waterbird in the rail and crake family, Rallidae. It breeds in most of sub-Saharan Africa except in very arid areas. It undertakes some seasonal movements in those parts of its range which are subj ...
, ''Zapornia flavirostra''
*Baillon's crake
Baillon's crake (''Zapornia pusilla''), also known as the marsh crake, is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae.
Distribution
Their breeding habitat is Cyperaceae, sedge beds in Europe, mainly in the east, and across the Palearctic. They used ...
, ''Zapornia pusilla''
Finfoots
Order:Gruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order (biology), order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird family (biology), families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like".
Traditionally, a number of wading and t ...
Family: Heliornithidae
The Heliornithidae are a small family of tropical birds with webbed lobes on their feet like those of grebes and coots. The family overall are known as finfoots, although one species is known as a sungrebe. The family is composed of three speci ...
Heliornithidae is a small family of tropical birds with webbed lobes on their feet similar to those of grebes and coots.
*African finfoot
The African finfoot (''Podica senegalensis'') is an aquatic bird from the family Heliornithidae (the finfoots and sungrebe). The species lives in the rivers and lakes of western, central, and southern Africa.
Description
The African finfoot is ...
, ''Podica senegalensis''
Cranes
Order:Gruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order (biology), order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird family (biology), families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like".
Traditionally, a number of wading and t ...
Family: Gruidae
Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances".
* Gray crowned-crane, ''Balearica regulorum''
*Wattled crane
The wattled crane (''Grus carunculata'') is a large bird found in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. It is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus ''Bugeranus''.
Taxonomy
The first formal description of the wattled crane was by the German natu ...
, ''Bugeranus carunculatus''
Thick-knees
Order:Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
Family: Burhinidae
The stone-curlews, also known as dikkops or thick-knees, consist of 10 species within the family Burhinidae, and are found throughout the tropical and temperate parts of the world, with two or more species occurring in some areas of Africa, Asia, ...
The thick-knees are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats.
* Water thick-knee, ''Burhinus vermiculatus''
*Spotted thick-knee
The spotted thick-knee (''Burhinus capensis''), also known as the spotted dikkop or Cape thick-knee, is a wader in the family Stone-curlew, Burhinidae. It is native to tropical regions of central and southern Africa.
Description
The spotted thic ...
, ''Burhinus capensis''
Stilts and avocets
Order:Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
Family: Recurvirostridae
The Recurvirostridae are a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadrii. It contains two distinct groups of birds, the avocets (one genus) and the stilts (two genera).
Description
Avocets and stilts range in length from and in weight from ; ...
Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocet
The four species of avocets are a genus, ''Recurvirostra'', of waders in the same avian family as the stilts. The genus name comes from Latin , 'curved backwards' and , 'bill'. The common name is thought to derive from the Italian ( Ferrarese) w ...
s and stilt
Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates.
They have extremely long legs, hence the grou ...
s. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.
*Black-winged stilt
The black-winged stilt (''Himantopus himantopus'') is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family (Recurvirostridae). The scientific name ''H. himantopus'' is sometimes applied to a single, almost cosmopolitan speci ...
, ''Himantopus himantopus''
*Pied avocet
The pied avocet (''Recurvirostra avosetta'') is a large black and white wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae. They breed in temperate Europe and across the Palearctic to Central Asia then on to the Russian Far East. It is a mig ...
, ''Recurvirostra avosetta''
Plovers and lapwings
Order:Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
Family: Charadriidae
The bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 68 species in all.
Taxonomy
The family Charadriidae was introduced (as Charadriadæ) by the English zoologist William Elford Leach in a guide to the conten ...
The family Charadriidae includes the plover
Plovers ( , ) are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae.
Description
There are about 66 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfa ...
s, dotterel
The Eurasian dotterel (''Charadrius morinellus''), also known in Europe as just dotterel, is a small wader in the plover family of birds.
The dotterel is a brown and black streaked bird with a broad white eye-stripe and an orange-red chest ban ...
s and lapwing
Lapwings (subfamily Vanellinae) are any of various ground-nesting birds (family Charadriidae) akin to plovers and dotterels. They range from in length, and are noted for their slow, irregular wingbeats in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. A gro ...
s. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water.
*Black-bellied plover
The grey plover or black-bellied plover (''Pluvialis squatarola'') is a large plover breeding in Arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding.
Taxonomy
The grey plover was forma ...
, ''Pluvialis squatarola''
* Pacific golden-plover, ''Pluvialis fulva'' (A)
*Long-toed lapwing
The long-toed lapwing (''Vanellus crassirostris'') is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, ...
, ''Vanellus crassirostris''
*Blacksmith lapwing
The blacksmith lapwing or blacksmith plover (''Vanellus armatus'') is a lapwing species that occurs commonly from Kenya through central Tanzania to southern and southwestern Africa. The vernacular name derives from the repeated metallic 'tink, ti ...
, ''Vanellus armatus''
*Spur-winged lapwing
The spur-winged lapwing or spur-winged plover (''Vanellus spinosus'') is a lapwing species, one of a group of largish waders in the family Charadriidae.
It is one of several species of wader supposed to be the "trochilus" bird said by Herodotus ...
, ''Vanellus spinosus''
*White-headed lapwing
The white-crowned lapwing, white-headed lapwing, white-headed plover or white-crowned plover (''Vanellus albiceps'') is a medium-sized wader. It is resident throughout tropical Africa, usually near large rivers.
Description
This lapwing is unmi ...
, ''Vanellus albiceps''
* Senegal lapwing, ''Vanellus lugubris''
* Crowned lapwing, ''Vanellus coronatus''
* Wattled lapwing, ''Vanellus senegallus''
*Greater sand-plover
The greater sand plover (''Charadrius leschenaultii'') is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as "greater sandplover" or "greater sand-plover", but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "Gre ...
, ''Charadrius leschenaultii'' (A)
*Caspian plover
The Caspian plover (''Charadrius asiaticus'') is a wader in the plover family of birds. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek ''kharadrios'' ...
, ''Charadrius asiaticus''
*Kittlitz's plover
Kittlitz's plover (''Charadrius pecuarius'') is a small shorebird (35-40 g) in the family Charadriidae that breeds near coastal and inland saltmarshes, sandy or muddy riverbanks or alkaline grasslands with short vegetation. It is native to much o ...
, ''Charadrius pecuarius''
*Common ringed plover
The common ringed plover or ringed plover (''Charadrius hiaticula'') is a small plover that breeds in Arctic Eurasia. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from ...
, ''Charadrius hiaticula''
*Three-banded plover
The three-banded plover, or three-banded sandplover (''Charadrius tricollaris''), is a small wader. This plover is resident and generally sedentary in much of East Africa, southern Africa and Madagascar. It occurs mainly on inland rivers, pools, ...
, ''Charadrius tricollaris''
*White-fronted plover
The white-fronted plover or white-fronted sandplover (''Charadrius marginatus'') is a small (45-50 g) shorebird of the family Charadriidae that inhabits sandy beaches, dunes, mudflats and the shores of rivers and lakes in sub-saharan Africa and M ...
, ''Charadrius marginatus''
Painted-snipes
Order:Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
Family: Rostratulidae
The Rostratulidae, commonly known as the painted-snipes, are a family of wading birds that consists of two genera: ''Rostratula'' and '' Nycticryphes''.
Description
The painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the t ...
Painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured.
*Greater painted-snipe
The greater painted-snipe (''Rostratula benghalensis'') is a species of wader in the family Rostratulidae. It is found in marshes in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia.
Description
Medium-sized, plump wading bird. Long reddish-brown bill, s ...
, ''Rostratula benghalensis''
Jacanas
Order:Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
Family: Jacanidae
The jacanas (sometimes referred to as Jesus birds or lily trotters) are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found in the tropical regions around the world. They are noted for their elongated toes and toenails that allow ...
The jacanas are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found throughout the tropics. They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat.
*Lesser jacana
The lesser jacana (''Microparra capensis'') is a species of bird in the family Jacanidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Microparra''.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democrat ...
, ''Microparra capensis''
*African jacana
The African jacana (''Actophilornis africanus'') is a wader in the family Jacanidae. It has long toes and long claws that enables it to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, its preferred habitat. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan A ...
, ''Actophilornis africanus''
Sandpipers and allies
Order:Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
Family: Scolopacidae
Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. ...
Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpiper
Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. ...
s, curlew
The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been in ...
s, godwit
The godwits are a group of large, long-billed, long-legged and strongly migratory waders of the bird genus ''Limosa''. Their long bills allow them to probe deeply in the sand for aquatic worms and molluscs. In their winter range, they flock ...
s, shanks, tattlers, woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...
s, snipe
A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a near ...
s, dowitcher
The three dowitchers are medium-sized long-billed wading birds in the genus ''Limnodromus''. The English name "dowitchers" is from Iroquois, recorded in English by the 1830s. The OED's earliest example is from 1841, but full-text searching giv ...
s and phalarope
__NOTOC__
A phalarope is any of three living species of slender-necked shorebirds in the genus ''Phalaropus'' of the bird family Scolopacidae.
Phalaropes are close relatives of the shanks and tattlers, the ''Actitis'' and Terek sandpipers, a ...
s. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.
* Whimbrel, ''Numenius phaeopus''
*Eurasian curlew
The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (''Numenius arquata'') is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred t ...
, ''Numenius arquata''
*Bar-tailed godwit
The bar-tailed godwit (''Limosa lapponica'') is a large and strongly migratory wader in the family Scolopacidae, which feeds on bristle-worms and shellfish on coastal mudflats and estuaries. It has distinctive red breeding plumage, long legs, an ...
, ''Limosa lapponica''
*Black-tailed godwit
The black-tailed godwit (''Limosa limosa'') is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, ''Limosa''. There are four subspecies, all with orange head, neck and chest ...
, ''Limosa limosa'' (A)
*Ruddy turnstone
The ruddy turnstone (''Arenaria interpres'') is a small cosmopolitan wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus ''Arenaria''.
It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plov ...
, ''Arenaria interpres''
*Ruff
Ruff may refer to:
Places
*Ruff, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community
*Ruff, Washington, United States, an unincorporated community
Other uses
*Ruff (bird) (''Calidris pugnax'' or ''Philomachus pugnax''), a bird in the wader fami ...
, ''Calidris pugnax''
*Broad-billed sandpiper
The broad-billed sandpiper (''Calidris falcinellus'') is a small wading bird. The scientific name is from Latin. The specific name ''falcinella'' is from ''falx, falcis'', "a sickle. Some research suggests that it should rather go into the gen ...
, ''Calidris falcinellus'' (A)
*Curlew sandpiper
The curlew sandpiper (''Calidris ferruginea'') is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia.
It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australia and New Zealand. It is a va ...
, ''Calidris ferruginea''
*Sanderling
The sanderling (''Calidris alba'') is a small wading bird. The name derives from Old English ''sand-yrðling'', "sand-ploughman". The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloure ...
, ''Calidris alba''
*Little stint
The little stint (''Calidris minuta'' or ''Erolia minuta''), is a very small wader. It breeds in arctic Europe and Asia, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to Africa and south Asia. It occasionally is a vagrant to North America a ...
, ''Calidris minuta''
*Great snipe
The great snipe (''Gallinago media'') is a small stocky wader in the genus ''Gallinago''. This bird's breeding habitat is marshes and wet meadows with short vegetation in north-eastern Europe, including north-western Russia. Great snipes are mig ...
, ''Gallinago media''
*Common snipe
The common snipe (''Gallinago gallinago'') is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World.
The breeding habitats are marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout the Palearctic. In the north, the distribution limit extends from Iceland ...
, ''Gallinago gallinago'' (A)
*African snipe
The African snipe (''Gallinago nigripennis'') also known as the Ethiopian snipe, is a small stocky wader. It breeds in eastern and southern Africa in wet mountain moorland and swamps at altitudes of . When not breeding it disperses widely, includ ...
, ''Gallinago nigripennis''
*Terek sandpiper
The Terek sandpiper (''Xenus cinereus'') is a small migratory Palearctic wader species and is the only member of the genus ''Xenus''. It is named after the Terek River which flows into the west of the Caspian Sea, as it was first observed aroun ...
, ''Xenus cinereus''
*Common sandpiper
The common sandpiper (''Actitis hypoleucos'') is a small Palearctic wader. This bird and its American sister species, the spotted sandpiper (''A. macularia''), make up the genus ''Actitis''. They are parapatric and replace each other geographic ...
, ''Actitis hypoleucos''
*Green sandpiper
The green sandpiper (''Tringa ochropus'') is a small wader (shorebird) of the Old World.
The green sandpiper represents an ancient lineage of the genus ''Tringa''; its only close living relative is the solitary sandpiper (''T. solitaria''). They ...
, ''Tringa ochropus''
*Spotted redshank
The spotted redshank (''Tringa erythropus'') is a wader (shorebird) in the large bird family Scolopacidae. The genus name ''Tringa'' is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek ''trungas'', a ...
, ''Tringa erythropus'' (A)
*Common greenshank
The common greenshank (''Tringa nebularia'') is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. The genus name ''Tringa'' is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek ''trungas'' ...
, ''Tringa nebularia''
*Marsh sandpiper
The marsh sandpiper (''Tringa stagnatilis'') is a small wader. It is a rather small shank, and breeds in open grassy steppe and taiga wetlands from easternmost Europe to the Russian Far East. The genus name ''Tringa'' is the New Latin name given ...
, ''Tringa stagnatilis''
*Wood sandpiper
The wood sandpiper (''Tringa glareola'') is a small wader. This Eurasian species is the smallest of the shanks, which are mid-sized long-legged waders of the family Scolopacidae. The genus name ''Tringa'' is the New Latin name given to the green ...
, ''Tringa glareola''
*Common redshank
The common redshank or simply redshank (''Tringa totanus'') is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.
Taxonomy
The common redshank was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ...
, ''Tringa totanus''
Buttonquail
Order:Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
Family: Turnicidae
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia. There are 18 species in two genera ...
The buttonquail are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails. The female is the brighter of the sexes and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young.
*Small buttonquail
The common buttonquail (''Turnix sylvaticus''), also called Kurrichane buttonquail, small buttonquail, or Andalusian hemipode is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble but are unrelated to the true of quails.
Description
Th ...
, ''Turnix sylvaticus''
*Black-rumped buttonquail
The black-rumped buttonquail (''Turnix nanus'') is a small species of bird in the buttonquail family.
Description
This species has a brown back, rufous chest, and pale belly, brown irises and a black rump. As usual for buttonquails but not for ...
, ''Turnix nanus''
Pratincoles and coursers
Order:Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
Family: Glareolidae
Glareolidae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadrii. It contains two distinct groups, the pratincoles and the coursers. The atypical Egyptian plover (''Pluvianus aegyptius''), traditionally placed in this family, is now known to be ...
Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincole
The pratincoles or greywaders are a group of birds which together with the coursers make up the family Glareolidae. They have short legs, very long pointed wings and long forked tails.
Description
Their most unusual feature for birds classed as ...
s, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the courser
The coursers are a group of birds which together with the pratincoles make up the family Glareolidae. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Their most unusual feature for birds classed as waders is that ...
s, which have long legs, short wings and long, pointed bills which curve downwards.
*Temminck's courser
Temminck's courser (''Cursorius temminckii'') is a bird in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. It is a wader which lives in sub-Saharan Africa. It is noted for laying its dark ash-black eggs in the burnt bushes and grass of the Africa ...
, ''Cursorius temminckii''
*Bronze-winged courser
The bronze-winged courser or violet-tipped courser (''Rhinoptilus chalcopterus'') is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. This species is named for its characteristic bronze-tipped feathers that are visible during flight. It is found livi ...
, ''Rhinoptilus chalcopterus''
*Collared pratincole
The collared pratincole (''Glareola pratincola''), also known as the common pratincole or red-winged pratincole, is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae. As with other pratincoles, it is native to the Old World.
Taxonomy
The collared pr ...
, ''Glareola pratincola''
*Black-winged pratincole
The black-winged pratincole (''Glareola nordmanni'') is a wader in the pratincole bird family, Glareolidae. The genus name is a diminutive of Latin ''glarea'', "gravel", referring to a typical nesting habitat for pratincoles. The species name ...
, ''Glareola nordmanni'' (A)
*Rock pratincole
The rock pratincole (''Glareola nuchalis'') is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae.
Distribution and habitat
There are two subspecies of rock pratincole:
*''G. n. liberiae'' (Schlegel, 1881), – ''Rufous-collared pratincole'' – from ...
, ''Glareola nuchalis''
Gulls, terns, and skimmers
Order:Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
Family: Laridae
Laridae is a family of seabirds in the order Charadriiformes that includes the gulls, terns, skimmers and kittiwakes. It includes around 100 species arranged into 22 genera. They are an adaptable group of mostly aerial birds found worldwide.
T ...
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabird
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...
s, the gull
Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...
s, tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated as a subgroup of the family Laridae which includes gulls and skimmers and consists of e ...
s, and skimmer
Skimmer may refer to: Animals
*Skimmer (bird), a common name for birds in the genus ''Rynchops''
*Skimmer (dragonfly), a common name for dragonflies in the family Libellulidae
*Water strider or skimmer, a common name for insects in the family Ge ...
s. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated as a subgroup of the family Laridae which includes gulls and skimmers and consists of e ...
s are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years. Skimmer
Skimmer may refer to: Animals
*Skimmer (bird), a common name for birds in the genus ''Rynchops''
*Skimmer (dragonfly), a common name for dragonflies in the family Libellulidae
*Water strider or skimmer, a common name for insects in the family Ge ...
s are a small family of tropical tern-like birds. They have an elongated lower mandible which they use to feed by flying low over the water surface and skimming the water for small fish.
*Gray-hooded gull
The grey-headed gull (''Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus''), also known as the gray-hooded gull, is a small species of gull which breeds patchily in South America and Africa south of the Sahara. It is not truly migratory, but is more widespread in ...
, ''Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus''
*Black-headed gull
The black-headed gull (''Chroicocephalus ridibundus'') is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic including Europe and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but some birds res ...
, ''Chroicocephalus ridibundus'' (A)
*Lesser black-backed gull
The lesser black-backed gull (''Larus fuscus'') is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. It has increased dramatically in North America, most common alo ...
, ''Larus fuscus''
*Sooty tern
The sooty tern (''Onychoprion fuscatus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans, returning to land only to breed on islands throughout the equatorial zone.
Taxonomy
The sooty tern was described by Carl Linnaeu ...
, ''Onychoprion fuscatus'' (A)
*Gull-billed tern
The gull-billed tern (''Gelochelidon nilotica''), formerly ''Sterna nilotica'', is a tern in the family Laridae. It is widely distributed and breeds in scattered localities in Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, and the Americas. The Australian gull ...
, ''Gelochelidon nilotica''
*White-winged tern
The white-winged tern, or white-winged black tern (''Chlidonias leucopterus'' or ''Chlidonias leucoptera''), is a species of tern in the family Laridae. It is a small species generally found in or near bodies of fresh water across much of the wor ...
, ''Chlidonias leucopterus''
*Whiskered tern
The whiskered tern (''Chlidonias hybrida'') is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''khelidonios'', "swallow-like", from ''khelidon'', "swallow". The specific ''hybridus'' is Latin for ''hybrid''; Peter Simon Palla ...
, ''Chlidonias hybrida''
*Common tern
The common tern (''Sterna hirundo'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory ...
, ''Sterna hirundo'' (A)
*African skimmer
The African skimmer (''Rynchops flavirostris'') is a species of bird belonging to the skimmer genus ''Rynchops'' in the family Laridae. It is found along rivers, lakes and lagoons in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
African skimmers have long w ...
, ''Rynchops flavirostris''
Storks
Order:Ciconiiformes
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...
Family: Ciconiidae
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute, but bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory.
*African openbill
The African openbill (''Anastomus lamelligerus'') is a species of stork from the family Ciconiidae.Kahl, M. P. (1972). Comparative ethology of the ''Ciconiidae'': part 5. The Openbill Storks (genus ''Anastomus''). ''Journal Für Ornithologie'', ...
, ''Anastomus lamelligerus''
*Black stork
The black stork (''Ciconia nigra'') is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Measuring on average from beak tip to end of tail with a wingspan, t ...
, ''Ciconia nigra''
*Abdim's stork
Abdim's stork (''Ciconia abdimii''), also known as the white-bellied stork, is a stork belonging to the family Ciconiidae. It is the smallest species of stork, feeds mostly on insects, and is found widely in open habitats in Sub-Saharan Africa an ...
, ''Ciconia abdimii''
*African woolly-necked stork
The African woolly-necked stork or African woollyneck (''Ciconia microscelis'') is a species of large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds singly, or in small loose colonies. It is distributed in a wide variety of habitats inclu ...
, ''Ciconia microscelis''
*White stork
The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...
, ''Ciconia ciconia''
*Saddle-billed stork
The saddle-billed stork or saddlebill (''Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis'') is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to ...
, ''Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis''
*Marabou stork
The marabou stork (''Leptoptilos crumenifer'') is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae native to sub-Saharan Africa. It breeds in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites. It is someti ...
, ''Leptoptilos crumenifer''
*Yellow-billed stork
The yellow-billed stork (''Mycteria ibis''), sometimes also called the wood stork or wood ibis, is a large African wading stork species in the family Ciconiidae. It is widespread in regions south of the Sahara and also occurs in Madagascar.
Taxo ...
, ''Mycteria ibis''
Anhingas
Order:Suliformes
The order Suliformes (, dubbed "Phalacrocoraciformes" by ''Christidis & Boles 2008'') is an order recognised by the International Ornithological Congress, International Ornithologist's Union. In regard to the recent evidence that the traditional ...
Family: Anhingidae
Anhingas or darters are often called "snake-birds" because of their long thin neck, which gives a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged. The males have black and dark-brown plumage, an erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than the female. The females have much paler plumage especially on the neck and underparts. The darters have completely webbed feet and their legs are short and set far back on the body. Their plumage is somewhat permeable, like that of cormorants, and they spread their wings to dry after diving.
*African darter
The African darter (''Anhinga rufa''), sometimes called the snakebird, is a water bird of sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq.
Taxonomy
The African darter is a member of the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to American (''Anhinga anhin ...
, ''Anhinga rufa''
Cormorants and shags
Order:Suliformes
The order Suliformes (, dubbed "Phalacrocoraciformes" by ''Christidis & Boles 2008'') is an order recognised by the International Ornithological Congress, International Ornithologist's Union. In regard to the recent evidence that the traditional ...
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven gen ...
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal, fish-eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies, with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black-and-white and a few being colourful.
*Long-tailed cormorant
The reed cormorant (''Microcarbo africanus''), also known as the long-tailed cormorant, is a bird in the cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae. It breeds in much of Africa south of the Sahara, and Madagascar. It is resident but undertakes some se ...
, ''Microcarbo africanus''
*Great cormorant
The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), known as the black shag in New Zealand and formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a w ...
, ''Phalacrocorax carbo''
Pelicans
Order:Pelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes are an order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such ...
Family: Pelecanidae
The Pelecanidae is a family of pelecaniformes, pelecaniform birds within the Pelecani that contains two genera: the extinct ''Eopelecanus'' and the extant ''Pelecanus''. The family was monotypy, monotypic until the description of ''Eopelecanus'' ...
Pelican
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...
s are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes.
*Great white pelican
The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes. ...
, ''Pelecanus onocrotalus''
*Pink-backed pelican
The pink-backed pelican (''Pelecanus rufescens'') is a bird of the pelican family. It is a resident breeder in the swamps and shallow lakes of Africa and southern Arabia; it has also apparently extirpated in Madagascar.
Taxonomy
The pink-backe ...
, ''Pelecanus rufescens''
Hamerkop
Order:Pelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes are an order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such ...
Family: Scopidae
''Scopus'' is a genus of wading birds containing the hamerkop ''(Scopus umbretta)'' and its extinct Pliocene relative, ''Scopus xenopus''. This genus is the sole representative of the family Scopidae.
Taxonomy
Hamerkops were traditionally includ ...
The hamerkop is a medium-sized bird with a long shaggy crest. The shape of its head with a curved bill and crest at the back is reminiscent of a hammer, hence its name. Its plumage is drab-brown all over.
*Hamerkop
The hamerkop (''Scopus umbretta'') is a medium-sized wading bird. It is the only living species in the genus ''Scopus'' and the family Scopidae. The species and family was long thought to sit with the Ciconiiformes but is now placed with the Pe ...
, ''Scopus umbretta''
Herons, egrets, and bitterns
Order:Pelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes are an order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such ...
Family: Ardeidae
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
The family Ardeidae contains the bittern
Bitterns are birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive than other members of the family. They were called ''hæferblæte'' in Old English; the word "bittern" ...
s, heron
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
s and egret
Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
s. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.
*Little bittern
The little bittern or common little bittern (''Ixobrychus minutus'') is a wading bird in the heron family, Ardeidae. ''Ixobrychus'' is from Ancient Greek ''ixias'', a reed-like plant and ''brukhomai'', to bellow, and ''minutus'' is Latin for "sm ...
, ''Ixobrychus minutus''
*Dwarf bittern
The dwarf bittern (''Ixobrychus sturmii'') is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae. Distribution
It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Repu ...
, ''Ixobrychus sturmii''
*Gray heron
The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern ...
, ''Ardea cinerea''
*Black-headed heron
The black-headed heron (''Ardea melanocephala'') is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, common throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It is mainly resident, but some west African birds move further north in the rainy sea ...
, ''Ardea melanocephala''
*Goliath heron
The Goliath heron (''Ardea goliath''), also known as the giant heron, is a very large wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa, with smaller, declining numbers in Southwest and South Asia.
Description
This i ...
, ''Ardea goliath''
* Purple heron, ''Ardea purpurea''
*Great egret
The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the Old World) great white egret or great white heron is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and ...
, ''Ardea alba''
*Intermediate egret
The intermediate egret, median egret, smaller egret, or yellow-billed egret (''Ardea intermedia'') is a medium-sized heron. Some taxonomists put the species in the genus ''Egretta'' or ''Mesophoyx''. It is a resident breeder from east Africa a ...
, ''Ardea intermedia''
* Little egret, ''Egretta garzetta''
*Black heron
The black heron (''Egretta ardesiaca''), also known as the black egret, is an African heron. It is well known for its habit of using its wings to form a canopy when fishing.
Description
The black heron is a medium-sized (42.5–66 cm ...
, ''Egretta ardesiaca''
*Cattle egret
The cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus'', although some authorities regard it ...
, ''Bubulcus ibis''
*Squacco heron
The squacco heron (''Ardeola ralloides'') is a small heron, long, of which the body is , with wingspan. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Europe and the Greater Middle East.
Behaviour
The squacco heron is a migrant, wintering ...
, ''Ardeola ralloides''
* Malagasy pond-heron, ''Ardeola idae''
*Rufous-bellied heron
The rufous-bellied heron (''Ardeola rufiventris'') is a species of heron in the genus ''Ardeola'', the pond herons, of the family Ardeidae.
Identification
This is a small dark species of heron with a dark grey head, back and breast contrasting ...
, ''Ardeola rufiventris''
*Striated heron
The striated heron (''Butorides striata'') also known as mangrove heron, little green heron or green-backed heron, is a small heron, about 44 cm tall. Striated herons are mostly sedentary and noted for some interesting behavioral traits. The ...
, ''Butorides striata''
*Black-crowned night-heron
The black-crowned night heron (''Nycticorax nycticorax''), or black-capped night heron, commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and ...
, ''Nycticorax nycticorax''
* White-backed night-heron, ''Gorsachius leuconotus''
Ibises and spoonbills
Order:Pelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes are an order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such ...
Family: Threskiornithidae
The family Threskiornithidae includes 36 species of large wading birds. The family has been traditionally classified into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills; however recent genetic studies have cast doubt on this arrangement, and hav ...
Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibis
The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word f ...
es and spoonbill
Spoonbills are a genus, ''Platalea'', of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name ''Platalea'' derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", refe ...
s. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers.
*Glossy ibis
The glossy ibis (''Plegadis falcinellus'') is a water bird in the order Pelecaniformes and the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The scientific name derives from Ancient Greek ''plegados'' and Latin, ''falcis'', both meaning "sickle" a ...
, ''Plegadis falcinellus''
*African sacred ibis
The African sacred ibis (''Threskiornis aethiopicus'') is a species of ibis, a wading bird of the family Threskiornithidae. It is native to much of Africa, as well as small parts of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. It is especially known for its role in ...
, ''Threskiornis aethiopicus''
*Hadada ibis
The hadeda ibis (''Bostrychia hagedash'') is an ibis native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for its loud three to four note calls uttered in flight especially in the mornings and evenings when they fly out or return to their roost trees. Altho ...
, ''Bostrychia hagedash''
*African spoonbill
The African spoonbill (''Platalea alba'') is a long-legged wading birdAccipitriformes
The Accipitriformes (; from Latin ''accipiter''/''accipitri-'' "hawk", and New Latin ''-formes'' "having the form of") are an order of birds that includes most of the diurnal birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, vultures, and kites, but not f ...
Family: Sagittariidae
Sagittariidae is a family of raptor with one living species—the secretarybird (''Sagittarius serpentarius'') native to Africa. This single extant species, has effected the fossil record of the group by ‘pulling’ the temporal range of the fam ...
