Zanzibar Archipelago Bird checklist
Zanzibar Archipelago Bird checklist : Zanzibar Archipelago also known as the Spice Island is a collection of islands with Unguja and Pemba being the largest, located thirty-two kilometers east of the Tanzanian mainland, the island was once a gateway to Africa for the Arabic and sub-continent traders. With its capital and main airport located on Unguja Island also known as Zanzibar, the archipelago is a top travel destination visited by millions of travelers for beach holidays and water sports.
In addition to the crystal white sand, the archipelago is home abundance of bird life with over 230 bird species including four endemics and several endemic sub-species, migratory bird species and intra- African migrants.
Below is a bird checklist for Zanzibar Archipelago.
STRUTHIONIFORMES: Struthionidae
Common Ostrich
ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae
White-faced Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
White-backed Duck
Egyptian Goose
African Pygmy-Goose
Blue-billed Teal
Yellow-billed Duck
Red-billed Duck
GALLIFORMES: Numididae
Helmeted Guineafowl
Eastern Crested Guineafowl
GALLIFORMES: Phasianidae
Blue Quail
Common Quail
Harlequin Quail
PHOENICOPTERIFORMES: Phoenicopteridae
Greater Flamingo
Lesser Flamingo
PODICIPEDIFORMES: Podicipedidae
Little Grebe
COLUMBIFORMES: Columbidae
Rock Pigeon
Delegorgue’s Pigeon
Dusky Turtle-Dove
Red-eyed Dove
Ring-necked Dove
Laughing Dove
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove
Blue-spotted Wood-Dove
Tambourine Dove
Namaqua Dove
Pemba Green-Pigeon
African Green-Pigeon
OTIDIFORMES: Otididae
Black-bellied Bustard
MUSOPHAGIFORMES: Musophagidae
Fischer’s Turaco
CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae
White-browed Coucal
Green Malkoha
Levaillant’s Cuckoo
Pied Cuckoo
Dideric Cuckoo
Klaas’s Cuckoo
Madagascar Cuckoo
Common Cuckoo
CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Caprimulgidae
Square-tailed Nightjar
CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Apodidae
Mottled Spinetail
Bat-like Spinetail
Common Swift
Forbes-Watson’s Swift
Little Swift
Horus Swift
White-rumped Swift
African Palm Swift
GRUIFORMES: Sarothruridae
Buff-spotted Flufftail
Red-chested Flufftail
GRUIFORMES: Rallidae
African Crake
Lesser Moorhen
Eurasian Moorhen
Allen’s Gallinule
African Swamphen
Black Crake
CHARADRIIFORMES: Burhinidae
Water Thick-knee
CHARADRIIFORMES: Recurvirostridae
Black-winged Stilt
Pied Avocet
CHARADRIIFORMES: Haematopodidae
Eurasian Oystercatcher
CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae
Black-bellied Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover
Common Ringed Plover
Three-banded Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Spur-winged Lapwing
White-crowned Lapwing
Senegal Lapwing
Wattled Lapwing
Caspian Plover
Tibetan Sand-Plover
Greater Sand-Plover
White-fronted Plover
CHARADRIIFORMES: Rostratulidae
Greater Painted-Snipe
CHARADRIIFORMES: Jacanidae
Lesser Jacana
African Jacana
CHARADRIIFORMES: Scolopacidae
Whimbrel
Eurasian Curlew
Bar-tailed Godwit
Black-tailed Godwit
Great Snipe
Red-necked Phalarope
Terek Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Marsh Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Spotted Redshank
Common Greenshank
Ruddy Turnstone
Ruff
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Sanderling
Little Stint
CHARADRIIFORMES: Turnicidae
Small Buttonquail
CHARADRIIFORMES: Dromadidae
Crab-Plover
CHARADRIIFORMES: Stercorariidae
Pomarine Jaeger
CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae
