Birds to See in Malawi in October
45 bird species on our list for Malawi are recorded regularly in October
Of these, the most often recorded are Pied Crow, Fork-tailed Drongo, Hoopoe, Great White Egret and Helmeted Guineafowl. New this month: Willow Warbler, Common Swift, Buzzard and Lanner Falcon and 12 more.
On the move in October
GBIF · OctArriving
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 45 birds in October
45 birds
Pied CrowCorvus albusResidentCommon46–52 cmRecorded all year · 1.32% in Oct
Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilisResidentCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 1.01% in Oct
HoopoeUpupa epopsResidentCommon25–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.81% in Oct
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.80% in Oct
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentCommon53–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.80% in Oct
European Bee-eaterMerops apiasterSummer visitorCommon27–29 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.74% in Oct
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 0.68% in Oct
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year · 0.66% in Oct
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.65% in Oct
African JacanaActophilornis africanusResidentCommon23–31 cmRecorded all year · 0.61% in Oct
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.55% in Oct
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.54% in Oct
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentCommon55–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.54% in Oct
Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiacaResidentCommon63–73 cmRecorded all year · 0.53% in Oct
Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensisResidentCommon75–115 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.42% in Oct
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboWinter visitorCommon80–100 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.38% in Oct
Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinicaResidentUncommon15–19 cmRegularly Jun–Mar · 0.35% in Oct
Squacco HeronArdeola ralloidesResidentCommon40–49 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.34% in Oct
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaSummer visitorUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Sep–Jan · 0.34% in Oct
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusWinter visitorCommon48–66 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.31% in Oct
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Sep–Dec · 0.31% in Oct
Southern Masked WeaverPloceus velatusSummer visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.25% in Oct
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxPassage migrantUncommon58–65 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.24% in Oct
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaPassage migrantUncommon33–42 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.18% in Oct
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilusSummer visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.17% in Oct
OspreyPandion haliaetusPassage migrantUncommon54–58 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 0.15% in Oct
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusPassage migrantUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Sep–Jan · 0.14% in Oct
BuzzardButeo buteoSummer visitorUncommon51–57 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.12% in Oct
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Sep–Nov · 0.12% in Oct
Purple HeronArdea purpureaPassage migrantUncommon78–90 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.12% in Oct
MoorhenGallinula chloropusPassage migrantUncommon30–38 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.09% in Oct
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusPassage migrantUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.09% in Oct
African Marsh HarrierCircus ranivorusPassage migrantUncommon44–52 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.08% in Oct
House MartinDelichon urbicumSummer visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.08% in Oct
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaPassage migrantUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Oct–Nov · 0.08% in Oct
Common Reed-warblerAcrocephalus scirpaceusPassage migrantUncommon13–14 cmRegularly Oct · 0.06% in Oct
Crowned EagleStephanoaetus coronatusPassage migrantUncommon80–99 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.06% in Oct
Lanner FalconFalco biarmicusPassage migrantUncommon43–50 cmRegularly Jun–Mar · 0.06% in Oct
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Oct–Jan · 0.06% in Oct
Common QuailCoturnix coturnixSummer visitorUncommon16–18 cmRegularly Sep–Jan · 0.05% in Oct
Rock DoveColumba liviaPassage migrantUncommon31–34 cmRegularly Mar–Nov · 0.05% in Oct
Common SwiftApus apusSummer visitorCommon16–17 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.03% in Oct
Barn OwlTyto albaPassage migrantUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Sep–Feb · 0.02% in Oct
European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorusPassage migrantUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Nov · 0.02% in Oct
Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melbaPassage migrantRare20–23 cmRegularly Oct · 0.02% in Oct
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