Zanzibar Island Bird Checklist : Situated just off the mainland Tanzania in the turquoise – blue Indian Ocean, Zanzibar Island is a picture perfect, palm-swayed beaches, white sand destination. This beautiful island is located 22 miles off the coast of mainland Tanzania and it is a 53-mile-long island.
Zanzibar Island is not only the greatest beach destination in Africa but also a great birding destination.
Zanzibar Island hosts over 353 bird species included 7 introduced species, these birds are found all over the island and can be seen during your Zanzibar Holiday.
Here is a list of birds on Zanzibar Island
ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae
White-faced Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
White-backed Duck
Egyptian Goose
African Pygmy-Goose
Red-billed Duck
GALLIFORMES: Numididae
Helmeted Guineafowl
Eastern Crested Guineafowl
GALLIFORMES: Phasianidae
Crested Francolin
Blue 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
African Green-Pigeon
MUSOPHAGIFORMES: Musophagidae
Fischer’s Turaco
CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae
White-browed Coucal
Green Malkoha
Levaillant’s Cuckoo
Pied Cuckoo
Dideric Cuckoo
Madagascar Cuckoo
Common Cuckoo
CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Caprimulgidae
Square-tailed Nightjar
CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Apodidae
Mottled Spinetail
Bat-like Spinetail
Common Swift
Little Swift
Horus Swift
White-rumped Swift
African Palm Swift
GRUIFORMES: Sarothruridae
Buff-spotted Flufftail
Red-chested Flufftail
GRUIFORMES: Rallidae
African Crake
Eurasian Moorhen
Allen’s Gallinule
African Swamphen
Black Crake
CHARADRIIFORMES: Burhinidae
Water Thick-knee
CHARADRIIFORMES: Recurvirostridae
Black-winged Stilt
CHARADRIIFORMES: Haematopodidae
Eurasian Oystercatcher
CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae
Black-bellied Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover
Senegal Lapwing
Wattled Lapwing
Lesser Sand-Plover
Greater Sand-Plover
Caspian Plover
Common Ringed Plover
Little Ringed 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
Ruddy Turnstone
Ruff
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Sanderling
Little Stint
Great Snipe
Terek Sandpiper
Red-necked Phalarope
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Marsh Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Common Redshank
CHARADRIIFORMES: Turnicidae
Small Buttonquail
CHARADRIIFORMES: Dromadidae
Crab-Plover
CHARADRIIFORMES: Stercorariidae
Pomarine Jaeger
CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae
Gray-hooded Gull
Black-headed Gull
Sooty Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Brown Noddy
Lesser Noddy
Sooty Tern
Bridled Tern
Little Tern
Saunders’s Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
White-winged Tern
Whiskered Tern
Roseate Tern
Black-naped Tern
Common Tern
White-cheeked Tern
Great Crested Tern
Sandwich Tern
Lesser Crested Tern
African Skimmer
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
Yellow-billed Stork
SULIFORMES: Fregatidae
Lesser Frigatebird
Great Frigatebird
SULIFORMES: Sulidae
Masked Booby
Red-footed Booby
Cape Gannet
SULIFORMES: Anhingidae
African Darter
SULIFORMES: Phalacrocoracidae
Long-tailed Cormorant
Great Cormorant
PELECANIFORMES: Scopidae
Hamerkop
PELECANIFORMES: Ardeidae
Little Bittern
Dwarf Bittern
Gray Heron
Black-headed Heron
Goliath Heron
Purple Heron
Great Egret
Intermediate Egret
Little Egret
Western Reef-Heron
Black Heron
Cattle Egret
Squacco Heron
Malagasy Pond-Heron
Striated Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White-backed Night-Heron
PELECANIFORMES: Threskiornithidae
Glossy Ibis
African Sacred Ibis
Hadada Ibis
African Spoonbill
ACCIPITRIFORMES: Pandionidae
Osprey
ACCIPITRIFORMES: Accipitridae
Black-winged Kite
African Harrier-Hawk
Palm-nut Vulture
European Honey-buzzard
African Cuckoo-Hawk
White-headed Vulture
Rüppell’s Griffon
Black-chested Snake-Eagle
Banded Snake-Eagle
Bat Hawk
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Booted Eagle
Tawny Eagle
Steppe Eagle
Lizard Buzzard