The secretarybird is a bird of prey in the order Accipitriformes
The Accipitriformes (; from Latin ''accipiter''/''accipitri-'' "hawk", and New Latin ''-formes'' "having the form of") are an order of birds that includes most of the diurnal birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, vultures, and kites, but not f ...
but is easily distinguished from other raptors by its long crane-like legs.
*Secretarybird
The secretarybird or secretary bird (''Sagittarius serpentarius'') is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of the sub-Saharan region. John Frederick Miller describe ...
, ''Sagittarius serpentarius''
Osprey
Order:Accipitriformes
The Accipitriformes (; from Latin ''accipiter''/''accipitri-'' "hawk", and New Latin ''-formes'' "having the form of") are an order of birds that includes most of the diurnal birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, vultures, and kites, but not f ...
Family: Pandionidae
''Pandion'' is a genus of birds of prey, known as ospreys, the only genus of family Pandionidae. Most taxonomic treatments have regarded this genus as describing a single extant species, separated to subspecies or races, while some treatments rec ...
The family Pandionidae contains only one species, the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large raptor
Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to:
Animals
The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons.
* Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on v ...
which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.
*Osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
, ''Pandion haliaetus''
Hawks, eagles, and kites
Order:Accipitriformes
The Accipitriformes (; from Latin ''accipiter''/''accipitri-'' "hawk", and New Latin ''-formes'' "having the form of") are an order of birds that includes most of the diurnal birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, vultures, and kites, but not f ...
Family: Accipitridae
The Accipitridae is one of the three families within the order Accipitriformes, and is a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-s ...
Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
s, eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
s, kites
A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...
, harriers and Old World vulture
Old World vultures are vultures that are found in the Old World, i.e. the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, and which belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, buzzards, kites, and hawks.
Old World vultures are not clos ...
s. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons and keen eyesight.
*Black-winged kite
The black-winged kite (''Elanus caeruleus''), also known as the black-shouldered kite (not to be confused with the closely-related Australian species of the same name), is a small diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae best known for it ...
, ''Elanus caeruleus''
*African harrier-hawk
The African harrier-hawk, harrier hawk or gymnogene (''Polyboroides typus'') is a bird of prey. It is about in length. It breeds in most of Africa south of the Sahara. The only other member of the genus is the allopatric Madagascar harrier-haw ...
, ''Polyboroides typus''
*Palm-nut vulture
The palm-nut vulture (''Gypohierax angolensis'') or vulturine fish eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae (which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers, vultures, and eagles). It is the o ...
, ''Gypohierax angolensis''
*Egyptian vulture
The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...
, ''Neophron percnopterus''
*European honey-buzzard
The European honey buzzard (''Pernis apivorus''), also known as the pern or common pern, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.
Etymology
Despite its English name, this species is more closely related to kites of the genera ''Leptodon'' an ...
, ''Pernis apivorus''
*African cuckoo-hawk
The African cuckoo-hawk, or African baza, (''Aviceda cuculoides'') is a medium-sized raptor in the family Accipitridae so named because it resembles the common cuckoo. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa and along the eastern parts of Southern Afri ...
, ''Aviceda cuculoides''
*White-headed vulture
The white-headed vulture (''Trigonoceps occipitalis'') is an Old World vulture endemic to Africa. Populations have been declining steeply in recent years due to habitat degradation and poisoning of vultures at carcasses. An extinct relative was a ...
, ''Trigonoceps occipitalis''
*Lappet-faced vulture
The lappet-faced vulture or Nubian vulture (''Torgos tracheliotos'') is an Old World vulture belonging to the bird order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus ''Torgos''. It ...
, ''Torgos tracheliotos''
*Hooded vulture
The hooded vulture (''Necrosyrtes monachus'') is an Old World vulture in the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus ''Necrosyrtes,'' which is sister to the larger ''Gyps ...
, ''Necrosyrtes monachus''
*White-backed vulture
The white-backed vulture (''Gyps africanus'') is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the most common vulture species in the continent of Africa.
Description
Preening at t ...
, ''Gyps africanus''
*Bateleur
The bateleur (; ''Terathopius ecaudatus'') is a medium-sized eagle in the family Accipitridae. It is often considered a relative of the snake eagles and, like them, it is classified within the subfamily Circaetinae.Kemp, A. C., G. M. Kirwan, an ...
, ''Terathopius ecaudatus''
* Black-chested snake-eagle, ''Circaetus pectoralis''
* Brown snake-eagle, ''Circaetus cinereus''
*Banded snake-eagle
''Circaetus'', the snake eagles, is a genus of medium-sized eagles in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. They are mainly resident African species, but the migratory short-toed snake eagle breeds from the Mediterranean basin into Russia, the M ...
, ''Circaetus cinerascens''
*Bat hawk
The bat hawk (''Macheiramphus alcinus'') is a raptor found in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia to New Guinea. It is named for its diet, which consists mainly of bats. It requires open space in which to hunt, but will live anywhere from dense r ...
, ''Macheiramphus alcinus''
*Crowned eagle
The crowned eagle, also known as the African crowned eagle or the crowned hawk-eagle (''Stephanoaetus coronatus''), is a large bird of prey found in sub-Saharan Africa; in Southern Africa it is restricted to eastern areas.Sinclair & Ryan (2003) ...
, ''Stephanoaetus coronatus''
*Martial eagle
The martial eagle (''Polemaetus bellicosus'') is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa.Ferguson-Lees & Christie, ''Raptors of the World''. Houghton Mifflin Company (2001), . It is the only member of the genus ''Polemaetus''. A species of t ...
, ''Polemaetus bellicosus''
*Long-crested eagle
The long-crested eagle (''Lophaetus occipitalis'') is an African bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. It is currently placed in a monotypic genus ''Lophaetus''. It is characterized by the feathers making up the shaggy ...
, ''Lophaetus occipitalis''
*Lesser spotted eagle
The lesser spotted eagle (''Clanga pomarina'') is a large Eastern European bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The typical eagles are often united with the buteos, sea eagles, and other more heavy-set Acc ...
, ''Clanga pomarina''
*Wahlberg's eagle
Wahlberg's eagle (''Hieraaetus wahlbergi'') is a bird of prey that is native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is a seasonal migrant in the woodlands and savannas.
It is named after the Swedish naturalist Johan August Wahlberg. Like all eagles, it ...
, ''Hieraaetus wahlbergi''
*Booted eagle
The booted eagle (''Hieraaetus pennatus'', also classified as ''Aquila pennata'') is a medium-sized mostly migratory bird of prey with a wide distribution in the Palearctic and southern Asia, wintering in the tropics of Africa and Asia, with a ...
, ''Hieraaetus pennatus''
*Ayres's hawk-eagle
Ayres's hawk-eagle (''Hieraaetus ayresii''), also referred to as Ayres' eagle,Newman, K (1998) Newman's Birds of Southern Africa. Halfway House: Southern Book Publishers. . is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is native t ...
, ''Hieraaetus ayresii''
*Tawny eagle
The tawny eagle (''Aquila rapax'') is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family ''Accipitridae''. Its heavily feathered legs mark it as a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as booted eagles.Helbig, A. J., Kocum, ...
, ''Aquila rapax''
*Steppe eagle
The steppe eagle (''Aquila nipalensis'') is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The steppe eagle's well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the "booted ...
, ''Aquila nipalensis''
*Verreaux's eagle
Verreaux's eagle (''Aquila verreauxii'') is a large, mostly African, bird of prey. It is also called the black eagle, especially in southern Africa, not to be confused with the Indian black eagle (''Ictinaetus malayensis''), which lives far to t ...
, ''Aquila verreauxii''
*African hawk-eagle
The African hawk-eagle (''Aquila spilogaster'') is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family ''Accipitridae''. This species’ feathered legs mark it as a member of the Aquilinae subfamily.Lerner, H., Christidis, L., Gamauf, ...
, ''Aquila spilogaster''
*Lizard buzzard
The lizard buzzard (''Kaupifalco monogrammicus'') or lizard hawk, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its name, it may be more closely related to the ''Accipiter'' hawks than the ''Buteo'' bu ...
, ''Kaupifalco monogrammicus''
* Dark chanting-goshawk, ''Melierax metabates''
*Gabar goshawk
The gabar goshawk (''Micronisus gabar'') is a small species of African and Arabian bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.
Description
The gabar goshawk is polymorphic and occurs in two distinct forms which fluctuate in relative abundance acro ...
, ''Micronisus gabar''
*Eurasian marsh-harrier
The western marsh harrier (''Circus aeruginosus'') is a large harrier, a bird of prey from temperate and subtropical western Eurasia and adjacent Africa. It is also known as the Eurasian marsh harrier. Formerly, a number of relatives were includ ...
, ''Circus aeruginosus''
* African marsh-harrier, ''Circus ranivorus''
*Pallid harrier
The pale or pallid harrier (''Circus macrourus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier subfamily. The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek. ''Circus'' is from ''kirkos'', referring to a bird of prey named for its circling fli ...
, ''Circus macrourus''
*Montagu's harrier
Montagu's harrier (''Circus pygargus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu.
Taxonomy
The first formal description of Montagu's harrier was by the Swedish na ...
, ''Circus pygargus''
*African goshawk
The African goshawk (''Accipiter tachiro'') is an African species of bird of prey in the genus ''Accipiter'' which is the type genus of the family Accipitridae.
Description
The African goshawk is a medium-sized to large ''Accipiter'' which is m ...
, ''Accipiter tachiro''
*Shikra
The shikra (''Accipiter badius'') is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the little banded goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usual ...
, ''Accipiter badius''
*Little sparrowhawk
The little sparrowhawk (''Accipiter minullus'') is a species of Afrotropical bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is the smallest member of the genus ''Accipiter'' and forms a superspecies with the red-thighed sparrowhawk (''Accipiter ery ...
, ''Accipiter minullus''
*Ovambo sparrowhawk
The Ovambo or Ovampo sparrowhawk, also known as Hilgert's sparrowhawk, (''Accipiter ovampensis'') is a species of sub-Saharan African bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It takes its name from the Ovamboland in northern Namibia.
Description ...
, ''Accipiter ovampensis''
* Rufous-breasted sparrowhawk, ''Accipiter rufiventris''
*Black goshawk
The black sparrowhawk (''Accipiter melanoleucus''), sometimes known as the black goshawk or great sparrowhawk, is the largest African member of the genus ''Accipiter''.Arkive. Black goshawk (''Accipiter melanoleucus''). In: Arkive: Images of Lif ...
, ''Accipiter melanoleucus''
*Black kite
The black kite (''Milvus migrans'') is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have ...
, ''Milvus migrans''
* African fish-eagle, ''Haliaeetus vocifer''
*Common buzzard
The common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. A member of the genus ''Buteo'', it is a member of the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across ...
, ''Buteo buteo''
*Mountain buzzard
The mountain buzzard (''Buteo oreophilus'') is a bird of prey that lives in montane forests in East Africa, it and the forest buzzard (''Buteo trizonatus'') of southern Africa were, until recently, considered to be a single species.
Description
...
, ''Buteo oreophilus''
*Augur buzzard
The augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') is a fairly large African bird of prey. This species is distinct in typical adult plumage for its blackish back, whitish underside and orange-red tail, however a dark morph is known while juvenile augur buzzar ...
, ''Buteo augur''
Barn-owls
Order: StrigiformesFamily:Tytonidae
Barn-owls (family Tytonidae) are one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls or typical owls, Strigidae. They are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with po ...
Barn-owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons.
* African grass-owl, ''Tyto capensis'' (A)
*Barn owl
The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...
, ''Tyto alba''
Owls
Order: StrigiformesFamily:Strigidae
The true owls or typical owls (family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species in 24 genera. The typical owl ...
The typical owl
The true owls or typical owls (family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species in 24 genera. The typical owl ...
s are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.
*Eurasian scops-owl
The Eurasian scops owl (''Otus scops''), also known as the European scops owl or just scops owl, is a small owl in the typical owl family Strigidae. Its breeding range extends from southern Europe eastwards to southern Siberia and the western Hima ...
, ''Otus scops''
*African scops-owl
The African scops owl (''Otus senegalensis'') is a small owl which is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa.
Taxonomy
William John Swainson first described the species in 1837 from a specimen collected in Senegal, and initially assigned it to the no ...
, ''Otus senegalensis''
*Southern white-faced owl
The southern white-faced owl (''Ptilopsis granti'') is a fairly small owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to the southern half of Africa. It was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the northern white-faced owl (''P. leucopsis'') but the tw ...
, ''Ptilopsis granti''
*Cape eagle-owl
The Cape eagle-owl (''Bubo capensis'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is one of several large species of the eagle-owl genus ''Bubo''.
Range
Its range is limited to the southernmost regions of southern Africa as well as parts of ...
, ''Bubo capensis'' (A)
*Spotted eagle-owl
The spotted eagle-owl (''Bubo africanus'') also known as the African spotted eagle-owl and the African eagle-owl, is a medium-sized species of owl, one of the smallest of the eagle owls. Its length is and its weight is from . It has a wingspan. ...
, ''Bubo africanus''
*Verreaux's eagle-owl
Verreaux's eagle-owl (''Bubo lacteus''), also commonly known as the milky eagle owl or giant eagle owl, is a member of the family Strigidae. This species is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. A member of the genus ''Bubo'', it is the largest Afric ...
, ''Bubo lacteus''
*Pel's fishing owl
Pel's fishing owl (''Scotopelia peli'') is a large species of owl in the family Strigidae. The species is found in Africa and lives near rivers and lakes. It feeds nocturnally on fish and frogs snatched from the surface of lakes and rivers. The ...
, ''Scotopelia peli''
*Pearl-spotted owlet
The pearl-spotted owlet (''Glaucidium perlatum'') is a small bird of prey found in sub-Saharan Africa. They belong to the Strigidae family, otherwise known as the typical owls or the true owls, which contains most species of owl. As part of the ...
, ''Glaucidium perlatum''
*African barred owlet
The African barred owlet (''Glaucidium capense'') is a species of small owl in the family Strigidae found in much of southern, central and eastern Africa. The taxon may be four species rather than a single species.
Description
The African barred ...
, ''Glaucidium capense''
* African wood-owl, ''Strix woodfordii''
*Marsh owl
The marsh owl (''Asio capensis'') is a medium to large species of owl in the family Strigidae.
Description
Medium-sized, dark brown with a pumpkin-shaped head with small 'ear' tufts. The facial disc is pale buff, with a distinct dark brown ri ...
, ''Asio capensis''
Mousebirds
Order: ColiiformesFamily:Coliidae
The mousebirds are birds in the order Coliiformes. They are the sister group to the clade Eucavitaves, which includes the Leptosomiformes (the cuckoo roller), Trogoniformes (trogons), Bucerotiformes (hornbills and hoopoes), Piciformes (woodpeck ...
