South Africa Ramsar wetland
Lake Sibhayi
294 bird species recorded; the most in December.
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
182 species in January.158 species in February.121 species in March.185 species in April.168 species in May.163 species in June.187 species in July.190 species in August.180 species in September.183 species in October.201 species in November.230 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
294 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 294Speciesrecorded more than once
- 91Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 2ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 12,328Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 21Raptors
- 2Owls
- 31Waders
- 14Gulls & seabirds
- 9Ducks & geese
- 25Herons, ibises & grebes
- 4Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 120Songbirds
- 67Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 294 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- African Fish EagleHaliaeetus vocifer
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Black-chested Snake EagleCircaetus pectoralis
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- African Cuckoo HawkAviceda cuculoides
- African Harrier-hawkPolyboroides typus
- African Marsh HarrierCircus ranivorus
- Yellow-billed KiteMilvus aegyptius
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Palm-nut VultureGypohierax angolensis
- Brown Snake EagleCircaetus cinereus
- Southern Banded Snake EagleCircaetus fasciolatusNT
- Long-crested EagleLophaetus occipitalis
- Crowned EagleStephanoaetus coronatusNT
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Lizard BuzzardKaupifalco monogrammicus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- BateleurTerathopius ecaudatus
- Martial eaglePolemaetus bellicosus
- African GoshawkAccipiter tachiro
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted Eagle-OwlBubo africanus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
Waders31 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- African Wattled LapwingVanellus senegallus
- Blacksmith LapwingVanellus armatus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- African JacanaActophilornis africanus
- Crowned lapwingVanellus coronatus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- African SnipeGallinago nigripennis
- Water DikkopBurhinus vermiculatus
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Temminck's CourserCursorius temminckii
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Lesser Black-winged PloverVanellus lugubris
- White-fronted PloverCharadrius marginatus
- Cape Thick-kneeBurhinus capensis
- Kittlitz's PloverCharadrius pecuarius
- Three-banded PloverCharadrius tricollaris
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- Great SnipeGallinago mediaNT
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Lesser JacanaMicroparra capensis
- Black-winged LapwingVanellus melanopterus
Gulls & seabirds14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Grey-headed GullChroicocephalus cirrocephalus
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Cape GannetMorus capensis
- Southern Black-backed GullLarus dominicanus
- White-chinned PetrelProcellaria aequinoctialisVU
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Brown SkuaStercorarius antarcticus
- Indian Yellow-nosed AlbatrossThalassarche carteri
Ducks & geese9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Red-billed TealAnas erythrorhyncha
- Yellow-billed DuckAnas undulata
- Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensis
- White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
- Blue-billed TealSpatula hottentota
- Pygmy GooseNettapus auritus
- Cape ShovelerSpatula smithii
- White-backed DuckThalassornis leuconotus
Herons, ibises & grebes25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Long-tailed CormorantMicrocarbo africanus
- HadadaBostrychia hagedash
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- HamerkopScopus umbretta
- Black HeronEgretta ardesiaca
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala
- White-breasted CormorantPhalacrocorax lucidus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- DarterAnhinga rufa
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- African SpoonbillPlatalea alba
- Goliath HeronArdea goliath
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Cape CormorantPhalacrocorax capensis
- African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
- Little BitternIxobrychus minutus
- Pink-backed PelicanPelecanus rufescens
- Striated HeronButorides striata
Storks & cranes4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- African Woolly-necked StorkCiconia microscelis
- SaddlebillEphippiorhynchus senegalensisNT
- Asian WoollyneckCiconia episcopusNT
- Yellow-billed StorkMycteria ibis
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds120 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus
