South Africa bird sanctuary
Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary
335 bird species recorded; the most from January to February, in July and in November.
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
256 species in January.247 species in February.220 species in March.220 species in April.228 species in May.200 species in June.244 species in July.239 species in August.220 species in September.243 species in October.245 species in November.236 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
335 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).
- 335Speciesrecorded more than once
- 100Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 2ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 106,820Recordsopen records within 4 km
- 1,378 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 27Raptors
- 5Owls
- 10Waders
- 2Gulls & seabirds
- 17Ducks & geese
- 25Herons, ibises & grebes
- 6Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 160Songbirds
- 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 335 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors27 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- African Harrier-hawkPolyboroides typus
- Ovambo SparrowhawkAccipiter ovampensis
- Black SparrowhawkAccipiter melanoleucus
- Little SparrowhawkAccipiter minullus
- Long-crested EagleLophaetus occipitalis
- Ayres's Hawk-EagleHieraaetus ayresii
- Black EagleAquila verreauxii
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Gabar GoshawkMicronisus gabar
- African Fish EagleHaliaeetus vocifer
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Amur FalconFalco amurensis
- LannerFalco biarmicus
- Yellow-billed KiteMilvus aegyptius
- Greater KestrelFalco rupicoloides
- Cape VultureGyps coprotheresVU
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Wahlberg's EagleHieraaetus wahlbergi
- Brown Snake EagleCircaetus cinereus
- Black-chested Snake EagleCircaetus pectoralis
- Secretary BirdSagittarius serpentarius
- Rock KestrelFalco rupicolus
- Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- ShikraAccipiter badius
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted Eagle-OwlBubo africanus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Pearl-spotted OwletGlaucidium perlatum
- Marsh OwlAsio capensis
- Southern White-faced OwlPtilopsis granti
Waders10 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Blacksmith LapwingVanellus armatus
- Crowned lapwingVanellus coronatus
- Cape Thick-kneeBurhinus capensis
- African Wattled LapwingVanellus senegallus
- Three-banded PloverCharadrius tricollaris
- African JacanaActophilornis africanus
- Temminck's CourserCursorius temminckii
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- African SnipeGallinago nigripennis
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
Gulls & seabirds2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Grey-headed GullChroicocephalus cirrocephalus
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
Ducks & geese17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Yellow-billed DuckAnas undulata
- White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
- African Black DuckAnas sparsa
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
- Cape TealAnas capensis
- Southern PochardNetta erythrophthalma
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Red-billed TealAnas erythrorhyncha
- Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensis
- Cape ShelduckTadorna cana
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Blue-billed TealSpatula hottentota
- Cape ShovelerSpatula smithii
- White-backed DuckThalassornis leuconotus
- Maccoa DuckOxyura maccoa
Herons, ibises & grebes25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- HadadaBostrychia hagedash
- African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
- Long-tailed CormorantMicrocarbo africanus
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- DarterAnhinga rufa
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Black HeronEgretta ardesiaca
- White-breasted CormorantPhalacrocorax lucidus
- Little BitternIxobrychus minutus
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Goliath HeronArdea goliath
- HamerkopScopus umbretta
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- African SpoonbillPlatalea alba
