South Africa bird sanctuary
Umdoni Bird Sanctuary
302 bird species recorded; the most in January.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
236 species in January.215 species in February.211 species in March.210 species in April.185 species in May.181 species in June.197 species in July.206 species in August.199 species in September.212 species in October.207 species in November.207 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
302 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).
- 302Speciesrecorded more than once
- 95Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 3ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 38,233Recordsopen records within 4 km
- 18Raptors
- 2Owls
- 23Waders
- 14Gulls & seabirds
- 9Ducks & geese
- 26Herons, ibises & grebes
- 6Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 138Songbirds
- 65Other 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 302 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-billed KiteMilvus aegyptius
- African Fish EagleHaliaeetus vocifer
- Black SparrowhawkAccipiter melanoleucus
- African GoshawkAccipiter tachiro
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- African Harrier-hawkPolyboroides typus
- Long-crested EagleLophaetus occipitalis
- Crowned EagleStephanoaetus coronatusNT
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- LannerFalco biarmicus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Little SparrowhawkAccipiter minullus
- Palm-nut VultureGypohierax angolensis
- Wahlberg's EagleHieraaetus wahlbergi
- Jackal BuzzardButeo rufofuscus
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted Eagle-OwlBubo africanus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
Waders23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Blacksmith LapwingVanellus armatus
- Three-banded PloverCharadrius tricollaris
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- African JacanaActophilornis africanus
- African OystercatcherHaematopus moquini
- Water DikkopBurhinus vermiculatus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- White-fronted PloverCharadrius marginatus
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- African Wattled LapwingVanellus senegallus
- Kittlitz's PloverCharadrius pecuarius
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Crowned lapwingVanellus coronatus
Gulls & seabirds14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Southern Black-backed GullLarus dominicanus
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- Grey-headed GullChroicocephalus cirrocephalus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Cape GannetMorus capensis
- Lesser Crested TernThalasseus bengalensis
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Elegant TernThalasseus elegansNT
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Indian Yellow-nosed AlbatrossThalassarche carteri
- Hartlaub's GullChroicocephalus hartlaubii
Ducks & geese9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensis
- Yellow-billed DuckAnas undulata
- White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
- African Black DuckAnas sparsa
- Red-billed TealAnas erythrorhyncha
- Blue-billed TealSpatula hottentota
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Cape ShelduckTadorna cana
Herons, ibises & grebes26 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- HadadaBostrychia hagedash
- Long-tailed CormorantMicrocarbo africanus
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- White-breasted CormorantPhalacrocorax lucidus
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- HamerkopScopus umbretta
- Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Pink-backed PelicanPelecanus rufescens
- Goliath HeronArdea goliath
- DarterAnhinga rufa
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
- African SpoonbillPlatalea alba
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Rufous-bellied HeronArdeola rufiventris
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Cape CormorantPhalacrocorax capensis
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Little BitternIxobrychus minutus
- Great White PelicanPelecanus onocrotalus
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Black HeronEgretta ardesiaca
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
Storks & cranes6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Asian WoollyneckCiconia episcopusNT
- African Woolly-necked StorkCiconia microscelis
- Openbill StorkAnastomus lamelligerus
- Grey Crowned CraneBalearica regulorum
- Black storkCiconia nigra
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Caribbean FlamingoPhoenicopterus ruber
Songbirds138 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spectacled WeaverPloceus ocularis
- Cape White-eyeZosterops virens
- Bronze MannikinLonchura cucullata
- Sombre GreenbulAndropadus importunus
- Green-backed CamaropteraCamaroptera brachyura
- Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava
- Red-capped RobinCossypha natalensis
- Dark-capped BulbulPycnonotus tricolor
- Red-winged StarlingOnychognathus morio
- Cape WagtailMotacilla capensis
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilis
- Grosbeak WeaverAmblyospiza albifrons
