NORTHERN FARM
(DIEPSLOOT NATURE RESERVE)
Bird Checklist
PO Box 515
Randburg
2125
Tel: (011) 789-1122
Website: www.northernfarm.co.za
Updated January 2015
296 species
This bird list includes all species confirmed as
occurring on the farm since 1985. The
abundance and seasonality codes give an
indication of the likelihood of seeing each
species. Please report any additional species
to André Marx – details below.
Northern Farm (also known as the Diepsloot
Nature Reserve) is a government gazetted
nature reserve. The Northern Farm
Recreational User Group (NFRUG) is engaged
in managing recreational actives on the farm.
Included is a strategy for the preservation of
the area as a nature reserve as well as plans
for the provision of environmental education
activities. For more information about birdingrelated activities contact André Marx at
083 4117674; e-mail: turaco@telkomsa.net
A = Abundance Code
1: Common – regularly recorded
2: Scarce – occasionally recorded
3: Uncommon – seldom recorded
4: Vagrant – local rarity
a: Summer Migrant – Eurasian or intraAfrican summer visitors (mostly Sep-Apr)
b: Winter Migrant – regional or altitudinal
visitor (mostly May-Sep)
Species
Apalis, Bar-throated
Avocet, Pied
Babbler, Arrow-marked
Barbet, Black-collared
Barbet, Crested
Batis, Chinspot
Bee-eater, European
Bee-eater, White-fronted
Bishop, Southern Red
Bishop, Yellow-crowned (Golden)
Bittern, Little
Bokmakierie
Boubou, Southern
Bulbul, Dark-capped (Black-eyed)
Bunting, Cinnamon-breasted (Rock)
Bush-Shrike, Orange-breasted
Buttonquail, Kurrichane
Buzzard, Common (Steppe)
Buzzard, European Honey
Canary, Black-throated
Canary, Yellow
Canary, Yellow-fronted (Yellow-eyed)
Chat, Ant-eating
Cisticola, Cloud
Cisticola, Desert
Cisticola, Levaillant's
Cisticola, Rattling
Cisticola, Wing-snapping (Ayres's)
Cisticola, Zitting (Fan-tailed)
Coot, Red-knobbed
Cormorant, Reed
Cormorant, White-breasted
Corncrake
Coucal, Burchell's
A
2
3
2
1
1
3
2a
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
3
4
2
1a
2a
1
3
1
3
2
2
1
3
2
1
1
1
1
3a
1
Courser, Temminck’s
Crake, African
Crake, Baillon’s
Crake, Black
Crane, Blue
Crombec, Long-billed
Crow, Cape (Black)
Crow, Pied
Cuckoo Hawk, African
Cuckoo, African
Cuckoo, Common (European)
Cuckoo, Diederick
Cuckoo, Jacobin
Cuckoo, Levaillant’s (Striped)
Cuckoo, Red-chested
Darter, African
Dove, Cape Turtle
Dove, Laughing
Dove, Namaqua
Dove, Red-eyed
Dove, Rock (Feral Pigeon)
Drongo, Fork-tailed
Duck, African Black
Duck, Knob-billed (Comb)
Duck, Fulvous Whistling
Duck, Maccoa
Duck, Mallard
Duck, White-backed
Duck, White-faced Whistling
Duck, Yellow-billed
Eagle, African Fish
Eagle, African Hawk
Eagle, Black-chested Snake
Eagle, Booted
Eagle, Long-crested
Eagle, Verreauxs’ (Black)
Egret, Western Cattle
Egret, Great
Egret, Little
Egret, Yellow-billed
Falcon, Amur (Eastern Red-footed)
Falcon, Lanner
Falcon, Peregrine
Falcon, (Western) Red-footed
Finch, Cuckoo
Finch, Red-headed
2
3a
3
1
4
3
3
1
3
3a
3a
1a
2a
2a
2a
1
1
1
2
1
1
3
1
2
3
3
2
3
2
1
1
3
2
3
1
3
1
2
2
2
2a
2
3
3a
3
2
Finfoot, African
Firefinch, African (Blue-billed)
Firefinch, Jameson’s
Firefinch, Red-billed
Fiscal, Southern (Common)
Flamingo, Greater
Flufftail, Red-chested
Flycatcher, African Paradise
Flycatcher, Fairy
Flycatcher, Fiscal
Flycatcher, Spotted
Francolin, Coqui
Francolin, Orange River
Francolin, Red-winged
Francolin, Shelley’s
Go-away-bird (Lourie), Grey
Goose, Egyptian
Goose, Spur-winged
Goshawk, Gabar
Grassbird, Cape
Grebe, Black-necked
Grebe, Great Crested
Grebe, Little (Dabchick)
Greenshank, Common
Guineafowl, Helmeted
Gull, Grey-headed
Hamerkop
Harrier, African Marsh
Hawk, African Harrier- (Gymnogene)
Helmet-Shrike, White-crested
Heron, Black (Black Egret)
Heron, Black-crowned Night
Heron, Black-headed
Heron, Goliath
Heron, Green-backed
Heron, Grey
Heron, Purple
Heron, Rufous-bellied
Heron, Squacco
Hobby, Eurasian
Honeybird, Brown-backed (Sharp-b.)
