Tanzania Birding: Guided Tours, Trip Reports And Checklist

Tanzania birding tours take us to these remarkable Tanzania safari destinations, each boasting a bird list in excess of a thousand species! – The Best Guide Tanzania Birdwatching Safari Packages.

List of birds of Tanzania;

This is a list of the bird species recorded in Tanzania. The avifauna of Tanzania included a total of 1155 confirmed species as of September 2021. Of them, 29 are endemic, and four have been introduced by humans. One additional species is hypothetical as defined below; it and two proposed endemic species are not included in the counts. Unless otherwise noted, the list is that of Avibase.

This list’s taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (English and scientific names) are those of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition.

The following tags highlight several categories of occurrence other than regular migrants and non-endemic residents. The notes of population status are from the Avibase Bird Checklists of the World.

Birding in Tanzania

Tanzania Birding Safaris

Join us on one of our Tanzania birding tours and see some of the most spectacular wildlife and avian sights in East Africa. Tanzania is often associated with the Serengeti National Park, which is a popular destination for animal photographers, birdwatchers, and other nature lovers. As it should be. One of the best places to see animals in Africa is right here. Species of brilliantly colored birds, cheetahs, lions, smaller cats (such as serval and caracal), and the rest of the megafauna that gives Africa its reputation live in the expansive grasslands and savannas of the Serengeti (and the neighboring Maasai Mara in Kenya). Among the most strange experiences one may have is birdwatching among the monsters. Furthermore, there is the big wildebeest migration, also known as the gnu migration.

The epicenter of this natural wonder is the Serengeti. In addition to being home to many beautiful bird species, the Serengeti is a fantastic place to visit. Small groups of Fischer’s Lovebirds can be found foraging on the ground, resting in acacia trees and chatting with each other, or swooping low over the grassland. A plethora of magnificently colorful birds inhabit East Africa, including Rosy-patched Bushshrikes and Superb Starlings. East African endemics, including the Red-throated Tit and the Grey-crested Helmetshrike, are rare and found only in certain areas of the park. Big wildlife isn’t the only thing to keep you busy in the Serengeti—or the neighboring Maasai Mara in Kenya.

Some peculiarly indigenous birds to Tanzania never quite cross the border into Kenya. This means that you won’t just see the typical East African bird species, but also others that are unique to Tanzania, like the Ashy Starling and the Rufous-tailed Weaver. In addition to being home to owls, the Serengeti is home to a wide variety of birds of prey, such as the Martial Eagle, the largest eagle in Africa, the acrobatic and colorful Bateleur, and the world’s heaviest flying bird, the Kori Bustard.

To the south of the main tourist routes in the stunning Eastern Arc Mountains live the majority of Tanzania’s endemic species, as well as range-restricted birds found in Malawi and northern Mozambique. We go south on many of our birding tours in Tanzania, including our main 19-day one, even though most nature lovers and wildlife photographers stay in the north where the tourism infrastructure is especially well-developed and a huge diversity of beautiful birds mix with the big game. Many of Tanzania’s rare bird species live in picturesque montane forests situated on the hillsides of magnificent mountain ranges that make up the Eastern Arc Mountains. They are more difficult to spot than the acacia woodland birds found in northern game areas like Tarangire National Park, the Serengeti Plains, and others since they are typical forest birds.

Birding in Tanzania

Tanzania Birding Tours

The famous northern routes and the endemic-rich middle portions of Tanzania are often combined on our birding excursions of Tanzania. In addition to Zanzibar, we provide excursions to the far more remote Pemba Island, home to four species that are unique to Tanzania. Although our tours primarily focus on birds (though we do make stops to see other wildlife as well), we often arrange for birders to spend at least one night on the beautiful tropical island of Zanzibar—as a pre-trip or extension to our Tanzania tours—so they can stroll around Stone Town.

It would be remiss of us not to bring up Tanzania’s other world-renowned wildlife and birdwatching locations, many of which are located in the northern regions of the nation. Because of its proximity to Kilimanjaro International Airport—the entry point to Tanzania’s renowned wildlife sites—Arusha National Park sees a large influx of visitors upon their initial arrival to the nation. Spend some time in this convenient location, which is home to a wide variety of birds and mammals, before making your way to some of the world’s most famous landmarks, like the unparalleled Ngorongoro Crater/Ngorongoro Conservation Area and, of course, Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. The vast plains below Kilimanjaro are teeming with species, and the mountain undoubtedly commands attention. Ascents of this mountain, whether partial or whole, will reward climbers with views of Scarlet-tufted Sunbirds eating on enormous lobelia flowers at an elevation of 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) above sea level.

In addition to being home to the Yellow-collared Lovebird, an endemic bird of Tanzania, and a number of other species of birds of interest to the country, Tarangire National Park is home to some stunning red elephants.

Lastly, but certainly not least, there is the Great Rift Valley, a famous landmark in East Africa that is also the habitat of massive flamingo flocks, both smaller and larger. One of the more well-known lakes in the Rift Valley that we frequently visit is Lake Manyara.

Therefore, come on out on one of our forthcoming birding trips to Tanzania! You’ll witness a plethora of East African endemic species, and if you sign up for our main 19-day tour, you’ll also get to view a slew of localized birds—some of which even make it into neighboring Mozambique—in the mountain forests of the Afromontane region. You will have to go on a more remote bird trip in Tanzania if you want to see all the endemics, which include some tough species like the once-almost-mythical Udzungwa Forest Partridge. If you would like us to plan a personalized trip of Tanzanian endemics or any other type of tour (such as a safari focusing on birds and cats, for example), please let us know. In addition to combining Tanzania and Kenya, we can also plan a birdwatching mega-tour if you’d like, which may include neighboring countries like Ethiopia or Uganda.

Check out our blog if you’re interested in learning when to visit Tanzania to see the most birds and animals. Lastly, we would be negligent if we didn’t mention that Tanzania is also home to the first sightings of the Miombo endemic birds, which are native to south-central Africa.

“In your face” are the birds of Tanzania. Much as in Kenya, you can observe a plethora of colorful and amazing bird species in their natural habitat, with stunning backdrops like the Serengeti plains, the Eastern Arc Mountains, or Ngorongoro Crater. See what we have to offer in terms of birding tours below, or get in touch to discuss tailor-made options.