Species
Country checklist and status
You can download and print separate checklists for South Africa and Prince Edward Islands.
Approximately 600 species breed within South Africa. South Africa supports 47 species of global conservation concern which is the second largest total in Africa after Tanzania.
www.birds.sanbi.org contains a significant amount of information about the bird species that occur in South Africa’s protected areas. This website contains data related to the Birds in Reserves Project run by the Avian Demography Unit (ADU) of the University of Cape Town.
Site summaries are arranged in alphabetical order as well as per province. You will be able to obtain a species list for each site as well as a list of all the sites where a particular species has been seen. Percentages are given for the number of returns to the ADU which include that species for each month of the year so you are able to assess the likelihood of observing the species.
The ADU encourages the use of the data by personal recreational birders.
Endemic species
| *Grey-winged Francolin | Francolinus africanus |
| Black Bustard | Eupodotis afra |
| Blue Bustard | Eupodotis caerulescens |
| Black-rumped Buttonquail | Turnix hottentottus |
| Knysna Woodpecker | Campethera notata |
| *Ground Woodpecker | Geocolaptes olivaceus |
| Rudd's Lark | Heteromirafra ruddi |
| Cape Long-billed Lark | Certhilauda curvirostris |
| Agulhas Long-billed Lark | Certhilauda brevirostris |
| *Eastern Long-billed Lark | Certhilauda semitorquata |
| Karoo Lark | Certhilauda albescens |
| Botha's Lark | Spizocorys fringillaris |
| Long-tailed Pipit | Anthus longicaudatus |
| Cape Bulbul | Pycnonotus capensis |
| Knysna Warbler | Bradypterus sylvaticus |
| Victorin's Warbler | Bradypterus victorini |
| *Bush Blackcap | Lioptilus nigricapillus |
| Orange-breasted Sunbird | Anthobaphes violacea |
| *Southern Double-collared Sunbird | Cinnyris chalybeus |
| Greater Double-collared Sunbird | Cinnyris afer |
| Cape Sugarbird | Promerops cafer |
| *Cape Weaver | Ploceus capensis |
| Cape Siskin | Pseudochloroptila totta |
| *Forest Canary | Serinus scotops |
| Protea Canary | Serinus leucopterus |
* These species may also be found in Lesotho and Swaziland.
Endemic subspecies*
| Forest Buzzard | Buteo oreophilus trizonatus |
| Cape Parrot | Poicephalus robustus robustus |
| Eastern Clapper Lark | Mirafra apiata fasciolata |
| Cape Clapper Lark | Mirafra apiata apiata |
| Agulhas Clapper Lark | Mirafra apiata marjoriae |
* Note some authorities treat these as full species.
Near endemic species (found in 3 adjacent countries at most)
| Bank Cormorant | Phalacrocorax neglectus | N |
| Crowned Cormorant | Phalacrocorax coronatus | NA |
| Southern Bald Ibis | Geronticus calvus | L |
| Black Harrier | Circus maurus | NB |
| Grey-winged Francolin | Francolinus africanus | L |
| Cape Francolin | Francolinus capensis | N |
| Karoo Bustard | Eupodotis vigorsii | NL |
| African Black Oystercatcher | Haematopus moquini | N |
| Hartlaub's Gull | Larus hartlaubii | N |
| Knysna Turaco | Tauraco corythaix | M |
| Ground Woodpecker | Geocolaptes olivaceus | L |
| Melodious Lark | Mirafra cheniana | ZB |
| Karoo Long-billed Lark | Certhilauda subcoronata | N |
| Benguela Long-billed Lark | Certhilauda benguelensis | NA |
| Short-clawed Lark | Certhilauda chuana | B |
| Red Lark | Certhilauda burra | N |
| Sclater's Lark | Spizocorys sclateri | N |
| Large-billed Lark | Galerida magnirostris | L |
| Black-eared Sparrow Lark | Eremopterix australis | NB |
| African Rock Pipit | Anthus crenatus | LS |
| Yellow-breasted Pipit | Anthus chloris | L |
| Chorister Robin-Chat | Cossypha dichroa | S |
| Brown Scrub-Robin | Cercotrichas signata | SM |
| Karoo Scrub-Robin | Cercotrichas coryphaeus | NL |
| Buff-streaked Chat | Oenanthe bifasciata | L |
| Sentinel Rock-Thrush | Monticola explorator | L |
| Karoo Eremomela | Eremomela gregalis | N |
| Namaqua Warbler | Phragmacia substriata | N |
| *Karoo Prinia | Prinia maculosa | NL |
| Cinnamon-breasted Warbler | Euryptila subcinnamomea | N |
| Fiscal Flycatcher | Sigelus silens | MB |
| Fairy Flycatcher | Stenostira scita | NB |
| Cape Batis | Batis capensis | MZ |
| **Rufous Rockjumper | Chaetops frenatus | L |
| Southern Grey Tit | Parus afer | NL |
| Gurney's Sugarbird | Promerops gurneyi | MZ |
| Southern Tchagra | Tchagra tchagra | S |
| African Pied Starling | Spreo bicolor | NL |
| Swee Waxbill | Coccopygia melanotis | MZ |
| Drakensberg Siskin | Pseudochloroptila symonsi | L |
| White-throated Canary | Serinus albogularis | NA |
| Black-headed Canary | Alario alario | NL |
Species also found in following adjacent countries: N=Namibia; A=Angola; L=Lesotho; B=Botswana; M=Mozambique; Z=Zimbabwe; S=Swaziland.
* Note that some authorities consider Drakensberg Prinia Prinia maculosa hypoxantha to be a separate species.
** Note that some authorities consider Drakensberg or Orange-breasted Rockjumper Chaetops frenatus aurantius to be a separate species.
Threatened species
| African Penguin | Spheniscus demersus | Vulnerable |
| Wandering Albatross | Diomedea exulans | Vulnerable |
| Slaty Egret | Egretta vinaceigula | Vulnerable |
| Southern Bald Ibis | Geronticus calvus | Vulnerable |
| Cape Vulture | Gyps coprotheres | Vulnerable |
| Black Harrier | Circus maurus | Vulnerable |
| Lesser Kestrel | Falco naumanni | Vulnerable |
| Taita Falcon | Falco fasciinucha | Vulnerable |
| White-winged Flufftail | Sarothrura ayresi | Endangered |
| Wattled Crane | Bugeranus carunculatus | Vulnerable |
| Blue Crane | Anthropoides paradiseus | Vulnerable |
| Corncrake | Crex crex | Vulnerable |
| Kerguelen Tern | Sterna virgata | Vulnerable |
| Rudd's Lark | Heteromirafra ruddi | Critical |
| Red Lark | Certhilauda burra | Vulnerable |
| Botha's Lark | Spizocorys fringillaris | Vulnerable |
| Blue Swallow | Hirundo atrocaerulea | Vulnerable |
| Yellow-breasted Pipit | Anthus chloris | Vulnerable |
| Spotted Ground-Thrush | Zoothera guttata | Endangered |
The lists of endemic, near endemic and threatened species have been compiled from a number of sources including the African Bird Club, BirdLife International, and Birds of the World Version 2.0 ® 1994-1996, Dr. Charles Sibley and Thayer Birding Software, Ltd.
Last page update 25th January 2008
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