Honeyguide, Greater
Honeyguide, Lesser
Hoopoe, African
Hornbill, African Grey
Ibis, African Sacred
4
3
2
3
1
3
2
2a
2b
2
2a
3
3
3
4
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
1
2a
1
2
2
3
3
4
2
2
1
2
2
1
2
4
2
2a
3
3
2
2
2
1
Ibis, Glossy
Ibis, Hadeda
Indigobird (Widowfinch), Purple
Jacana, African
Kestrel, Greater
Kestrel, Lesser
Kestrel, Rock
Kingfisher, Brown-hooded
Kingfisher, Giant
Kingfisher, Half-collared
Kingfisher, Malachite
Kingfisher, Pied
Kingfisher, Woodland
Kite, Black
Kite, Black-shouldered
Kite, Yellow-billed
Korhaan, Northern Black
Lapwing (Plover), African Wattled
Lapwing (Plover), Blacksmith
Lapwing (Plover), Crowned
Lark, Dusky
Lark, Eastern Clapper
Lark, Melodious
Lark, Red-capped
Lark, Rufous-naped
Lark, Spike-heeled
Longclaw, Cape (Orange-throated)
Mannikin, Bronze
Martin, Banded
Martin, Brown-throated
Martin, Common House
Martin, Rock
Martin, Sand
Moorhen, Common
Moorhen, Lesser
Mousebird, Red-faced
Mousebird, Speckled
Myna, Common (Indian)
Neddicky
Openbill, African
Oriole, Black-headed
Osprey
Owl, African Grass
Owl, Barn
Owl, Marsh
Owl, Southern White-faced
2
1
3
3
2
2a
3
2
2
2
2
2
3a
2a
1
1a
2
1
1
1
4a
3
3
2
2
3
1
2
3a
1
2a
2
2a
1
4
1
1
1
1
4
3
4a
3
2
2
4
Owl, Spotted EaglePainted-snipe, Greater
Parakeet, Rose-ringed
Pigeon, African Olive (Rameron)
Pigeon, Speckled (Rock)
Pipit, African (Grassveld)
Pipit, Buffy
Pipit, Long-billed
Pipit, Plain-backed
Plover, Three-banded
Pochard, Southern
Pratincole, Black-winged
Prinia, Black-chested
Prinia, Tawny-flanked
Puffback, Black-backed
Quail, Common
Quailfinch, African
Quelea, Red-billed
Rail, African
Robin-chat, Cape
Robin-chat, White-throated
Robin, White-browed Scrub
Roller, European
Roller, Lilac-breasted
Ruff
Sandpiper, Common
Sandpiper, Green
Sandpiper, Marsh
Sandpiper, Wood
Secretarybird
Seedeater (Canary), Streaky-headed
Shelduck, South African
Shikra (Little Banded Goshawk)
Shoveler, Cape
Shrike, Crimson-breasted
Shrike, Lesser Grey
Shrike, Red-backed
Snipe, African (Ethiopian)
Sparrow, Cape
Sparrow, House
Sparrow, Southern Grey-headed
Sparrowhawk, Black
Sparrowhawk, Little
Sparrowhawk, Ovambo
Sparrowlark, Chestnut-backed
Sparrow-weaver, White-browed
2
3
3
2
1
1
2
3
3
1
2
3a
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
3
3
3a
4
3a
3a
3a
3a
2a
4
2
3
3
2
3
2a
2a
2
1
1
1
2
2
1
3
3
Spoonbill, African
Spurfowl (Francolin), Swainson's
Starling, Cape Glossy
Starling, Common (European)
Starling, Pied
Starling, Red-winged
Starling, Wattled
Stilt, Black-winged
Stint, Little
Stonechat, African
Stork, Abdim’s
Stork, Black
Stork, Marabou
Stork, White
Stork, Yellow-billed
Sunbird, Amethyst (Black)
Sunbird, White-bellied
Swallow, Barn (European)
Swallow, Greater Striped
Swallow, Lesser Striped
Swallow, Pearl-breasted
Swallow, Red-breasted
Swallow, South African Cliff
Swallow, White-throated
Swamphen, African (Purple)
Swift, African Black
Swift, African Palm
Swift, Alpine
Swift, Common (European)
Swift, Horus
Swift, Little
Swift, White-rumped
Tchagra, Black-crowned
Tchagra, Brown-crowned (Three-str.)
Teal, Cape
Teal, Hottentot
Teal, Red-billed
Tern, Caspian
Tern, Whiskered
Tern, White-winged
Thick-knee (Dikkop), Spotted
Thick-knee (Dikkop), Water
Thrush, Groundscraper
Thrush, Karoo
Thrush, Kurrichane
Tit-Babbler, Chestnut-vented
2
1
1
4
2
2
3
2
3a
1
3a
4
4
2a
3
1
2
1a
1a
2a
3
2a
2a
1a
1
3
1
3
2a
3
1
1a
3
3
3
3
2
3
3
3a
1
4
3
1
3
3
Vulture, Cape
Wagtail, African Pied
Wagtail, Cape
Wagtail, Western Yellow
Warbler, (European) Marsh
Warbler, (European) Sedge
Warbler, African Reed (Afr. Marsh)
Warbler, Dark-capped Yellow
Warbler, Garden
Warbler, Great Reed
Warbler, Icterine
Warbler, Lesser Swamp (C. Reed)
Warbler, Little Rush (Afr. Sedge)
Warbler, Willow
Waxbill, Blue
Waxbill, Common
Waxbill, Orange-breasted
Weaver, Cape
Weaver, Southern Masked
Weaver, Thick-billed
Weaver, Village (Spotted-backed)
Wheatear, Capped
White-eye, Cape
Whydah, Long-tailed Paradise
Whydah, Pin-tailed
Widowbird, Long-tailed
Widowbird, Red-collared
Widowbird, White-winged
Wood-Hoopoe, Green (Red-billed)
Woodpecker, Cardinal
Woodpecker, Golden-tailed
Wryneck, Red-throated
Additional species
3
3
1
2a
1a
2a
1a
3
3a
2a
3a
1
1
1a
3
1
2
2
1
2
3
2b
1
3
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
2