The mousebirds are slender greyish or brown birds with soft, hairlike body feathers and very long thin tails. They are arboreal and scurry through the leaves like rodents in search of berries, fruit and buds. They are acrobatic and can feed upside down. All species have strong claws and reversible outer toes. They also have crests and stubby bills.
*Speckled mousebird
The speckled mousebird (''Colius striatus'') is the largest species of mousebird, as well as one of the most common. It is found throughout most of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa.
Taxonomy
The speckled mousebird was formally described in ...
, ''Colius striatus''
* Red-faced mousebird, ''Urocolius indicus''
Trogons
Order:Trogoniformes
The trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family Trogonidae contains 46 species in seven genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the Earl ...
Family: Trogonidae
The trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family Trogonidae contains 46 species in seven genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the Early E ...
The family Trogonidae includes trogons and quetzals. Found in tropical woodlands worldwide, they feed on insects and fruit, and their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits. Although their flight is fast, they are reluctant to fly any distance. Trogons have soft, often colourful, feathers with distinctive male and female plumage.
*Narina trogon
__NOTOC__
The Narina trogon (''Apaloderma narina'') is a largely green and red, medium-sized (32–34 cm long), bird of the family Trogonidae. It is native to forests and woodlands of the Afrotropics. Though it is the most widespread and cat ...
, ''Apaloderma narina''
*Bar-tailed trogon
The bar-tailed trogon (''Apaloderma vittatum'') is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is a resident bird to central Africa that eats primarily insects and fruits.
Description
The bar-tailed trogon averages about long. The bill and f ...
, ''Apaloderma vittatum''
Hoopoes
Order:Bucerotiformes
Bucerotiformes is an order of birds that contains the hornbills, ground hornbills, hoopoes and wood hoopoes. These birds were previously classified as members of Coraciiformes. The clade is distributed in Africa, Asia, Europe and Melanesia.
...
Family: Upupidae
Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single ...
Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head.
*Eurasian hoopoe
The Eurasian hoopoe (''Upupa epops'') is the most widespread species of the genus ''Upupa''. It is a distinctive cinnamon coloured bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow ...
, ''Upupa epops''
Woodhoopoes and scimitarbills
Order:Bucerotiformes
Bucerotiformes is an order of birds that contains the hornbills, ground hornbills, hoopoes and wood hoopoes. These birds were previously classified as members of Coraciiformes. The clade is distributed in Africa, Asia, Europe and Melanesia.
...
Family: Phoeniculidae
The wood hoopoes or scimitarbills are a small African family, Phoeniculidae, of near passerine birds. They live south of the Sahara Desert and are not migratory. While the family is now restricted to Sub-Saharan Africa, fossil evidence shows th ...
The woodhoopoes are related to the kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
s, roller
Roller may refer to:
Birds
*Roller, a bird of the family Coraciidae
* Roller (pigeon), a domesticated breed or variety of pigeon
Devices
* Roller (agricultural tool), a non-powered tool for flattening ground
* Road roller, a vehicle for compa ...
s and hoopoe
Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single ...
s. They most resemble the hoopoes with their long curved bills, used to probe for insects, and short rounded wings. However, they differ in that they have metallic plumage, often blue, green or purple, and lack an erectile crest.
* Green woodhoopoe, ''Phoeniculus purpureus''
*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, So ...
, ''Rhinopomastus cyanomelas''
Ground-hornbills
Order:Bucerotiformes
Bucerotiformes is an order of birds that contains the hornbills, ground hornbills, hoopoes and wood hoopoes. These birds were previously classified as members of Coraciiformes. The clade is distributed in Africa, Asia, Europe and Melanesia.
...
Family: Bucorvidae
The ground-hornbills are terrestrial birds which feed almost entirely on insects, other birds, snakes, and amphibians.
*Southern ground-hornbill
The southern ground hornbill (''Bucorvus leadbeateri''; formerly known as ''Bucorvus cafer'') is one of two species of ground hornbill, both of which are found solely within Africa, and is the largest species in the Bucerotiformes, hornbill order ...
, ''Bucorvus leadbeateri''
Hornbills
Order:Bucerotiformes
Bucerotiformes is an order of birds that contains the hornbills, ground hornbills, hoopoes and wood hoopoes. These birds were previously classified as members of Coraciiformes. The clade is distributed in Africa, Asia, Europe and Melanesia.
...
Family: Bucerotidae
Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible ...
Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible. Frequently, the bill is brightly coloured.
*Crowned hornbill
The crowned hornbill (''Lophoceros alboterminatus'') is an African hornbill.
Description
It is a medium-sized bird, in length, and is characterized by its white belly and black back and wings. The tips of the long tail feathers are white. Th ...
, ''Lophoceros alboterminatus''
*African gray hornbill
The African grey hornbill (''Lophoceros nasutus'') is a member of the hornbill family of mainly tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World. It is a widespread resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa and the southwest of the Arabi ...
, ''Lophoceros nasutus''
*Pale-billed hornbill
The pale-billed hornbill (''Lophoceros pallidirostris'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in Angola, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia.
References
pale-billed hornbill
Birds of Southern Afri ...
, ''Lophoceros pallidirostris''
*Southern yellow-billed hornbill
The southern yellow-billed hornbill (''Tockus leucomelas'') is a hornbill found in southern Africa. Yellow-billed hornbills feed mainly on the ground, where they forage for seeds, small insects, spiders and scorpions. This hornbill species is a ...
, ''Tockus leucomelas''
*Southern red-billed hornbill
The southern red-billed hornbill (''Tockus rufirostris'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae, which is native to the savannas and dryer bushlands of southern Africa. It is replaced by a near-relative, the Damara red-billed hornbil ...
, ''Tockus rufirostris''
*Silvery-cheeked hornbill
The silvery-cheeked hornbill (''Bycanistes brevis'') is a large species of hornbill found in Africa. Silvery-cheeked hornbills are residents of the tall evergreen forests of East Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. In Zimbabwe it is threatened ...
, ''Bycanistes brevis''
*Trumpeter hornbill
The trumpeter hornbill (''Bycanistes bucinator'') is a medium-sized hornbill, with length between , characterized by a large grey casque on the bill, smaller in females. The eyes are brown or red, with pink surrounding skin. Body mass is between ...
, ''Bycanistes bucinator''
Kingfishers
Order:Coraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their base) ...
Family: Alcedinidae
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.
*Half-collared kingfisher
The half-collared kingfisher (''Alcedo semitorquata'') is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae that is found in southern and eastern Africa. It feeds almost exclusively on fish and frequents streams, rivers and larger bodies of water.
The h ...
, ''Alcedo semitorquata''
*Malachite kingfisher
The malachite kingfisher (''Corythornis cristatus'') is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is largely resident except for seasonal climate-related movements.
Taxonomy
The malachite kingfisher was de ...
, ''Corythornis cristatus''
*African pygmy kingfisher
The African pygmy kingfisher (''Ispidina picta'') is a small insectivorous kingfisher found in the Afrotropics, mostly in woodland habitats.
Taxonomy
The African pygmy kingfisher was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comt ...
, ''Ispidina picta''
*Gray-headed kingfisher
The grey-headed kingfisher (''Halcyon leucocephala'') is a species of kingfisher that has a wide distribution from the Cape Verde Islands off the north-west coast of Africa to Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, east to Ethiopia, Somalia and southern ...
, ''Halcyon leucocephala''
*Woodland kingfisher
The woodland kingfisher (''Halcyon senegalensis'') is a tree kingfisher that is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara.
Taxonomy
The Southern Africa naturalist Carl Linnaeus included the woodland kingfisher with the binomial name ...
, ''Halcyon senegalensis''
*Brown-hooded kingfisher
The brown-hooded kingfisher (''Halcyon albiventris'') is a species of bird in the subfamily Halcyoninae, the tree kingfishers. It has a brown head and blackish and turquoise wings. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa, living in woodland, scrubland, ...
, ''Halcyon albiventris''
*Striped kingfisher
The striped kingfisher (''Halcyon chelicuti'') is a species of bird in the tree kingfisher subfamily. It was first described by Edward, Lord Stanley, in ''Salt's Voyage to Abyssinia''Salt (1816) in 1814 as "Chelicut kingfisher" ''Alaudo Chelic ...
, ''Halcyon chelicuti''
*Giant kingfisher
The giant kingfisher (''Megaceryle maxima'') is the largest kingfisher in Africa, where it is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert, other than the arid southwest.
Taxonomy
The first Species description, ...
, ''Megaceryle maximus''
*Pied kingfisher
The pied kingfisher (''Ceryle rudis'') is a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it has five recognised subspecies. Its black and white plumage and crest, as well a ...
, ''Ceryle rudis''
Bee-eaters
Order:Coraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their base) ...
Family: Meropidae
The bee-eaters are a group of non-passerine birds in the family Meropidae, containing three genera and thirty species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by ...
The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine
Near passerines and higher land-bird assemblage are terms of traditional, pre-cladistic taxonomy that have often been given to tree-dwelling birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines (order Passeriformes) owing to mor ...
birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa but others occur in southern Europe, Madagascar, Australia and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail feathers. All are colourful and have long downturned bills and pointed wings, which give them a swallow-like appearance when seen from afar.
*White-fronted bee-eater
The white-fronted bee-eater (''Merops bullockoides'') is a species of bee-eater widely distributed in sub-equatorial Africa.
They have a distinctive white forehead, a square tail and a bright red patch on their throat. They nest in small colonie ...
, ''Merops bullockoides''
*Little bee-eater
The little bee-eater (''Merops pusillus'') is a bird species in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. They are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. They should not be confused with the little green bee-eater (''Merops orientalis''). Migration is limited to se ...
, ''Merops pusillus''
*Swallow-tailed bee-eater
The swallow-tailed bee-eater (''Merops hirundineus'') is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family (biology), family, Meropidae.
Description
This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. Its colours and readily ...
, ''Merops hirundineus''
*Böhm's bee-eater
Böhm's bee-eater (''Merops boehmi'') is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked c ...
, ''Merops boehmi''
*Blue-cheeked bee-eater
The blue-cheeked bee-eater (''Merops persicus'') is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. The genus name ''Merops'' is Ancient Greek for "bee-eater", and ''persicus'' is Latin for "Persian".
It breeds in Northern Africa, and ...
, ''Merops persicus''
*Madagascar bee-eater
The olive bee-eater or Madagascar bee-eater (''Merops superciliosus'') is a near passerine bee-eater species in the genus ''Merops''. It is native to the southern half of Africa where it is present in Angola; Botswana; Burundi; Comoros; Democrat ...
, ''Merops superciliosus''
*European bee-eater
The European bee-eater (''Merops apiaster'') is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Except for the resident southern African populatio ...
, ''Merops apiaster''
*Southern carmine bee-eater
The southern carmine bee-eater (''Merops nubicoides'') (formerly carmine bee-eater) occurs across sub-equatorial Africa.
Description
This species, like other bee-eaters, is richly coloured and is predominantly carmine in colouration, but the c ...
, ''Merops nubicoides''
Rollers
Order:Coraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their base) ...
Family: Coraciidae
Coraciidae is a family of Old World birds, which is known as rollers because of the aerial acrobatics some of these birds perform during courtship or territorial flights. Rollers resemble crows in size and build, and share the colourful appearan ...
Rollers resemble crow
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifical ...
s in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
s and bee-eater
The bee-eaters are a group of non-passerine birds in the family Meropidae, containing three genera and thirty species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by ...
s. They share the colourful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but the outer toe is not.
*European roller
The European roller (''Coracias garrulus'') is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East, Central Asia and the Maghreb.
The European roller is found in a wide variety of ha ...
, ''Coracias garrulus''
*Lilac-breasted roller
The lilac-breasted roller (''Coracias caudatus'') is an African bird of the roller family, Coraciidae. It is widely distributed in Southern and Eastern Africa, and is a vagrant to the southern Arabian Peninsula. It prefers open woodland and sav ...
, ''Coracias caudatus''
*Racket-tailed roller
The racket-tailed roller (''Coracias spatulatus'') is a species of bird in the family Coraciidae. It is found in southern Africa from Angola, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Tanzania to northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi a ...
, ''Coracias spatulatus''
* Rufous-crowned roller, ''Coracias naevius''
*Broad-billed roller
The broad-billed roller (''Eurystomus glaucurus'') is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across tropical Africa and Madagascar in all but the driest regions. It is a wet season breeder, which migrates from the northern and south ...
, ''Eurystomus glaucurus''
African barbets
Order:Piciformes
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes , the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. The Piciformes contain about 71 living genera with a little over 450 species, of ...
Family: Lybiidae
The African barbets are birds in the family Lybiidae. There are 43 species ranging from the type genus ''Lybius'' of forest interior to the tinkerbirds (''Pogoniulus'') of forest and scrubland. They are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with t ...
The African barbets are plump birds, with short necks and large heads. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. Most species are brightly coloured.
*Crested barbet
The crested barbet (''Trachyphonus vaillantii'') ('trachys'=rough, 'phone'=voice, sound') is a sub-Saharan bird in the Lybiidae family. Its specific name commemorates François Levaillant, a famed French naturalist.
Description
With its thick b ...
, ''Trachyphonus vaillantii''
*White-eared barbet
The white-eared barbet (''Stactolaema leucotis'') is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae (African barbets).
It is found in Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
Gallery
Image:White-eared Barbet (Stactol ...
, ''Stactolaema leucotis''
*Whyte's barbet
Whyte's barbet (''Stactolaema whytii'') is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae (African barbets). It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked ...
, ''Stactolaema whytii''
*Green barbet
The green barbet (''Stactolaema olivacea'') is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family (African barbets). It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. It occurs in forests from sea level to . Its isolated populations are ...
, ''Stactolaema olivacea''
* Green tinkerbird, ''Pogoniulus simplex''
*Moustached tinkerbird
The moustached tinkerbird (''Pogoniulus leucomystax'') is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family (African barbets).
It is found in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
References
moustached tinkerbird
Birds of East Africa
mousta ...
, ''Pogoniulus leucomystax''
*Yellow-rumped tinkerbird
The yellow-rumped tinkerbird (''Pogoniulus bilineatus'') is a bird species in the family Lybiidae (African barbets), which is native to the moist tropical and subtropical regions of sub-Saharan Africa.
Relationships
It used to be placed in the ...
, ''Pogoniulus bilineatus''
* Yellow-fronted tinkerbird, ''Pogoniulus chrysoconus''
* Miombo barbet, ''Tricholaema frontata''
*Black-collared barbet
The black-collared barbet (''Lybius torquatus'') is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae which is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Indigenous names include ''Rooikophoutkapper'' in Afrikaans, ''isiKhulukhulu'' and ''isiQonQotho'' in Zulu, and ' ...
, ''Lybius torquatus''
*Brown-breasted barbet
The brown-breasted barbet (''Lybius melanopterus'') is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family.
