Birds in Malawi

63 species listed · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024

Our list for Malawi has 63 bird species recorded regularly there: 14 residents, 14 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 27 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors.

The list comes from 89,000 birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Birds to see in Malawi in September

30 species on our list are recorded regularly this month. These are the ones birdwatchers record most often.

All 30 birds in September

Arriving in September: European Bee-eater, Barn Swallow, Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Common Quail, Barn Owl, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Green Sandpiper and 1 more.

Through the year

Species recorded regularly in Malawi each month: most in October (45), fewest in June (18). Choose a month to see its birds.

3045
Show as a table
Willow Warbler
Willow WarblerSmallest · 11cm
to
Spur-winged Goose
Spur-winged GooseLargest · 115cm
From the Willow Warbler (11 cm) to the Spur-winged Goose (115 cm)34 families

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All 63 birds on the list

Showing 1–23 of 63 species

ResidentRecorded all yearSummer visitorArrives to breed; scarce or absent in winterWinter visitorPresent outside the breeding seasonPassage migrantSeen mainly in spring and autumn migrationScarceRecorded in some years but not every yearCommonAmong the most-recorded birds in its best monthUncommonRecorded regularly, but on a minority of outingsRareFew records, even in its best month
Pied Crow

Pied Crow

Corvus albusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Fork-tailed Drongo

Fork-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus adsimilisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Upupa epopsLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
European Bee-eater

European Bee-eater

Merops apiasterLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
House Sparrow

House Sparrow

Passer domesticusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Egyptian Goose

Egyptian Goose

Alopochen aegyptiacaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret

Ardea ibisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Ardea albaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Ardea cinereaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

Muscicapa striataLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Nov–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
African Jacana

African Jacana

Actophilornis africanusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Southern Masked Weaver

Southern Masked Weaver

Ploceus velatusLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Jul–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagrisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rusticaLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Spur-winged Goose

Spur-winged Goose

Plectropterus gambensisLC

ResidentCommon

Regularly Apr–Feb

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucosLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Jul–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great Cormorant

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carboLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Mar–Jan

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Phylloscopus trochilusLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Oct–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Little Egret

Little Egret

Egretta garzettaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

Plegadis falcinellusLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly May–Jan

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Squacco Heron

Squacco Heron

Ardeola ralloidesLC

ResidentCommon

Regularly Apr–Feb

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurioLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Nov–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Swift

Common Swift

Apus apusLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Oct–Feb

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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Frequently Asked Questions

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

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