10 Birds to Spot while on Safari in Tanzania

Tanzania is one of the top birding destinations in Africa, full stop. In fact, it’s home to over 1,100 bird species. Many are migratory species that pass through the “East African flyway” each year, but over 30 are endemic to Tanzania alone. Travellers flock here each year – excuse the pun – to explore the country’s famous wilderness areas, including Serengeti National Park and Ruaha National Park, but you can also enjoy incredible avian diversity in birding hotspots like the Usambara Mountains, Kilimanjaro region, and the remote Mahale Mountains. If you’re a full-fledged birder, you can even go on dedicated birding safaris with local tour operators. However, even if you’re more interested in big game, you’ll be surprised just how much fun birdwatching can be. Let’s get you excited for your African adventure with 10 birds you’re likely to spot on safari in Tanzania.

1. African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)

Instantly recognisable by its striking, imperious appearance, the African fish eagle is found throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, especially in places where there’s plenty of water – and plenty of fish, too. It’s so iconic that it’s the national bird of Namibia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. It has a distinctive white head and breast, with a contrasting dark brown body and wings. It uses its huge talons to snatch unsuspecting fish up from the water and tears them apart using its prominent, yellow, hooked beak. Its soul-piercing yellow eyes complete the package, making this a formidable bird-of-prey. The eyes aren’t just for show, either.

Keen eyesight allows the eagle to spot prey from a considerable distance, which is vital for ensuring successful surprise attacks. These eagles form monogamous pairs that mate for life. They build large stick nests in tall trees near bodies of water and will often reuse the same nest year after year. Females lay one to three eggs and both parents take turns incubating the eggs and caring for their young. Eventually, the parents will boot young eagles from the nest when it’s time for them to make their own way in the world.

2. Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus)

Another widely-distributed species, the lilac-breasted roller is probably most famous for its namesake plumage, which features a brilliant combination of colours. It has a lilac-coloured throat and breast, a turquoise belly, and a cobalt-blue back. Its wings are adorned with patches of bright blue, black, and green, while its tail feathers are long and graduated, ending in streamers.

The eyes are surrounded by a thin white eye-ring, and the bill is stout and black. Although they’re not particularly large birds, they’re easy to spot, especially along power lines and atop dead trees. Alternatively, you might catch a glimpse of their acrobatic flight displays, including aerial pursuits and swoops, which help them catch insects on the wing. They’re actually quite vicious and aggressive, often beating prey against hard surfaces into more manageable mouthfuls. While lilac-breasted rollers are solitary or found in pairs during the breeding season, you might see them gathering in their numbers in areas where there’s a surplus of food. They build cup-shaped nests in tree cavities or holes, where the female lays a clutch of two to four eggs. Parents share incubating and feeding duties once the eggs hatch.

3. Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus)

Starlings come in all kinds of colours. Some are rather dull, while others, like the superb starling, definitely stand out from the crowd. It has vivid and iridescent plumage, with a glossy back, head, and tail, bright blue wings, and a distinctive orange-brown chest and belly. Its eyes are pale yellow and its bill is black, and while males and females exhibit similar coloration, males typically have slightly brighter plumage. Superb starlings are commonly found in a range of habitats, including open woodlands, savannas, scrublands, grasslands, and agricultural areas, but they’re not big fans of high humidity.

Despite this, they’re adaptable birds that thrive in both wild and rural landscapes. You can typically spot them in small to medium-sized flocks. That’s because they’re a sociable species that engages in aerial displays, especially during the breeding season. From October to December, superb starlings form monogamous pairs, building cup-shaped nests in trees, shrubs, or man-made structures. The female lays a clutch of two to five eggs and both parents take turns incubating and caring for the chicks once they’ve hatched. And, because they’re so social, other members of the flock help to raise the young!

4. Yellow-billed Hornbill (Tockus flavirostris)

Yellow bill hornbill perched in a tree. Photo: Jonathan Gensicke, Unsplash. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is the same bird found throughout much of southern Africa. However, unlike its close relative, the southern yellow-billed hornbill, the Eastern yellow-billed hornbill has black skin around its pale yellow eyes – not pink. It has mainly black and white plumage, a black body, wings, and tail, and white underparts and primary flight feathers. Its most notable feature is its large yellow bill, which is long, down-curved, and slightly flattened. The bill is so big, in fact, that it affects the bird’s range of vision.

