Lake Natron Bird Checklist
Lake Natron Bird Checklist : Lake Natron is located in the Northern region of Tanzania and it is famously known for being a breeding destination of thousands of flamingos. It covers a total surface area of about 1,040 square kilometers and stands at an elevated area of an altitude of around 600 meters above the sea level. Lake Natron has red waters and despite of being a birding destination, it is also a good fishing spot because it hosts fish species like; Alcolapia graham, Oreochromis ndalalani, Alcolapia alcalica, Alcolapia Latilabris and many others. In addition, below is a list of birds to see while exploring around the lakeshores.
Ostriches: Struthionidae
Common Ostrich
Ducks: Anatidae
White-faced Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Knob-billed Duck
Egyptian Goose
Spur-winged Goose
Blue-billed Teal
/Northern Shoveler/
Cape Teal
Red-billed Duck
Guineafowl: Numididae
Helmeted Guineafowl
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies: Phasianidae
Crested Francolin
Coqui Francolin
Harlequin Quail
Scaly Spurfowl
Hildebrandt’s Spurfowl
Yellow-necked Spurfowl
Flamingos: Phoenicopteridae
Greater Flamingo
<Lesser Flamingo>
Grebes: Podicipedidae
Little Grebe
Pigeons and Doves: Columbidae
Speckled Pigeon
Mourning Collared-Dove
Red-eyed Dove
Ring-necked Dove
Laughing Dove
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove
Namaqua Dove
Sandgrouse: Pteroclidae
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
Black-faced Sandgrouse
Bustards: Otididae
Kori Bustard
White-bellied Bustard
Buff-crested Bustard
Black-bellied Bustard
Turacos: Musophagidae
Bare-faced Go-away-bird
White-bellied Go-away-bird
Cuckoos: Cuculidae
Red-chested Cuckoo
/Common Cuckoo/
African Cuckoo
White-browed Coucal
Klaas’s Cuckoo
Nightjars and Allies: Caprimulgidae
Sombre Nightjar
Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar
Slender-tailed Nightjar
Square-tailed Nightjar
Swifts: Apodidae
Mottled Spinetail
Mottled Swift
|Common Swift|
Nyanza Swift
Little Swift
White-rumped Swift
Cranes: Gruidae
Gray Crowned-Crane
Stilts and Avocets: Recurvirostridae
Black-winged Stilt
Pied Avocet
Plovers and Lapwings: Charadriidae
/Black-bellied Plover/
Blacksmith Lapwing
Spur-winged Lapwing
Black-winged Lapwing
Crowned Lapwing
Wattled Lapwing
/Caspian Plover/
Kittlitz’s Plover
/Common Ringed Plover/
Three-banded Plover
Chestnut-banded Plover
Sandpipers and Allies: Scolopacidae
/Ruff/
/Curlew Sandpiper/
/Little Stint/
/Common Snipe/
/Common Sandpiper/
/Green Sandpiper/
/Common Greenshank/
/Marsh Sandpiper/
/Wood Sandpiper/
Buttonquail: Turnicidae
Small Buttonquail
Pratincoles and Coursers: Glareolidae
Temminck’s Courser
Double-banded Courser
Bronze-winged Courser
Collared Pratincole
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers: Laridae
Gray-hooded Gull
/Gull-billed Tern/
/White-winged Tern/
Whiskered Tern
African Skimmer
Storks: Ciconiidae
African Openbill
/Abdim’s Stork/
/White Stork/
Marabou Stork
Yellow-billed Stork
Anhingas: Anhingidae
African Darter
Cormorants and Shags: Phalacrocoracidae
Long-tailed Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Pelicans: Pelecanidae
Great White Pelican
Pink-backed Pelican
Shoebill: Balaenicipitidae
Shoebill
Hamerkop: Scopidae
Hamerkop
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns: Ardeidae
Little Bittern
Gray Heron
Black-headed Heron
Goliath Heron
Great Egret
Intermediate Egret
Little Egret
Cattle Egret
Ibises and Spoonbills: Threskiornithidae
Glossy Ibis
African Sacred Ibis
Hadada Ibis
African Spoonbill
Secretary-bird: Sagittariidae
Secretarybird
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites: Accipitridae
African Harrier-Hawk
Egyptian Vulture
Lappet-faced Vulture
White-backed Vulture
Rueppell’s Griffon
Bateleur
Black-chested Snake-Eagle
/Booted Eagle/
Tawny Eagle
/Steppe Eagle/
Verreaux’s Eagle
Dark Chanting-Goshawk
Eastern Chanting-Goshawk
/Eurasian Marsh-Harrier/
African Marsh-Harrier
Montagu’s Harrier
/Black Kite/
Yellow-billed Kite**
African Fish-Eagle
Augur Buzzard
Owls: Strigidae
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Mousebirds: Coliidae
Speckled Mousebird
Blue-naped Mousebird
Hoopoes: Upupidae
/Eurasian Hoopoe/
Woodhoopoes and Scimitarbills: Phoeniculidae
Abyssinian Scimitarbill
Hornbills: Bucerotidae