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Dwarf BitternIxobrychus sturmii
- Pink-backed PelicanPelecanus rufescens
Storks & cranes6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Blue CraneAnthropoides paradiseusVU
- Grey Crowned CraneBalearica regulorum
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Abdim's storkCiconia abdimii
- Yellow-billed StorkMycteria ibis
- Leptoptilos crumeniferLeptoptilos crumenifer
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds160 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Southern Masked WeaverPloceus velatus
- MossiePasser melanurus
- Karoo ThrushTurdus smithi
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Dark-capped BulbulPycnonotus tricolor
- Cape White-eyeZosterops virens
- Red BishopEuplectes orix
- White-bellied SunbirdCinnyris talatala
- Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava
- Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus
- Southern BoubouLaniarius ferrugineus
- Cape StarlingLamprotornis nitens
- Cape RobinCossypha caffra
- Cape SparrowPasser diffusus
- Grosbeak WeaverAmblyospiza albifrons
- Bronze MannikinLonchura cucullata
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Common FiscalLanius collaris
- Red-winged StarlingOnychognathus morio
- Red-billed QueleaQuelea quelea
- Rock MartinPtyonoprogne fuligula
- Amethyst SunbirdChalcomitra amethystina
- Greater Striped SwallowCecropis cucullata
- Streaky-headed SeedeaterCrithagra gularis
- Cape WagtailMotacilla capensis
- Cape Robin-ChatDessonornis caffer
- Kurrichane ThrushTurdus libonyana
- Southern PuffbackDryoscopus cubla
- Arrow-marked BabblerTurdoides jardineii
- White-throated SwallowHirundo albigularis
- Fiscal FlycatcherSigelus silens
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Red-collared WhydahEuplectes ardens
- White-winged WidowbirdEuplectes albonotatus
- African Paradise-FlycatcherTerpsiphone viridis
- Lesser Swamp WarblerAcrocephalus gracilirostris
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Turdus olivaceusTurdus olivaceus
- Black-throated CanaryCrithagra atrogularis
- Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinica
- Orange River White-eyeZosterops pallidus
- Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilis
- Piping CisticolaCisticola fulvicapilla
- South African Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon spilodera
- Black-headed OrioleOriolus larvatus
- Groundscraper ThrushPsophocichla litsitsirupa
- Black-chested PriniaPrinia flavicans
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Jameson's FirefinchLagonosticta rhodopareia
- Cape WeaverPloceus capensis
- Brown-crowned TchagraTchagra australis
- African Bush-WarblerBradypterus baboecala
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Chinspot BatisBatis molitor
- Cut-throat FinchAmadina fasciata
- Yellow-fronted CanaryCrithagra mozambica
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
- Mirafra africanaMirafra africana
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Rattling CisticolaCisticola chiniana
- Cape CrombecSylvietta rufescens
- Grey-headed BushshrikeMalaconotus blanchoti
- Blue WaxbillUraeginthus angolensis
- Black-crowned TchagraTchagra senegalus
- Bar-throated ApalisApalis thoracica
- Red-headed FinchAmadina erythrocephala
- White-throated Robin-ChatCossypha humeralis
- BokmakierieTelophorus zeylonus
- Erythropygia leucophrysErythropygia leucophrys
- Cinnamon-breasted BuntingEmberiza tahapisi
- Southern Black-FlycatcherMelaenornis pammelaina
- Green-winged PytiliaPytilia melba
- Levaillant's CisticolaCisticola tinniens
- Orange-breasted BushshrikeChlorophoneus sulfureopectus
- African Sand MartinRiparia paludicola
- Red-breasted SwallowCecropis semirufa
- Black Cuckoo-shrikeCampephaga flava
- Cape Grass-warblerSphenoeacus afer
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
- African Reed WarblerAcrocephalus baeticatus
- African PipitAnthus cinnamomeus
- Lesser Masked WeaverPloceus intermedius
- African Red-eyed BulbulPycnonotus nigricans
- Mocking ChatThamnolaea cinnamomeiventris
- Long-tailed WidowbirdEuplectes progne
- Desert CisticolaCisticola aridulus
- Mountain WagtailMotacilla clara
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Mountain ChatOenanthe monticola
