Most of my birding has been within the borders of South Africa. My South African Bird Total is 610 as at the end of 2025.
African Penguin Wandering Albatross
Shy Albatross Black-browed Albatross
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Northern Giant Petrel
White-chinned Petrel Sooty Shearwater
Cory’s Shearwater Great-winged Petrel
Greater Flamingo Lesser Flamingo
Cape Gannet
Great White Pelican Pink-backed Pelican
Great (White-breasted) Cormorant Reed Cormorant
Cape Cormorant Bank Cormorant
Crowned Cormorant
African Darter African Spoonbill
Hadeda African Sacred Ibis
Southern Bald Ibis Glossy Ibis
Grey Heron Goliath Heron
Purple Heron Black-headed heron
Great Egret Intermediate Egret
Little Egret Western Cattle Egret
Black Heron Slaty Egret
Squacco Heron Rufous-bellied Heron
Little Bittern Dwarf Bittern
Black-crowned Night Heron White-backed Night Heron
Green-backed Heron Abdim’s Stork
White Stork Yellow-billed Stork
Wooly-necked Stork Black Stork
Marabou Stork African Openbill
Saddle-billed Stork Hamerkop
Little Grebe Great Crested Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
White-faced Whistling Fulvous duck
White-backed Duck African Pygmy Goose
Egyptian Goose South African Shelduck
Knob-billed Duck Spur-winged goose
Yellow-billed Duck Cape Shoveler
Southern Pochard Africa Black Duck
Red-billed Teal
Blue-billed Teal Cape Teal
Moccoa Duck Mallard
White-backed vulture
Cape Vulture Hooded Vulture
White-headed Vulture Lapped-faced Vulture
Bearded Vulture Palm-nut Vulture
Bateleur Western Osprey
African Fish Eagle Verreaux’s Eagle
Martial Eagle Crowned Eagle *
Wahlberg’s Eagle Booted Eagle
Tawney Eagle Steppe Eagle
Lesser Spotted Eagle African Hawk Eagle
Long-crested Eagle Ayre’s Hawk Eagle *
Southern Banded Snake-Eagle
Brown Snake Eagle Black-chested Snake Eagle
Yellow-billed Kite Black Kite
(These have now been combined into one species called Black Kite)
European Honey Buzzard Jackal buzzard
Common Buzzard Forest Buzzard *
African Marsh Harrier Western Marsh Harrier
Black Harrier
Montagu’s Harrier Black-Winged Kite
Lizard Buzzard African Cuckoo Hawk
Pale chanting Goshawk Dark chanting Goshawk
Gabar Goshawk
Black Sparrowhawk African Goshawk
Ovambo Sparrowhawk Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk
Shikra Little Sparrowhawk
African Harrier-Hawk Bat Hawk
Peregrine Falcon Lanner Falcon
Red-necked Falcon Eurasian Hobby
Dickinson’s Kestrel Lesser Kestrel
Greater Kestrel Rock Kestrel
Amur Falcon Pygmy Falcon
Crested Guineafowl Helmeted Guineafowl
Common Ostrich
Grey-winged Francolin Red-winged Francolin
Crested Francolin Shelley’s Francolin
Orange River Francolin Cape Spurfowl
Natal Spurfowl Red-necked Spurfowl
Swainson’s Spurfowl
Common Quail
Harlequin Quail Coqui Francolin
Common Buttonquail African Finfoot
Red-knobbed coot Common Moorhen
Lesser Moorhen African Swamphen
Black Crake Allen’s Gallinule
African Rail African Crake
Spotted Crake Red-chested Flufftail
Grey Crowned Crane Blue crane
Wattled Crane
Secretary bird
Red-chested Korhaan Black-bellied Korhaan
Northern Black Korhaan Southern Black Korhaan
Kori Bustard
Denham’s Bustard Ludwig’s Bustard
Blue Korhaan Karoo Korhaan
Black-winged Stilt Pied Avocet
African Black Oystercatcher Grey Plover
Spotted thick-knee Water Thick-knee
African Jacana
Collared Pratincole Black-winged Pratincole
Temminck’s Courser Burchell’s Courser
Double-banded Courser Bronze-winged Courser
Blacksmith Lapwing
White-crowned Lapwing Crowned Lapwing
Senegal Lapwing Black-winged Lapwing
African Wattled Lapwing White-fronted Plover
Kittlitz’s Plover Three-banded Plover
Common Ringed Plover Greater Painted Snipe
African Snipe Common Whimbrel
Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit
Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper Wood Sandpiper
Ruff Ruddy Turnstone
Curlew Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper
Little Stint Subantarctic Skua
Kelp Gull Sabine’s Gull
Grey-headed Gull Hartlaub’s Gull
