With more than 1100 bird species, Tanzania is the greatest place on the planet for bird watchers. Are you planning for a bird-watching safari to Tanzania and you don’t know where to go? This guide will give you a list of our 9 Best Places For Bird Watching in Tanzania.
Tanzania is famous for its massive wildlife reserved areas and its World-class safari experience. From all the four tourism circuits in Tanzania, Bird watchers can enjoy the best sighting of different bird species while enjoying the best hospitality.
There are almost more than 400 bird species in any part of the country (based on tourism circuits). Planning a bird watching experience in Tanzania can be a tedious task, but this guide will help you to plan it well so you can get the most of it.
Anyone who has been on a safari in Tanzania must have already visited this beautiful park. Tarangire is mostly known for providing a home to the largest group of elephants as well as its upside-down trees, the baobab trees. The best experience in this park is at its peak in the dry season where many animals migrate to the river bed of the Tarangire River. At this time, the park is more recommended as it is less crowded compared to Ngorongoro and Serengeti.
Tarangire National Park is home to more than 500 bird species making it the perfect place for bird watchers. You will enjoy watching various species like Ostrich which occupies the drier areas, hornbills, Kori Bustard. Yellow-collared lovebirds, Rufous-tailed weavers, and ashy starlings are East Africa’s endemic species that can also be spotted in the park.
The best time to visit Tarangire for a birding safari is between July to November, which almost no rainy season.
Lake Natron is an alkaline Oasis for lesser Flamingo. This lake is famous for being a habitat for thousands of lesser flamingoes and other waterbirds, both migrants and residents. Each year, more than half-million pairs of flamingoes visit Lake Natron for nesting and raising their newborn.
The algae found on the lake are the major source of food for the lesser flamingoes. This made these species to make this lake a primary home for breeding. Up to two-thirds of the lesser flamingoes population in the world has been born on this area.
Other species that can be observed at Lake Natron include Kori Bustard, Chestnut-banded Plover, Double-banded Courser, Long-tailed Fiscal, Secretarybird, White-backed Vulture, Short-tailed Lark, and much more.
The hidden, remote, and undisturbed Game reserve in Tanzania, Selous is home to more than 440 bird species. The existence of the Rufiji river provides a wonderland habitat for birds, both residents, and migratory birds. Most birds can be found on Lagoons, islands, Within the river, channels, and sandbanks.
The most spectacular bird species that can be seen in this area include The common White-headed vulture, The Pel’s fishing owl Rare, The African spoonbill, The Spur-winged Lapwing, and White-fronted bee-eater. Other common species are Fish Eagles, The Southern Ground Hornbill, Crested Lark, Kingfishers, Knob-billed Duck, African Snipe, Green-headed Oriole, and Herons.
The best time to see the migratory birds is from November to April and the best way to observe by boat.
Located between the peak/foot of two famous mountains, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, Arusha national park has over 400 recorded bird species. Although the park mostly is visited on a single day trip, the number of bird species is good enough to make this park be on our list of the Best Places For Bird Watching in Tanzania. The alkaline Lake, Lake Momela including its springs which fed the lake attracts a large number of bird species.
Some of the species that can be seen include Greater Pink Flamingo, Lesser Pink Flamingo, Silver Cheeks Hornbill, Hadada Ibis, Sacred Ibis, Egyptian Goose, African Fish Eagle, Augur Buzzard, African Olive Pigeon, Peregrine Falcon, Red-fronted Parrot, Golden Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle, Lanner Falcon, Crowned Eagle and Ostrich, Grey Crowned Crane, Yellow-billed Stork, Saddle-billed Stork, and African Spoonbill.
The best time for bird watching in Arusha national park is between November and April, at this time the park is occupied by dozen migratory b1200ird species.
Ruaha National Park has more than 500 recorded bird species, making this park a hotspot for bird watchers in Tanzania’s southern circuit. The miombo woodland belt of Southern Africa and the transitional to the acacia savannah of East Africa makes this park the favorite habitat for many bird species. In the summer season, migrating species arrive at this park to breed and enjoy their alternative life habitat.
The park has a long river valley that supports certain bird species. Species found on the Ruaha valley are different from those of the Miombo Woodland. Some of the species found on the Ruaha River Valley include The White-crowned Flover, Open-billed storks, and African Skimmers.
The Miombo woodland areas are a habitat for many bird species that are different from the one along the Ruaha River Valley. These species include yellow-mantled widowbird, MIombo scrub robin, Spot-flanked Barbet, Green-headed Sunbird, Pearl-breasted swallow, Racket-tailed roller, Spotted Creeper, Miombo grey tit, and yellow-bellied hyliota.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area is famous for its classic wildlife experience in the crater and the historical site of Olduvai Gorge. If you are a bird enthusiast, the Ngorongoro Conservation area has amazing places with is a habitat for more than 500 bird species. Areas of concentration when going for bird watching in the conservation area are the Ngorongoro Crater and Ngorongoro highlands.
Between the end of August and April, more annual migrant birds from Asia and Europe inhabit the Ngorongoro Crater. This makes the Ngorongoro crater the perfect hotspot for bird watching during this time. some of these migrant birds include Pallid Harrier, Caspian Lapwing, Montagu’s Harrier, Rosy-breasted Longclaw, European storks, Lesser Kestrel, European swallow, European bee-eater, the Northern wheatear, and European roller.
This area is also a habitat for endemic bird species including Kori bustard, Ostriches, Lesser flamingo, Black kite, Black-winged lapwing, Rufous chatterer, and Hildebrandt’s spurfowl.
Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake and one of the world’s largest tropical lake, second to the superior lake in North America. The lake spans three East African countries, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. The lake shores and other wetlands are a habitat for some of the bird species. Rubondo Island in lake victoria is a bird paradise inhabited by amazing bird species including Paradise-flycatcher and Malachite Kingfisher, Herons, Spoonbills, and Storks.
The migrating birds from Europe and Asia also migrate to this island during the winter.
Serengeti is a world’s famous national park that needs no introduction when it comes to a lifetime safari experience. When talking about bird watching experience in this park, any bird lover can expect to observe more than 500 recorded bird species. The Serengeti-mara ecosystem is one of the world’s habitats for endemic bird species that can not be found anywhere.
Some of the species that are found in Serengeti national park includes Rupple’s vulture, Schalow’s turaco, Usambiro barbet, Southern ground hornbill, Hildebrandt’s starling, Grey-crested helmet-shrike, Grey-breasted spurfowl, Fischer’s lovebird, Black-headed gonolek, and much more.
The best time for bird watching in Serengeti national park is between November and April. At this time most of the migratory birds can be spotted in large flocks.
As part of the “Eastern Arc” of ranges in Eastern Tanzania, Usambara Mountains has become one of the unique birding destinations in Tanzania. In spite of its breathtaking landscape and beautiful view especially at the mambo view, bird-lovers will have a chance to see some of the rare bird species that are found nowhere in Tanzania.
The rare endemic species include Usambara Weaver, Usambara Eagle Owl, Amani sunbird, Green-headed oriole, and Fischer’s turaco.
Tanzania has more than 20 bird watching destinations worth visiting. The list on this guide is just for inspiration to anyone who is thinking about visiting Tanzania for bird watching. If you are in a position of planning your birding trip, don’t hesitate to contact us so you can get your ideal sample itinerary and more recommended places to go for bird watching.