It is found in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, and Tanzania.
References
brown-breasted barbet
Birds of East Africa
brown-breasted barbet ...
, ''Lybius melanopterus''
*Black-backed barbet
The white-faced barbet or black-backed barbet (''Lybius minor'') is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family.
It is found in Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The habitat it is normally found in i ...
, ''Lybius minor''
Honeyguides
Order:Piciformes
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes , the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. The Piciformes contain about 71 living genera with a little over 450 species, of ...
Family: Indicatoridae
Honeyguides (family Indicatoridae) are near passerine birds in the order Piciformes. They are also known as indicator birds, or honey birds, although the latter term is also used more narrowly to refer to species of the genus ''Prodotiscus''. The ...
Honeyguides are among the few birds that feed on wax
Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low ...
. They are named for the greater honeyguide
The greater honeyguide (''Indicator indicator'') is a bird in the family Indicatoridae, paleotropical near passerine birds related to the woodpeckers. Its English and scientific names refer to its habit of guiding people to bee colonies. Claims t ...
which leads traditional honey-hunters to bees' nests and, after the hunters have harvested the honey, feeds on the remaining contents of the hive.
*Green-backed honeyguide
The green-backed honeybird (''Prodotiscus zambesiae''), also known as the eastern green-backed honeyguide, green-backed honeyguide and slender-billed honeyguide, is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae.
Range
It is found in Angola, Bots ...
, ''Prodotiscus zambesiae''
*Wahlberg's honeyguide
The brown-backed honeybird (''Prodotiscus regulus''), also known as Wahlberg's honeybird, Wahlberg's honeyguide and sharp-billed honeyguide, is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae. This bird is named after the Swedish naturalist Johan A ...
, ''Prodotiscus regulus''
*Pallid honeyguide
The pallid honeyguide (''Indicator meliphilus'') is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae. The species is also known as the eastern least honyeguide.
It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanz ...
, ''Indicator meliphilus''
*Lesser honeyguide
The lesser honeyguide (''Indicator minor'') is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae.
Range
It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Rep ...
, ''Indicator minor''
*Scaly-throated honeyguide
The scaly-throated honeyguide (''Indicator variegatus'') is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae.
Range
thumb , left , 200px , Dorsal view, Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, coastal Kenya
It is found in Angola, Burundi, DRC, Eswatini, Ethiopia, ...
, ''Indicator variegatus''
*Greater honeyguide
The greater honeyguide (''Indicator indicator'') is a bird in the family Indicatoridae, paleotropical near passerine birds related to the woodpeckers. Its English and scientific names refer to its habit of guiding people to bee colonies. Claims t ...
, ''Indicator indicator''
Woodpeckers
Order:Piciformes
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes , the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. The Piciformes contain about 71 living genera with a little over 450 species, of ...
Family: Picidae
Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. M ...
Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.
*Cardinal woodpecker
The cardinal woodpecker (''Dendropicos fuscescens'') is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dense forest to thorn bush. It is fairly vocal and is easily ident ...
, ''Chloropicus fuscescens''
*Bearded woodpecker
The bearded woodpecker (''Chloropicus namaquus'') is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It has a distinctive black and white head and brownish barred body. It is native to tropical central Africa. It has an extremely wide range and is a fa ...
, ''Chloropicus namaquus''
*Stierling's woodpecker
Stierling's woodpecker (''Dendropicos stierlingi'') is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania where its natural habitat is tropical dry forests in the Eastern miombo woodlands ecoregion. It is th ...
, ''Chloropicus stierlingi''
*Olive woodpecker
The olive woodpecker (''Dendropicos griseocephalus'') is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae.
Taxonomy
The olive woodpecker was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in his ''Histoire Natu ...
, ''Chloropicus griseocephalus''
*Brown-eared woodpecker
The brown-eared woodpecker (''Pardipicus caroli'') is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to the African tropical rainforest. There are two subspecies; ''P. c. caroli'' in the eastern part of its range and ''P. c. arizela'', ...
, ''Campethera caroli''
*Green-backed woodpecker
The little spotted woodpecker or green-backed woodpecker (''Campethera cailliautii''), is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to large parts of tropical central Africa. It has an extensive range and is an uncommon species, and t ...
, ''Campethera cailliautii''
*Bennett's woodpecker
Bennett's woodpecker (''Campethera bennettii'') is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in woodlands and bushes in Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.
Taxon ...
, ''Campethera bennettii''
*Reichenow's woodpecker
The speckle-throated woodpecker (''Campethera scriptoricauda''), also known as Reichenow's woodpecker, is an East African woodpecker often considered a subspecies of Bennett's woodpecker. The bird is named after the German ornithologist Anton Rei ...
, ''Campethera scriptoricauda''
*Golden-tailed woodpecker
The golden-tailed woodpecker (''Campethera abingoni'') is a species of bird in the family Picidae. Its specific name commemorates the 5th Earl of Abingdon. It belongs to a species complex that includes the Knysna woodpecker to the south of its ...
, ''Campethera abingoni''
Falcons
Order:Falconiformes
The order Falconiformes () is represented by the extant family Falconidae (falcons and caracaras) and a handful of enigmatic Paleogene species. Traditionally, the other bird of prey families Cathartidae (New World vultures and condors), Sagitt ...
Family: Falconidae
The falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae (representing all extant species in the order Falconiformes). The family is divided into three subfamilies, Herpetotherinae, which inclu ...
Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons.
*Lesser kestrel
The lesser kestrel (''Falco naumanni'') is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across Afghanistan and Central Asia, to China and Mongolia. It is a summer bird migration, migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and sometim ...
, ''Falco naumanni''
*Rock kestrel
The rock kestrel (''Falco rupicolus'') is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family (biology), family Falconidae. It was previously considered a subspecies of the common kestrel (''Falco tinnunculus'').
This spec ...
, ''Falco rupicolus''
* Gray kestrel, ''Falco ardosiaceus'' (A)
*Dickinson's kestrel
Dickinson's kestrel (''Falco dickinsoni'') is a bird of prey of southern and eastern Africa belonging to the falcon family Falconidae. It is named after John Dickinson, an English physician and missionary who collected the type specimen. It is a ...
, ''Falco dickinsoni''
*Red-necked falcon
The red-necked falcon (''Falco chicquera'') is a bird of prey in the falcon family with two disjunct populations, one in India and the other in Africa. This medium-sized falcon has bluish grey wings and upper body, a chestnut red cap with short c ...
, ''Falco chicquera''
*Red-footed falcon
The red-footed falcon (''Falco vespertinus''), formerly the western red-footed falcon, is a bird of prey. It belongs to the family Falconidae, the falcons. This bird is found in eastern Europe and Asia although its numbers are dwindling rapidly ...
, ''Falco vespertinus''
*Amur falcon
The Amur falcon (''Falco amurensis'') is a small raptor of the falcon family. It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern and East Africa.
...
, ''Falco amurensis''
*Eleonora's falcon
Eleonora's falcon (''Falco eleonorae'') is a medium-sized falcon. It belongs to the hobby group, a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus ''Hypotriorchis''. The sooty falcon is sometimes considered its closest re ...
, ''Falco eleonorae''
*Sooty falcon
The sooty falcon (''Falco concolor'') is a medium-sized falcon breeding from northeastern Africa to the southern Persian Gulf region. The word sooty means to be covered in soot (ash), and is used to describe the color of the Sooty Falcon. Hence, ...
, ''Falco concolor'' (A)
*Eurasian hobby
The Eurasian hobby (''Falco subbuteo'') or just hobby, is a small, slim falcon. It belongs to a rather close-knit group of similar falcons often considered a subgenus '' Hypotriorchis''.
Taxonomy and systematics
The first formal description of ...
, ''Falco subbuteo''
*African hobby
The African hobby (''Falco cuvierii'') is a small species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae.
Description
A small, slim falcon with blackish upperparts and deep rufous underparts with rufous cheek, nape and throat. At close range black st ...
, ''Falco cuvierii'' (A)
*Lanner falcon
The lanner falcon (''Falco biarmicus'') is a medium-sized bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia. It prefers open habitat and is mainly resident, but some birds disperse more widely after the breeding season. A l ...
, ''Falco biarmicus''
*Peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...
, ''Falco peregrinus''
*Taita falcon
The Taita falcon (''Falco fasciinucha'') is a small falcon found in central and eastern Africa. It was first described from the Taita Hills of Kenya from which it derives its name.
Description
The Taita falcon is a small, rare raptor species. ...
, ''Falco fasciinucha''
Old World parrots
Order: PsittaciformesFamily:Psittaculidae
Psittaculidae is a family containing Old World parrots. It consists of five subfamilies: Agapornithinae, Loriinae, Platycercinae, Psittacellinae and Psittaculinae.
This family has been accepted into ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World' ...
Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl
In biology, dactyly is the arrangement of digits (fingers and toes) on the hands, feet, or sometimes wings of a tetrapod animal. It comes from the Greek word δακτυλος (''dáktylos'') = "finger".
Sometimes the ending "-dactylia" is used ...
feet. Many parrots are vividly colored, and some are multi-colored. In size they range from to in length. Old World parrots are found from Africa east across south and southeast Asia and Oceania to Australia and New Zealand.
*Lilian's lovebird
Lilian's lovebird (''Agapornis lilianae''), also known as the Nyasa lovebird, is a small African parrot species of the lovebird genus. It is mainly green and has orange on its upper chest and head. It is 13 cm (5 inches) long and is the ...
, ''Agapornis lilianae''
African and New World parrots
Order: PsittaciformesFamily:Psittacidae
The family Psittacidae or holotropical parrots is one of three families of true parrots. It comprises the roughly 10 species of subfamily Psittacinae (the Old World or Afrotropical parrots) and 157 of subfamily Arinae (the New World or Neotropic ...
Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl
In biology, dactyly is the arrangement of digits (fingers and toes) on the hands, feet, or sometimes wings of a tetrapod animal. It comes from the Greek word δακτυλος (''dáktylos'') = "finger".
Sometimes the ending "-dactylia" is used ...
feet. Many parrots are vividly colored, and some are multi-colored. In size they range from to in length. Most of the species in this family are found in the New World.
*Brown-necked parrot
The brown-necked parrot (''Poicephalus fuscicollis''), sometimes known in aviculture as the uncape parrot, is a large ''Poicephalus'' parrot species endemic to Africa.
It consists of two subspecies: the savanna-dwelling brown-necked parrot ('' ...
, ''Poicephalus robustus''
*Meyer's parrot
Meyer's parrot (''Poicephalus meyeri''), also known as the brown parrot, is a species of parrot native to Africa. A Meyer's parrot has grey feathers, turquoise belly, blue rump, and bright yellow markings on the carpal joint of the wings. Most ...
, ''Poicephalus meyeri''
*Brown-headed parrot
The brown-headed parrot (''Poicephalus cryptoxanthus'') is a south-eastern African parrot.
Description
The general plumage colour is green, indeed Sinclair et al., (1993) describe the species as “the greenest parrot of the sub-region”. The ...
, ''Poicephalus cryptoxanthus''
African and green broadbills
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Calyptomenidae
Calyptomenidae is a family of passerine birds found in Africa, the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. There are six species in two genera.
The species in this family were formerly included in the broadbill family Eurylaimidae
The Eurylaimidae are a ...
The broadbills are small, brightly coloured birds, which feed on fruit and also take insects in flycatcher fashion, snapping their broad bills. Their habitat is canopies of wet forests.
*African broadbill
The African broadbill (''Smithornis capensis''), also known as the black-capped broadbill or Delacour's broadbill, is a species of bird in the sub-oscine family Calyptomenidae.
Description
The African broadbill is a boldly streaked, largely br ...
, ''Smithornis capensis''
Pittas
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Pittidae
Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards and are stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills. Many are brightly coloured. They spend the majority of their time on wet forest floors, eating snails, insects and similar invertebrates. There are 32 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Malawi.
*African pitta
The African pitta (''Pitta angolensis'') is an Afrotropical bird of the family Pittidae. It is a locally common to uncommon species, resident and migratory in the west, and an intra-African migrant between equatorial and southeastern Africa. Th ...
, ''Pitta angolensis''
Cuckooshrikes
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Campephagidae
The cuckooshrikes are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are predominantly greyish with white and black, although some species are brightly coloured.
* Gray cuckooshrike, ''Coracina caesia''
* White-breasted cuckooshrike, ''Coracina pectoralis''
*Black cuckooshrike
The black cuckooshrike (''Campephaga flava'') is a species of bird in the cuckooshrike family Campephagidae. The species is closely related to Petit's cuckooshrike and the red-shouldered cuckooshrike, and forms a Species complex, superspecies wit ...
, ''Campephaga flava''
Old World orioles
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Oriolidae
The Old World orioles are colourful passerine birds. They are not related to the New World orioles.
*Eurasian golden oriole
The Eurasian golden oriole (''Oriolus oriolus'') also called the common golden oriole, is the only member of the Old World oriole family of passerine birds breeding in Northern Hemisphere temperate regions. It is a summer bird migration, migrant ...
, ''Oriolus oriolus''
*African golden oriole
The African golden oriole (''Oriolus auratus''), or African oriole, is a member of the oriole family of passerine birds which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara desert.
It is a bird of thick bush and other well-wooded areas. T ...
, ''Oriolus auratus''
*Green-headed oriole
The green-headed oriole (''Oriolus chlorocephalus''), or montane oriole, is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is found in eastern Africa.
Taxonomy and systematics Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognized:
* ''O. c. amani'' - Be ...
, ''Oriolus chlorocephalus''
*African black-headed oriole
The black-headed oriole (''Oriolus larvatus'') is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is found in Africa and has a very striking appearance with a bright yellow body, contrasting black head and flesh-coloured beak.
Taxonomy and syst ...
, ''Oriolus larvatus''
Wattle-eyes and batises
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Platysteiridae
Platysteiridae is a family of small, stout passerine birds of the African tropics. The family contains the wattle-eyes, batises and shrike-flycatchers. They were previously classed as a subfamily of the Old World flycatchers, Muscicapidae. These ...
The wattle-eyes, or puffback flycatchers, are small stout passerine birds of the African tropics. They get their name from the brightly coloured fleshy eye decorations found in most species in this group.
*Black-throated wattle-eye
The black-throated wattle-eye (''Platysteira peltata'') is a species of bird in the family Platysteiridae.
It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, ...
, ''Platysteira peltata''
* Short-tailed batis, ''Batis mixta''
*Dark batis
The dark batis (''Batis crypta'') is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus '' Batis'' in the wattle-eye family, Platysteiridae. It is found in highland forest in south-west Tanzania, northern Malawi, and northern Mozambique. These birds w ...
, ''Batis crypta'' (E)
*Cape batis
The Cape batis (''Batis capensis'') is a small, stout insect-eating passerine bird in the wattle-eye family. It is endemic to the Afromontane forests of southern Africa.
