Top ten birds of Tanzania

Are you looking for Top ten birds of Tanzania? Most people think of the big five when they think of a safari to Tanzania. But there is still a lot to safaris in Tanzania other than the big five and the Serengeti migration. Tanzania is home to over 1134 bird species some of which a special, others endangered and others endemic.

Here I single out the 10 most special but common birds of Tanzania that you will most probably meet on a safari:

Ostrich

These are big and their enormous size makes thsem easily spottable. The ostriches are prevalent in the entire Tanzania. These birds don’t flight and this makes then faster on the ground and they run at a speed of about 43 miles per hour. With such speed, they become the fastest bird on land. Female ostriches can easily camouflage in the day due to the advantage of the grey brown colors of their feathers. The males are the heroes of the night and can be unrecognizable due to their black colors.

The ostriches make loud booming sounds when they notice danger but they also do the snorts and whistles while communicating. 

Tawny Eagle

They have heavy white feathers with short legs. The feathers also have some greyish-brown or reddish-brown patches. These birds can be seen in almost every part of Tanzania. They are good hunters but can also snack on most things like insects at any given opportunity.  

Marabou Stork

This stork has a big bill and a pink head that looks like it’s been sunburned. Since they are heavy big birds, they have huge wingspans that enable them to fly off the ground. These birds usually survive on scraps from kills of predators. Since they are usually in such an environment, one would think they would be filthy, but the fact that they done have feathers on the neck allows them to always stay clean. They also have long legs that don’t allow the other parts of the body to easy get dirty.

They have inflated throated and this makes them intimidating birds. They use this factor to get out of situations and thus the dominance. 

Grey Crowned Crane

This bird is common in the Serengeti national park. The area is open grassland and flooded that enhancing its breeding here. These bird are known for the courtship dance that the males perform while flapping wings around their possible mates. 

Kori Bustard

The highly wooded savanna and open grasslands is where these birds prefer to inhabit. They are mostly carnivores. They mainly feast on lizards, seeds, berries, small mammals and insects.

The male inflates the throat almost four times bigger than the usual size during mating. Its moves the tail up such that it can reveal it’s underneath as much as possible. 

Lesser Flamingo

The lesser flamingo just like its name is the smallest flamingo in its type in the world. They live in large groups around the lake Natron. They are tall and have question marked necks. They largely feed on algae and other micro organisms that mostly live in water.

Vitelline Masked Weaver

This bird is a tiny, red eyed weaver and can easily be found around the Serengeti national park. Like all the other birds, the males are bright with pointed bills and a yellow plumage. The females are dull and have streaks of yellow on the back.  

Superb Starling

This starling is worthy of its names because of the Stunning iridescent plumage. They travel in small group or flocks in several parts of Tanzania. You can separate them from other starlings is the chest with white bands that separates the chest from the blue breast and the orange belly.  

Lilac-breasted Roller

This bid is almost everywhere in Tanzania. It has a green crown, blue body, lilac breast and rust colored cheeks. The mating process of this bird involves rolling stunts and a lot of diving and this is where it derives its names ROLLER.  

Von der Decken’s Hornbill

This bird can only be seen in the dry regions of Tanzania. This bird is portrayed as Zazu in the movie Lion King. The males have red bills while the females have black bills. The females are usually isolated in the tree to hatch and groom their chicks. During this time, the males are in charge of feeding the young ones and the female.