With more than 440 species recorded, Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve) is an excellent birding destination. The most conspicuous birds are attracted to the sandbanks, lagoons, islands and channels along the Rufiji River. A good way to enjoy the birdlife is on a boat safari, where you’ll see yellow-billed storks, kingfishers, lapwings and colorful bee-eaters. At dawn and dusk, flocks of African skimmers fly across the water while skimming the surface for fish. Also look out for African fish eagles and palm-nut vultures perched high in the trees. Migratory birds are present from November to April.
Birding Specials Treats for Avid Birders
- African skimmer
- Black-winged stilt
- Böhm’s bee-eater
- Broad-billed roller
- Brown-headed parrot
- Brown-necked parrot
- Dickinson’s kestrel
- Northern carmine bee-eater
- Palm-nut vulture
- Pearl-spotted owlet
- Pel’s fishing-owl
- Purple-crested turaco
- Racket-tailed roller
- Thick-billed cuckoo
- Trumpeter hornbill
- White-backed night heron
- White-backed vulture
- White-fronted bee-eater
- White-fronted plover
- White-headed lapwing
Best Time for Bird Watching
Nyerere is a good birding destination all year. From November to April, Palearctic and intra-African migrants are present, making this the best time for bird watching. This is also the time that resident birds nest and display their colorful breeding plumage. Most camps close towards the end of the Wet season, in April, and reopen in June. For wildlife viewing, the Dry season (from June to October) is best.