Over 700 avian species live in Zimbabwe. The country has several terrestrial ecosystems, including bushveld, savanna, and woodlands covered in vegetation like baobabs, fever trees, mahogany, strangler fig, and teak.
The national bird of Zimbabwe is the African Fish Eagle. Other notable avifauna include the Lilac-breasted Roller, the African Gray Hornbill, and the Marabou Stork.
List of Common Birds Found in Zimbabwe
Native Birds
- African Barred Owlet
- African Blue Flycatcher
- African Crowned Crane
- African Dusky Flycatcher
- African Finfoot
- African Firefinch
- African Fish Eagle
- African Goshawk
- African Gray Hornbill
- African Green Ibis
- African Green Pigeon
- African Harrier-hawk
- African Hawk-eagle
- African Hoopoe
- African Jacana
- African Marsh Harrier
- African Mourning Dove
- African Palm Swift
- African Paradise Flycatcher
- African Pied Hornbill
- African Pied Wagtail
- African Pygmy Falcon
- African Pygmy Kingfisher
- African Rail
- African Reed Warbler
- African Rock Pipit
- African Sacred Ibis
- African Scops Owl
- African Spoonbill
- African Swallow-tailed Kite
- African Yellow Warbler
- African Yellow White-eye
- Arnot’s Chat
- Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo
- Bateleur
- Bearded Scrub Robin
- Bennett’s Woodpecker
- Black-bellied Bustard
- Black-chested Prinia
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Black Cuckoo
- Black-headed Heron
- Black-winged Stilt
- Blue-spotted Wood Dove
- Blue Waxbill
- Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah
- Brown Firefinch
- Brown-headed Parrot
- Brown Snake Eagle
- Cape Glossy Starling
- Cape Vulture
- Chinspot Batis
- Collared Palm Thrush
- Common Hoopoe
- Common Ostrich
- Crested Barbet
- Crested Francolin
- Dark Chanting Goshawk
- Double-banded Sandgrouse
- Goliath Heron
- Gray Crowned Crane
- Gray Go-away-bird
- Gray Tit-flycatcher
- Greater Blue-eared Starling
- Greater Flamingo
- Greater Honeyguide
- Greater Swamp Warbler
- Great Sparrow
- Green-backed Camaroptera
- Green Malkoha
- Hadada Ibis
- Hamerkop
- Helmeted Guineafowl
- Hooded Vulture
- Knob-billed Duck
- Kori Bustard
- Lappet-faced Vulture
- Lesser Flamingo
- Lilac-breasted Roller
- Little Bee-eater
- Little Egret
- Little Grebe
- Little Sparrowhawk
- Long-crested Eagle
- Malachite Kingfisher
- Marabou Stork
- Miombo Rock Thrush
- Miombo Tit
- Olive Woodpecker
- Pale Batis
- Pel’s Fishing Owl
- Pied Crow
- Pied Kingfisher
- Pink-backed Pelican
- Pin-tailed Whydah
- Purple-crested Turaco
- Red-billed Buffalo Weaver
- Red-billed Oxpecker
- Red-billed Teal
- Red-collared Widowbird
- Red-faced Cisticola
- Red-necked Spurfowl
- Red-throated Twinspot
- Rock Pratincole
- Rufous-bellied Heron
- Rufous-naped Lark
- Rüppell’s Parrot
- Saddle-billed Stork
- Secretary Bird
- Short-toed Rock Thrush
- Sooty Chat
- Southern Black Flycatcher
- Southern Brown-throated Weaver
- Southern Carmine Bee-eater
- Southern Ground Hornbill
- Southern Red Bishop
- Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
- Speckled Pigeon
- Speckle-throated Woodpecker
- Tawny-flanked Prinia
- Village Weaver
- Violet-backed Starling
- Wahlberg’s Eagle
- Western Violet-backed Sunbird
- White-backed Vulture
- White-bellied Sunbird
- White-breasted Cuckooshrike
- White-browed Coucal
- White-browed Robin-chat
- White-crowned Lapwing
- White-fronted Bee-eater
- White-throated Robin-chat
- White-winged Widowbird
- Woodland Kingfisher
- Yellow-billed Hornbill
- Yellow-billed Kite
- Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
Non-native Birds
- Black-cheeked Lovebird
- Common Myna
- House Sparrow
- Rock Pigeon
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
Some of the best birding sites in Zimbabwe include Mana Pools National Park, Hwange National Park, and Matobo National Park. The peak birding season in Zimbabwe generally coincides with the austral summer, from November to March. During this period, many migratory bird species arrive in Zimbabwe from the northern hemisphere to breed and take advantage of the abundant food resources.
