African Bird FAQ

The Kruger National Park is home to most of South Africa's raptors. Vultures occur most in central grasslands, while eagles prefer mixed woo...more

African Black Oystercatcher

The Oystercatcher is entirely black with red legs and an orange-tipped red bill. Wedge-like bill, which is slightly longer than the head, th...more

African Fish Eagle

The African Fish Eagle is a fairly large eagle. It has a distinctive black, brown, and white plumage....more

Bank Cormorant

Told by heavy-bodied appearance, crested head and usually (not always) a white rump; wings dark brown, rest black with bronze sheen...more

Bateleur Eagle

The Bateleur eagle is the most famous of the snake eagles. Bateleur is French for...more

Black Headed Oriole

This bird has a very liquid sounding call which is a common sound in the area. They are a striking yellow colour with a black head. Like the...more

Black Stork

A Black Stork resembles the white stork in size, but shines with redish green tint. It has a white breast, belly, and a white spot under the...more

Brown Headed Parrot

The Brown Headed Parrot is another green bird with a brownish grey head. It has yellow under the wings at the front which unfortunately can ...more

Cape Cormorant

Breeding adults told by entirely glossy green-black plumage, head without crest, orange-yellow bill-base; the eyes are greenish. Fairly long...more

Cape Gannet

Unmistakable, large black and white seabird with yellow head and hind neck, at close range with distinctive black lines on bill and face, pl...more

Cape Wagtail

This common bird is unmistakable with its grey-brown upperparts, dark band across chest and white outer tail-feathers. No white on secondari...more

Caspian Tern

Largest tern in our region. Massive red bill and overall size render this tern unmistakable....more

Common Tern

The bill is 1½ times the distance between back of eye and front of forehead, the bill is red with black tip but shows more black in non-bre...more

Cormorants

Because of their black colouration, cormorants are often referred to as sea crows. In fact, the family name, Phalacrocoracidae, means bald r...more

Crested Barbet

This small bird has a speckled yellow and red face with a small black crest, their belly is yellow with red speckles, the wings are black wi...more

Crowned Cormorant

A marine version of the Reed Cormorant and recognised by its overall blacker appearance, permanent crest all year and shorter tail....more

Curlew

Males are smaller than females. Upper parts mottled black and light chestnut; neck, chest and breast buff streaked with chestnut and dusky, ...more

Damara Tern

Small size and all-black cap diagnostic of breeding plumage; at other times differs from Little Tern in longer, slightly downturned bill and...more

Eagle Owl

The Giant Eagle Owl is the largest owl in the world. As the biggest of all the Owls the Eagle owl is easily recognised by its huge size and ...more

Green Pigeon

Their upperparts are greyish green to yellowish green, their thighs are yellow with mauve patches on the top of the wing. Their bills are re...more

Grey Plover

The size, high forehead, short bill and long legs, distinguishes this Plover from other waders. In summer plumage the underparts from the ch...more

Grey-headed Gull

Adults have all-grey hood, pale yellow eyes and bright red bills and legs. When non-breeding, the head is white....more

Guano birds

Historically most southern African guano has been produced by three species, the Jackass Penguin, the Cape Gannet, and the Cape Cormorant...more

Hawk Eagle

The African Hawk Eagle is easily identified in flight by the underwing pattern - a dark central stripe which runs from the wing base to the ...more

Kelp Gull

The adult Kelp Gull, also known as Southern Blackbacked Gull has dark eyes and whitish-yellow feet...more

Kingfisher

Kingfishers are among the most brilliantly coloured of all birds, and many have strident voices and dramatic courtship displays. Most specie...more

Kori Bustard

Kori Bustard has huge size and lack of reddish on hind-neck render this species unmistakable. Female much smaller than male...more

Lilac Breasted Roller

The average size is 14.5 inches. The washed green head is large, the neck is short, the greenish yellow legs are rather short and the feet a...more

Marabou Stork

Its huge size and repulsive appearance leave no doubt as to the bird's identity. The naked head and neck bear sparse woolly down which, in t...more

Martial Eagle

Martial Eagles are the largest of the African eagles and incredibly powerful, capable of knocking an adult man off his feet....more

Ostrich

The ostrich (struthio camelus) is a member of a group of birds known as ratites, that is they are flightless birds without a keel to their b...more

Pearl Spotted Owl

Pearl spotted owls are very small, 'earless' owls. They have cinnamon brown heads with off-white facial disks. Their upper-parts are brown w...more

Plum Coloured Starling

They weigh 45 g and the sexes are dimorphic in plumage. The males upperparts, including the chin, throat and wings are iridescent purple. Th...more

Purple Roller

Purple Roller have a lenght of 35-40cm, and weigh 160g. The sexes look alike. It is a large, stocky and dull roller. From a distance or in p...more

Sanderling

Sanderlings have a rather drab colouring, mainly white in appearance but with pale grey on crown and upper parts. Bill and legs are black. S...more

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern is much larger than Common Tern, its back paler than other similar-sized Terns. Differs from Gullbilled Tern in a much slimmer...more

Scops Owl

These Owls are also known simply as White-faced Owls. Because of several distinctions from other Scops Owls, some specialists give this Owl ...more

Secretary Bird

The Secretary bird is a bird of prey, but unlike other raptors it has long legs, wings and a tail. The single species of its family, the bir...more

Spoonbill

The African Spoonbill is a long-legged wading bird. Its height is 90 cm (36'). Its body is predominantly white, except for its red legs, fac...more

Swift Tern

Swift Tern is a large Tern, with large, slightly curved, yellow bill. Forehead strip, sides of face, neck and underparts white. Black legs a...more

Taita Falcon

The Taita falcon (Falco fasciinucha) is a small raptor with a banded nape. It was first identified in Kenya and is similar to the Peregrine ...more

Turnstone

In summer plumage the head and neck of the Turnstone bird attain a black-and-white pattern, the scapulars and wing-coverts a bright chestnut...more

White Faced Duck

The adult males have the front half of their head and throat white and the rest of their head and neck are black with white patches on the u...more

White Fronted Plover

The White-fronted Plover male has a more conspicuous black line behind eye and usually small dark patches on sides of breast. The birds from...more

Whitebreasted Cormorant

Identified by large size and white underparts, throat to breast or, in immatures, entirely white underparts, much whiter than the immature o...more
Kruger National Park - South African Safari