There's no doubt that birds are one of the most bizarre and beautiful creatures on earth. That is why some people are fond of bird watching and travel to places like Africa just to watch rare and magnificent bird species.
Africa is blessed with a variety of wildlife, particularly birds. It is home to an estimate of 2,341 bird species. With that large quantity, 67% are considered endemic to the continent. It is indeed a wildlife paradise.
To help you be equipped on your next birdwatching trip to Africa, you can browse at www.birdinformer.com for some dose of bird knowledge and trivia. For starters, here is a list of the 14 best wild birds found in the said mesmerizing country:
Cape Penduline Tit
The cape penduline tit is one of Africa's smallest birds. It measures only about 8 centimeters. Moreover, it is more settled to Mediterranean climates and vegetation.
This tiny bird feeds on even smaller food like larvae and tiny berries. It is also primarily found in the South of Africa, including Namibia, South Africa, Angola, and Botswana.
Peregrine Falcon
This great bird can easily be identified due to its square tail, pointy wings, and regal bluish-grey crown of feathers on its head. It is known as the fastest bird in the world. Not only that, but it is also one of the fastest species. It can reach a speed of up to 250 km/hour.
Its speed is a great advantage when it comes to hunting. The peregrine falcon catches its prey in one swift movement and grabs whatever they want to eat. It doesn't need to stop and look for food on land. Furthermore, this falcon can adapt to several climates, from the sweltering desert to the freezing cold tundra.
Wandering Albatross
The wandering albatross is a huge bird. It is known as one of the largest birds in the world. Not only that, but it also has the largest wingspan, which most likely ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 meters.
Due to its large wingspan, the wandering albatross can remain in the air without even flapping its wings for several hours. Moreover, this huge bird is also one of the most far-ranging. In fact, several wandering albatrosses have been recorded to circumnavigate the Southern Ocean about three times a year. This covers more than 120,000 km.
African Bearded Vulture
The African bearded vultures are also called lammergeiers. They developed a clever and one of a kind method of eating carcass bone marrow. They do this by picking up heavy bones from a carcass, fly off and drop them from a great height. This is to shatter the bones and easily get the marrows to eat.
The bone-breaking technique the vultures practice can take about seven years to perfect. In fact, some of these birds have a favorite breaking spot, which is called ossuaries. Additionally, the African bearded vulture loves to rub soil into their feathers to make them look more intimidating.
Pennant-winged Nightjar
The pennants of this bird refer to its long white wing streamers. It looks like white handkerchiefs that trail from the tips of the pennant-winged nightjar's wings. Males develop this feature during the breeding season.
These pennants grow longer over time. It even lengthens up to twice their body length. However, upon completion of breeding, they are broken off quickly or dropped.
Sociable Weaver
Social weavers make the world's largest nests. These nests are perhaps the most amazing structure built by any bird. As many as about 400 birds will live in that single huge structure.
Their nests are cooler in the daytime and warmer at nighttime. This helps the birds survive the extreme temperatures of the African bush. Furthermore, their nests can reach heights of 4m.
The sociable weaver's nests are massive, recognizable, and look like huge apartment blocks. However, it may look like a haystack on a telephone pole or pas if it's placed on a large tree from a distance. Not only that, the nests are commonly used by other birds as well, like the pygmy falcon.
Greater Honeyguide
This bird has to be the most innovative and intriguing in the world. They are called greater honeyguides because they know how to lead people where to find beehives, which people typically harvest for honey. The birds then eat the wax combs people leave behind during harvest.
Several tribes in Africa developed their own whistles and calls to communicate with these amazing birds. It is a helpful and beautiful relationship between man and bird.
African Green Broadbill
This eye-catching bird can only be found in two places in the world: Uganda's Bwindi Forest and the Itombwe Mountains located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Unfortunately, the species is fast declining. This is because of the loss of its habitat from degradation and forest clearing.
Shelly's Crimsonwing
This bird is one of the world's rarest. Not many people have photographs of it. They can be found in every birder's bucket list. Shelly's Crimsonwing lives in a thin strip of volcanoes and mountains that borders Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This area is called the Albertine rift.
Doherty's Bushshrike
This beautiful bird lives in the moist shrub-lands and subtropical montane forests of Central Africa. It is commonly seen in Uganda. Moreover, their population levels are fortunately stable for the most part.
Black-breasted Barbet
The giant black-breasted barbet is highly sought after by birders; only a few individuals have seen them. Unfortunately, this bird is found in areas of conflict. Uganda is only one of the safest regions you can possibly get a glimpse of this bird.
Shoebill
This bird is considered endemic to Africa. Birders around the world would flock to Uganda just to look at the beauty of this clumsy giant. For a long time, this bird was unprotected. In fact, its eggs were typically stolen up until the Uganda Bird Guide Club took action in making it illegal for people to trap these birds and steal their eggs.
Green-breasted Pitta
This bird is common in Central Africa. However, it can be challenging to find and take a picture of. This is because it is well camouflaged and lives in the lowland tropical forests.
Takeaway
Africa is a large continent that has so much to offer, especially when it comes to wildlife. In fact, birds found in the country can range from smallest to biggest. With the vast number of birds and diverse species, it definitely is a bird watcher's paradise.