Taxonomy
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a ...
, ''Batis capensis''
* Woodward's batis, ''Batis fratrum''
*Chinspot batis
The chinspot batis (''Batis molitor'') is a small songbird of the genus '' Batis'' in the family Platysteiridae which is a common and widespread species in the woodlands of southern Africa from the Eastern Cape north to 3°N in southern Kenya a ...
, ''Batis molitor''
*Pale batis
The pale batis (''Batis soror''), also known as the Mozambique batis or East coast batis is a species of small bird in the wattle-eyes family, Platysteiridae. It occurs in eastern Africa, mostly in lowland miombo woodland.
Description
The pale ...
, ''Batis soror''
Vangas, helmetshrikes, and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Vangidae
The helmetshrikes are similar in build to the shrikes, but tend to be colourful species with distinctive crests or other head ornaments, such as wattles, from which they get their name.
* White helmetshrike, ''Prionops plumatus''
*Retz's helmetshrike
Retz's helmetshrike (''Prionops retzii'') is a species of bird in the helmetshrike family Vangidae, formerly usually included in the Malaconotidae.
Subspecies
Four subspecies are recognized:
* ''P. r. nigricans'' (Neumann, 1899) – south centr ...
, ''Prionops retzii''
*Chestnut-fronted helmetshrike
The chestnut-fronted helmetshrike (''Prionops scopifrons'') is a species of bird in the Vanga family Vangidae, formerly usually included in the Malaconotidae.
It is found in Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Its ...
, ''Prionops scopifrons''
*Black-and-white shrike-flycatcher
The black-and-white shrike-flycatcher (''Bias musicus''), also known as the black-and-white flycatcher or vanga flycatcher, is a species of passerine bird found in Africa. It was placed with the wattle-eyes and batises in the family Platysteiri ...
, ''Bias musicus''
Bushshrikes and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Malaconotidae
Bushshrikes are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush. Although similar in build to the shrikes, these tend to be either colourful species or largely black; some species are quite secretive.
*Brubru
The brubru (''Nilaus afer'') is a species of bushshrike (family Malaconotidae) found in most of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus ''Nilaus''.
Distribution and habitat
Its habitat is dry open woodland, but varies geographica ...
, ''Nilaus afer''
*Black-backed puffback
The black-backed puffback (''Dryoscopus cubla'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Malaconotidae. They are common to fairly common sedentary bushshrikes in various wooded habitats in Africa south of the equator. They restlessly move ...
, ''Dryoscopus cubla''
*Marsh tchagra
The marsh tchagra or blackcap bush-shrike (''Bocagia minuta'') is a species of passerine bird placed in the monotypic genus ''Bocagia'' in the family Malaconotidae. It is native to marshes in the tropics and subtropics of Africa. It is sometimes ...
, ''Tchagra minuta''
*Black-crowned tchagra
The black-crowned tchagra (''Tchagra senegalus'') is a bushshrike. This family of passerine birds is closely related to the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, and was once included in that group.
This species is found in the Arabian peninsu ...
, ''Tchagra senegala''
* Brown-crowned tchagra, ''Tchagra australis''
*Tropical boubou
The tropical boubou or bell shrike (''Laniarius aethiopicus'') is a medium-sized passerine bird of sub-Saharan Africa. This very diverse "species" with its numerous subspecies and morphs has since long posed a taxonomic problem, and recent resea ...
, ''Laniarius major''
*Southern boubou
The southern boubou (''Laniarius ferrugineus'') ('ferrugineus' - rust-coloured) is a bushshrike. Though these passerine birds and their relations were once included with true shrikes in the Laniidae, they are not closely related to that family ...
, ''Laniarius ferrugineus''
*Fülleborn's boubou
Fülleborn's boubou (''Laniarius fuelleborni'') is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia, where its typical habitat is humid montane forest, dense undergrowth, secondary growth, forest edges a ...
, ''Laniarius fuelleborni''
* Sulphur-breasted bushshrike, ''Telophorus sulfureopectus''
*Olive bushshrike
The olive bushshrike (''Chlorophoneus olivaceus'') is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae.
It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropica ...
, ''Telophorus olivaceus''
*Black-fronted bushshrike
The black-fronted bushshrike (''Chlorophoneus nigrifrons'') is a passerine bird of the bushshrike family, Malaconotidae. It inhabits forests mainly in East Africa. It forms a superspecies with the many-colored bushshrike (''C. multicolor'') a ...
, ''Telophorus nigrifrons''
* Four-colored bushshrike, ''Telophorus viridis''
*Gray-headed bushshrike
The grey-headed bushshrike (''Malaconotus blanchoti''), colloquially known as the ghostbird, is a species of passerine bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, although relatively absent in Central Africa ...
, ''Malaconotus blanchoti''
Drongos
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Dicruridae
The drongos are mostly black or dark grey in colour, sometimes with metallic tints. They have long forked tails, and some Asian species have elaborate tail decorations. They have short legs and sit very upright when perched, like a shrike. They flycatch or take prey from the ground.
*Common square-tailed drongo
The common square-tailed drongo (''Dicrurus ludwigii''), formerly the square-tailed drongo, is a passerine bird in the family Dicruridae. It is a common resident breeder in parts of southern Africa.
These insectivorous birds are usually found i ...
, ''Dicrurus ludwigii''
*Fork-tailed drongo
The fork-tailed drongo (''Dicrurus adsimilis''), also called the common drongo, African drongo or savanna drongo, is a small bird that can be found in a very substantial range, from the Sahel to South Africa, excepting the Congolian rainforests a ...
, ''Dicrurus adsimilis''
Monarch flycatchers
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Monarchidae
The monarchs (family Monarchidae) comprise a family of over 100 passerine birds which includes shrikebills, paradise flycatchers, and magpie-larks.
Monarchids are small insectivorous songbirds with long tails. They inhabit forest or woodland a ...
The monarch flycatchers are small to medium-sized insectivorous passerines which hunt by flycatching.
* African crested-flycatcher, ''Trochocercus cyanomelas''
* African paradise-flycatcher, ''Terpsiphone viridis''
Shrikes
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Laniidae
Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.
* Red-backed shrike, ''Lanius collurio''
*Red-tailed shrike
The red-tailed shrike or Turkestan shrike (''Lanius phoenicuroides'') is a member of the shrike family ( Laniidae). It was formerly considered conspecific with the isabelline shrike and the red-backed shrike.
Description
The plumage is a sandy ...
, ''Lanius phoenicuroides'' (A)
* Lesser gray shrike, ''Lanius minor''
*Magpie shrike
The magpie shrike (''Urolestes melanoleucus''), also known as the African long-tailed shrike, is a species of bird in the family Laniidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Urolestes''. It is native to the grasslands of eastern and southeastern ...
, ''Lanius melanoleucus''
*Northern fiscal
The northern fiscal (''Lanius humeralis'') is a member of the shrike family found through most of Sub-Saharan Africa. It used to be grouped with the southern fiscal (''Lanius collaris''). Together they were called the common fiscal. The fisca ...
, ''Lanius humeralis''
*Southern fiscal
The southern fiscal or fiscal shrike (''Lanius collaris'') is a member of the shrike family found through most of southern Africa. It is also sometimes named jackie hangman or butcher bird due to its habit of impaling its prey on acacia thorn ...
, ''Lanius collaris''
*Souza's shrike
Souza's shrike (''Lanius souzae'') is a species of bird in the family Laniidae. It was named after Portuguese zoologist José Augusto de Sousa (1836 - 1889).
It occurs in the Miombo woodland.
References
Souza's shrike
Birds of Central Af ...
, ''Lanius souzae''
Crows, jays, and magpies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Corvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs, and nutcrackers. In colloquial English, they are known as the crow family or corvids. Currently, 13 ...
The family Corvidae includes crow
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifical ...
s, raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
s, jay
A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family (biology), family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For examp ...
s, chough
There are two species of passerine birds commonly called chough ( ) that constitute the genus ''Pyrrhocorax'' of the Corvidae (crow) family of birds. These are the red-billed chough (''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), and the Alpine chough (or yellow- ...
s, magpie
Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one ...
s, treepie
The treepies (known also as crypsirinines from the subfamily's name, ''Crypsirininae'') comprise four closely related genera (''Dendrocitta, Crypsirina, Temnurus'' and ''Platysmurus'') of long-tailed passerine birds in the family Corvidae. There ...
s, nutcracker
A nutcracker is a tool designed to open nuts by cracking their shells. There are many designs, including levers, screws, and ratchets. The lever version is also used for cracking lobster and crab shells.
A decorative version portrays a person w ...
s and ground jay
The ground jays or ground choughs belong to a distinct group of the passerine order of birds in the genus ''Podoces'' of the crow family Corvidae. They inhabit high altitude semi-desert areas from central Asia to Mongolia.
Ground jays show adapt ...
s. Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes, and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence.
*Pied crow
The pied crow (''Corvus albus'') is a widely distributed African bird species in the crow genus.
Structurally, the pied crow is better thought of as a small crow-sized raven, especially as it can hybridise with the Somali crow (dwarf raven) wher ...
, ''Corvus albus''
*White-necked raven
The white-necked raven (''Corvus albicollis'') is somewhat smaller (50–54 cm in length) than the common raven or its nearest relative, the thick-billed raven ''C. crassirostris''. It is native to eastern and southern Africa.
Descriptio ...
, ''Corvus albicollis''
Hyliotas
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Hyliotidae
The hyliotas are a genus, ''Hyliota'', of passerine bird from Africa. The taxonomic position of the genus has been a longstanding mystery. They have been formerly regarded as Old World warblers in the family Sylviidae, or related to the batises an ...
The members of this small family, all of genus ''Hyliota'', are birds of the forest canopy. They tend to feed in mixed-species flocks.
*Yellow-bellied hyliota
The yellow-bellied hyliota (''Hyliota flavigaster'') is a species of Hyliota.
It is found in Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, ...
, ''Hyliota flavigaster''
*Southern hyliota
The southern hyliota (''Hyliota australis'') is a species of Hyliota.
It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Its natural habitats are sub ...
, ''Hyliota australis''
Fairy flycatchers
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Stenostiridae
Stenostiridae, or the fairy flycatchers, are a family of small passerine birds proposed as a result of recent discoveries in molecular systematics.Beresford ''et al.'' (2005) They are also referred to as stenostirid warblers.
Taxonomy and system ...
Most of the species of this small family are found in Africa, though a few inhabit tropical Asia. They are not closely related to other birds called "flycatchers".
*African blue flycatcher
The African blue flycatcher or blue-crested flycatcher (''Elminia longicauda'') is a species of bird in the family Stenostiridae from western and central Sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
The African blue flycatcher is a dainty, pale, bright blue ...
, ''Elminia longicauda''
*White-tailed blue flycatcher
The white-tailed blue flycatcher (''Elminia albicauda'') is a species of bird in the family Stenostiridae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Its natural ...
, ''Elminia albicauda''
*White-tailed crested-flycatcher
The white-tailed crested flycatcher (''Elminia albonotata'') is a species of bird in the flycatcher family Stenostiridae. It has a discontinuous distribution in eastern Africa. There are three subspecies, ''E. a. albonotata'' of central Kenya, an ...
, ''Elminia albonotata''
Tits, chickadees, and titmice
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Paridae
The tits, chickadees, and Titmouse, titmice constitute the Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur mainly in the Northern Hemisphere and Africa. Most were formerly classified in the genus ''Parus''.
Members of this family a ...
The Paridae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects.
* White-winged black-tit, ''Melaniparus leucomelas''
* Rufous-bellied tit, ''Melaniparus rufiventris''
* Southern black-tit, ''Melaniparus niger''
*Carp's tit
Carp's tit (''Melaniparus carpi'') or Carp's black tit, is a species of bird in the family Paridae. Some authors consider it a subspecies of the black tit. It is found throughout the Namibian savanna woodlands and the southern Angolan mopane wo ...
, ''Melaniparus carpi'' (A)
*Miombo tit
The miombo tit (''Melaniparus griseiventris'') is a species of bird in the family Paridae.
It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical ...
, ''Melaniparus griseiventris''
Penduline-tits
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Remizidae
The penduline tits are a group of small passerine birds related to the true tits. They are insectivores.
*African penduline-tit
The grey penduline tit (''Anthoscopus caroli''), also known as the African penduline-tit, is a species of bird in the family Remizidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, ...
, ''Anthoscopus caroli''
Larks
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Alaudidae
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occu ...
Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds.
*Dusky lark
The dusky lark (''Pinarocorys nigricans''), also known as the dusky bush lark or rufous-rumped bush lark, is a species of migratory lark in the family Alaudidae. It is native to the southern Afrotropics.
Range
It is found in southern Central Afr ...
, ''Pinarocorys nigricans'' (A)
*Chestnut-backed sparrow-lark
The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark (''Eremopterix leucotis'') is a passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
Taxonomy and systematics
The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark was originally placed in the genus ''Loxi ...
, ''Eremopterix leucotis''
*Fischer's sparrow-lark
Fischer's sparrow-lark (''Eremopterix leucopareia'') or Fischer's finch-lark is a species of passerine bird in the family Alaudidae. It is found from central Kenya to eastern Zambia, Malawi and north-western Mozambique. Its natural habitat is sub ...
, ''Eremopterix leucopareia''
*Rufous-naped lark
The rufous-naped lark (''Mirafra africana'') or rufous-naped bush lark is a widespread and conspicuous species of lark in the lightly wooded grasslands, open savannas and farmlands of the Afrotropics. Males attract attention to themselves by a bo ...
, ''Mirafra africana''
* Flappet lark, ''Mirafra rufocinnamomea''
*Red-capped lark
The red-capped lark (''Calandrella cinerea'') is a small passerine bird. This lark breeds in the highlands of eastern Africa southwards from Ethiopia and Somaliland. In the south, its range stretches across the continent to Angola and south to t ...
, ''Calandrella cinerea''
Nicators
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Nicatoridae
The nicators are a genus, ''Nicator'', and family, Nicatoridae, of songbirds endemic to Africa. The genus and family contain three species.
Taxonomy
The systematic affinities of the genus have been a long-standing mystery. The group was origina ...
The nicators are shrike-like, with hooked bills. They are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa.
*Eastern nicator
The eastern nicator (''Nicator gularis'') is a species of songbird in the family Nicatoridae.
It is found in Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or trop ...
, ''Nicator gularis''
African warblers
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Macrosphenidae
The African warblers are a newly erected family Macrosphenidae, of songbirds. Most of the species were formerly placed in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae, although one species, the rockrunner, was placed in the babbler family, Timaliidae. ...
African warblers are small to medium-sized insectivores which are found in a wide variety of habitats south of the Sahara.
*Red-capped crombec
The red-capped crombec (''Sylvietta ruficapilla'') is a species of African warbler, formerly placed in the family Sylviidae.
