Birdwatching in Tanzania is unexpectedly fascinating and fun. Not only are the birds here so different from anything I've encountered before, but there is a huge diversity of species - and in all shapes and colors!
Now I'll be honest: I am not good at birding. Perhaps it is because I have terrible eyesight, but when I'm at home, I don't pay much attention to the birds that I see. Once in a while, I get excited to spot a hawk or egret, but otherwise, my brain categorizes most birds as either 'the small brown ones', or 'the big black ones'. I've never taken the time to stop and look.
Tanzania changed that for me.
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| African Paradise Flycatcher |
There are so many birds here that on most days we spotted 20 -30 different species - sometimes even more (and by "we," I mean Rashid, who would call out the bird names while I indiscriminately and hopelessly searched around.) I realized I was with an expert birder while in Zanzibar, when Rashid started pointing out the different birds that we passed. He was excited to see the African paradise flycatcher on Chumbe Island, which got
me all excited (... and that's when I learned that I loooove birds with long tails)!
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| The incongruously named Black-winged Bishop |
There was a slight moment of doubt about Rashid's ornithological expertise while on Pemba, when the brilliantly red bird perched in the rice field caught our attention and he told us it was a Black-winged Bishop. Didn't he mean a red bishop? But no. Birds have weird names.
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| Crowned Hornbill |
The thrill of birdwatching was solidified when Rashid pointed out several hornbills flying overhead. Hornbills?! Like Zazu in Lion King? I craned my neck to look but only caught a glimpse of the blurry streaks in the sky. Then not long after, another hornbill landed in a tree just overhead! Seeing birds that I'd only experienced in pictures or in a zoo was so awe-inspiring - it was hard to believe that we were seeing them in their element. And seeing them fly out beyond the horizon really underscores the freedom they have out in the wild - it gave me a different perspective and appreciation for the natural world.
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| Palm-nut Vulture |
On Pemba Island, the more rugged of the two main Zanzibar islands, we hiked in the Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve. Because of Pemba's geographic location and relative isolation, there are several endemic species that evolved and that we got to see - including the Pemba white eye, Pemba sunbird, and Pemba green pigeon. We also spotted an African harrier hawk, African goshawk, and several Palm-nut Vultures - a unique bird of prey with a strange adaptation... unlike most other vultures, it likes eating the fruit of the oil palm tree (thus its name).
As we left the Arusha airport on the way to Moshi, Rashid pointed up at a speck in the sky - a bateleur, a type of endangered eagle, that he identified by its silhouette and flight pattern. At a glance, he could discern the shapes and colors of high-flying birds, or those sitting on wires as we drove by. I still can't comprehend how he does it - he claims that experience and recognition of behavior help him with identification, but I was awed!
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| Getting tips from the pro |
Rashid's passion for birding and encyclopedic knowledge of bird facts inspired Jannice, Allie, and I to join him on bird walks. Our morning birding tradition started in Moshi, at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. I loved our placid early morning walks, and I learned so much about observation and behavior. It was fun to practice my photography, since taking pictures of birds is especially challenging. It was a peaceful and pleasant way to start the day, enjoying the quiet streets and waving to the children as they walked to school.
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One (of many) things I love about Tanzania is how many different raptors we could find. There are so many diverse habitats - from the vast savannah to mountain forests to lakes and marshes - supporting a rich population of food for these birds of prey.
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| Yellow-billed Black Kite |
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| Shikra (we think...) |
Where I live in California, I've seen red-tailed hawks and the rare Cooper's hawk, but I've never noticed anything else. In contrast, in the past few days in Moshi, we've spotted a pygmy falcon, lizard buzzard, African goshawk, augur buzzard, yellow-billed black kites, and what we think was a shikra. With so many birds of prey, we knew there were so many small animals for them to hunt - and we did catch a glimpse of slender mongoose racing across our path on one of our morning walks!