Black-headed Gull
Gray-hooded Gull
Sooty Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
African Skimmer
Brown Noddy
Lesser Noddy
Sooty Tern
Bridled Tern
Little Tern
Saunders’s Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Whiskered Tern
White-winged Tern
Common Tern
White-cheeked Tern
Roseate Tern
Sandwich Tern
Lesser Crested Tern
Great Crested Tern
PHAETHONTIFORMES: Phaethontidae
White-tailed Tropicbird
Red-billed Tropicbird
PROCELLARIIFORMES: Procellariidae
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Tropical Shearwater
CICONIIFORMES: Ciconiidae
African Openbill
African Woolly-necked Stork
White Stork
Marabou Stork
SULIFORMES: Fregatidae
Lesser Frigatebird
Great Frigatebird
SULIFORMES: Sulidae
Cape Gannet
Red-footed Booby
Masked Booby
SULIFORMES: Anhingidae
African Darter
SULIFORMES: Phalacrocoracidae
Long-tailed Cormorant
Great Cormorant
PELECANIFORMES: Scopidae
Hamerkop
PELECANIFORMES: Ardeidae
Dwarf Bittern
Little Bittern
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black Heron
Little Egret
Western Reef-Heron
Striated Heron
Squacco Heron
Malagasy Pond-Heron
Western Cattle Egret
Great Egret
Yellow-billed Egret
Gray Heron
Purple Heron
Black-headed Heron
Goliath Heron
PELECANIFORMES: Threskiornithidae
Glossy Ibis
African Sacred Ibis
Hadada Ibis
African Spoonbill
ACCIPITRIFORMES: Sagittariidae
Secretarybird
ACCIPITRIFORMES: Pandionidae
Osprey
ACCIPITRIFORMES: Accipitridae
Black-winged Kite
African Harrier-Hawk
Palm-nut Vulture
European Honey-buzzard
African Cuckoo-Hawk
White-headed Vulture
White-backed Vulture
Rüppell’s Griffon
Bateleur
Brown Snake-Eagle
Bat Hawk
Booted Eagle
Lizard Buzzard
Western Marsh Harrier
Pallid Harrier
Montagu’s Harrier
African Goshawk
Shikra
Little Sparrowhawk
Black Goshawk
Black Kite
African Fish-Eagle
STRIGIFORMES: Tytonidae
Barn Owl
STRIGIFORMES: Strigidae
Pemba Scops-Owl
African Wood-Owl
COLIIFORMES: Coliidae
Speckled Mousebird
BUCEROTIFORMES: Upupidae
Eurasian Hoopoe
BUCEROTIFORMES: Phoeniculidae
Green Woodhoopoe
Common Scimitarbill
Abyssinian Scimitarbill
BUCEROTIFORMES: Bucerotidae
Crowned Hornbill
Von der Decken’s Hornbill
Trumpeter Hornbill
CORACIIFORMES: Alcedinidae
Malachite Kingfisher
African Pygmy Kingfisher
Gray-headed Kingfisher
Mangrove Kingfisher
Striped Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
CORACIIFORMES: Meropidae
Little Bee-eater
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
White-throated Bee-eater
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Madagascar Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
CORACIIFORMES: Coraciidae
European Roller
Lilac-breasted Roller
Rufous-crowned Roller
Broad-billed Roller
PICIFORMES: Lybiidae
Green Tinkerbird
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
Red-fronted Tinkerbird
White-headed Barbet
PICIFORMES: Indicatoridae
Lesser Honeyguide
PICIFORMES: Picidae
Bearded Woodpecker
Cardinal Woodpecker
Green-backed Woodpecker
Golden-tailed Woodpecker
FALCONIFORMES: Falconidae
Lesser Kestrel
Gray Kestrel
Dickinson’s Kestrel
Red-necked Falcon
Eleonora’s Falcon
Sooty Falcon
Eurasian Hobby
African Hobby
Peregrine Falcon
Taita Falcon
PSITTACIFORMES: Psittaculidae
Fischer’s Lovebird
Yellow-collared Lovebird
PSITTACIFORMES: Psittacidae
Gray Parrot
Brown-headed Parrot
PASSERIFORMES: Campephagidae
Black Cuckooshrike
PASSERIFORMES: Oriolidae
Eurasian Golden Oriole
African Golden Oriole
PASSERIFORMES: Platysteiridae
Black-throated Wattle-eye
Short-tailed Batis
Chinspot Batis
Pale Batis
Eastern Black-headed Batis
