Birds in South Africa

129 species listed · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024

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.

Birds to see in South Africa in September

85 species on our list are recorded regularly this month. These are the ones birdwatchers record most often.

All 85 birds in September

Arriving in September: European Bee-eater, Ringed Plover, Common Swift, House Martin, Arctic Jaeger, Sabine's Gull, Red Knot, Damara Tern and 1 more.

Through the year

Species recorded regularly in South Africa each month: most in January (111), fewest in June (66). Choose a month to see its birds.

11185
Show as a table
Willow Warbler
Willow WarblerSmallest · 11cm
to
Common Ostrich
Common OstrichLargest · 275cm
From the Willow Warbler (11 cm) to the Common Ostrich (275 cm)49 families

Get a monthly guide to birds in South Africa

Find out which birds are visiting your area this month, with seasonal tips and garden advice

Get Your Free Digest

All 129 birds on the list

Showing 116–129 of 129 species

Grey Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Motacilla cinereaLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
White-rumped Sandpiper

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollisVU

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Jan

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Corncrake

Corncrake

Crex crexLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Dec–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Green Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Tringa ochropusLC

Summer visitorRare

Regularly Sep–Jan

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Chukar

Chukar

Alectoris chukarLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Jul–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcanLC

ScarceRare
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black Swan

Black Swan

Cygnus atratusLC

ScarceRare
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Western Marsh-harrier

Western Marsh-harrier

Circus aeruginosusLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Jan

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Spotted something?

Upload a photo to identify it

Identify
Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Larus fuscusLC

ScarceRare
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Gentoo Penguin

Gentoo Penguin

Pygoscelis papuaLC

ScarceRare
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Budgerigar

Budgerigar

Melopsittacus undulatusLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Shelduck

Common Shelduck

Tadorna tadornaLC

ScarceRare
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Muscovy Duck

Muscovy Duck

Cairina moschataLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Nov

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Greylag Goose

Greylag Goose

Anser anserLC

ScarceRare
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
PreviousPage 6 of 6

Frequently Asked Questions

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)