Birds to See in Zambia in January
60 bird species on our list for Zambia are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are Fork-tailed Drongo, European Bee-eater, Cattle Egret, Barn Swallow and Helmeted Guineafowl. New this month: Booted Eagle and Corncrake.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanAt their peak
From Zambia’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 60 birds in January
60 birds
Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilisResidentCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 1.44% in Jan
European Bee-eaterMerops apiasterSummer visitorCommon27–29 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 1.14% in Jan
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 1.05% in Jan
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Sep–May · 1.00% in Jan
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentCommon53–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.69% in Jan
Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiacaResidentCommon63–73 cmRecorded all year · 0.64% in Jan
African JacanaActophilornis africanusResidentCommon23–31 cmRecorded all year · 0.63% in Jan
Southern Masked WeaverPloceus velatusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 0.59% in Jan
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.55% in Jan
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentCommon55–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.54% in Jan
Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurioSummer visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.53% in Jan
Pied CrowCorvus albusResidentCommon46–52 cmRecorded all year · 0.51% in Jan
Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensisResidentCommon75–115 cmRecorded all year · 0.46% in Jan
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year · 0.44% in Jan
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaResidentUncommon19–21 cmRecorded all year · 0.40% in Jan
Squacco HeronArdeola ralloidesResidentUncommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.38% in Jan
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.36% in Jan
Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striataSummer visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.34% in Jan
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilusSummer visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.27% in Jan
OspreyPandion haliaetusSummer visitorUncommon54–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.27% in Jan
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusResidentUncommon48–66 cmRecorded all year · 0.26% in Jan
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentUncommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.24% in Jan
Purple HeronArdea purpureaResidentUncommon78–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.21% in Jan
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentUncommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.20% in Jan
Barn OwlTyto albaResidentUncommon33–39 cmRecorded all year · 0.18% in Jan
MoorhenGallinula chloropusResidentUncommon30–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.17% in Jan
House MartinDelichon urbicumSummer visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.16% in Jan
Common SwiftApus apusSummer visitorUncommon16–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.16% in Jan
RuffCalidris pugnaxSummer visitorUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.16% in Jan
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentUncommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in Jan
HobbyFalco subbuteoSummer visitorUncommon28–35 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.15% in Jan
HoopoeUpupa epopsResidentCommon25–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in Jan
Marsh WarblerAcrocephalus palustrisSummer visitorUncommon13–14 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.13% in Jan
Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenusSummer visitorUncommon12–13 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.11% in Jan
BuzzardButeo buteoSummer visitorUncommon51–57 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.11% in Jan
GreenshankTringa nebulariaResidentUncommon30–35 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in Jan
Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinicaResidentUncommon15–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in Jan
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisResidentUncommon23–29 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in Jan
Common Reed-warblerAcrocephalus scirpaceusResidentUncommon13–14 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.08% in Jan
European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorusSummer visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.07% in Jan
Little StintCalidris minutaSummer visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.07% in Jan
African Marsh HarrierCircus ranivorusResidentUncommon44–52 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Jan
Fulvous Whistling-DuckDendrocygna bicolorResidentUncommon45–53 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Jan
Golden OrioleOriolus oriolusSummer visitorUncommon22–24 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.07% in Jan
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentUncommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Jan
Tree PipitAnthus trivialisSummer visitorUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.07% in Jan
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaSummer visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.06% in Jan
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.06% in Jan
Magpie ShrikeUrolestes melanoleucusResidentUncommon35–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Jan
Garden WarblerSylvia borinSummer visitorUncommon14–15 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.03% in Jan
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusSummer visitorRare21–24 cmRegularly Sep–Mar · 0.03% in Jan
Little BitternIxobrychus minutusResidentUncommon33–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Jan
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaSummer visitorUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.03% in Jan
WhitethroatCurruca communisPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 0.03% in Jan
Lanner FalconFalco biarmicusResidentUncommon43–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Jan
Booted EagleHieraaetus pennatusPassage migrantRare42–51 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.02% in Jan
CuckooCuculus canorusSummer visitorRare32–34 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.02% in Jan
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusPassage migrantRare34–58 cmRegularly Jul–Feb · 0.02% in Jan
Yellow WagtailMotacilla flavaSummer visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.02% in Jan
CorncrakeCrex crexPassage migrantRare22–30 cmRegularly Jan–Feb · 0.01% in Jan
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