PASSERIFORMES: Vangidae
Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher
PASSERIFORMES: Malaconotidae
Black-backed Puffback
Black-crowned Tchagra
Brown-crowned Tchagra
Tropical Boubou
Zanzibar Boubou
Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike
PASSERIFORMES: Dicruridae
Square-tailed Drongo
Fork-tailed Drongo
PASSERIFORMES: Monarchidae
African Crested Flycatcher
African Paradise-Flycatcher
PASSERIFORMES: Laniidae
Red-backed Shrike
Lesser Gray Shrike
Long-tailed Fiscal
Northern Fiscal
PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae
House Crow
Pied Crow
PASSERIFORMES: Nicatoridae
Eastern Nicator
PASSERIFORMES: Cisticolidae
Yellow-bellied Eremomela
Green-backed Camaroptera
Bar-throated Apalis
Yellow-breasted Apalis
Black-headed Apalis
Tawny-flanked Prinia
Rattling Cisticola
Coastal Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola
PASSERIFORMES: Acrocephalidae
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Marsh Warbler
Common Reed Warbler
Lesser Swamp Warbler
PASSERIFORMES: Locustellidae
Little Rush Warbler
PASSERIFORMES: Hirundinidae
Black Sawwing
Mascarene Martin
Bank Swallow
Rock Martin
Barn Swallow
Ethiopian Swallow
Angola Swallow
Wire-tailed Swallow
Western House-Martin
Red-rumped Swallow
Lesser Striped Swallow
Mosque Swallow
PASSERIFORMES: Pycnonotidae
Sombre Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Little Greenbul
PASSERIFORMES: Phylloscopidae
Willow Warbler
PASSERIFORMES: Zosteropidae
Southern Yellow White-eye
Pemba White-eye
PASSERIFORMES: Pellorneidae
Brown Illadopsis
Tanzanian Illadopsis
PASSERIFORMES: Buphagidae
Red-billed Oxpecker
PASSERIFORMES: Sturnidae
Wattled Starling
Violet-backed Starling
Red-winged Starling
Black-bellied Starling
Rüppell’s Starling
Superb Starling
Lesser Blue-eared Starling
PASSERIFORMES: Turdidae
Red-tailed Ant-Thrush
PASSERIFORMES: Muscicapidae
Spotted Flycatcher
African Gray Flycatcher
Pale Flycatcher
Ashy Flycatcher
Bearded Scrub-Robin
Red-capped Robin-Chat
East Coast Akalat
Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush
Northern Wheatear
Capped Wheatear
Pied Wheatear
PASSERIFORMES: Nectariniidae
Collared Sunbird
Olive Sunbird
Mouse-colored Sunbird
Amethyst Sunbird
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Purple-banded Sunbird
Pemba Sunbird
Variable Sunbird
PASSERIFORMES: Ploceidae
Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver
Rufous-tailed Weaver
Black-necked Weaver
Spectacled Weaver
African Golden-Weaver
Holub’s Golden-Weaver
Golden Palm Weaver
Village Weaver
Black-headed Weaver
Golden-backed Weaver
Forest Weaver
Red-headed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea
Southern Red Bishop
Zanzibar Red Bishop
Black-winged Bishop
Fan-tailed Widowbird
Grosbeak Weaver
PASSERIFORMES: Estrildidae
Bronze Mannikin
Magpie Mannikin
Black-and-white Mannikin
Java Sparrow
Green-backed Twinspot
Common Waxbill
Crimson-rumped Waxbill
Zebra Waxbill
Purple Grenadier
Southern Cordonbleu
Blue-capped Cordonbleu
Green-winged Pytilia
Orange-winged Pytilia
Red-billed Firefinch
PASSERIFORMES: Viduidae
Pin-tailed Whydah
Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah
Village Indigobird
Parasitic Weaver
PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae
House Sparrow
Northern Gray-headed Sparrow
Southern Gray-headed Sparrow
Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow
PASSERIFORMES: Motacillidae
Western Yellow Wagtail
African Pied Wagtail
African Pipit
PASSERIFORMES: Fringillidae
Yellow-fronted Canary
White-bellied Canary
