Tanzania's best birds and where to spot them

Tanzania is a birdwatcher’s dream. The country has, at last count, 1,116 species of bird, with 22 that can only be found here. We’ve highlighted a handful of the most spectacular endemic birds and provided some details on the best places to spot them. Time to plan your Tanzania birding adventure.

Ashy starling

In brief: You’ll see plenty of this endemic species across Tanzania’s interior and they are worth getting a closer look at. Though their plumage is ostensibly ash-grey, it has a sheen that in certain lights can make this starling look like a metallic robot flying machine.

Looks: Uniformly ash-grey with some oily green sheen on wings and its long, narrow tail. Pale cream eye with dark inner ring. Black beak and legs.

Listen out for: Makes quiet mewing, rasping, and chattering calls.

Where to spot: Found in moderately moist savannah and woodland, usually in small flocks, often feeding on the ground. The Ngorongoro Crater is home to many of them.

Hartlaub’s turaco

In brief: This elegant bird, endemic to Uganda, Kenya and northern Tanzania, looks resplendent in flight when it reveals large crimson patches on the undersides of its wings.

Looks: Predominantly green plumage with dark blue wings, tail and crown. It has unusual markings on the head with a smudge of white between the eye and beak and a white arched line below the eye.

Listen out for: A gruff, accelerating series of “kow” calls.

Where to spot: Hartlaub’s turaco prefers high altitudes and is commonly found in montane forests and woodlands at 1,500 to 3,300 metres in elevation, hangout.

Red and yellow Barbets - A pair of Red and yellow Barbets in Tarangire National Park

Fischer’s Lovebird

In brief: The name for these small, brightly coloured parrots is derived from German explorer Gustav Fisher and for the strong bonds formed between mating pairs. Lovebirds put in some serious PDAs – biting or nipping each other beaks in a manner that can look like they are kissing. Such is the lasting love each bird feels for its partner that the physical health of each individual will suffer if they are separated. This is a real problem as the cute birds are a target for trappers who illegally capture the birds for sale as pets.

Looks: Females and males are identical in appearance with green backs, chest, and wings. The neck is golden yellow to orange colour, which deepens into a deeper orange-red on the face. The lovebird’s beak is red, and the top of the head is olive green. It may also have blue or purple-coloured plumage on the tail. The remainder of the body is a vibrant green.

Listen out for: Lovebirds are noisy with a sing-song chirp that can get loud. If there ever was a karaoke night in the bird world, lovebirds would definitely be the first up on stage – for a duet, obviously.

Where to spot: Endemic to the grasslands, semi-arid woodlands and savannas of north central Tanzania. They like to be near water as they have a prodigious thirst and you can often spot them en masse sunning themselves after a cooling dip in a water hole.

Black crake - A small waterbird found in rivers and lakes

Usambara Eagle Owl

In brief: If you’re up for some nocturnal bird watching, this rare owl will be a prize spot. It’s a large, sturdily built bird with powerful talons that are employed to whisk away its prey of small mammals such as rodents and even dwarf bushbabies.

Looks: Reddish-brown on the back and pale below, and marked with heavy striping throughout. The face is light brown with black borders and long ear tufts.

Listen out for: The owl has two calls: a hollow rising then falling whistle and a low, fast, pulsating series of hoots.

Where to spot: No prizes for guessing where the best place is to see this owl. It is found in forest and plantations at low and middle elevations within the mountain range in north east Tanzania. Spottings are becoming increasingly rare, however, and the species is classified as under threat.

Hartlaub's Turaco - Elegant bird, endemic to Uganda, Kenya and Northern Tanzania

Red-and-yellow barbet

In brief: This kaleidoscopic bird with its brilliant black and white polkadotted wings is one of Tanzania’s most attractive denizens with a call as pleasing as its looks.

Looks: Those eye-catching speckled wings, a bright yellow breast and red cheeks with a white spot on either side. Males have a black crown whilethe female’s is red.

Listen out for: While the colours are there in its plumage, the barbet’s name comes from its melodic call, which seems to repeat “red and yellow” over and over, often as a duet.

Where to spot: They favour areas o fdry savannah in north-east Tanzania. A good place to look is around termite mounds, which barbets use to incubate their own eggs, digging deep tunnels into the packed soil with their powerful beaks.

Mrs Moreau’s warbler

In brief: This warbler is a rare and rewarding find. They are by nature shy birds that can only be found skulking in montane forest. As they are often hidden from view, they are normally detected by their whistling call. The species was first recorded by the ornithologist Reginald Moreau, who named the bird after his better half.

Looks: Mostly grey, darker on theback, with a rich rufous head and breast. Females are duller.

Listen out for: The male sings a well spaced series of long, pure whistles, sometimes accompanied in a duet by the female, who gives lower whistles in simple patterns.

Where to spot: This endemic species is only found in the Uluguru Mountains in central Tanzania and has been classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The look of love - A pair of Fischer's Lovebirds

Loveridge’s sunbird

In brief: This rare bird is one of the most colourful inhabitants of the Uluguru Mountains – the only place in the world where you will find them in the wild.

Looks: The male of the species has iridescent plumage with green upperparts and hood, a yellow belly and an orangey-red patch on the chest. Females are rather plain in comparison with mostly brown markings (the whole reason, however, for the male’s garish colours is to impress a female mate).

Listen out for: Calls include a long, descending whistle and a harsh “chet” sound, which is often followed by a rapid tumble of high-pitched notes.

Where to spot: Found in the montane forest of the Uluguru Mountains, in eastern Tanzania, especially in clearings and on the forest edge.

Black crake

In brief: A small black waterbird that truly reveals itself when out of the water and revving up its spindly redpink legs to scoot across reedbeds in search of vegetation and insects to feed on.

Looks: Reddish eyes, yellowish bills and those unmistakable rosecoloured pins.

Listen out for: A distinctive and quite odd, wheezy bubbling and chattering.

Where to spot: Rivers and lakes across the country, but spring waters in the Serengeti are a popular hangout.

Five of the best bird watching spots

1. Arusha National Park

It may be small, but it packs in an incredible list of 400 bird species so you are assured of some great spots. Its Momello Lake is one of the best places for waterbirds such as flamingo, pelican and little grebe.

2. Lake Manyara

Famous for its flamingos, but it also is home to more than 50 types of birds of prey, including the crowned eagle.

3. Ngorongoro Crater

The crater rim is deeply forested while the bottom is grassland. Both excellent habitats for diverse bird life and more than 500 species have been recorded here. Among the birds to be seen are white-eyed slaty flycatcher and Livingstone’s turaco. Ostrich and crowned crane roam the grasslands.

4. Serengeti National Park

Most visitors come to the Northern Circuit for its bigger beasts, but the bird life is also very special. Lake Ndutu is a great spot for raptors and water birds and the region has its own endemic species such as the rufous-tailed weaver and Usambiro barbet.

5. Selous Game Reserve

Another African bird watching paradise, Selous contains over 440 bird species. A boat safari on the Rufiji River is a great way to take in the diverse bird life with common sightings including yellow-billed storks, lapwings and colourful bee-eaters.