- Yellow-throated LongclawMacronyx croceus
- Sombre GreenbulAndropadus importunus
- Piping CisticolaCisticola fulvicapilla
- African PipitAnthus cinnamomeus
- Croaking CisticolaCisticola natalensis
- Common FiscalLanius collaris
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Rattling CisticolaCisticola chiniana
- Southern PuffbackDryoscopus cubla
- Green-backed CamaropteraCamaroptera brachyura
- White-bellied SunbirdCinnyris talatala
- Spectacled WeaverPloceus ocularis
- Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava
- Black-crowned TchagraTchagra senegalus
- Scarlet-chested SunbirdChalcomitra senegalensis
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- Yellow-bellied GreenbulChlorocichla flaviventris
- Grey-rumped SwallowPseudhirundo griseopyga
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Red-capped RobinCossypha natalensis
- Bronze MannikinLonchura cucullata
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Red-shouldered WhydahEuplectes axillaris
- Southern BoubouLaniarius ferrugineus
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Square-tailed DrongoDicrurus ludwigii
- Brimstone CanaryCrithagra sulphurata
- Chinspot BatisBatis molitor
- Rosy-breasted LongclawMacronyx ameliae
- Rudd's ApalisApalis ruddi
- Pale FlycatcherBradornis pallidus
- Rufous-winged CisticolaCisticola galactotes
- Black-bellied StarlingNotopholia corrusca
- Lesser Swamp WarblerAcrocephalus gracilirostris
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Collared SunbirdHedydipna collaris
- Orange-breasted BushshrikeChlorophoneus sulfureopectus
- Eastern Golden WeaverPloceus subaureus
- Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilis
- Yellow-breasted ApalisApalis flavida
- Lemon-breasted CanaryCrithagra citrinipectus
- Dark-backed WeaverPloceus bicolor
- Eastern NicatorNicator gularis
- Yellow-fronted CanaryCrithagra mozambica
- Cape WagtailMotacilla capensis
- Purple-banded SunbirdCinnyris bifasciatus
- Red-breasted SwallowCecropis semirufa
- Dusky FlycatcherMuscicapa adusta
- Tink-tink CisticolaCisticola textrix
- Erythropygia signataErythropygia signata
- African Crested-FlycatcherTrochocercus cyanomelas
- Perrin's Bush-shrikeTelophorus viridis
- Terrestrial BrownbulPhyllastrephus terrestris
- Black Rough-winged Swallow or Black Saw-wingPsalidoprocne pristoptera
- Olive SunbirdCyanomitra olivacea
- Southern Yellow White-eyeZosterops anderssoni
- Grosbeak WeaverAmblyospiza albifrons
- Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
- Erythropygia leucophrysErythropygia leucophrys
- Cape CrombecSylvietta rufescens
- Dark-capped BulbulPycnonotus tricolor
- Black-headed OrioleOriolus larvatus
- Grey SunbirdCyanomitra veroxii
- Mirafra africanaMirafra africana
- White-throated Robin-ChatCossypha humeralis
- Woodwards' BatisBatis fratrum
- Kurrichane ThrushTurdus libonyana
- Orange-throated LongclawMacronyx capensis
- African Paradise-FlycatcherTerpsiphone viridis
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Cape SparrowPasser diffusus
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Fiscal FlycatcherSigelus silens
- Black-tailed Grey WaxbillEstrilda perreini
- Banded MartinRiparia cincta
- Motacilla aguimpMotacilla aguimp
- Brown-crowned TchagraTchagra australis
- Cape StarlingLamprotornis nitens
- Pink-throated TwinspotHypargos margaritatus
- White-crested HelmetshrikePrionops plumatus
- Violet-backed StarlingCinnyricinclus leucogaster
- Black-throated Wattle-eyePlatysteira peltata
- Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinica
- Red-billed OxpeckerBuphagus erythrorhynchus
- Southern Black-FlycatcherMelaenornis pammelaina
- Pale-crowned CisticolaCisticola cinnamomeus
- Golden-breasted BuntingEmberiza flaviventris
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Wire-tailed SwallowHirundo smithii
- Black Cuckoo-shrikeCampephaga flava
- Southern Masked WeaverPloceus velatus
- Cape WeaverPloceus capensis
- African Bush-WarblerBradypterus baboecala
- Cape White-eyeZosterops virens
- Plain-backed PipitAnthus leucophrys
- Black-and-white MuniaLonchura bicolor
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Ashy FlycatcherMuscicapa caerulescens
- Orange-breasted WaxbillAmandava subflava
- QuailfinchOrtygospiza atricollis
- Lesser Masked WeaverPloceus intermedius
- Southern Brown-throated WeaverPloceus xanthopterus
- Red BishopEuplectes orix
- Erythropygia quadrivirgataErythropygia quadrivirgata
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Green-backed TwinspotMandingoa nitidula
- African Sand MartinRiparia paludicola
- Olive BushshrikeChlorophoneus olivaceus
- Amethyst SunbirdChalcomitra amethystina
- Grey CuckooshrikeCoracina caesia
- Grey Penduline TitAnthoscopus caroli
- White-browed Robin-chatCossypha heuglini
- Red-faced CisticolaCisticola erythrops
- Red-billed QueleaQuelea quelea
- Red-collared WhydahEuplectes ardens
- Greater Striped SwallowCecropis cucullata
- Neergaard's SunbirdCinnyris neergaardiNT