African Gray Hornbill
Northern Red-billed Hornbill
Von der Decken’s Hornbill
Kingfishers: Alcedinidae
African Pygmy Kingfisher
Gray-headed Kingfisher
Woodland Kingfisher
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Striped Kingfisher
Bee-eaters: Meropidae
White-fronted Bee-eater
Little Bee-eater
/White-throated Bee-eater/
|European Bee-eater|
Rollers: Coraciidae
/European Roller/
Lilac-breasted Roller
Rufous-crowned Roller
African Barbets: Lybiidae
Red-and-yellow Barbet
D’Arnaud’s Barbet
Red-fronted Barbet
Spot-flanked Barbet
Black-throated Barbet
White-headed Barbet
Woodpeckers: Picidae
Cardinal Woodpecker
Nubian Woodpecker
Falcons and Caracaras: Falconidae
Pygmy Falcon
/Eurasian Kestrel/
Greater Kestrel
Gray Kestrel
Lanner Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Parrots: Psittaculidae
Fischer’s Lovebird
Cuckooshrikes: Campephagidae
Black Cuckooshrike
Wattle-eyes and Batises: Platysteiridae
Chinspot Batis
Bushshrikes: Malaconotidae
Black-backed Puffback
Black-crowned Tchagra
Brown-crowned Tchagra
Tropical Boubou
Slate-colored Boubou
Rosy-patched Bushshrike
Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike
Drongos: Dicruridae
Fork-tailed Drongo
Monarch Flycatchers: Monarchidae
African Paradise-Flycatcher
Shrikes: Laniidae
/Red-backed Shrike/
/Isabelline Shrike/
|Lesser Gray Shrike|
Gray-backed Fiscal
Long-tailed Fiscal
Taita Fiscal
Northern Fiscal
White-rumped Shrike
Crows, Jays, and Magpies: Corvidae
White-necked Raven
Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice: Paridae
Red-throated Tit
Larks: Alaudidae
<Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark>
Fischer’s Sparrow-Lark
White-tailed Lark
Rufous-naped Lark
<Short-tailed Lark>
African Warblers: Macrosphenidae
Northern Crombec
Red-faced Crombec
Cisticolas and Allies: Cisticolidae
Yellow-bellied Eremomela
Gray Wren-Warbler
Green-backed Camaroptera
Rattling Cisticola
Ashy Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola
Reed Warblers and Allies: Acrocephalidae
/Great Reed Warbler/
Swallows: Hirundinidae
Banded Martin
Rock Martin
/Barn Swallow/
Wire-tailed Swallow
Lesser Striped Swallow
/Common House-Martin/
Bulbuls: Pycnonotidae
Northern Brownbul
Common Bulbul
Sylviid Warblers, Parrotbills, and Allies: Sylviidae
Banded Parisoma
White-eyes, Yuhinas, and Allies: Zosteropidae
Pale White-eye
Laughingthrushes and Allies: Leiothrichidae
Rufous Chatterer
Scaly Chatterer
Black-lored Babbler
Northern Pied-Babbler
Oxpeckers: Buphagidae
Red-billed Oxpecker
Starlings: Sturnidae
Wattled Starling
Violet-backed Starling
Red-winged Starling
Hildebrandt’s Starling
Rueppell’s Starling
Superb Starling
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Thrushes and Allies: Turdidae
Abyssinian Thrush
Old World Flycatchers: Muscicapidae
|Spotted Flycatcher|
African Gray Flycatcher
Pale Flycatcher
Southern Black-Flycatcher
Red-backed Scrub-Robin
Cape Robin-Chat
Rueppell’s Robin-Chat
White-browed Robin-Chat
Collared Palm-Thrush
Spotted Morning-Thrush
/Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush/
Mocking Cliff-Chat
Northern Anteater-Chat
/Northern Wheatear/
Capped Wheatear
/Isabelline Wheatear/
/Pied Wheatear/
Familiar Chat
Abyssinian Wheatear
Sunbirds and Spiderhunters: Nectariniidae
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird
Collared Sunbird
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Beautiful Sunbird
Variable Sunbird
Weavers and Allies: Ploceidae
White-headed Buffalo-Weaver
Speckle-fronted Weaver
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver
Lesser Masked-Weaver
<Chestnut Weaver>
<Cardinal Quelea>
<Red-billed Quelea>
Southern Red Bishop
Yellow Bishop
Yellow-mantled Widowbird
Waxbills and Allies: Estrildidae
Black-and-white Mannikin
African Silverbill
<Cut-throat>
Purple Grenadier
Red-cheeked Cordonbleu
Blue-capped Cordonbleu
Red-billed Firefinch
Indigobirds: Viduidae
Pin-tailed Whydah
Eastern Paradise-Whydah
Steel-blue Whydah
Straw-tailed Whydah
Village Indigobird
Old World Sparrows: Passeridae
House Sparrow
Kenya Rufous Sparrow
Northern Gray-headed Sparrow
Swahili Sparrow
Chestnut Sparrow
Wagtails and Pipits: Motacillidae
African Pied Wagtail
African Pipit
Plain-backed Pipit
Yellow-throated Longclaw
Pangani Longclaw
Finches, Euphonias, and Allies: Fringillidae
Yellow-fronted Canary
White-bellied Canary