Range
It is found in Angola, Republic of the Congo, the DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possi ...
, ''Sylvietta ruficapilla''
*Red-faced crombec
The red-faced crombec (''Sylvietta whytii'') is a species of African warbler, formerly placed in the family Sylviidae.
It is found in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
...
, ''Sylvietta whytii''
* Cape crombec, ''Sylvietta rufescens''
*Moustached grass-warbler
The moustached grass warbler (''Melocichla mentalis'') is a species of African warbler, formerly placed in the family Sylviidae.
It is widely found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, although absent in southern parts of the continent.
Its natural ha ...
, ''Melocichla mentalis''
Cisticolas and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Cisticolidae
The family Cisticolidae is a group of about 160 warblers, small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They were formerly included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae.
This family probably originated ...
The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub.
*Yellow-bellied eremomela
The yellow-bellied eremomela (''Eremomela icteropygialis'') is an Old World warbler. However, the taxonomy of the "African warblers", an assemblage of usually species-poor and apparently rather ancient "odd warblers" from Africa is currently in ...
, ''Eremomela icteropygialis''
*Greencap eremomela
The green-capped eremomela or greencap eremomela (''Eremomela scotops'') is a species of bird formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but now placed in the family Cisticolidae.
Range and habitat
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Bu ...
, ''Eremomela scotops''
* Burnt-neck eremomela, ''Eremomela usticollis''
* Long-billed tailorbird, ''Artisornis moreaui''
*Miombo wren-warbler
The miombo wren-warbler (''Calamonastes undosus''), also known as the miombo barred warbler or pale wren-warbler, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae
The family Cisticolidae is a group of about 160 warblers, small passerine birds ...
, ''Calamonastes undosus''
* Stierling's wren-warbler, ''Calamonastes stierlingi''
*Green-backed camaroptera
The green-backed camaroptera (''Camaroptera brachyura''), also known as the bleating camaroptera, is a small bird in the family Cisticolidae. This bird is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Recent studies suggest this species ...
, ''Camaroptera brachyura''
*Bar-throated apalis
The bar-throated apalis (''Apalis thoracica'') is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Apalis'' of the family Cisticolidae. It is native to the eastern and southern Afrotropics.
Range and habitat
It inhabits forest and scrub ...
, ''Apalis thoracica''
*Yellow-throated apalis
The yellow-throated apalis (''Apalis flavigularis'') is a passerine bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is endemic to Malawi. It was sometimes considered it to be a subspecies of the bar-throated apalis.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or ...
, ''Apalis flavigularis''
*White-winged apalis
The white-winged apalis (''Apalis chariessa'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or trop ...
, ''Apalis chariessa''
*Yellow-breasted apalis
The yellow-breasted apalis (''Apalis flavida'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
Taxonomy
The brown-tailed apalis (''A. flavocincta'') was formerly considered conspecific, but was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021 ...
, ''Apalis flavida''
*Rudd's apalis
Rudd's apalis (''Apalis ruddi'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found primarily in Mozambique but also in southern Malawi and adjacent areas of South Africa and Eswatini.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry ...
, ''Apalis ruddi''
*Chestnut-throated apalis
The chestnut-throated apalis (''Apalis porphyrolaema'') is a species of bird in the cisticola family Cisticolidae. The Kabobo apalis, originally described as a distinct species, is usually treated as a subspecies ''A. p. kaboboensis'' of the ches ...
, ''Apalis porphyrolaema''
*Chapin's apalis
Chapin's apalis (''Apalis chapini'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
The common name and the Latin binomial commem ...
, ''Apalis chapini''
*Black-headed apalis
The black-headed apalis (''Apalis melanocephala'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropi ...
, ''Apalis melanocephala''
* Brown-headed apalis, ''Apalis alticola''
*Tawny-flanked prinia
The tawny-flanked prinia (''Prinia subflava'') is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Prinia'' in the family Cisticolidae, a family of Old World warblers. It is widespread and common in most parts of Africa south of the Sahara. The p ...
, ''Prinia subflava''
*Red-winged prinia
The red-winged prinia or the red-winged warbler (''Prinia erythroptera'') is a bird species in the family Cisticolidae. It formerly belonged in the monotypic genus ''Heliolais''. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Repub ...
, ''Prinia erythroptera''
*Red-faced cisticola
The red-faced cisticola (''Cisticola erythrops'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is widely present across sub-Saharan Africa (rare in southern Africa). Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flood ...
, ''Cisticola erythrops''
*Singing cisticola
The singing cisticola (''Cisticola cantans'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia ...
, ''Cisticola cantans''
*Trilling cisticola
The trilling cisticola (''Cisticola woosnami'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Its natural habitats are dry savanna an ...
, ''Cisticola woosnami''
*Hunter's cisticola
Hunter's cisticola (''Cisticola hunteri'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Its natural habitats are tropical moist montane and high-altitude shrubland. It is a dueting species.
Referen ...
, ''Cisticola hunteri''
* Black-lored cisticola, ''Cisticola nigriloris''
*Rock-loving cisticola
The lazy cisticola (''Cisticola aberrans'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democrat ...
, ''Cisticola aberrans''
*Rattling cisticola
The rattling cisticola (''Cisticola chiniana'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae which is native to Africa south of the equator, and parts of East Africa. It is a common to abundant species in open savanna and scrubland habitats, w ...
, ''Cisticola chiniana''
* Tinkling cisticola, ''Cisticola rufilatus''
*Wailing cisticola
The wailing cisticola (''Cisticola lais'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropica ...
, ''Cisticola lais''
* Churring cisticola, ''Cisticola njombe''
* Winding cisticola, ''Cisticola marginatus''
* Rufous-winged cisticola, ''Cisticola galactotes''
*Levaillant's cisticola
Levaillant's cisticola (''Cisticola tinniens''), also known as the tinkling cisticola, is a small passerine bird which is native to marshlands in the uplands of Africa, southwards of the equator.
Description
Levaillant's cisticola is a small, 12 ...
, ''Cisticola tinniens''
*Croaking cisticola
The croaking cisticola (''Cisticola natalensis'') is an Old World warbler in the family Cisticolidae. It is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara. The croaking cisticola is an insectivorous passerine that is found in rank grassland ha ...
, ''Cisticola natalensis''
* Piping cisticola, ''Cisticola fulvicapillus''
* Siffling cisticola, ''Cisticola brachypterus''
*Zitting cisticola
The zitting cisticola or streaked fantail warbler (''Cisticola juncidis'') is a widely distributed Old World warbler whose breeding range includes southern Europe, Africa (outside the deserts and rainforest), and southern Asia down to northern Aus ...
, ''Cisticola juncidis''
* Wing-snapping cisticola, ''Cisticola ayresii''
Reed warblers and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Acrocephalidae
The Acrocephalidae (the reed warblers, marsh- and tree-warblers, or acrocephalid warblers) are a family of oscine passerine birds, in the superfamily Sylvioidea.
The species in this family are usually rather large "warblers". Most are rather pla ...
The members of this family are usually rather large for "warblers". Most are rather plain olivaceous brown above with much yellow to beige below. They are usually found in open woodland, reedbeds, or tall grass. The family occurs mostly in southern to western Eurasia and surroundings, but it also ranges far into the Pacific, with some species in Africa.
* African yellow-warbler, ''Iduna natalensis''
*Mountain yellow-warbler
The mountain yellow warbler or mountain flycatcher-warbler (''Iduna similis'') is a species of Acrocephalidae warbler; formerly, these were placed in the paraphyletic "Old World warblers".
Range and habitat
It is found in Burundi, Democratic Repu ...
, ''Iduna similis''
*Olive-tree warbler
The olive-tree warbler (''Hippolais olivetorum'') is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus '' Hippolais''. It breeds in southeast Europe and the Near East. It is migratory, wintering in eastern and southern Africa, from Kenya south to ...
, ''Hippolais olivetorum''
*Icterine warbler
The icterine warbler (''Hippolais icterina'') is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus ''Hippolais''. It breeds in mainland Europe except the southwest, where it is replaced by its western counterpart, the melodious warbler. It is migr ...
, ''Hippolais icterina''
*Sedge warbler
The sedge warbler (''Acrocephalus schoenobaenus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge warblers are migratory, crossing ...
, ''Acrocephalus schoenobaenus''
*Marsh warbler
The marsh warbler (''Acrocephalus palustris'') is an Old World warbler currently classified in the family Acrocephalidae. It breeds in temperate Europe and the western Palearctic and winters mainly in southeast Africa. It is notable for incorpora ...
, ''Acrocephalus palustris''
*Common reed warbler
The common reed warbler (''Acrocephalus scirpaceus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It breeds across Europe into the temperate western Palaearctic where it is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a res ...
, ''Acrocephalus scirpaceus''
*Basra reed warbler
The Basra reed warbler (''Acrocephalus griseldis'') is a "warbler" of the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It is an endemic breeder in Southwestern Iran, East and southern Iraq, Kuwait, and Israel in extensive beds of papyrus and reeds. It is easily mis ...
, ''Acrocephalus griseldis''
*Lesser swamp warbler
The lesser swamp warbler or Cape reed warbler (''Acrocephalus gracilirostris'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It is a resident breeder in Africa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Chad and Ethiopia south to S ...
, ''Acrocephalus gracilirostris''
*Great reed warbler
The great reed warbler (''Acrocephalus arundinaceus'') is a Eurasian passerine in the genus '' Acrocephalus''.
The genus name ''Acrocephalus'' is from Ancient Greek ''akros'', "highest", and ''kephale'', "head". It is possible that Naumann and ...
, ''Acrocephalus arundinaceus''
Grassbirds and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Locustellidae
Locustellidae is a newly recognized family of small insectivorous songbirds ("warblers"), formerly placed in the Old World warbler "wastebin" family. It contains the grass warblers, grassbirds, and the ''Bradypterus'' "bush warblers". These bird ...
Locustellidae are a family of small insectivorous songbirds found mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region. They are smallish birds with tails that are usually long and pointed, and tend to be drab brownish or buffy all over.
* River warbler, ''Locustella fluviatilis''
*Fan-tailed grassbird
The fan-tailed grassbird or broad-tailed warbler (''Catriscus brevirostris'') is an African species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. The species is closely related to the broad-tailed grassbird of India, and is sometimes treated ...
, ''Catriscus brevirostris''
*Evergreen-forest warbler
The evergreen forest warbler or Cameroon scrub-warbler (''Bradypterus lopezi'') is a grass warbler species in the family (biology), family Locustellidae. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage.
It is found in Angola, Came ...
, ''Bradypterus lopezi''
*Cinnamon bracken-warbler
The cinnamon bracken warbler (''Bradypterus cinnamomeus'') is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae.
It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania ...
, ''Bradypterus cinnamomeus''
* Little rush-warbler, ''Bradypterus baboecala''
Swallows
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Hirundinidae
The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...
The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.
* Plain martin, ''Riparia paludicola''
*Bank swallow
The sand martin (''Riparia riparia''), also known as the bank swallow (in the Americas), collared sand martin, or common sand martin, is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family. It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the w ...
, ''Riparia riparia''
*Banded martin
The banded martin or banded sand martin (''Neophedina cincta'') is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae that is endemic to Africa. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Neophedina''.
Taxonomy
The banded martin was d ...
, ''Neophedina cincta''
*Mascarene martin
The Mascarene martin or Mascarene swallow (''Phedina borbonica'') is a passerine bird in the swallow family that breeds in Madagascar and in the Mascarene Islands. The nominate subspecies occurs on Mauritius and Réunion and has never been found ...
, ''Phedina borbonica''
*Rock martin
The rock martin (''Ptyonoprogne fuligula'') is a small passerine bird in the swallow family that is resident in central and southern Africa. It breeds mainly in the mountains, but also at lower altitudes, especially in rocky areas and around town ...
, ''Ptyonoprogne fuligula''
*Barn swallow
The barn swallow (''Hirundo rustica'') is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. In fact, it appears to have the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometres globally. ...
, ''Hirundo rustica''
* Angola swallow, ''Hirundo angolensis''
*White-throated swallow
The white-throated swallow (''Hirundo albigularis'') is a small bird in the swallow family. It is a common species, found in southern Africa, which has benefited from the increased nesting opportunities presented by the construction of bridges a ...
, ''Hirundo albigularis''
* Wire-tailed swallow, ''Hirundo smithii''
*Pearl-breasted swallow
The pearl-breasted swallow (''Hirundo dimidiata'') is a small swallow.
Description
The pearl-breasted swallow is 13–14 cm long. It has glossy blue upperparts and grey-white underparts. The upper wings, underwing flight feathers and forked ...
, ''Hirundo dimidiata''
* Montane blue swallow, ''Hirundo atrocaerulea''
*Greater striped swallow
The greater striped swallow (''Cecropis cucullata'') is a large swallow that is native to Africa south of the equator.
Taxonomy
The greater striped swallow was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in h ...
, ''Cecropis cucullata'' (A)
*Red-rumped swallow
The red-rumped swallow (''Cecropis daurica'') is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in open hilly country of temperate southern Europe and Asia from Portugal and Spain to Japan, India, Sri Lanka and tropical Africa. The India ...
, ''Cecropis daurica''
*Lesser striped swallow
The lesser striped swallow (''Cecropis abyssinica'') is a large swallow. It breeds in Sub-Saharan Africa from Sierra Leone and southern Sudan south into eastern South Africa. It is partially migratory with South African birds wintering further no ...
, ''Cecropis abyssinica''
* Rufous-chested swallow, ''Cecropis semirufa''
* Mosque swallow, ''Cecropis senegalensis''
* South African swallow, ''Petrochelidon spilodera'' (A)
*Common house-martin
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
, ''Delichon urbicum''
* White-headed sawwing, ''Psalidoprocne albiceps''
* Black sawwing, ''Psalidoprocne pristoptera''
* Gray-rumped swallow, ''Pseudhirundo griseopyga''
Bulbuls
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Pycnonotidae
The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asi ...
Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throats or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests.
*Sombre greenbul
The sombre greenbul (''Andropadus importunus'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in coastal bush, evergreen forest and dry shrub land in eastern and southern Africa. It is the only member of the genu ...
, ''Andropadus importunus''
*Shelley's greenbul
Shelley's greenbul (''Arizelocichla masukuensis'') or Shelley's bulbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in east-central Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or trop ...
, ''Arizelocichla masukuensis''
*Eastern mountain greenbul
The mountain greenbul (''Arizelocichla nigriceps''), or eastern mountain greenbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in eastern Africa.
Taxonomy and systematics
The mountain greenbul was originally described in th ...
