South Africa bird sanctuary
Marievale Bird Sanctuary
359 bird species recorded; the most from December to January.
Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0
This month here
288 species in January.254 species in February.251 species in March.232 species in April.234 species in May.206 species in June.240 species in July.251 species in August.239 species in September.263 species in October.252 species in November.273 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
359 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).
- 359Speciesrecorded more than once
- 139Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 5ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 233,600Recordsopen records within 4 km
- 1,561 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 35Raptors
- 6Owls
- 28Waders
- 4Gulls & seabirds
- 18Ducks & geese
- 26Herons, ibises & grebes
- 6Storks & cranes
- 3Flamingos
- 151Songbirds
- 82Other 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 359 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors35 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- African Marsh HarrierCircus ranivorus
- Amur FalconFalco amurensis
- African Fish EagleHaliaeetus vocifer
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Black-chested Snake EagleCircaetus pectoralis
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- LannerFalco biarmicus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Black SparrowhawkAccipiter melanoleucus
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Rock KestrelFalco rupicolus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Jackal BuzzardButeo rufofuscus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Greater KestrelFalco rupicoloides
- Long-crested EagleLophaetus occipitalis
- African Harrier-hawkPolyboroides typus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Secretary BirdSagittarius serpentarius
- Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
- Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Yellow-billed KiteMilvus aegyptius
- Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
- Ovambo SparrowhawkAccipiter ovampensis
- Martial eaglePolemaetus bellicosus
- Lesser spotted eagleAquila pomarina
- Black EagleAquila verreauxii
- Gabar GoshawkMicronisus gabar
- Brown Snake EagleCircaetus cinereus
- African Hawk-EagleAquila spilogaster
- Little SparrowhawkAccipiter minullus
- Wahlberg's EagleHieraaetus wahlbergi
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Marsh OwlAsio capensis
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Cape Eagle-OwlBubo capensis
- Spotted Eagle-OwlBubo africanus
- African Grass-owlTyto capensis
- Pearl-spotted OwletGlaucidium perlatum
Waders28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Blacksmith LapwingVanellus armatus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- African SnipeGallinago nigripennis
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Three-banded PloverCharadrius tricollaris
- Crowned lapwingVanellus coronatus
- African Wattled LapwingVanellus senegallus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Cape Thick-kneeBurhinus capensis
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- African JacanaActophilornis africanus
- Kittlitz's PloverCharadrius pecuarius
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Black-winged PratincoleGlareola nordmanniNT
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Temminck's CourserCursorius temminckii
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
Gulls & seabirds4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Grey-headed GullChroicocephalus cirrocephalus
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
Ducks & geese18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-billed DuckAnas undulata
- Blue-billed TealSpatula hottentota
- Red-billed TealAnas erythrorhyncha
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Cape ShovelerSpatula smithii
- Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensis
- White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- Southern PochardNetta erythrophthalma
- Cape ShelduckTadorna cana
- Cape TealAnas capensis
- African Black DuckAnas sparsa
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
- White-backed DuckThalassornis leuconotus
- Maccoa DuckOxyura maccoa
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Herons, ibises & grebes26 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Long-tailed CormorantMicrocarbo africanus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- HadadaBostrychia hagedash
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Goliath HeronArdea goliath
- African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
- Black HeronEgretta ardesiaca
- African SpoonbillPlatalea alba
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- DarterAnhinga rufa
- White-breasted CormorantPhalacrocorax lucidus
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Little BitternIxobrychus minutus
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Slaty EgretEgretta vinaceigulaVU
- HamerkopScopus umbretta
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
Storks & cranes6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-billed StorkMycteria ibis
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Abdim's storkCiconia abdimii
- Blue CraneAnthropoides paradiseusVU
- Black storkCiconia nigra
- Grey Crowned CraneBalearica regulorum
Flamingos3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser FlamingoPhoeniconaias minorNT
- Caribbean FlamingoPhoenicopterus ruber
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds151 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Cape WagtailMotacilla capensis
- Southern Masked WeaverPloceus velatus
