Bird Watching: Tanzania’s Spectacular Birdlife

If you’re an avid bird watcher and you enjoy traveling to the far-flung corners of the earth in search of prime specimens, Tanzania should be your next birding destination. This beautiful corner of the African continent is home to a surprising number of strikingly different birds. What’s more, family members can join you in your travels and experience the safari of a lifetime.

When most people picture Africa, they think of the Serengeti with its open, grassy plains. Much of Tanzania does feature this sort of open grassy terrain – a terrain which makes for easy bird watching. But Tanzania enjoys a somewhat varied terrain and you will find small pockets of ancient forest that are heavily populated by birds. The Kilombero Valley is also an excellent place to go bird watching in Tanzania and visitors may make the most of the beautiful river that runs through the valley to seek out a variety of water fowl. Canoe safaris in the area allow you to get very close to the beautiful birds living in the area. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also head to the Sadaani National Park where you can head out to the beach in search of seabirds. In totally there are approximately 1113 species of bird found in Tanzania – 29 of which are endemic. Clearly every bird watcher will enjoy a birding trip to Tanzania!

But exactly what sort of birds can you expect to see in Tanzania? Well, with the area regularly providing a home to 1113 species of bird, we certainly aren’t going to name them all here. But some regularly spotted birds include the likes of the adorable little hoopoe, the colorful bee-eater, the strikingly graceful crowned-crane and the unusual secretary bird. The instantly recognizable cry of the fish eagle will ring out above well-watered areas, while a variety of parrots will vie for your attention in heavily forested areas. And of course, no trip to Africa would be complete without a sighting of the biggest bird in the world – the ostrich. This curious, flightless bird can be spotted both in its natural state in the wild and in a somewhat more domesticated state near game reserve chalets. So book your stay in Tanzania now and make sure that you don’t miss out on this fantastic birding opportunity.