- Olive SunbirdCyanomitra olivacea
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Southern Black-FlycatcherMelaenornis pammelaina
- African Paradise-FlycatcherTerpsiphone viridis
- Dusky FlycatcherMuscicapa adusta
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Black-bellied StarlingNotopholia corrusca
- Black-headed OrioleOriolus larvatus
- African Bush-WarblerBradypterus baboecala
- Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinica
- Red BishopEuplectes orix
- Motacilla aguimpMotacilla aguimp
- Eastern Golden WeaverPloceus subaureus
- Black TitParus niger
- Collared SunbirdHedydipna collaris
- Yellow-bellied GreenbulChlorocichla flaviventris
- Bar-throated ApalisApalis thoracica
- Southern BoubouLaniarius ferrugineus
- Amethyst SunbirdChalcomitra amethystina
- Southern PuffbackDryoscopus cubla
- Cape SparrowPasser diffusus
- Chinspot BatisBatis molitor
- Mountain WagtailMotacilla clara
- Black-and-white MuniaLonchura bicolor
- Dark-backed WeaverPloceus bicolor
- Purple-banded SunbirdCinnyris bifasciatus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Kurrichane ThrushTurdus libonyana
- Terrestrial BrownbulPhyllastrephus terrestris
- Square-tailed DrongoDicrurus ludwigii
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- Common FiscalLanius collaris
- White-bellied SunbirdCinnyris talatala
- Cape StarlingLamprotornis nitens
- Lesser Swamp WarblerAcrocephalus gracilirostris
- White-throated SwallowHirundo albigularis
- Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus
- Red-billed FirefinchLagonosticta senegala
- Familiar ChatOenanthe familiaris
- Black-throated Wattle-eyePlatysteira peltata
- Violet-backed StarlingCinnyricinclus leucogaster
- Black Cuckoo-shrikeCampephaga flava
- Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
- Ashy FlycatcherMuscicapa caerulescens
- Black-tailed Grey WaxbillEstrilda perreini
- Spotted Ground ThrushGeokichla guttataVU
- Turdus olivaceusTurdus olivaceus
- Yellow-fronted CanaryCrithagra mozambica
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Red-shouldered WhydahEuplectes axillaris
- Orange-breasted BushshrikeChlorophoneus sulfureopectus
- Red-faced CisticolaCisticola erythrops
- Grey SunbirdCyanomitra veroxii
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Rattling CisticolaCisticola chiniana
- Magpie MuniaLonchura fringilloides
- Red-headed QueleaQuelea erythrops
- Grey-headed BushshrikeMalaconotus blanchoti
- African Sand MartinRiparia paludicola
- Black Rough-winged Swallow or Black Saw-wingPsalidoprocne pristoptera
- Wire-tailed SwallowHirundo smithii
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Brimstone CanaryCrithagra sulphurata
- African FirefinchLagonosticta rubricata
- Southern Masked WeaverPloceus velatus
- White-necked RavenCorvus albicollis
- Cape BatisBatis capensis
- Cape WeaverPloceus capensis
- Village IndigobirdVidua chalybeata
- Grey CuckooshrikeCoracina caesia
- Red-billed QueleaQuelea quelea
- Cape RobinCossypha caffra
- Greater Double-collared SunbirdCinnyris afer
- Brown FirefinchLagonosticta nitidula
- Rock MartinPtyonoprogne fuligula
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Dusky IndigobirdVidua funerea
- Piping CisticolaCisticola fulvicapilla
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Streaky-headed SeedeaterCrithagra gularis
- Olive BushshrikeChlorophoneus olivaceus
- House CrowCorvus splendens
- Yellow-breasted ApalisApalis flavida
- Erythropygia leucophrysErythropygia leucophrys
- Greater Striped SwallowCecropis cucullata
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Thrush NightingaleLuscinia luscinia
- Cape Robin-ChatDessonornis caffer
- Perrin's Bush-shrikeTelophorus viridis
- Fiscal FlycatcherSigelus silens
- African Golden WeaverPloceus xanthops
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Lesser Masked WeaverPloceus intermedius
- Southern TchagraTchagra tchagra
- African Crested-FlycatcherTrochocercus cyanomelas
- Green-backed TwinspotMandingoa nitidula
- MossiePasser melanurus
- Cape CrowCorvus capensis
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- African Reed WarblerAcrocephalus baeticatus
- Southern Double-collared SunbirdCinnyris chalybeus
- Black-crowned TchagraTchagra senegalus
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
- African Yellow WarblerIduna natalensis
- Wattled StarlingCreatophora cinerea
- African PipitAnthus cinnamomeus
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Red-collared WhydahEuplectes ardens
- Yellow-throated LongclawMacronyx croceus
- Scarlet-chested SunbirdChalcomitra senegalensis
- Chorister RobinCossypha dichroa
- Blue WaxbillUraeginthus angolensis
- Southern Brown-throated WeaverPloceus xanthopterus
- Cape Rock ThrushMonticola rupestris
- Knysna Scrub-WarblerBradypterus sylvaticusNT
- Yellow-throated Bush SparrowGymnoris superciliaris
- Forest CanaryCrithagra scotops
- Orange River White-eyeZosterops pallidus
- Striped PipitAnthus lineiventris
- Rufous-winged CisticolaCisticola galactotes
- Levaillant's CisticolaCisticola tinniens
- Rock-loving CisticolaCisticola aberrans
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Malachite SunbirdNectarinia famosa