- White-breasted CuckooshrikeCoracina pectoralis
- African FirefinchLagonosticta rubricata
- Orange-breasted WaxbillAmandava subflava
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Fairy WarblerStenostira scita
- Dusky IndigobirdVidua purpurascens
- Grey-backed CamaropteraCamaroptera brevicaudata
- Yellow CanaryCrithagra flaviventris
- Red-billed FirefinchLagonosticta senegala
- Yellow-crowned BishopEuplectes afer
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Chestnut-vented WarblerCurruca subcoerulea
- Long-tailed Paradise WhydahVidua paradisaea
- Rock-loving CisticolaCisticola aberrans
- Pearl-breasted SwallowHirundo dimidiata
- Pied StarlingLamprotornis bicolor
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Banded MartinRiparia cincta
- Capped WheatearOenanthe pileata
- Familiar ChatOenanthe familiaris
- Golden-breasted BuntingEmberiza flaviventris
- Orange-throated LongclawMacronyx capensis
- Crimson-breasted ShrikeLaniarius atrococcineus
- Striped PipitAnthus lineiventris
- White-browed Sparrow-weaverPlocepasser mahali
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Marico SunbirdCinnyris mariquensis
- Wattled StarlingCreatophora cinerea
- QuailfinchOrtygospiza atricollis
- Yellow-throated Bush SparrowGymnoris superciliaris
- Violet-eared WaxbillUraeginthus granatinus
- Northern Grey-headed SparrowPasser griseus
- Greater Double-collared SunbirdCinnyris afer
- BrubruNilaus afer
- Cape BuntingEmberiza capensis
- Magpie ShrikeUrolestes melanoleucus
- Cuckoo-finchAnomalospiza imberbis
- Red-billed OxpeckerBuphagus erythrorhynchus
- Buffy PipitAnthus vaalensis
- Wailing CisticolaCisticola lais
- Black-faced WaxbillEstrilda erythronotos
- Red-shouldered WhydahEuplectes axillaris
- Malachite SunbirdNectarinia famosa
- Iago SparrowPasser iagoensis
- Erythropygia paenaErythropygia paena
- Cape CrowCorvus capensis
- White-crested HelmetshrikePrionops plumatus
- Marico FlycatcherBradornis mariquensis
- Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor
- Red-capped LarkCalandrella cinerea
- Fan-tailed GrassbirdSchoenicola brevirostris
- Burchell's Glossy-starlingLamprotornis australis
- Meves's StarlingLamprotornis mevesii
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Plain-backed PipitAnthus leucophrys
- Sociable WeaverPhiletairus socius
- Burnt-neck EremomelaEremomela usticollis
- Southern Pied-BabblerTurdoides bicolor
- Black-and-white MuniaLonchura bicolor
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Cape Rock ThrushMonticola rupestris
- Short-toed Rock ThrushMonticola brevipes
- Locust FinchPaludipasser locustella
- Swee WaxbillCoccopygia melanotis
- Cisticola ayresiiCisticola ayresii
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
Other birds82 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
- Ring-necked DoveStreptopelia capicola
- Red-eyed DoveStreptopelia semitorquata
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Speckled MousebirdColius striatus
- Grey LourieCorythaixoides concolor
- Black-collared BarbetLybius torquatus
- African Palm SwiftCypsiurus parvus
- Crested BarbetTrachyphonus vaillantii
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Speckled PigeonColumba guinea
- Red-faced MousebirdUrocolius indicus
- Red-knobbed CootFulica cristata
- Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
- Green WoodhoopoePhoeniculus purpureus
- African Grey HornbillLophoceros nasutus
- White-rumped SwiftApus caffer
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- African HoopoeUpupa africana
- African Olive PigeonColumba arquatrix
- Diederik CuckooChrysococcyx caprius
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Red-chested CuckooCuculus solitarius
- Brown-headed KingfisherHalcyon albiventris
- African Green-pigeonTreron calvus
- White-browed CoucalCentropus superciliosus
- Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens
- Swainson's SpurfowlPternistis swainsonii
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Giant KingfisherMegaceryle maxima
- Black CrakeAmaurornis flavirostra
- Golden-tailed WoodpeckerCampethera abingoni
- Lesser HoneyguideIndicator minor
- Malachite KingfisherCorythornis cristatus
- Woodland KingfisherHalcyon senegalensis
- Acacia Pied BarbetTricholaema leucomelas
- Common OstrichStruthio camelus
- Black CuckooCuculus clamosus
