Skip to content
birdfact
Identify
Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in South Africa

Our list for South Africa has 129 bird species recorded regularly there: 55 residents, 44 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 19 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors

The list comes from 5.1 million 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.

Species on our list
129
In October
100
Common
18
Busiest month
Oct

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Egyptian GooseEgyptian Goose1.59%
  2. Pied CrowPied Crow1.02%
  3. Helmeted GuineafowlHelmeted Guineafowl0.95%
  4. Fork-tailed DrongoFork-tailed Drongo0.90%
  5. Southern Masked WeaverSouthern Masked Weaver0.88%
  6. Cape SparrowCape Sparrow0.84%

Arriving now

  1. Barn SwallowBarn SwallowSummer visitorSep 0.05% → Oct 0.40%
  2. Willow WarblerWillow WarblerSummer visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.07%
  3. Spotted FlycatcherSpotted FlycatcherSummer visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.02%
  4. Sand MartinSand MartinSummer visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.01%
  5. Arctic TernArctic TernSummer visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.01%
  6. Marsh WarblerMarsh WarblerSummer visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.01%

Share of all bird records in South Africa in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

The bird calendar for South Africa

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in South Africa

Records by month
Bird records in South Africa by month, 2019–2024
January453,882
February395,143
March313,038
April247,967
May275,060
June272,765
July315,061
August395,771
September513,404
October722,307
November654,265
December542,638

October has the most records (722,000). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 22
All 22 families in South Africa

How common

All 129 birds, A to Z

Show all 129 birds

Questions

3

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for South Africa?

129 species, each recorded regularly in South Africa (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 55 residents, 44 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 19 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in South Africa, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in South Africa in October?

100 species on our list for South Africa are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Egyptian Goose, Pied Crow, Helmeted Guineafowl, Fork-tailed Drongo and Southern Masked Weaver.

What are the most common birds in South Africa?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in South Africa are Egyptian Goose, Fork-tailed Drongo, Barn Swallow, Cape Sparrow and Pied Crow.

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

Download citations (7)