Caspian Tern Swift Tern
Sandwich Tern Common Tern
Little Tern Sooty Tern
Whiskered Tern White-winged Tern
Double-banded Sandgrouse Yellow-throated Sandgrouse
Namaqua Sandgrouse Burchell’s Sandgrouse
African Olive Pigeon Speckled pigeon
Cape Turtle Dove Rock Dove
Mourning Dove Red-eye dove
Laughing dove Emerald spotted Wood dove
Namaqua dove Tambourine Dove
African Green Pigeon Rose-ringed Parakeet
Cape Parrot Meyer’s Parrot
Grey-headed Parrot Brown-Headed Parrot
Purple-crested Turaco Knysna Turaco
Livingstone’s Turaco Grey Go-away-bird
Common Cuckoo African Cuckoo
Madagascan Cuckoo Red-chested Cuckoo
Black Cuckoo Levaillant’s Cuckoo
Jacobin Cuckoo Great Spotted Cuckoo
Diederik Cuckoo Klaas’ Cuckoo
Green Malkoha Burchell’s Coucal
Senegal Coucal
African Wood Owl
Southern White-faced Owl Marsh Owl
African Barred Owlet Pearl-spotted Owlet
African Scops Owl Verreaux’s (Giant) Eagle-Owl
Pel’s Fishing Owl Spotted Eagle-Owl
Western Barn Owl African Grass Owl
European nightjar Freckled nightjar
Fiery-necked Nightjar Pennant-winged Nightjar
Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Square-tailed nightjar
Alpine Swift African Black Swift
Bradfield’s Swift Common Swift
Little Swift Horus Swift
White-rumped Swift African Palm Swift
Mottled Spinetail
Speckled Mousebird
Red-faced Mousebird White-backed Mousebird
Narina Trogon Half-collared Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher Malachite Kingfisher
Giant Kingfisher African Pygmy Kingfisher
Woodland Kingfisher Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Striped Kingfisher Grey-headed Kingfisher
European Bee-eater White-fronted Bee-eater
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
Little Bee-eater Southern Carmine Bee-eater
European Roller Lilac-breasted Roller
Purple Roller Broad-billed Roller
Racket-tailed Roller
Southern Ground-Hornbill
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill Trumpeter Hornbill
African Grey Hornbill Southern Red-billed Hornbill
Crowned Hornbill African Hoopoe
Green Wood-Hoopoe Common Scimitarbill
Crested Barbet Black-collared Barbet
White-eared Barbet Acacia Pied Barbet
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird Yellow-rumped Tinker
Brown-backed Honeybird Scaly-throated Honeyguide
Lesser Honeyguide Greater Honeyguide
Golden-tailed Woodpecker
Bearded Woodpecker Bennett’s Woodpecker
Knysna Woodpecker Cardinal Woodpecker
Olive Woodpecker Ground Woodpecker
Red-throated Wryneck Sabota Lark
Large-billed Lark Monotonous Lark
Eastern Long-billed Lark Karoo Lark
Spike-heeled Lark Red-capped Lark
Dusky Lark Fawn-coloured Lark
Rufous-naped Lark Eastern Clapper Lark
Cape Clapper Lark Karoo Long-billed Lark
Cape Long-billed Lark Pink-billed Lark
Rudd’s Lark Black-eared Sparrow-lark
Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark
Cape Rockjumper Wire-tailed Swallow
Barn swallow White-throated Swallow
Pearl-breasted Swallow South African Cliff-swallow
Greater striped swallow Lesser Striped Swallow
Mosque Swallow Red-breasted Swallow
Grey-rumped Swallow Black Saw-wing
Brown-throated Martin Common House-martin
Banded Martin Rock Martin
Fork-tailed Drongo Square-tailed Drongo
Black Cuckoo-shrike Grey Cuckoo-shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole Black-headed Oriole
Pied Crow White-necked Raven
Cape Crow House Crow
Southern Black Tit Ashy Tit
Grey Tit Arrow-marked Babbler
Southern Pied Babbler African Red-eyed bulbul
Dark-capped Bulbul Cape Bulbul
Terrestrial Brownbul Sombre Greenbull
Yellow-bellied Greenbull Yellow-streaked Greenbull
Olive Thrush Karoo Thrush
Kurrichane Thrush Groundscraper Thrush
Cape Rock-Thrush Spotted Ground Thrush
Mocking Cliff Chat Sentinel Rock-thrush
Familiar Chat Karoo Chat
Sickle-winged Chat Ant-eating Chat
Mountain Chat
Arnot’s Chat
Buff-streaked chat Capped Wheatear
African Stonechat Brown Scrub Robin
Bearded Scrub Robin White-browed Scrub Robin
Kalahari Scrub Robin Karoo Scrub-Robin