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| Red-cheeked Cordonbleu |
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| Red-capped Robin-Chat |
The fabulous coloration of the birds was also amazing to see. Mostly the male of each species, the vibrant plumage makes them more attractive to the females. We saw red-capped robin-chats and red-winged starlings. There was the lovely lavender of the lilac-breasted roller, the ruby-red African firefinch, and the delightful Tiffany blue of the red-cheeked cordonbleu - which yes, had bright red cheeks.
Moshi, because of its location at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, is close to several water sources as well as agricultural areas. These habitats support a diversity of wading birds - which are always fun to spot, especially when they are flying overhead like mini pterodactyls. The largest that we saw was a tree full of around a dozen nesting Marabou Storks, a nearly 5-foot tall bald (and wonderfully ugly) stork with a globby pouch on its neck. Did you know? The marabou stork will poop on its own legs to keep itself cool!
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| Black-headed Heron |
Another fun sighting was the 3-foot tall Black-headed Heron, whose long slender neck could retract into its hunched shoulders (making me think he should probably be named Igor).
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| Hadada Ibis |
One of the most interesting (and loudest) birds that we saw all over town was the Hadada ibis, with its long, curved bill, glossy iridescent wings, and distinctive call. They loved congregating on the scaffolding right over our hotel, with almost a dozen ibises gathering at dusk.
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| Cattle Egret |
The overgrown field across from our hotel was a haven for several snowy white cattle egrets. Unlike most other egrets and herons who like hunting near water, cattle egrets so named because they are often found near or on the backs of cattle, catching the insects kicked up by the grazing livestock. They are remarkably adaptable and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
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| High water at Lake Duluti |
Lake Duluti, the relaxing getaway just outside Arusha, is a popular retreat from the urban bustle of the city. I visited twice during two free days in Northern Tanzania as a way to get out and enjoy nature. The birds at Lake Duluti were a bit easier to capture on film than those in Moshi, particularly because most aquatic birds pose for the camera as they sit frozen while they fish. Many are also fairly large birds, which I always find thrilling to see (probably because I can actually see them, haha).
The water level of the lake was unusually high during our visit because of the heavy rains from the week before (after all, Lake Duluti is basically just a big round bowl, collecting water inside a volcanic crater with no outflow). Some of the picnic tables were completely submerged and parts of the path around the lake were flooded, but we were still able to detour our way and made it all the way around the 2.2 mile hike.
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| Malachite Kingfisher |
I particularly loved seeing the kingfishers flitting through the lower branches near the water's edge. Did you know? Most kingfishers build their nests in riverbanks, digging into the mud to create burrows where they lay their eggs.
My favorite was the tiny Malachite Kingfisher, with its striking blue crown contrasting with its rusty face and chest. It was perched on a low branch just above the water, waiting patiently for fish to swim by.
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| Pied Kingfisher |
We also saw the gorgeously patterned (and much larger) Pied Kingfisher, who has the ability to hover in flight as he hunts for fish.
Something I found fascinating was the sheer diversity of birds - we saw several different types of heron, including the Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Black-headed Heron, and Striated Heron.
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| Clockwise from left: the Black-headed, Purple, and Striated Herons |
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| The eagle's eyrie |
It was interesting walking the entire loop trail since it meant going to the less-traveled areas of the lake. We were able to get very close to a huge nest in a tree not far from the path - it belonged to a pair of African fish eagles, both of which were in the nest when we walked close. These large, majestic raptors look a lot like bald eagles, with their white head and neck contrasting with their dark brown wings and bodies. I don't think they were very happy that we were so close to the nest, as they flew off just as we walked past.
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Did you know? The African Fish Eagle is the national
bird of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan. |
At first we thought they were sensitive to humans and were trying to get far away - but as we were leaving, Rashid pointed out an eagle sitting in the closest tree to the parking lot. Ok, so maybe not as skittish as we thought!
