For the majority of safari travellers, the Serengeti is synonymous with wildebeest, lions, and the spectacle of the Great Migration. But ask any ornithologist where they most want to spend November through April in East Africa, and the answer will surprise you: Serengeti bird watching during the green season is, in the considered opinion of serious birders, one of the most rewarding experiences on the continent.

The Serengeti has recorded over 500 bird species — a number that puts it in the company of the most biodiverse avian habitats on Earth. During the dry season, this extraordinary bird life is present but often less visible, the vegetation sparse and the birds scattered across a vast landscape. When the short rains arrive in November and the long rains follow in March and April, everything changes. The Serengeti’s many vegetation zones flush green simultaneously. Seasonal wetlands appear on the plains. Insects emerge in vast numbers. And the birds respond to this explosion of food and habitat with an intensity of activity that can make even the most committed mammal-focused safari guest stop and stare.

What to See and Where

The southern Serengeti — the Ndutu region — transforms into a wetland mosaic during the green season, drawing wading birds in extraordinary variety. Grey crowned cranes move across the plains in pairs, and the open-billed stork, yellow-billed stork, and saddle-billed stork (one of Africa’s most visually striking birds, with its multi-coloured bill and black-and-white plumage) are all abundant along the seasonal water bodies. The Seronera River, which flows year-round through the central valley, becomes even more productive in the wet season — African fish eagles call from every large tree, giant kingfishers hover over the pools, and malachite kingfishers — impossibly small and jewel-bright — perch on overhanging branches.

The acacia woodland zones harbour some of the Serengeti’s most sought-after residents: the lilac-breasted roller, arguably Africa’s most photographed bird, sits on exposed perches and launches in colour-flashing dives for insects on the ground. The superb starling, golden-breasted starling, and Hildebrandt’s starling add flashes of iridescent colour to every scene. Secretary birds — those improbable predators with their eagle bodies and crane legs — stalk through the long grass of the plains, stamping prey to death with their powerful feet.

Migrants Arrive

The green season also marks the arrival of Palearctic migrants from Europe and Asia — birds that have flown from breeding grounds in Scandinavia, Russia, and the Middle East to winter in the warmth of the East African savannah. Steppe eagles arrive in large numbers and can be seen soaring in thermals or sitting on termite mounds. European rollers add their beauty to the resident lilac-breasted cousins. Swallows, martins, and flycatchers from European gardens spend their winters in the Serengeti’s green season luxury, completely unaware that any bird watcher is watching them with binoculars and a field guide.

Practical Tips for Green Season Birding

The best Serengeti bird watching during the green season happens between 6 AM and 9 AM and again in the late afternoon from 4 PM. Midday is productive for raptors using thermals, but most other species are quiet in the heat. A good pair of binoculars (8×42 or 10×42) is essential. The standard game viewing vehicle used by most camps works perfectly for bird watching — many guides have excellent bird knowledge and will happily shift the focus of a morning game drive from mammals to birds if you express the interest. Several specialised bird watching camps and operators offer dedicated green season birding safaris in the Serengeti, combining early morning birding walks with afternoon mammal game drives. If birds are your primary interest, April — the height of the long rains — is the single best month, when the maximum number of resident and migrant species are present simultaneously and the landscape is at its most lush and beautiful.