- Yellow-throated Bush SparrowGymnoris superciliaris
Other birds67 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red-eyed DoveStreptopelia semitorquata
- Brown-headed KingfisherHalcyon albiventris
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Yellow-rumped TinkerbirdPogoniulus bilineatus
- White-browed CoucalCentropus superciliosus
- Livingstone's TuracoTauraco livingstonii
- Speckled MousebirdColius striatus
- Emerald-spotted DoveTurtur chalcospilos
- Little Bee-eaterMerops pusillus
- Shelley's FrancolinScleroptila shelleyi
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Natal NightjarCaprimulgus natalensis
- Trumpeter HornbillBycanistes bucinator
- Purple-crested TuracoTauraco porphyreolophus
- Black-collared BarbetLybius torquatus
- Fiery-necked NightjarCaprimulgus pectoralis
- Red-chested CuckooCuculus solitarius
- Crowned HornbillLophoceros alboterminatus
- Ortygornis sephaenaOrtygornis sephaena
- Malachite KingfisherCorythornis cristatus
- Black CrakeAmaurornis flavirostra
- Tambourine DoveTurtur tympanistria
- Ring-necked DoveStreptopelia capicola
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Eastern Crested GuineafowlGuttera pucherani
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Square-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus fossii
- Diederik CuckooChrysococcyx caprius
- Black-bellied KorhaanLissotis melanogaster
- White-eared BarbetStactolaema leucotis
- Golden-tailed WoodpeckerCampethera abingoni
- Red-faced MousebirdUrocolius indicus
- Narina TrogonApaloderma narina
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- Campocolinus coquiCampocolinus coqui
- African Green-pigeonTreron calvus
- Klaas's CuckooChrysococcyx klaas
- Broad-billed RollerEurystomus glaucurus
- Common ButtonquailTurnix sylvaticus
- African HoopoeUpupa africana
- Giant KingfisherMegaceryle maxima
- African Palm SwiftCypsiurus parvus
- Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens
- Scaly-throated HoneyguideIndicator variegatus
- Lesser HoneyguideIndicator minor
- Red-knobbed CootFulica cristata
- African Pygmy KingfisherIspidina picta
- Black CuckooCuculus clamosus
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eaterMerops persicus
- Red-fronted TinkerbirdPogoniulus pusillus
- Blue MalkohaCeuthmochares aereus
- Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
- Lilac-breasted RollerCoracias caudatus
- Jacobin CuckooClamator jacobinus
- Green WoodhoopoePhoeniculus purpureus
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
- Swainson's SpurfowlPternistis swainsonii
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- African RailRallus caerulescens
- Denham's BustardNeotis denhamiNT
- Southern Yellow-billed HornbillTockus leucomelas
- Allen's GallinulePorphyrio alleni
- Striped KingfisherHalcyon chelicuti
- Greater HoneyguideIndicator indicator
- Speckled PigeonColumba guinea
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in December.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan30°/22°141 mm
- Feb30°/22°101 mm
- Mar29°/21°94 mm
- Apr28°/19°61 mm
- May26°/16°27 mm
- Jun25°/14°19 mm
- Jul24°/14°19 mm
- Aug25°/15°20 mm
- Sep27°/16°43 mm
- Oct27°/18°66 mm
- Nov28°/19°115 mm
- Dec29°/21°129 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Lake Sibhayi.
Lake in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Lake Sibhayi is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in South Africa.
294 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 12,328 open records.
The most recorded are the Common Bulbul, the Yellow-throated Longclaw and the Sombre Greenbul.
49 species come for the summer, 41 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
2 are threatened worldwide, including Curlew Sandpiper and White-chinned Petrel.
The most species are recorded in December.
Get there and watch
- Mabibi Campsitecampsite · 6.0 km · 1 within 10 km
- Thonga Beach Lodgeplace to stay · 6.3 km · 2 within 10 km
- Mkuze Airport (MZQ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 71 km in a straight lineCar hire at MPM airport (Maputo)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1viewpoints within 5 km
- 1campsites within 10 kmMabibi Campsite
- 2places to stay within 10 kmThonga Beach Lodge, Winter Dodger Backpackers
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Lake Sibhayi.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas5 mountains within 25 kmNtambama · 4.3 kmDumile · 7.3 kmNkundwini · 7.8 kmMhlongonde · 20 kmNtabende · 24 km
Darkskyas1 dark-sky places within 30 kmLake SibhayiBortle 2 · this place
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Lake Sibhayi
South Africa
- 71Birdyas Score
- 294Species
- 91Migrants
- 2Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q1453557) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 12,328 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Lakeyas, Darkskyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit