Birding in Tarangire National Park Tanzania : Tarangire national park is an amazing destination in Tanzania to watch birds with a bird list of over 500 bird species, the park is also recognized as an Important Birding Area (IBA).
Tarangire national park is dotted with several swamps around Tarangire River, these swamps act as the breeding area for various species in the entire park, these swamps are normally green all year round and home to several dry bird species in TANZANIA. Tarangire national park is a perfect haven for birders interested in watching large flocks of vivid yellow – collared love birds, the rufous – tailed weaver as well as ashy starling which are all prevalent to the dry savannah in the north – central part of Tanzania. In the period from November to April, migratory birds arrive in Tarangire national park which is a perfect time to see the colorful birds. Migratory bird species arrive in Tarangire national park from Northern Africa and Europe.
Tarangire national park hosts the highest count of any Tanzania national park and about the third of all bird species in Tanzania.
Bird Species in Tarangire national park
- The Common Red-and-yellow barbet
- The Locally Common and endemic Ashy starling
- The Common White-headed buffalo-weaver
- The Common Tawny eagle
- The Common African orange-bellied parrot
- The Common Speckle-fronted weaver
Birding specials in Tarangire national park
- African grey flycatcher
- Ashy starling endemic to Tanzania
- Bare-faced go-away bird
- Donaldson-Smith’s nightjar
- Great white pelican
- Mouse-colored penduline tit
- Northern pied babbler near endemic to Tanzania
- Northern white-crowned shrike
- Ostrich
- Pink-breasted lark
- Rufous-tailed weaver endemic to Tanzania
- Slate-coloured boubou
- Von der Decken’s hornbill
- Vulturine guineafowl
- Yellow-collared lovebird
Best time for birdwatching
Bird watching in Tarangire national park is good all year-round offering amazing bird watching experiences, however the best time is during the period when migratory bird species begin arriving to Tarangire national park from European and Northern Africa from November to April.
Resident bird species in Tarangire national park begin nesting almost at the same time which makes it easy to see the birds while in breeding plumage, from June to October you will enjoy the best views of wild animals in Tarangire national park.
Best parks for bird watching in Tanzania
Other best parks for bird watching in Tanzania include
- Arusha national park
- Serengeti national park
- Ngorongoro Conservation area
- Lake Manyara national park among others
About Tarangire National Park
Tarangire national park is one of the greatly diverse national parks in the East African region where you can enjoy both wildlife viewing and bird watching, the park offers the best sights for raptors and other stunning overwhelming birds such as air predators. Some of the commonly seen Raptors in Tarangire national park include the martial eagles bateleur eagles, long-crested eagles, spotted eagle owls, fish eagle as well as the tawny eagles.
Tarangire national park covers an area of 1,600 square miles which makes it the 5th biggest national park in the whole of Tanzania, the park also lies in the Tarangire Ecosystem Area which is nearly 13 times the real size of Tarangire national park.
Tarangire national park was named after The Tarangire River that is the only permanent water source for the wildlife animals in the area, the river attracts a lot of animals include elephants, zebras, wildebeests, cape buffaloes among others which are seen drinking water on the river banks.
