Birds to See in Malawi in January
44 bird species on our list for Malawi are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are Pied Crow, Fork-tailed Drongo, Grey Heron, European Bee-eater and Barn Swallow. New this month: Great Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Osprey and Black-crowned Night-heron and 10 more.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanArriving
At their peak
From Malawi’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 44 birds in January
44 birds
Pied CrowCorvus albusResidentCommon46–52 cmRecorded all year · 1.18% in Jan
Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilisResidentCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 1.09% in Jan
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year · 0.90% in Jan
European Bee-eaterMerops apiasterSummer visitorCommon27–29 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.81% in Jan
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.80% in Jan
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.76% in Jan
Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensisResidentCommon75–115 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.76% in Jan
Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striataSummer visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.71% in Jan
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.69% in Jan
African JacanaActophilornis africanusResidentCommon23–31 cmRecorded all year · 0.66% in Jan
Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiacaResidentCommon63–73 cmRecorded all year · 0.60% in Jan
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 0.59% in Jan
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentCommon53–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.57% in Jan
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentCommon55–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.48% in Jan
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboWinter visitorCommon80–100 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.36% in Jan
Southern Masked WeaverPloceus velatusSummer visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.36% in Jan
OspreyPandion haliaetusPassage migrantUncommon54–58 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 0.32% in Jan
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusWinter visitorCommon48–66 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.31% in Jan
HoopoeUpupa epopsResidentCommon25–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.28% in Jan
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.28% in Jan
BuzzardButeo buteoSummer visitorUncommon51–57 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.22% in Jan
Common SwiftApus apusSummer visitorCommon16–17 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.21% in Jan
Squacco HeronArdeola ralloidesResidentCommon40–49 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.18% in Jan
HobbyFalco subbuteoSummer visitorUncommon28–35 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.17% in Jan
CuckooCuculus canorusPassage migrantUncommon32–34 cmRegularly Jan–Mar · 0.15% in Jan
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaPassage migrantUncommon33–42 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.15% in Jan
Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinicaResidentUncommon15–19 cmRegularly Jun–Mar · 0.15% in Jan
Purple HeronArdea purpureaPassage migrantUncommon78–90 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.15% in Jan
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilusSummer visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.15% in Jan
Golden OrioleOriolus oriolusPassage migrantUncommon22–24 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.14% in Jan
Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurioSummer visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.14% in Jan
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusPassage migrantUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Sep–Jan · 0.12% in Jan
MoorhenGallinula chloropusPassage migrantUncommon30–38 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.12% in Jan
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaSummer visitorUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Sep–Jan · 0.12% in Jan
Fulvous Whistling-DuckDendrocygna bicolorPassage migrantUncommon45–53 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.11% in Jan
House MartinDelichon urbicumSummer visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.11% in Jan
African Marsh HarrierCircus ranivorusPassage migrantUncommon44–52 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.09% in Jan
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxPassage migrantUncommon58–65 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.09% in Jan
Garden WarblerSylvia borinSummer visitorUncommon14–15 cmRegularly Nov–Feb · 0.07% in Jan
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Oct–Jan · 0.07% in Jan
Barn OwlTyto albaPassage migrantUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Sep–Feb · 0.06% in Jan
Common QuailCoturnix coturnixSummer visitorUncommon16–18 cmRegularly Sep–Jan · 0.06% in Jan
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaPassage migrantUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Jan · 0.06% in Jan
WhinchatSaxicola rubetraPassage migrantRare12–14 cmRegularly Jan · 0.05% in Jan
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