The Eastern yellow-billed hornbill loves savanna environments, but you can also find them in woodlands, scrublands, and thornveld. You won’t have to search to find them – they usually find perches in tall trees, swooping between them with their characteristic graceful flying motion. Although many individuals prefer to remain solitary, you can find them in small family groups consisting of a breeding pair and their offspring. They’re cavity-nesters, meaning they use natural tree hollows or sites abandoned by other birds, and breed during the dry season from June to November. During this time, the female seals herself inside the nest cavity using mud, leaving only a narrow slit through which the male passes food. She only leaves the nest once the chicks are halfway grown. After she breaks through the mud wall, the chicks build it up all over again.

5. Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum)

The grey crowned crane is another iconic East African species and is the national bird of Uganda, which borders Tanzania to the west. It’s a real work of art, with a tall, slender body, long legs, and a long neck. You won’t mistake this bird for any other species thanks to its namesake crown of golden feathers. The rest of its plumage is mainly grey, with a white upper neck and chest – with an inflatable red throat sac – and a black-and-white striped lower neck. This species of crane can be found in a variety of wetland and grassland habitats, including marshes, savannas, wet meadows, and cultivated areas. It’s often found near rivers, lakes, and swamps, where there’s a reliable source of food and safe roosting places.

While these cranes are typically found in pairs or small family groups, larger flocks of up to 150 birds aren’t unheard of. Grey crowned cranes are skilled dancers and engage in elaborate courtship displays, including leaping, bowing, and calling, to attract mates and strengthen pair bonds between monogamous couples. The golden crown plays an important part in this: during displays, the crown feathers are raised into a regal crest. Interestingly, the grey crowned crane is one of just two crane species that can roost in trees, thanks to a special hind toe.

6. Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer)

Not all African birds are beautiful. Some, like the marabou stork, are built for function, not fashion. It’s a huge bird that weighs up to 9 kg, with a bare, pinkish, scaly head and neck built for scavenging. The head is large and wrinkled, with a heavy bill that is long, broad, and slightly curved. Its plumage is predominantly white, with black flight feathers on its wings and tail. It also has a prominent pink gular sac that hangs from its neck. Aside from its bare head, which helps it stay clean when scavenging carcasses, its other notable feature is its incredible wingspan. Some researchers believe it has the largest spread of any bird, with unverified reports of an individual with a wingspan of over 4 m. You can often spot marabous “sunning” their wings. It’s believed that this helps them regulate their body temperature during the day. When folded, the wings look a bit like a dark cloak, hence the name “undertaker bird”.

The marabou stork favours a number of habitats, including wetlands, rivers, lakes, marshes, grasslands, and even urban areas like waste dumps. They spend much of their time foraging for food on the ground or in shallow water where they hunt for live prey such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. In Tanzania, you’ll often find them nearby fresh kills, where they’ll wait for larger predators to eat their fill before moving in to polish up the scraps, much like vultures. This species of stork is a colonial breeder, meaning it gathers in large colonies to nest, often alongside other species of waterbirds. They build large stick nests in trees, cliffs, or man-made structures, where the female lays a clutch of two to three eggs. Both parents take turns incubating the chicks and caring for them once they’ve hatched.

7. Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)

The harsh call of the helmeted guineafowl is one of the most recognisable in all of sub-Saharan Africa. That’s because they’re so common, living in a wide range of habitats, including urban areas. This social bird has a plump body covered in dark grey feathers with white spots, giving it a speckled appearance. The face is mostly bare, with blue and red skin patches around the eyes and on the throat. The bill is short and stout and the legs are well adapted for running, even on uneven terrain. Its head features a bony casque or “helmet”, which the bird raises during displays or when the bird is alarmed. That’s also when you’re most likely to hear its call, especially if there are chicks running around.

In Tanzania, you’re most likely to encounter one of two subspecies: Reichenow’s helmeted guineafowl, which has a tall, orangey crest, or the tufted guineafowl, which has electric blue colouring on its face. Helmeted guineafowl are monogamous and form pairs during the breeding season from February to July. During this time, they’ll build shallow ground nests concealed within vegetation. They tend to eat more plant matter during the nonbreeding season, switching to insects when they need more protein for reproduction.

