Rare Birds in South Africa
Our list for South Africa has 63 rare birds recorded regularly there: 11 residents, 23 summer visitors, 1 winter visitor, 19 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in South Africa in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 63, most common first
Barn OwlTyto albaResidentRare33–39 cmRecorded all year
Crowned EagleStephanoaetus coronatusResidentRare80–99 cmRecorded all year
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorRare21–24 cmRecorded all year
HobbyFalco subbuteoSummer visitorRare28–35 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly Jul–May
Pale-winged StarlingOnychognathus nabouroupResidentRare25–28 cmRecorded all year
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsResidentRare14–16 cmRecorded all year
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaSummer visitorRare37–41 cmRecorded all year
Golden OrioleOriolus oriolusSummer visitorRare22–24 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorRare21–25 cmRegularly Aug–May
Little BitternIxobrychus minutusResidentRare33–38 cmRecorded all year
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusSummer visitorRare41–46 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Wandering AlbatrossDiomedea exulansPassage migrantRare107–135 cmRegularly Jul
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaSummer visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorusSummer visitorRare52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
NightjarCaprimulgus europaeusSummer visitorRare24–28 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Garden WarblerSylvia borinSummer visitorRare14–15 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Sabine's GullXema sabiniSummer visitorRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentRare50–65 cmRecorded all year
Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenusPassage migrantRare12–13 cmRegularly Dec–Apr
White-bellied BustardEupodotis senegalensisResidentRare48–61 cmRecorded all year
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentRare50–60 cmRecorded all year
WhitethroatCurruca communisPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Dec–Apr
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