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Levaillant's CisticolaCisticola tinniens
- Red BishopEuplectes orix
- Long-tailed WidowbirdEuplectes progne
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Lesser Swamp WarblerAcrocephalus gracilirostris
- MossiePasser melanurus
- African Sand MartinRiparia paludicola
- Common FiscalLanius collaris
- White-throated SwallowHirundo albigularis
- Red-billed QueleaQuelea quelea
- Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
- African Bush-WarblerBradypterus baboecala
- Greater Striped SwallowCecropis cucullata
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Mountain ChatOenanthe monticola
- Red-shouldered WhydahEuplectes axillaris
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Black-throated CanaryCrithagra atrogularis
- Yellow-crowned BishopEuplectes afer
- African PipitAnthus cinnamomeus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Black-chested PriniaPrinia flavicans
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- African Reed WarblerAcrocephalus baeticatus
- Yellow CanaryCrithagra flaviventris
- Cape StarlingLamprotornis nitens
- Capped WheatearOenanthe pileata
- Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava
- Orange-throated LongclawMacronyx capensis
- Orange-breasted WaxbillAmandava subflava
- Pied StarlingLamprotornis bicolor
- Dark-capped BulbulPycnonotus tricolor
- Cape SparrowPasser diffusus
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Cape RobinCossypha caffra
- Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- Wattled StarlingCreatophora cinerea
- White-winged WidowbirdEuplectes albonotatus
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Red-collared WhydahEuplectes ardens
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinica
- QuailfinchOrtygospiza atricollis
- Tink-tink CisticolaCisticola textrix
- Cape Robin-ChatDessonornis caffer
- Red-capped LarkCalandrella cinerea
- Grosbeak WeaverAmblyospiza albifrons
- Piping CisticolaCisticola fulvicapilla
- Cisticola ayresiiCisticola ayresii
- South African Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon spilodera
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Rock MartinPtyonoprogne fuligula
- Banded MartinRiparia cincta
- Fiscal FlycatcherSigelus silens
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Ant-eating ChatMyrmecocichla formicivora
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
- Cape White-eyeZosterops virens
- BokmakierieTelophorus zeylonus
- Yellow-fronted CanaryCrithagra mozambica
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Cape WeaverPloceus capensis
- White-browed Sparrow-weaverPlocepasser mahali
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Karoo ThrushTurdus smithi
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor
- Cape CanarySerinus canicollis
- Streaky-headed SeedeaterCrithagra gularis
- Mirafra africanaMirafra africana
- Desert CisticolaCisticola aridulus
- Familiar ChatOenanthe familiaris
- Cape Grass-warblerSphenoeacus afer
- Wailing CisticolaCisticola lais
- Pearl-breasted SwallowHirundo dimidiata
- Lesser Masked WeaverPloceus intermedius
- Rattling CisticolaCisticola chiniana
- Red-headed FinchAmadina erythrocephala
- Long-tailed Paradise WhydahVidua paradisaea
- Cuckoo-finchAnomalospiza imberbis
- Motacilla aguimpMotacilla aguimp
- African Red-eyed BulbulPycnonotus nigricans
- Bar-throated ApalisApalis thoracica
- Southern BoubouLaniarius ferrugineus
- Bronze MannikinLonchura cucullata
- Arrow-marked BabblerTurdoides jardineii
- Red-winged StarlingOnychognathus morio
- Mocking ChatThamnolaea cinnamomeiventris
- Rock-loving CisticolaCisticola aberrans
- Plain-backed PipitAnthus leucophrys
- Blue WaxbillUraeginthus angolensis
- Black-headed OrioleOriolus larvatus
- Buffy PipitAnthus vaalensis
- Southern PuffbackDryoscopus cubla
- Chestnut-backed Sparrow-LarkEremopterix leucotis
- Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilis
- Spike-heeled LarkChersomanes albofasciata
- White-bellied SunbirdCinnyris talatala
- Cape BuntingEmberiza capensis
- Marico FlycatcherBradornis mariquensis
- Malachite SunbirdNectarinia famosa
- Amethyst SunbirdChalcomitra amethystina
- Sabota LarkCalendulauda sabota
- Grey CisticolaCisticola rufilatus
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Fairy WarblerStenostira scita
- Chinspot BatisBatis molitor
- Groundscraper ThrushPsophocichla litsitsirupa
- Brown-crowned TchagraTchagra australis
- Burchell's Glossy-starlingLamprotornis australis
- Golden-breasted BuntingEmberiza flaviventris
- Kurrichane ThrushTurdus libonyana
- Pale-crowned CisticolaCisticola cinnamomeus
- Eastern Clapper LarkMirafra fasciolata
- Red-breasted SwallowCecropis semirufa
- Black TitParus niger
- Cinnamon-breasted BuntingEmberiza tahapisi
- Magpie ShrikeUrolestes melanoleucus
- BrubruNilaus afer
- Pink-billed LarkSpizocorys conirostris
- Southern Pied-BabblerTurdoides bicolor
- Nicholson's PipitAnthus nicholsoni
- Crimson-breasted ShrikeLaniarius atrococcineus
- African Paradise-FlycatcherTerpsiphone viridis
- Eastern Long-billed LarkCerthilauda semitorquata
- Cape CrombecSylvietta rufescens
- Cape Rock ThrushMonticola rupestris
- Yellow-throated Bush SparrowGymnoris superciliaris
- African Yellow WarblerIduna natalensis
- Chestnut-vented WarblerCurruca subcoerulea
- Cape CrowCorvus capensis
- Shaft-tailed WhydahVidua regia
- White-crested HelmetshrikePrionops plumatus
- Cape Penduline TitAnthoscopus minutus
- Ashy TitParus cinerascens
- Black Rough-winged Swallow or Black Saw-wingPsalidoprocne pristoptera
- Orange River White-eyeZosterops pallidus
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Black-faced WaxbillEstrilda erythronotos
- Red-billed FirefinchLagonosticta senegala
- African FirefinchLagonosticta rubricata
