16 Amazing African Birds In The World

Birds are categorized into Maniraptora which is a clade of dinosaurs. Now, you can call birds modern dinosaurs. Nature has given birds hollow bones in order to make them lightweight so they can fly. The secondary reason is it aids in breathing during flight. Birds are one of the most amazing creatures on earth and African Birds are unique in adapting to the environment for survival. Here is the list of the top 16 African birds in the world.

African Birds

1. Grey Crowned Crane

Grey Crowned Crane is one of the colorful African birds also known as the African crowned crane, golden crested crane, golden-crowned crane, East African crane, East African crowned crane, Eastern crowned crane and South African crane. The bird species belongs to the crane family Gruidae and is mostly seen in the regions of eastern and southern Africa.

This is also listed as the national bird of Uganda and is closely related to the black-crowned crane. The Grey Crowned Crane can grow upto 1 m (3.3 ft) tall with an avarage wieght of 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs) and has a total wingspan of 2 m (6.5 ft). Talking about the appearance, The body and plumage is grey in color and the wings are white in color. The feathers have multiple ranges of colors along with a distinctive black patch at the very top. The avarage lifespan is 22 years in the wild.

Also Read: Top 10 Small Birds With Long Beak

2. Shoebill

Shoebill is a unique grey bird that can be easily identified because they have features that are characteristic of genetically unrelated types of birds such as storks, pelicans, hamerkop, and herons. It is also known as Whale-head or Shoe-billed Stork and can only be seen in the eastern parts of Africa from Sudan to Zambia. It loves to thrive in marshes, swamps, and wetlands.

Shoebill is a large bird that can grow upto 5 feet tall along with 4 feet long with an avarage wieght of 1.5 pounds in weight. Talking about the appearance, the body of the bird is covered with bluish-grey plumage and has a strong neck, long legs, and broad wings. The avarage lifespan is 35 years in the wild. The diet includes types of fish, amphibians, lizards, snakes, rats, and even baby crocodiles.

Also Read: Top 10 Beautiful Birds That Are Blue In Color

3. Common Ostrich

Common Ostrich is also known as Ostrich is a non-flying largest bird that lives in Africa. Male, female and young ostriches come in different colors whereas males are identified by black and white color. The females and young are usually greyish, brownish, and white.

The bird species can survive without water for a longer period of time because they can absorb water from the food they eat. It is also listed as the fastest-running desert bird in the world and can run faster than lions or leopards. They are known to have very strong legs and one kick can kill a lion. The varage lifespan of the bird species is 30-70 years in the wild.

Also Read: Top 10 Long Neck Animals In The World

4. Flamingo

The flamingo is one of the most beautiful African birds in the world known for its red-purple-colored feather. It loves to thrive in shallow lakes, mangrove swamps, and sandy islands. They are mostly seen in the islands of Africa, Asia, America, and Europe. It is one of the animals that start with f.

As of now, 6 species of flamingos have been known to humans with an avarage hieght of 3.3 – 4.6 feet tall and a wieght of 3.3 – 9 pounds. The total wingspan of bird species ranges from 3.3 – 5 feet. The red-purple-colored feather is a result of pigments in their food known as carotenoids and they are responsible for the red and pink colors of their feathers. The avarage lifespan is 20 and 30 years in the wild.

Also Read: Top 10 Birds With Orange Beak

5. Vulture

Vultures are one of the largest birds of prey with the head and neck more or less bare of feathers. As of now, 23 species of Vultures are known to humans and known for excellent senses of sight and smell. Talking about apperance, they have bare heads and often bare necks that help them to feed on rotting carcasses, bacteria, and other parasites that cannot burrow into thick feathers to cause infections.

It used to pee on the legs in order to cool them off in hot weather. The avarage lifespan of the bird species is 10 to 30 years in the wild. It can grow upto 56 to 74 cm in length with an avarage wieght of 1.2 to 1.9 kg. The wingspan varies depending on the species of the vulture.

Also Read: Top 10 Smartest Talking Birds in the World

6. Secretary bird

The secretary bird is one of the large birds of prey mostly seen in the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. It prefers to thrive in semi-deserts, forests, and farmlands. This graceful animal can grow upto 4 to 5 feet in height with an avarage wieght of 5 to 9 ½ pounds of weight. Talking about their apperance, the upper part of the body is grey in color and the bottom side of the body and flight feathers are black in color.

The facial skin is orange in color along with a beak that is bluish-grey. The backside of the body has long and erect black feathers that are on the backside of the neck. The wingspan of the bird is 7 feet and they really fly even though they are proficient in the air. The avarage lifespan is 20 years in captivity.

Also Read: Top 10 Amazing Woodpeckers In Ohio

7. Marabou Stork

Marabou Stork belongs to the family Ciconiidae and can grow upto 150 cm (59 in.)The avarage wieght of the bird species is up to 9 kg (20 lbs.)The primary diet includes carrion, fish, termites, locusts, frogs, lizards, baby crocodiles, snakes, rats, mice, and birds. The incubation period of the bird species is 30 to 50 days with a clutch size of 3 to 5 eggs.

The varage lifespan of the bird species is 20 years in captivity and life in the wild is unknown. It prefers to thrive in dry savannas, grasslands, swamps, riverbanks, lakeshores, and receding pools where fish are concentrated. They have a hollow leg and toe bone and this is important for adaptation to flight.

Also Read: Top 10 Birds Chirping At Night

Image Source: Wikimedia

8. Yellow-Billed Storks

Yellow-Billed Storks also known as a wood stork or wood ibis is one of the beautiful African birds that belong to the family Ciconiidae. The bird species are mostly seen in the regions south of the Sahara and also occur in Madagascar. The medium size stork species can grow upto 90 to 105 cm with an avarage wieght of 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) and 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) respectively.

Talking about their appearance, they have a white body along with a short black tail that is glossed green and purple when freshly molted. The bird species is carnivorous and primarily feeds on small fish, frogs, insects, and worms. The natural predators are cheetahs, leopards, lions, and humans. It is mostly seen in the regions of East Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar.

Also Read: Top 10 Beautiful Orange and Black Birds

9. Saddle-Billed Stork

Saddle-billed stork also known as saddlebill belongs to the stork family Ciconiidae. One of teh beautiful African birds is mostly seen in the regions of Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, and Chad in west Africa.

The bird species is endangered in South Africa and it is very close relative to the Asian and Australian black-necked stork. The bird is huge that can achieve a hieght of 145 to 150 cm (4 ft 9 in to 4 ft 11 in) along with a length of 142 cm (4 ft 8 in) and a total wingspan of 2.4 to 2.7 m (7 ft 10 into 8 ft 10 in) wingspan. It is also listed as the tallest stork in the world.

Also Read: Top 10 Water Birds in the World

10. Pelican

Pelican is one of the amazing African birds that can be seen on all continents except Antarctica. As of now, eight species of pelicans are known to humans and prefer to thrive in warm regions, near rivers, estuaries, and lakes. One of the largest birds in the world can reach 4 and 6 inches in length with an avarage of 10 and 30 pounds of weight.

Pelicans have the largest bill of all birds that can reach 18 inches in length. The bird species can be easily recognized by its large body along with short legs and a wingspan of 10 feet. The primary diet is fish mainly but they have also seen feeding on turtles, crustaceans, and tadpoles.

Also Read: Top 10 Largest Birds of Prey On Planet Earth

11. White-faced whistling duck

White-faced whistling duck is one of the popular African birds mostly seen in the regions of South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of the Caribbean and Central America. These birds are known for their high-pitched whistling calls.

They made their nests in the branches of the tree and it is known as tree ducks. White-faced whistling duck loves to feed on grass, seeds, and aquatic mollusks. The adult species can be easily identified with the help of a black and white head and a reddish chestnut-brown breast.

Also Read: 10 Amazing African Horned Animals In The World

Image Source: Wikimedia

12. Eurasian Golden Oriole

Eurasian Golden Oriole is a popular songbird that can grow upto 24 to 24 cm with a total wingspan of 44 to 47 cm. The avarage lifespan of the bird species is 10 years in the wild. Talking about apperance, the male species has a golden yellow in color with black wings that have yellow-tipped coverts, however, the female species comes with greenish and a yellowish-white belly. These bird species are mostly seen in the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The bird species primarily feeds on seeds, nectar, and pollen.

Image Source: Wikimedia

13. White-bellied Go-Away Bird

The White-bellied Go-Away Bird scientifically known as Crinifer leucogaster is an eastern African bird species that belongs to the family Musophagidae. It is commonly known as Turaco and it was described by German naturalist Eduard Rüppell in the year 1842.

The unique part is that these bird species run like squirrels over tree limbs. White-bellied Go-Away Bird is mostly seen in single, pairs, or small groups. The bird species is native to Central and South Africa where they are mostly seen in Southeast Sudan, Central / Eastern Ethiopia, and Somalia through Uganda and Kenya to Tanzania.

Image Source: Wikimedia

14. Grey go-away-bird

The Grey go-away-bird scientifically known as Corythaixoides concolor is bird species native to South Africa. It is also known as grey turaco and grey lourie. The bird species love to thrive in the regions of dry savanna and thorny woodland regions. These bird species are highly social birds and very caring birds as well.

It loves to feed on flowers, fruits, and berries. There are instances when they have been seen feeding on small invertebrates as well. It can grow upto 19 to 20 inches and weighs around 0.4 to 0.7 lb. The avarage lifespan of African grey go-away birds is upto 20 years in the wild.

Image Source: Wikimedia

15. Hooded Vulture

The hooded Vulture is an old-world vultures species that are visible in the regions of west, south, and eastern African provinces. Talking about their appearance, it is brown feathered birds that have a grey-black hood on their shoulder and the back of their neck. The head of the bird species is bald and the face is light pink in color. The bird species mostly prey on Dead animals, insects, larvae, and small animals. The avarage lifespan of a Hooded Vulture is 20 to 25 years in the wild.

Image Source: Wikimedia

16. Lilac-breasted Rollers

Lilac-breasted Rollers scientifically known as Coracias caudatus are one of the African birds that belong to the roller family, Coraciidae. The bird species is visible in the regions of sub-Saharan Africa, and the southern Arabian Peninsula. It is also known as the fork-tailed roller, lilac-throated roller, and Mosilikatze’s roller. Lilac-breasted Rollers primarily feed on grasshoppers, beetles, occasionally lizards, crabs, and small amphibians. The avarage lifespan of Lilac-breasted Rollers is around 10 years in the wild.