Gabar Goshawk
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 Barred Owlet
African Wood-Owl
COLIIFORMES: Coliidae
Speckled Mousebird
TROGONIFORMES: Trogonidae
Narina Trogon
BUCEROTIFORMES: Upupidae
Eurasian Hoopoe
BUCEROTIFORMES: Phoeniculidae
Green Woodhoopoe
Common Scimitarbill
Abyssinian Scimitarbill
BUCEROTIFORMES: Bucorvidae
Southern Ground-Hornbill
BUCEROTIFORMES: Bucerotidae
Crowned Hornbill
CORACIIFORMES: Alcedinidae
Malachite Kingfisher
African Pygmy Kingfisher
Gray-headed Kingfisher
Mangrove Kingfisher
Striped Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
CORACIIFORMES: Meropidae
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
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
White-headed Barbet
PICIFORMES: Indicatoridae
Lesser Honeyguide
PICIFORMES: Picidae
Cardinal Woodpecker
Green-backed Woodpecker
Golden-tailed Woodpecker
FALCONIFORMES: Falconidae
Lesser Kestrel
Gray Kestrel
Dickinson’s Kestrel
Red-necked Falcon
Amur 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: Malaconotidae
Black-backed Puffback
Black-crowned Tchagra
Brown-crowned Tchagra
Lühder’s Bushshrike
Tropical Boubou
Zanzibar Boubou
Fülleborn’s Boubou
PASSERIFORMES: Dicruridae
Common Square-tailed Drongo
Fork-tailed Drongo
PASSERIFORMES: Monarchidae
African Crested-Flycatcher
African Paradise-Flycatcher
PASSERIFORMES: Laniidae
Red-backed Shrike
Red-tailed Shrike
Isabelline Shrike
Lesser Gray Shrike
Northern Fiscal
PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae
House Crow
Pied Crow
PASSERIFORMES: Nicatoridae
Western Nicator
Eastern Nicator
PASSERIFORMES: Cisticolidae
Yellow-bellied Eremomela
Greencap Eremomela
Green-backed Camaroptera
Bar-throated Apalis
Yellow-breasted Apalis
Tawny-flanked Prinia
Rattling Cisticola
Coastal Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola
PASSERIFORMES: Acrocephalidae
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Olive-tree Warbler
Common Reed Warbler
Lesser Swamp Warbler
PASSERIFORMES: Locustellidae
River Warbler
Little Rush Warbler
PASSERIFORMES: Hirundinidae
Bank Swallow
Mascarene Martin
Rock Martin
Barn Swallow
Ethiopian Swallow
Wire-tailed Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Lesser Striped Swallow
Mosque Swallow
Common House-Martin
PASSERIFORMES: Pycnonotidae
Sombre Greenbul
Little Greenbul
Common Bulbul
PASSERIFORMES: Phylloscopidae
Willow Warbler
PASSERIFORMES: Zosteropidae
Southern Yellow White-eye
Pemba White-eye
PASSERIFORMES: Pellorneidae
Brown Illadopsis
Pale-breasted Illadopsis
PASSERIFORMES: Buphagidae
Red-billed Oxpecker
PASSERIFORMES: Sturnidae
Wattled Starling
Violet-backed Starling
Black-bellied Starling
Rüppell’s Starling
Lesser Blue-eared Starling
Greater Blue-eared Starling
PASSERIFORMES: Turdidae
Red-tailed Ant-Thrush
PASSERIFORMES: Muscicapidae
Spotted Flycatcher
African Gray Flycatcher
Pale Flycatcher
Ashy Flycatcher
Bearded Scrub-Robin
Miombo Scrub-Robin
White-browed Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
East Coast Akalat
Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush
Northern Wheatear
Capped Wheatear
Pied Wheatear
PASSERIFORMES: Nectariniidae
Plain-backed Sunbird
Collared Sunbird
Amani Sunbird
Olive Sunbird
Mouse-colored Sunbird
Amethyst Sunbird
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Hunter’s Sunbird
Purple-banded Sunbird
Pemba Sunbird
Variable Sunbird
PASSERIFORMES: Ploceidae
Rufous-tailed Weaver
Black-necked Weaver
Spectacled Weaver
African Golden-Weaver
Holub’s Golden-Weaver
Golden Palm Weaver
Village Weaver
Black-headed Weaver
Forest Weaver
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
Zebra Waxbill
Purple Grenadier
Southern Cordonbleu
Blue-capped Cordonbleu
Green-winged Pytilia
Orange-winged Pytilia
Red-billed Firefinch
PASSERIFORMES: Viduidae
Pin-tailed Whydah
Village Indigobird
Parasitic Weaver
PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae
House Sparrow
Northern Gray-headed Sparrow
Southern Gray-headed Sparrow
PASSERIFORMES: Motacillidae
Western Yellow Wagtail
African Pied Wagtail
African Pipit
PASSERIFORMES: Fringillidae
Yellow-fronted Canary
