List of birds of Malawi

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition.

These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.

Order: Galliformes   Family: Numididae Guineafowl are a group of African, seed-eating, ground-nesting birds that resemble partridges, but with featherless heads and spangled grey plumage.

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres.

Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.

Order: Otidiformes   Family: Otididae Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Rostratulidae Painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured.

They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat.

Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head.

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills.

Order: Suliformes   Family: Anhingidae Anhingas or darters are often called "snake-birds" because of their long thin neck, which gives a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged.

Order: Coliiformes   Family: Coliidae The mousebirds are slender greyish or brown birds with soft, hairlike body feathers and very long thin tails.

Found in tropical woodlands worldwide, they feed on insects and fruit, and their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits.

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Upupidae Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head.

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Bucerotidae Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Coraciidae Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters.

They are named for the greater honeyguide which leads traditional honey-hunters to bees' nests and, after the hunters have harvested the honey, feeds on the remaining contents of the hive.

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calyptomenidae The broadbills are small, brightly coloured birds, which feed on fruit and also take insects in flycatcher fashion, snapping their broad bills.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pittidae Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards and are stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Platysteiridae The wattle-eyes, or puffback flycatchers, are small stout passerine birds of the African tropics.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vangidae The helmetshrikes are similar in build to the shrikes, but tend to be colourful species with distinctive crests or other head ornaments, such as wattles, from which they get their name.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Malaconotidae Bushshrikes are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Macrosphenidae African warblers are small to medium-sized insectivores which are found in a wide variety of habitats south of the Sahara.

They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub.

Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throats or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Zosteropidae The white-eyes are small and mostly undistinguished, their plumage above being generally some dull colour like greenish-olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Buphagidae As both the English and scientific names of these birds imply, they feed on ectoparasites, primarily ticks, found on large mammals.

African fish-eagle , common around lakes and rivers
White-faced whistling-duck, the most widespread of Malawi's ducks
Helmeted guineafowl, domesticated in many areas
Red-necked spurfowl, the most common francolin in Malawi
Greater flamingo, a regular migrant to Lake Chilwa and other wetlands
Little grebe, widespread on small bodies of water
Laughing dove, widespread in drier regions and increasing in number
Livingstone's turaco, common in forest and woodland in the south-east
Pied cuckoo, a migrant from other parts of Africa and perhaps also from Asia
African palm-swift, common around palms in lowland areas
Corn crake, a declining migrant from Eurasia
Wattled crane, now very rare
Spotted thick-knee, a scarce and little-known nocturnal bird
Wattled lapwing, locally fairly common in short, moist grassland
Greater painted-snipe, a difficult-to-see bird of marshes and the edges of water
African jacana, very common in well-vegetated wetlands
Common sandpiper, a very common Eurasian migrant
Ruff, a widespread migrant to wetlands and grassland
Collared pratincole, a colonial nester of grassland and wetlands
Gray-hooded gull, a resident of larger lakes and rivers
Whiskered tern, frequent at Lake Chilwa where there is a breeding colony
African skimmer, breeds along the River Shire
Yellow-billed stork, a widespread and dispersive bird of wetlands
African darter, a local resident of lakes and rivers
Pink-backed pelican, there are several breeding colonies in the south of the country.
Hamerkop, a common resident
Goliath heron, a shy resident of large bodies of water
Osprey, a migrant from the Northern Hemisphere
Yellow-billed kite, the breeding form of the black kite
Lizard buzzard, common in woodland throughout Malawi
Wahlberg's eagle, a breeding migrant present from August to April
Barn owl, often around farms and villages
Spotted eagle-owl, common in many habitats
Speckled mousebird, a sociable bird which often visits gardens
Bar-tailed trogon, resident in highland rainforests
Common scimitar-bill, a widespread resident in woodland
Southern ground-hornbill, disappearing from more densely populated areas
Striped kingfisher, widespread in open woodland and savannah
Boehm's bee-eater, a local resident most common near rivers
Lilac-breasted roller, widespread in open woodland and savannah
Black-collared barbet, a widespread and common resident
Golden-tailed woodpecker, a widespread resident most common in the south-east
Meyer's parrot, occurs in woodland in northern and central Malawi
White helmetshrike, a gregarious bird of woodland
Tropical boubou, a very common resident
Southern fiscal, conspicuous in open country
Pied crow, has adapted well to man-made habitats
Tawny-flanked prinia, a very common and widespread resident
Marsh warbler, large numbers winter in the Lower Shire Valley
Barn swallow, large numbers migrate to Malawi from the Northern Hemisphere
Lesser striped swallow, a common bird which has adapted to urban areas
Common bulbul, one of Malawi's most common birds
Willow warbler, a common migrant from Eurasia
Red-billed oxpecker, mainly found in national parks and nature reserves where there are populations of large wild mammals
Groundscraper thrush, small numbers occur in open woodland, gardens and golf courses
Spotted flycatcher, a common and widespread migrant
African stonechat, most common in highland areas
Eastern double-collared sunbird, very common in mountain rainforest
Copper sunbird, many move down to lowland regions outside the breeding season
Village weaver, breeds in colonies near water
Red bishop, locally very common
Common waxbill, occurs in grassland and marshes throughout Malawi
Bronze mannikin, very common in grassy areas
Pin-tailed whydah, lays its eggs in the nests of waxbills and mannikins
House sparrow, introduced to South Africa, this species has since spread, reaching Malawi in 1967.
African pied wagtail, common near water and in urban areas
Yellow-throated longclaw, fairly common in grassland
Yellow-fronted canary, common everywhere except high mountain regions