, ''Arizelocichla nigriceps''
* Black-browed mountain greenbul, ''Arizelocichla fusciceps''
*Stripe-cheeked greenbul, ''Arizelocichla milanjensis''
*Yellow-bellied greenbul, ''Chlorocichla flaviventris''
*Yellow-throated greenbul, ''Atimastillas flavicollis''
*Little greenbul, ''Eurillas virens''
*Terrestrial brownbul, ''Phyllastrephus terrestris''
*Gray-olive greenbul, ''Phyllastrephus cerviniventris''
*Cabanis's greenbul, ''Phyllastrephus cabanisi''
*Yellow-streaked bulbul, ''Phyllastrephus flavostriatus''
*Common bulbul, ''Pycnonotus barbatus''
Leaf warblers
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Phylloscopidae
Leaf warblers are a family of small insectivorous birds found mostly in Eurasia and ranging into Wallacea and Africa. The species are of various sizes, often green-plumaged above and yellow below, or more subdued with grayish-green to grayish-brown colors.
*Willow warbler, ''Phylloscopus trochilus''
*Yellow-throated woodland-warbler, ''Phylloscopus ruficapilla''
Bush warblers and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Scotocercidae
The members of this family are found throughout Africa, Asia, and Polynesia. Their taxonomy is in flux, and some authorities place genus ''Erythrocerus'' in another family.Gill, F. and D. Donsker (Eds). 2019. IOC World Bird List (v 9.2). http://www.worldbirdnames.org/ retrieved June 22, 2019
*Livingstone's flycatcher, ''Erythrocercus livingstonei''
Sylviid warblers, parrotbills, and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Sylviidae
The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. They mainly occur as breeding species, as the common name implies, in Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent, Africa. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs.
*Eurasian blackcap, ''Sylvia atricapilla''
*Garden warbler, ''Sylvia borin''
*African hill babbler, ''Sylvia abyssinica''
*Barred warbler, ''Curruca nisoria'' (A)
*Brown parisoma, ''Curruca lugens''
*Greater whitethroat, ''Curruca communis''
White-eyes, yuhinas, and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Zosteropidae
The white-eyes are small and mostly undistinguished, their plumage above being generally some dull colour like greenish-olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks. As their name suggests, many species have a white ring around each eye.
*Southern yellow white-eye, ''Zosterops anderssoni''
Ground babblers and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Pellorneidae
These small to medium-sized songbirds have soft fluffy plumage but are otherwise rather diverse. Members of the genus ''Illadopsis'' are found in forests, but some other genera are birds of scrublands.
*Mountain illadopsis, ''Illadopsis pyrrhoptera''
Laughingthrushes and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Leiothrichidae
The members of this family are diverse in size and coloration, though those of genus ''Turdoides'' tend to be brown or grayish. The family is found in Africa, India, and southeast Asia.
*Arrow-marked babbler, ''Turdoides jardineii''
Treecreepers
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Certhiidae
Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin pointed down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees.
*African spotted creeper, ''Salpornis salvadori''
Oxpeckers
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Buphagidae
As both the English and scientific names of these birds imply, they feed on ectoparasites, primarily ticks, found on large mammals.
*Red-billed oxpecker, ''Buphagus erythrorhynchus''
*Yellow-billed oxpecker, ''Buphagus africanus''
Starlings
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Sturnidae
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen.
*Wattled starling, ''Creatophora cinerea''
*Violet-backed starling, ''Cinnyricinclus leucogaster''
*Slender-billed starling, ''Onychognathus tenuirostris''
*Neumann's starling, ''Onychognathus neumanni''
*Red-winged starling, ''Onychognathus morio''
*Waller's starling, ''Onychognathus walleri''
*Babbling starling, ''Neocichla gutturalis''
*Sharpe's starling, ''Pholia sharpii'' (A)
*Meves's starling, ''Lamprotornis mevesii''
*Lesser blue-eared starling, ''Lamprotornis chloropterus''
*Greater blue-eared starling, ''Lamprotornis chalybaeus''
Thrushes and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Turdidae
The Thrush (bird), thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.
*Spotted ground-thrush, ''Geokichla guttata''
*Orange ground-thrush, ''Geokichla gurneyi''
*Groundscraper thrush, ''Turdus litsitsirupa''
*Abyssinian thrush, ''Turdus abyssinicus''
*Kurrichane thrush, ''Turdus libonyana''
*Olive thrush, ''Turdus olivaceus''
Old World flycatchers
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Muscicapidae
Old World flycatchers and chats are a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small insectivores. The appearance of these birds is highly varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls.
*African dusky flycatcher, ''Muscicapa adusta''
*Spotted flycatcher, ''Muscicapa striata''
*Böhm's flycatcher, ''Bradornis boehmi''
*Pale flycatcher, ''Agricola pallidus''
*Gray tit-flycatcher, ''Fraseria plumbea''
*Ashy flycatcher, ''Fraseria caerulescens''
*Southern black-flycatcher, ''Melaenornis pammelaina''
*White-eyed slaty-flycatcher, ''Melaenornis fischeri''
*Bearded scrub-robin, ''Cercotrichas quadrivirgata''
*Miombo scrub-robin, ''Cercotrichas barbata''
*Rufous-tailed scrub-robin, ''Cercotrichas galactotes'' (A)
*Red-backed scrub-robin, ''Cercotrichas leucophrys''
*Olive-flanked robin-chat, ''Cossypha anomala''
*Cape robin-chat, ''Cossypha caffra''
*White-browed robin-chat, ''Cossypha heuglini''
*Red-capped robin-chat, ''Cossypha natalensis''
*Collared palm-thrush, ''Cichladusa arquata''
*White-starred robin, ''Pogonocichla stellata''
*Cholo alethe, ''Chamaetylas choloensis''
*White-chested alethe, ''Chamaetylas fuelleborni''
*Sharpe's akalat, ''Sheppardia sharpei''
*East coast akalat, ''Sheppardia gunningi''
*Thrush nightingale, ''Luscinia luscinia''
*Collared flycatcher, ''Ficedula albicollis''
*Miombo rock-thrush, ''Monticola angolensis''
*Whinchat, ''Saxicola rubetra''
*African stonechat, ''Saxicola torquatus''
*Mocking cliff-chat, ''Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris''
*Arnot's chat, ''Myrmecocichla arnotti''
*Northern wheatear, ''Oenanthe oenanthe''
*Capped wheatear, ''Oenanthe pileata''
*Familiar chat, ''Oenanthe familiaris''
*Boulder chat, ''Pinarornis plumosus''
Dapple-throat and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Modulatricidae
This species and two others, all of different genera, were formerly placed in family Promeropidae, the sugarbirds, but were accorded their own family in 2017.
*Spot-throat, ''Modulatrix stictigula''
Sunbirds and spiderhunters
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Nectariniidae
The sunbirds and spiderhunters are very small passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.
*Anchieta's sunbird, ''Anthreptes anchietae''
*Western violet-backed sunbird, ''Anthreptes longuemarei''
*Collared sunbird, ''Hedydipna collaris''
*Green-headed sunbird, ''Cyanomitra verticalis''
*Olive sunbird, ''Cyanomitra olivacea''
*Mouse-colored sunbird, ''Cyanomitra veroxii''
*Amethyst sunbird, ''Chalcomitra amethystina''
*Scarlet-chested sunbird, ''Chalcomitra senegalensis''
*Bronze sunbird, ''Nectarinia kilimensis''
*Malachite sunbird, ''Nectarinia famosa''
*Red-tufted sunbird, ''Nectarinia johnstoni''
*Western Miombo sunbird, ''Cinnyris gertrudis''
*Eastern Miombo sunbird, ''Cinnyris manoensis''
*Stuhlmann's sunbird, ''Cinnyris stuhlmanni''
*Montane double-collared sunbird, ''Cinnyris ludovicensis''
*Forest double-collared sunbird, ''Cinnyris fuelleborni''
*Shelley's sunbird, ''Cinnyris shelleyi''
*Purple-banded sunbird, ''Cinnyris bifasciatus''
*Oustalet's sunbird, ''Cinnyris oustaleti''
*White-breasted sunbird, ''Cinnyris talatala''
*Variable sunbird, ''Cinnyris venustus''
*Copper sunbird, ''Cinnyris cupreus''
Weavers and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Ploceidae
The weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches. They are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season.
*White-headed buffalo-weaver, ''Dinemellia dinemelli''
*White-browed sparrow-weaver, ''Plocepasser mahali''
*Chestnut-backed sparrow-weaver, ''Plocepasser rufoscapulatus''
*Red-headed weaver, ''Anaplectes rubriceps''
*Bertram's weaver, ''Ploceus bertrandi''
*Baglafecht weaver, ''Ploceus baglafecht''
*Spectacled weaver, ''Ploceus ocularis''
*African golden-weaver, ''Ploceus subaureus''
*Holub's golden-weaver, ''Ploceus xanthops''
*Southern brown-throated weaver, ''Ploceus xanthopterus''
*Lesser masked-weaver, ''Ploceus intermedius''
*Southern masked-weaver, ''Ploceus velatus''
*Village weaver, ''Ploceus cucullatus''
*Forest weaver, ''Ploceus bicolor''
*Olive-headed weaver, ''Ploceus olivaceiceps''
*Cardinal quelea, ''Quelea cardinalis''
*Red-headed quelea, ''Quelea erythrops''
*Red-billed quelea, ''Quelea quelea''
*Southern red bishop, ''Euplectes orix''
*Black-winged bishop, ''Euplectes hordeaceus''
*Yellow bishop, ''Euplectes capensis''
*White-winged widowbird, ''Euplectes albonotatus''
*Yellow-mantled widowbird, ''Euplectes macroura''
*Red-collared widowbird, ''Euplectes ardens''
*Fan-tailed widowbird, ''Euplectes axillaris''
*Buff-shouldered widowbird, ''Euplectes psammocromius''
*Grosbeak weaver, ''Amblyospiza albifrons''
Waxbills and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Estrildidae
The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but have wide variation in plumage colours and patterns.
*Bronze mannikin, ''Spermestes cucullatus''
*Magpie mannikin, ''Spermestes fringilloides''
*Black-and-white mannikin, ''Spermestes bicolor''
*Yellow-bellied waxbill, ''Coccopygia quartinia''
*Green-backed twinspot, ''Mandingoa nitidula''
*Red-faced crimsonwing, ''Cryptospiza reichenovii''
*Black-tailed waxbill, ''Glaucestrilda perreini''
*Fawn-breasted waxbill, ''Estrilda paludicola''
*Common waxbill, ''Estrilda astrild''
*Crimson-rumped waxbill, ''Estrilda rhodopyga''
*Quailfinch, ''Ortygospiza atricollis''
*Locustfinch, ''Paludipasser locustella''
*Cut-throat finch, Cut-throat, ''Amadina fasciata''
*Zebra waxbill, ''Amandava subflava''
*Southern cordonbleu, ''Uraeginthus angolensis''
*Lesser seedcracker, ''Pyrenestes minor''
*Green-winged pytilia, ''Pytilia melba''
*Orange-winged pytilia, ''Pytilia afra''
*Peters's twinspot, ''Hypargos niveoguttatus''
*Red-billed firefinch, ''Lagonosticta senegala''
*African firefinch, ''Lagonosticta rubricata''
*Jameson's firefinch, ''Lagonosticta rhodopareia''
*Brown firefinch, ''Lagonosticta nitidula''
Indigobirds
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Viduidae
The indigobirds are finch-like species which usually have black or indigo predominating in their plumage. All are brood parasite
Brood parasites are animals that rely on others to raise their young. The strategy appears among birds, insects and fish. The brood parasite manipulates a host, either of the same or of another species, to raise its young as if it were its own ...
s, which lay their eggs in the nests of estrildid finches.
*Pin-tailed whydah, ''Vidua macroura''
*Broad-tailed paradise-whydah, ''Vidua obtusa''
*Eastern paradise-whydah, ''Vidua paradisaea''
*Village indigobird, ''Vidua chalybeata''
*Variable indigobird, ''Vidua funerea''
*Purple indigobird, ''Vidua purpurascens''
*Green indigobird, ''Vidua codringtoni''
*Parasitic weaver, ''Anomalospiza imberbis''
Old World sparrows
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Passeridae
Old World sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.
*House sparrow, ''Passer domesticus'' (I)
*Northern gray-headed sparrow, ''Passer griseus''
*Swahili sparrow, ''Passer suahelicus''
*Southern gray-headed sparrow, ''Passer diffusus''
*Yellow-throated bush sparrow, ''Gymnoris superciliaris''
Wagtails and pipits
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Motacillidae
Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground feeding insectivores of open country.
Mountain wagtail, ''Motacilla clara''
*Gray wagtail, ''Motacilla cinerea''
*Western yellow wagtail, ''Motacilla flava''
*African pied wagtail, ''Motacilla aguimp''
*White wagtail, ''Motacilla alba'' (A)
*African pipit, ''Anthus cinnamomeus''
*Woodland pipit, ''Anthus nyassae''
*Long-billed pipit, ''Anthus similis''
*Plain-backed pipit, ''Anthus leucophrys''
*Buffy pipit, ''Anthus vaalensis''
*Striped pipit, ''Anthus lineiventris''
*Tree pipit, ''Anthus trivialis''
*Bush pipit, ''Anthus caffer''
*Golden pipit, ''Tmetothylacus tenellus'' (A)
*Yellow-throated longclaw, ''Macronyx croceus''
*Rosy-throated longclaw, ''Macronyx ameliae''
Finches, euphonias, and allies
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Fringillidae
Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well.
*Oriole finch, ''Linurgus olivaceus''
*Yellow-fronted canary, ''Crithagra mozambica''
*Southern citril, ''Crithagra hyposticuta''
*Lemon-breasted seedeater, ''Crithagra citrinipectus''
*Brimstone canary, ''Crithagra sulphurata''
*Yellow-browed seedeater, ''Crithagra whytii''
*Black-eared seedeater, ''Crithagra mennelli''
*Reichard's seedeater, ''Crithagra reichardi''
*Yellow-crowned canary, ''Serinus flavivertex''
Old World buntings
Order:Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
Family: Emberizidae
The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with distinctively shaped bills. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns.
*Cabanis's bunting, ''Emberiza cabanisi''
*Golden-breasted bunting, ''Emberiza flaviventris''
*Cape bunting, ''Emberiza capensis''
*Vincent's bunting, ''Emberiza vincenti''
*Cinnamon-breasted bunting, ''Emberiza tahapisi''
See also
*List of birds *Lists of birds by regionReferences
* African Bird Club & Dowsett, Bob (2007)Checklist of the Birds of Malawi
'. Retrieved on 30 December 2007. * * Dowsett-Lemaire, Françoise & Dowsett, Robert J. (2006) ''The Birds of Malawi'', Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. *
External links
- World Institute for Conservation and Environment {{Africa topic, List of birds of Lists of birds by country, Malawi Birds of East Africa, 'Malawi Lists of birds of Africa, Malawi Lists of biota of Malawi, birds