Birds to See in Nigeria in December
39 bird species on our list for Nigeria are recorded regularly in December
Of these, the most often recorded are Cattle Egret, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Pied Crow, Kestrel and Lavender Waxbill. New this month: Whitethroat, Wood Sandpiper, Helmeted Guineafowl and Western Marsh-harrier and 5 more.
On the move in December
GBIF · DecArriving
At their peak
From Nigeria’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 39 birds in December
39 birds
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 1.76% in Dec
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriResidentCommon38–42 cmRecorded all year · 1.13% in Dec
Pied CrowCorvus albusResidentCommon46–52 cmRecorded all year · 1.04% in Dec
KestrelFalco tinnunculusResidentCommon32–39 cmRecorded all year · 0.98% in Dec
Lavender WaxbillGlaucestrilda coerulescensResidentCommon9–10 cmRecorded all year · 0.60% in Dec
Little WeaverPloceus luteolusResidentCommon11–12 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Dec
Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilisResidentCommon23–26 cmRegularly Sep–Jul · 0.52% in Dec
European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleucaWinter visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.51% in Dec
HoopoeUpupa epopsWinter visitorUncommon25–32 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.46% in Dec
African JacanaActophilornis africanusResidentCommon23–31 cmRecorded all year · 0.42% in Dec
Little EgretEgretta garzettaWinter visitorCommon55–65 cmRegularly Aug–Mar · 0.36% in Dec
Bearded BarbetPogonornis dubiusResidentCommon23–25 cmRecorded all year · 0.33% in Dec
Squacco HeronArdeola ralloidesWinter visitorUncommon40–49 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.28% in Dec
Lanner FalconFalco biarmicusWinter visitorCommon43–50 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.27% in Dec
WhinchatSaxicola rubetraWinter visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.25% in Dec
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilusWinter visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.25% in Dec
Grey HeronArdea cinereaWinter visitorUncommon90–98 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.23% in Dec
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.22% in Dec
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisPassage migrantUncommon53–63 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.20% in Dec
WhitethroatCurruca communisWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.20% in Dec
MoorhenGallinula chloropusResidentUncommon30–38 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 0.19% in Dec
Yellow WagtailMotacilla flavaWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.18% in Dec
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.14% in Dec
Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibilatrixPassage migrantUncommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–Jan · 0.14% in Dec
Rock DoveColumba liviaWinter visitorUncommon31–34 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.13% in Dec
Western Marsh-harrierCircus aeruginosusPassage migrantUncommon48–56 cmRegularly Sep–Feb · 0.13% in Dec
White-bellied BustardEupodotis senegalensisPassage migrantUncommon48–61 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.11% in Dec
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaWinter visitorUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 0.11% in Dec
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentUncommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in Dec
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisPassage migrantUncommon23–29 cmRegularly Nov–Feb · 0.09% in Dec
House MartinDelichon urbicumPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.08% in Dec
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxPassage migrantUncommon58–65 cmRegularly Nov–May · 0.06% in Dec
Garden WarblerSylvia borinPassage migrantUncommon14–15 cmRegularly Sep–Dec · 0.06% in Dec
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Dec–Jan · 0.06% in Dec
WheatearOenanthe oenanthePassage migrantUncommon15–16 cmRegularly Dec–Jan · 0.06% in Dec
Tree PipitAnthus trivialisPassage migrantUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.05% in Dec
Common SwiftApus apusPassage migrantUncommon16–17 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.04% in Dec
House SparrowPasser domesticusPassage migrantUncommon14–17 cmRegularly Dec · 0.04% in Dec
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusPassage migrantUncommon34–58 cmRegularly Dec · 0.04% in 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