Birds
AFROTROPICAL Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forest

Family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves

Columba arquatrix, 'African Olive Pigeon', 'Rameron', 'Geelbekbosduif', 'iVukuthu-lehlathi'. Found in various habitats, including cooler forests, in southern and eastern Africa

Streptopelia semitorquata, 'Red-eyed Dove'. Found in various habitats, including forest edge, throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Family Musophagidae: including 'Turacos'

This is one of the few families of birds endemic to Africa. They are large and often colourful birds. They eat fruit, with the family name meaning 'banana-eater'.

Musophaga rossae, 'Ross's Turaco'. When it flies, the open wings underside reveal crimson. Found in woodlands, rainforest edge and in forest along rivers across tropical Africa, mostly in the east. 'Ross's Turaco' often have an on-again off-again relationship with 'Rachel's Turaco'. That last bit is not true.

Tauraco corythaix, 'Knysna Turaco'. Found in forests of southern Africa.

Corythaeola cristata , 'Great Blue Turaco'. The largest of the Turacos. Found in rainforest in eastern and western Africa.

Family Threskiornithidae: Ibises, Spoonbills

Bostrychia hagedash, 'Hadada Ibis'. A common and noisey bird, often entering into agricultural and urban areas, but quite an attractive species when you take the time to appreciate it.

Family Coliidae: Mousebirds

Mousebirds are cute 'n scruffy. They are mostly an open habitat bird, but they sometimes appear on the edge of forest (not inside), where they are acrobatic, scurrying through the vegetation in groups. In cooler forests, they may swing upside down and expose themselves to the sun to warm up. 

Colius striatus, 'Speckled Mousebird'. The largest and most common of the Mousebirds can be seen on the edge of the forest.

Family Family Bucerotidae: Hornbills

Hornbills are found in the 'old world' tropics of Africa and Asia. They are large birds with huge bills, the ecological and morphological equivalent to the new world tropical Toucans.

Lophoceros alboterminatus , 'Crowned Hornbill'. Can be found along edge of forest and gardens and in wetter woodland, in southern, eastern and parts of western Africa.

Bycanistes subcylindricus, 'Black and White Casqued Hornbill'. Found in rainforest and edge, including gardens, in eastern and western Africa.

Family Meropidae: Bee-eaters

Merops oreobates, 'Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater'.

Family Alcedinidae: Kingfishers

Halcyon senegalensis, 'Woodland Kingfisher'. Large Kingfisher coloured bright blue if back is seen, and with a contrasting red bill. Similar to African Mangrove Kingfisher, but that species has an all red bill and grey wash to head. Found mostly in open habitats, but also on forest edge, and human settlements, throughout tropical Africa.

Family Platysteiridae, Wattle-eyes & Batises

Platysteira cyanea, 'Brown-throated Wattle-Eye', male.

Batis capensis, 'Cape Batis'.  Found in the cooler forests and gardens of southern Africa.

Family Vangidae

Bias musicus, 'Black and White Shrike Flycatcher'.

Family Laniidae: Shrikes

Lanius mackinnoni, 'Mackinnon's Fiscal Shrike' (Ruboni Camp, Uganda). Found in wetter habitats, including rainforest and forest edge and gardns, in a distjunct distribution in central eastern and western Africa.

Family Stenostiridae: 'Crested Flycatchers'

Elminia longicauda, 'African Blue Flycatcher', (Ruboni Camp, Uganda). Found in wetter habitats, including rainforest, in a distjunct distribution in central eastern and western Africa.

Family Cisticolidae

Cisticola chubbi, 'Chubb's Cistociola'. Found in open montane habitats, including forest edge across equatorial Africa.

Camaroptera brevicaudata, 'Grey-backed Camaroptera'. Found in bushy undergrowth  across much of Africa.

Apalis jacksoni, 'Black-throated Apalis'. Found in rainforest of tropical Africa, mainly lowland rainforest of west Africa and montane forest of Albertine Rift.

Family Zosteropidae, White-eyes

Zosterops senegalensis, 'Northern Yellow White-eye'. Found in many habitats, including edge of forest and into gardens.

Zosterops virens, 'Cape White-eye'. Found in various habitats in southern Africa.

Family Sturnidae: Starlings & Mynas

Family Turdidae: Thrushes

Neocossyphus poensis, White-tailed Ant-Thrush (Bigodi, Uganda).

Family Muscicapidae: Old World Flycatchers, Chats

? Melaenornis pallidus, 'Pale Flycatcher'. A plain brown bird with slight yellow tinge on underbelly. Often sits still on a perch. More a bird of woodland habitats, but sometimes found on edge of forest as pictured here. Found across western, eastern and southern Africa.

Family Nectariniidae: Sunbirds

Chalcomitra rubescens, 'Green-throated Sunbird' immature.

Nectarinia kilimensis, 'Bronze Sunbird'.

Cinnyris bouvieri, 'Orange-tufted Sunbird'.

Cinnyris regia, 'Regal Sunbird'.

Cinnyris afer, '(Greater?) Double-collared Sunbird'. Found on forest edge, and also in coastal scrub and fynbos, in South Africa.

Family Ploceidae: Weavers

Ploceus ocularis, 'Spectacled Weaver' male.  Found in many habitats, including forest, across much of sub-saharan Africa.

Ploceus baglafecht, 'Baglafecht Weaver'. Found in various habitats, including edge of forest, in eastern Africa (and a small distribution in western Africa).

 Ploceus nigerrimus, 'Vieillot's Black Weaver'. Found on the edge of the forest

Family Viduidae, Indigobirds & Whydahs

Family Estrildidae: 'Estrildid Finches', including mannikins, bluebills & waxbills

These 'finches' are not closely related to the finches of other families, but are related to house sparrows. They are always small, and often colourful. They eat seeds with their stout bills. They are found in the old world tropics of Africa, Asia and Australasia.

Estrilida atricapilla, 'Black-headed waxbill'. Striking coloured small bird of rainforest of central and western Africa.

Lonchura bicolor, 'Black and White Mannikin'. Found on the edge of moist forest.

Spermophaga ruficapilla, 'Red-headed Bluebill'.

Cryptospiza jacksoni, 'Dusky Crimsonwing'.  Restricted distribution, endemic to the mountain forests of the Albertine Rift in Uganda, DRC, Burundi & Rwanda.

Coccopygia melanotis, 'Swee Waxbill'.

Motacillidae: Wagtails & Pipits

Family Fringillidae: Finches, Euphonias

Crithagra sulphurata, 'Brimstone Canary'. Found in various open wooded habitats, including the edge of rainforest, in central and southern Africa.

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