Cape Robin-chat Chorister Robin-chat
Red-capped Robin-chat White-throated Robin-Chat
White-browed Robin Chat Cape Grassbird
Long-billed Crombec Cape Penduline-Tit
Grey Penduline-tit Yellow-bellied Eremomela
Green-capped Eremomela Burnt-necked Eremomela
Layard’s Warbler Chestnut-vented Warbler
Olive-tree Warbler Common Whitethroat
Icterine Warbler Garden Warbler
Little Rush Warbler Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler
Willow Warbler Sedge Warbler
Dark-capped Yellow Warbler Great Reed Warbler
Lesser Swamp Warbler Common Reed-Warbler
Marsh Warbler Wing-snapping Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola Cloud Cisticola
Neddicky Desert Cisticola
Lazy Cisticola Red-faced Cisticola
Rattling Cisticola Levailant’s Cisticola
Croaking Cisticola Rufous-winged Cisticola
Grey-backed Cisticola Wailing Cisticola
Tawney-flanked Prinia Blackchested Prinia
Karoo Prinia Drakensberg Prinia
Rufus-eared Warbler
Stierling’s Wren-warbler Barred Wren-warbler
Grey-backed Camaroptera Green-backed Camaroptera
Rudd’s Apalis Bar-throated Apalis
Yellow-breasted Apalis Pale Flyctcher
Fiscal Flycatcher Southern Black Flycatcher
Marico Flycatcher Chat Flycatcher
African Dusky Flycatcher Spotted Flycatcher
Ashy Flycatcher Grey Tit-flycatcher
African Paradise Flycatcher Fairy Flycatcher
Chinspot Batis
Pririt Batis Cape Batis
Black-Throated Wattle-eye
Cape White-eye Orange-river White-eye
African Pied Wagtail Cape wagtail
Mountain Wagtail Grey Wagtail
Western Yellow Wagtail
Cape Longclaw
Yellow-throated Longclaw Yellow-breasted Pipit
Plain-backed Pipit Buffy Pipit
African Rock Pipit African Pipit
Striped Pipit Long-billed Pipit
Bushveld Pipit Southern Common Fiscal
Southern white-crowned shrike Magpie Shrike
Red-backed Shrike Lesser grey Shrike
White-crested Helmet-shrike Retz’s Helmet-shrike
Brubru Black-backed Puffback
Southern Boubou Tropical Boubou
Crimson-breasted Shrike Brown-crowned Tchagra
Black-crowned Tchagra Southern Tchagra
Bokmakierie Orange-breasted Bushshrike
Gorgeous Bushshrike Grey-headed Bushshrike
Olive Bush-shrike
Black-bellied Starling
Cape Glossy Starling Meve’s Starling
Burchell’s Starling Red-winged starling
Pale-winged Starling Violet-backed Starling
Pied Starling Common Starling
Common Myna Wattled Starling
Red-billed Oxpecker Yellow-billed Oxpecker
Cape Sugarbird Malachite Sunbird
Orange-breasted Sunbird Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Amethyst Sunbird Grey Sunbird
Olive Sunbird Southern Double-collared Sunbird
Greater Double-collared Sunbird Purple-banded Sunbird
White-bellied sunbird Marico Sunbird
Collared Sunbird Dusky Sunbird
Cape Sparrow Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
House Sparrow Great Sparrow
Yellow-throated Bush-sparrow
Sociable Weaver
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver Thick-billed Weaver
Red-billed Buffalo-weaver Dark-backed Weaver
Cape Weaver Golden Weaver
Yellow Weaver
Southern Brown-throated Weaver
Village Weaver
Red-headed Weaver
Southern Masked Weaver Lesser Masked Weaver
Spectacled Weaver Red-billed Quelea
Southern Red Bishop Yellow-crowned Bishop
Yellow Bishop
Fan-tailed Widowbird
Long-tailed widowbird Red-collared Widowbird
White-winged Widowbird Long-tailed Paradise-whydah
Pin-tailed Whydah Shaft-tailed Whydah
Cuckoo Finch Dusky Indigobird
Purple Indigobird Village Indigobird
Bronze Mannikin Red-backed Mannikin
Red-headed Finch Scaly-feathered finch
Cut-throat Finch Violet-eared Waxbill
Blue Waxbill Common Waxbill
Black-faced Waxbill Grey Waxbill
Green-winged Pytilia Orange-breasted Waxbill
Quailfinch African Firefinch
Red-billed Firefinch Jameson Firefinch
Swee waxbill Green Twinspot
Brimstone Canary Streaky-headed eedeater
White-throated Canary Yellow-fronted Canary
Black-Throated Canary Yellow Canary
Cape Canary Lemon-breasted Canary
Forest Canary Black-headed Canary
Lark-like Bunting Cape Bunting
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting Golden-breasted Bunting