- Cape CanarySerinus canicollis
Other birds65 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-collared BarbetLybius torquatus
- White-eared BarbetStactolaema leucotis
- Yellow-rumped TinkerbirdPogoniulus bilineatus
- Red-eyed DoveStreptopelia semitorquata
- Brown-headed KingfisherHalcyon albiventris
- Golden-tailed WoodpeckerCampethera abingoni
- Malachite KingfisherCorythornis cristatus
- Tambourine DoveTurtur tympanistria
- African Palm SwiftCypsiurus parvus
- Speckled MousebirdColius striatus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Little Bee-eaterMerops pusillus
- White-browed CoucalCentropus superciliosus
- Klaas's CuckooChrysococcyx klaas
- Giant KingfisherMegaceryle maxima
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
- Black CrakeAmaurornis flavirostra
- Green WoodhoopoePhoeniculus purpureus
- Crested BarbetTrachyphonus vaillantii
- White-rumped SwiftApus caffer
- Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens
- Diederik CuckooChrysococcyx caprius
- Natal FrancolinPternistis natalensis
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Red-fronted TinkerbirdPogoniulus pusillus
- Lesser HoneyguideIndicator minor
- Purple-crested TuracoTauraco porphyreolophus
- Olive WoodpeckerDendropicos griseocephalus
- Half-collared KingfisherAlcedo semitorquata
- African HoopoeUpupa africana
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- African Pygmy KingfisherIspidina picta
- Scaly-throated HoneyguideIndicator variegatus
- Ring-necked DoveStreptopelia capicola
- Wahlberg's HoneyguideProdotiscus regulus
- Red-knobbed CootFulica cristata
- Speckled PigeonColumba guinea
- African SwiftApus barbatus
- Mangrove KingfisherHalcyon senegaloides
- Rufous-necked WryneckJynx ruficollis
- Red-faced MousebirdUrocolius indicus
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Horus SwiftApus horus
- Emerald-spotted DoveTurtur chalcospilos
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- Fiery-necked NightjarCaprimulgus pectoralis
- Buff-spotted FlufftailSarothrura elegans
- Red-chested CuckooCuculus solitarius
- Acacia Pied BarbetTricholaema leucomelas
- Narina TrogonApaloderma narina
- Lemon DoveColumba larvata
- Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
- Knysna TuracoTauraco corythaix
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Emerald CuckooChrysococcyx cupreus
- Trumpeter HornbillBycanistes bucinator
- European SwiftApus apus
- White-fronted Bee-eaterMerops bullockoides
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- African Green-pigeonTreron calvus
- Red-chested FlufftailSarothrura rufa
- Black CuckooCuculus clamosus
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 January.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan26°/17°212 mm
- Feb26°/18°164 mm
- Mar25°/16°139 mm
- Apr23°/14°84 mm
- May22°/11°42 mm
- Jun20°/8°26 mm
- Jul20°/8°40 mm
- Aug22°/9°39 mm
- Sep23°/11°90 mm
- Oct24°/13°157 mm
- Nov24°/14°206 mm
- Dec25°/16°210 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Umdoni Bird Sanctuary.
Bird sanctuary
Umdoni Bird Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary in South Africa.
302 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 38,233 open records.
The most recorded are the Hadada, the Egyptian Goose and the Black-collared Barbet.
64 species come for the summer, 29 for the winter and 2 only pass through.
3 are threatened worldwide, including Spotted Ground Thrush, Grey Plover and Curlew Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded in January.
Get there and watch
- Villa Spa Holiday Resortcampsite · 10 km · 3 within 10 km
- Ocean Hideawayplace to stay · 1.7 km · 5 within 10 km
- eManzimtotinearest town · 2.0 km in a straight line
- King Shaka International Airport (DUR)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 52 km in a straight lineCar hire at DUR airport (Durban)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
- 21car parks within 3 km
- 13restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 3campsites within 10 kmVilla Spa Holiday Resort, Wavecrest Resort, ATKV Natalia Strandoord
- 5places to stay within 10 kmOcean Hideaway, Baggies Little Bed & Breakfast, Blue Sky Mining Backpackers & Lodge and 2 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 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 Umdoni Bird Sanctuary.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas18 mountains within 25 kmItshehlope · 11 kmNsulwane · 16 kmMfume · 18 kmMbongolwana · 18 kmNtweka · 21 kmBerea Range · 22 kmKwaNdaya · 24 kmNzobo · 24 km
Coastya1 beaches within 10 kmIsipingo Beach · 6.2 km
Darkskyas1 dark-sky places within 30 kmNatal ObservatoryBortle 9 · 24 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Umdoni Bird Sanctuary
South Africa
- 73Birdyas Score
- 302Species
- 95Migrants
- 3Threatened
UKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park
South Africa · 150 km
- 46Birdyas Score
- 78Species
- 21Migrants
- 2Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q7881450) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 38,233 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, Coastya, 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