- Ortygornis sephaenaOrtygornis sephaena
- Greater HoneyguideIndicator indicator
- Klaas's CuckooChrysococcyx klaas
- Rufous-necked WryneckJynx ruficollis
- Wahlberg's HoneyguideProdotiscus regulus
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Yellow-fronted TinkerbirdPogoniulus chrysoconus
- Northern Black KorhaanAfrotis afraoides
- Half-collared KingfisherAlcedo semitorquata
- Fiery-necked NightjarCaprimulgus pectoralis
- Freckled NightjarCaprimulgus tristigma
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Striped CuckooClamator levaillantii
- African SwiftApus barbatus
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- Horus SwiftApus horus
- Natal FrancolinPternistis natalensis
- Namaqua DoveOena capensis
- European SwiftApus apus
- Rosy-faced LovebirdAgapornis roseicollis
- Orange River FrancolinScleroptila gutturalis
- White-backed MousebirdColius colius
- Jacobin CuckooClamator jacobinus
- Bearded WoodpeckerChloropicus namaquus
- Lesser MoorhenGallinula angulata
- Little Bee-eaterMerops pusillus
- Striped KingfisherHalcyon chelicuti
- Emerald-spotted DoveTurtur chalcospilos
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- White-fronted Bee-eaterMerops bullockoides
- Lilac-breasted RollerCoracias caudatus
- Swallow-tailed Bee-eaterMerops hirundineus
- Southern Red-billed HornbillTockus rufirostris
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- African RailRallus caerulescens
- Rufous-cheeked NightjarCaprimulgus rufigena
- Buff-spotted FlufftailSarothrura elegans
- Common ButtonquailTurnix sylvaticus
- Southern Yellow-billed HornbillTockus leucomelas
- Bennett's WoodpeckerCampethera bennettii
- Common Scimitar-billRhinopomastus cyanomelas
- African CrakeCrex egregia
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 January to February, in July and in November.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan28°/15°122 mm
- Feb28°/15°82 mm
- Mar27°/13°73 mm
- Apr24°/10°43 mm
- May21°/6°16 mm
- Jun18°/2°7 mm
- Jul18°/2°3 mm
- Aug22°/5°7 mm
- Sep26°/8°16 mm
- Oct28°/12°57 mm
- Nov28°/13°89 mm
- Dec28°/15°127 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary.
Bird sanctuary in Pretoria, South Africa
Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary in South Africa, 1,378 m above the sea.
335 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 106,820 open records.
The most recorded are the Southern Masked Weaver, the Laughing Dove and the Hadada.
64 species come for the summer, 36 for the winter and 0 only pass through.
2 are threatened worldwide, including Blue Crane and Cape Vulture.
The most species are recorded from January to February, in July and in November.
Get there and watch
- Fountains Valley Caravan Parkcampsite · 3.6 km · 2 within 10 km
- Crane's Nestplace to stay · 0.1 km · 161 within 10 km
- Pretorianearest town · 4.9 km in a straight line
- Lanseria International Airport (HLA)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 35 km in a straight lineCar hire at HLA 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
- 2bird hides within 6 kmBird Hide
- 2visitor centres within 6 km
- 20viewpoints within 5 kmBird Hide and 19 more
- 315car parks within 3 km
- 137restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 2campsites within 10 kmFountains Valley Caravan Park, Joos Becker
- 161places to stay within 10 kmCrane's Nest, B'Guest, Waterkloof and 158 more
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 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 Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas24 mountains within 25 kmStrubenkop · 3.6 kmMeintjieskop · 4.0 kmWeskop · 6.6 kmCornwall Hill · 11 kmZwartkop · 12 kmTierpoortrant · 21 kmSkurweberg · 22 kmDaspoortrant · 25 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmRietvlei Reservoir1.7 km² · 13 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary
South Africa
- 73Birdyas Score
- 335Species
- 100Migrants
- 2Threatened
Marievale Bird Sanctuary
South Africa · 71 km
- 79Birdyas Score
- 359Species
- 139Migrants
- 5Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q15268543) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 106,820 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, Lakeyas |
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