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| Just look at his weird head! Delightful! |
One bird that I really wanted to see (and photograph!) was the hamerkop - a funny looking wading bird with a hammer-shaped head. It's the smallest of the African storks, but is known for building gigantic dome-shaped nests - one of the biggest nests of any bird species. They can be around 5 feet in diameter and over 6 feet tall (the nest, not the chicken-sized bird!), with a small entrance tunnel that leads to a spacious interior chamber. In some cultures, it is believed that hurting or killing a hamerkop brings bad luck, so most people leave them alone.
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| Klaas's Cuckoo |
On our walk right after lunch, Rashid somehow spotted a flash of emerald in the dark green of a distant tree - a tiny Klaas's cuckoo! Like other cuckoo birds, the Klaas's cuckoo lays its eggs in the nest of other birds, who raise the chicks as their own. Their eggs often look like those of the host so that the poor unsuspecting sucker birds can't tell the difference. A cool sighting!
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| Are we birdwatching? Or is the bird watching...👀??? |
Over five hundred species of birds can be spotted in the ~100 square mile area of the Ngorongoro Crater. From the many small songbirds in the open grasslands, to the wading birds in the wetlands and lakes, to the dinosaur-like terrestrial birds that roam the crater floor - Ngorongoro is birdwatching heaven!
There is a vast array of passerines - perching birds or songbirds - found in and around the crater. We saw fiscals and weavers, cisticolas and canaries.
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| Variable Sunbird |
My favorite were the tiny sunbirds, which we saw all over the country. With their long curved beaks and ability to hover, sunbirds are particularly well suited for feeding on nectar - in many ways they resemble hummingbirds, but are actually not closely related. Their similarities are due to convergent evolution, since they fill similar ecological niches. The Variable Sunbird was particularly striking, with its iridescent upper body and yellow belly. (I also found out there is a species called the Amethyst (!!) Sunbird which I looked and looked for, but never found 😢. A new goal for my wish list!!)
Wattled starlings hitch rides on wildebeest to pick off fleas, ticks, and other parasites. They also feed on insects stirred up by these grazers as they move through the grassland. Not a bad place to perch!
Wading birds like the flamingo migrate into the crater during the wet season to feed and breed.
Did you know? That joint you usually see bent on a flamingo's leg isn't its knee, it is the ankle. That's why it bends backwards - the knee is higher up on its body and is usually hidden by feathers.
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This ostrich might be partially blind in one eye...
but it didn't stop him from chasing after his girlfriend! |
Ostriches are a common species found in Ngorongoro - they are the largest species of bird, standing over 9 feet tall and weighing up to 330 pounds! They are also incredibly fast, running at up to speeds of 40 miles per hour - which makes up for the fact that they can't fly. They generally feed on grasses and seeds, but they are omnivorous and can eat insects and small mammals.
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| I think she likes him! 😍 |
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The best birdwatching of the trip was in the bucolic hills of the Manyara region in northern Tanzania. Perhaps it's because this area is less impacted by human development, but we saw more variety here than on any of our other birding expeditions. All around the grounds of our hostel, various birds flitted about, their vivid colors flashing in the sunlight.
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| The gorgeous electric blue of the Superb Starling |
The striking iridescent plumage of the Superb starling caught our eye on our drives throughout the region, but we were always going too quickly to get a good look. Here in the Maasai village, these starlings were
everywhere. They were eventually jokingly dubbed the "boring bird..."
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| A picture perfect Von der Decken's Hornbill |
Taking the time to observe and admire birds gave me a new appreciation for the biodiversity of Tanzania. Seeing the incredible variety of species - how specialized and adaptable many of them are - further underscores the importance of conservation and protecting the fragile habitats that these animals call home. It was also equally calming (to walk in the peaceful mornings with my fellow nature-lovers) and energizing (to spot a new species or marvel at the beauty of colors and patterns and behaviors).
Thanks, Rashid, for taking us under your wing and giving us a bird's eye view of this incredible country!!
Your descriptions with matching photos allow us, the readers to see these amazing avians with a new appreciation and awe. Thank you. Jillian
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