Birds to See in Ethiopia in December
92 species listed for December · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
92 bird species on our list for Ethiopia are recorded regularly in December. Of these, the most often recorded are Egyptian Goose, Barn Swallow, Pied Crow, Fork-tailed Drongo and Yellow Wagtail. New this month: Whinchat, Sedge Warbler, Redshank and Black-necked Grebe and 2 more.
Leaving after last month6
Residents
(23)Recorded all year
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiacaLC
Recorded all year
Pied Crow
Corvus albusLC
Recorded all year
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilisLC
Recorded all year
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Recorded all year
Hoopoe
Upupa epopsLC
Recorded all year
Cattle Egret
Ardea ibisLC
Recorded all year
Squacco Heron
Ardeola ralloidesLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Helmeted Guineafowl
Numida meleagrisLC
Recorded all year
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
Recorded all year
Blue-naped Mousebird
Urocolius macrourusLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
African Jacana
Actophilornis africanusLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Spur-winged Goose
Plectropterus gambensisLC
Recorded all year
Senegal Thick-knee
Burhinus senegalensisLC
Recorded all year
Thekla's Lark
Galerida theklaeLC
Recorded all year
Lanner Falcon
Falco biarmicusLC
Recorded all year
Little Weaver
Ploceus luteolusLC
Recorded all year
Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseusLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna bicolorLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Winter visitors
(54)Present outside the breeding season
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Recorded all year
Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flavaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
Regularly Jul–Mar
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly Aug–Mar
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon niloticaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaLC
Regularly Oct–Feb
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterusLC
Regularly Aug–May
African Pygmy-falcon
Polihierax semitorquatusLC
Regularly Jun–Apr
Somali Ostrich
Struthio molybdophanesVU
Regularly Jul–May
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckiiLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Lesser Striped Swallow
Cecropis abyssinicaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Woodchat Shrike
Lanius senatorNT
Regularly Oct–Mar
Common Crane
Grus grusLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
White-bellied Bustard
Eupodotis senegalensisLC
Regularly Jun–Mar
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Oct–Mar
Montagu's Harrier
Circus pygargusLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Purple Heron
Ardea purpureaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosettaLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Egyptian Vulture
Neophron percnopterusEN
Regularly Oct–Jun
Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush
Monticola saxatilisLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Ruddy Shelduck
Tadorna ferrugineaLC
Regularly Jun–Mar
Purple Grenadier
Granatina ianthinogasterLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Little Ringed Plover
Thinornis dubiusLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Booted Eagle
Hieraaetus pennatusLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC
Regularly Dec–Mar
Blue Rock-thrush
Monticola solitariusLC
Regularly Oct–Feb
Great Grey Shrike
Lanius excubitorLC
Regularly Oct–Feb
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Oct–Feb
Common Reed-warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceusLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Alpine Swift
Tachymarptis melbaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Passage migrants
(15)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Regularly Nov–Jan
Red-and-yellow Barbet
Trachyphonus erythrocephalusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialisLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Crag Martin
Ptyonoprogne rupestrisLC
Regularly Dec–Feb
Wryneck
Jynx torquillaLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocoraxLC
Regularly Oct–May
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Crowned Eagle
Stephanoaetus coronatusNT
Regularly Sep–Mar
Secretarybird
Sagittarius serpentariusEN
Regularly Oct–Feb
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetraLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchosLC
Regularly Oct–Dec
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Black-necked Grebe
Podiceps nigricollisLC
Regularly Dec–Feb
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
Regularly Dec–Jan
Barn Owl
Tyto albaLC
Regularly Nov–Dec
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made