8. African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)

Have you ever seen a bird walk on water? Well, the African jacana has particularly long toes and claws that enable it to trod on aquatic vegetation without making a splash. Its plumage is mainly brown and buff, with a black head, neck, and upper breast. Its wings are mostly black with white patches, and its underparts are white with black barring. During the breeding season, adult males develop striking chestnut-coloured wings and an enlarged frontal shield on the forehead, which they use in aggressive territorial displays.

The African jacana inhabits a variety of wetland habitats across sub-Saharan Africa,, including marshes, swamps, shallow lakes, rivers, streams, and flooded grasslands across Tanzania. It favours areas with plenty of floating vegetation like water lilies, reeds, and grasses. Using its specialised feet, it creeps along the surface, and it’s easy to assume it’s actually walking on water. African jacanas are polyandrous, meaning that females mate with multiple males within their territory. This isn’t just a case of “playing the field” – because these birds live in such nutrient-rich habitats, females can lay multiple eggs that hatch relatively quickly. The female does all the laying, and a single male incubates clutches of three to four eggs. He also cares for the young chicks, even though they can swim shortly after hatching.

9. White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)

Even though the white-backed vulture is the most common vulture species in Africa, it’s critically endangered as a result of habitat loss, poisoning, and other human-caused issues. According to BirdLife International, the total population has decreased by as much as 89% over the past 40 years or so. Despite this, the white-backed vulture remains one of Tanzania’s most iconic birds. It’s massive, with wings that span up to 2.25 m, and a large, hooked beak that makes light work of carcasses. Its body is predominantly dark brown, with a white or creamy-white back and rump that gives it its name. Its head and neck are feathered and often appear pale, contrasting with the dark plumage of its body.

White-backed vultures prefer a variety of open habitats, including savannas, grasslands, woodlands, and scrublands, where they can easily spot scavenging opportunities from above. They’re often found in areas with abundant large mammal populations, such as national parks, game reserves, and places with extensive livestock farming. They’re highly social birds often seen in large groups, especially around feeding sites. Thanks to their huge wings, they can use thermals to soar for hours at a time as they search for a meal. This also helps them to follow migrating mammals, especially during the Great Migration. This species of vulture is monogamous, and forms long-term pair bonds. It typically nests in colonies, with multiple pairs breeding in close proximity to each other. The nest is a large platform constructed of sticks and branches built in tall trees or on cliffs. The female lays a single egg, which both parents take turns incubating for around fifty to sixty days. Once hatched, the chick is fed regurgitated food by both parents and fledges after about three to four months.

10. Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri)

A Southern Ground Hornbill spotted in a tree top. Photo: Glen Carrie, Unsplash. Like the marabou stork, the southern ground hornbill is one scary bird. It’s one of the largest hornbill species in the world, with adults measuring up to 1.29 m long and weighing up to 7.7 kg. What makes it truly intimidating, however, is its piercing gaze. It has large eyes with distinct irises set against vivid red skin, and although it has prominent eyelashes, these don’t do anything to make it look any friendlier. It has mainly black plumage, with white primary feathers on the wings, a bulbous red throat patch, and a bare patch of blue or violet skin around the eyes and throat. Its bill is long, strong, and slightly down-curved, with a bony casque on top, which is typically larger in males. You can usually find them in open habitats like savannas, grasslands, woodlands, and scrublands. They prefer areas with scattered trees or thorny bushes, which provide protected roosting and nesting sites.

Despite their name, southern ground hornbills are capable of flight, but they tend to spend most of their time walking and foraging on the ground. They’re highly social birds and typically travel in small family groups consisting of a breeding pair and their offspring. They communicate with loud, booming calls, which help maintain contact within the group and establish territorial boundaries. Southern ground hornbills are monogamous and form long-term pair bonds. Like many other hornbills, they nest in natural cavities like hollow trees or rock crevices, where the female lays a clutch of one to three eggs. The parents take turns incubating the eggs and caring for the chicks once they hatch.

Sadly, population numbers continue to decline across their range, mainly as a result of human persecution and habitat destruction. Tanzania’s thriving birdlife and stunning natural beauty make it a haven for birders looking to tick a wide variety of species off their list. Speak to a Discover Africa expert today about planning a luxury, tailor-made bird watching safari tour in Africa.