- Green-winged PytiliaPytilia melba
- Yellow BishopEuplectes capensis
- Red-headed WeaverAnaplectes rubriceps
- Black-crowned TchagraTchagra senegalus
Other birds82 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red-knobbed CootFulica cristata
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Ring-necked DoveStreptopelia capicola
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
- Speckled PigeonColumba guinea
- Swainson's SpurfowlPternistis swainsonii
- Red-eyed DoveStreptopelia semitorquata
- Black CrakeAmaurornis flavirostra
- Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- African RailRallus caerulescens
- Malachite KingfisherCorythornis cristatus
- White-rumped SwiftApus caffer
- White-browed CoucalCentropus superciliosus
- African Palm SwiftCypsiurus parvus
- Diederik CuckooChrysococcyx caprius
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Red-chested FlufftailSarothrura rufa
- Namaqua DoveOena capensis
- Red-faced MousebirdUrocolius indicus
- Speckled MousebirdColius striatus
- Horus SwiftApus horus
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Crested BarbetTrachyphonus vaillantii
- Rufous-necked WryneckJynx ruficollis
- African HoopoeUpupa africana
- African CrakeCrex egregia
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
- Black-collared BarbetLybius torquatus
- African SwiftApus barbatus
- Giant KingfisherMegaceryle maxima
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Green WoodhoopoePhoeniculus purpureus
- European SwiftApus apus
- Swallow-tailed Bee-eaterMerops hirundineus
- Orange River FrancolinScleroptila gutturalis
- Grey LourieCorythaixoides concolor
- Natal FrancolinPternistis natalensis
- Northern Black KorhaanAfrotis afraoides
- Lesser MoorhenGallinula angulata
- Half-collared KingfisherAlcedo semitorquata
- African Olive PigeonColumba arquatrix
- Acacia Pied BarbetTricholaema leucomelas
- Red-chested CuckooCuculus solitarius
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eaterMerops persicus
- Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens
- African Grey HornbillLophoceros nasutus
- Ortygornis sephaenaOrtygornis sephaena
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Brown-headed KingfisherHalcyon albiventris
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- White-fronted Bee-eaterMerops bullockoides
- Southern Yellow-billed HornbillTockus leucomelas
- Common OstrichStruthio camelus
- Fiery-necked NightjarCaprimulgus pectoralis
- Southern Red-billed HornbillTockus rufirostris
- Lilac-breasted RollerCoracias caudatus
- Greater HoneyguideIndicator indicator
- Little Bee-eaterMerops pusillus
- Golden-tailed WoodpeckerCampethera abingoni
- Jacobin CuckooClamator jacobinus
- Allen's GallinulePorphyrio alleni
- Emerald-spotted DoveTurtur chalcospilos
- Bearded WoodpeckerChloropicus namaquus
- Blue BustardEupodotis caerulescensNT
- Wahlberg's HoneyguideProdotiscus regulus
- Corncrake, corn crakeCrex crex
- White-backed MousebirdColius colius
- African Pygmy KingfisherIspidina picta
- Klaas's CuckooChrysococcyx klaas
- Common Scimitar-billRhinopomastus cyanomelas
- Lesser HoneyguideIndicator minor
- Black CuckooCuculus clamosus
- African Grey CuckooCuculus gularis
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- African Black CoucalCentropus grillii
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from December to January.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan28°/14°116 mm
- Feb28°/14°70 mm
- Mar26°/12°70 mm
- Apr23°/9°38 mm
- May20°/4°12 mm
- Jun17°/1°6 mm
- Jul17°/1°3 mm
- Aug21°/4°9 mm
- Sep26°/8°15 mm
- Oct28°/11°65 mm
- Nov28°/12°90 mm
- Dec28°/14°125 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Marievale Bird Sanctuary.
Protected area in Gauteng
Marievale Bird Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary in South Africa, 1,561 m above the sea.
359 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 233,600 open records.
The most recorded are the Cape Wagtail, the Southern Masked Weaver and the Red-knobbed Coot.
81 species come for the summer, 58 for the winter and 0 only pass through.
5 are threatened worldwide, including Curlew Sandpiper, Slaty Egret and Red-footed Falcon.
The most species are recorded from December to January.
Get there and watch
- Sandalwood Guest Houseplace to stay · 10 km · 1 within 10 km
- Nigelnearest town · 8.6 km in a straight line
- O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 36 km in a straight lineCar hire at JNB airport (Johannesburg)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
- 1bird hides within 6 kmMarievale Bird Sanctuary
- 7viewpoints within 5 kmBurnt down hide, Hadeda hide, Duiker hide and 4 more
- 1places to stay within 10 kmSandalwood Guest House
- 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
- campsites within 10 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 Marievale Bird Sanctuary.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas3 mountains within 25 kmWildealskop · 6.6 kmSuikerbosrant · 22 kmAasvoëlkop · 23 km
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.
Marievale Bird Sanctuary
South Africa
- 79Birdyas Score
- 359Species
- 139Migrants
- 5Threatened
Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary
South Africa · 71 km
- 73Birdyas Score
- 335Species
- 100Migrants
- 2Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q15247553) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 233,600 open bird records within 4 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 |
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
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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 
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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