BirdLife South Africa is inviting the public to choose the Bird of the Year for the first time ever, and voting has already kicked off!
South Africa (22 September 2025) - For 18 years, BirdLife South Africa has designated a 'Bird of the Year.'
The chosen bird goes on to become somewhat of a mascot in educational sessions and a dedicated webpage that shares posters, infographics, fact sheets, and other resources to promote knowledge and enthusiasm for birding and conservation.
The Bird of the Year (BOTY) for 2026 will also become a cover star, featured on the January/February cover of African BirdLife magazine, BirdLife South Africa's publication.
Narrowed down from hundreds of wonderful species to just one, the Red-Billed Oxpecker took the title for 2025.
You'll spot them everywhere in the bush, dangling from giraffes' ossicones like earrings and hanging out on hippos. They made the BOTY for 2025 not for being a threatened species but a thriving one! For many years, their population and range was shrinking, but thanks to conservation, the tide has turned. It's a success story.
Now, the search is on for the next top avian.
Nominations for this year's top species came from BirdLife SA's wide conservation network. An internal team then vetted these nominations against specific criteria, and shortlisted them to a top ten species that readers can vote for.
The birds in this vote range from thriving to endangered. While BirdLife does prioritise species that need protection, that's not the only factor considered when selecting the BOTY - this year's thriving species is a good example of that. Celebrating a conservation win that's already in the bag.
More than 4000 people have already voted in for this year's BOTY, proving that there's a growing awareness of and engagement with birds in SA.
As chosen by BirdLife SA and its network of conservationists, there are the top 10 bird species vying (read flying) to be the chosen one:
One of nature's best collaborators, the Greater Honeyguide has a legendary knack for leading people straight to wild bee nests. It calls and chatters until you follow, lets you face the sting of the bees, and then swoops in for the leftovers (wax and larvae). It's teamwork at its wildest. While still listed as Least Concern, honeyguides depend on healthy bee populations, so protecting our pollinators is also protecting this little guide's way of life.
Slicing low over the fynbos in all-black feathers edged with striking white, the Black Harrier is one of SA's most elegant raptors. But beauty comes with fragility. Fewer than 1000 remain, making it one of our rarest birds of prey. Endangered and holding tightly to shrinking patches of fynbos and renosterveld, our unique landscapes need care if their most graceful hunter is to survive.
We all know this one. Love it or laugh at it, this bird has made itself at home literally everywhere. Beyond the noise, they do play a role as pest-controllers. Listed as Least Concern, and perhaps most popular?
The Martial Eagle is Africa's heavy-weight champ of the skies. With a massive wingspan and a hunter's glare, this bird of prey can take down mammals, birds, and reptiles with ease. But despite its power, it's endangered. Martial Eagles need huge, undisturbed territories to thrive, and habitat loss and poisoning are taking their toll.
With bold black-and-white stripes and a taste for snakes, the Southern Banded Snake Eagle is as striking as it is rare. Found in coastal forests and sand forests along the east, it's now critically endangered, its range shrinking fast, and its survival depends on the protection of these habitats.
You might hear the Crowned Eagle before you see it. Also built like a heavyweight, this raptor preys on monkeys and small antelope. But their habitat (forests) are dwindling, and with them, the eagle's future. They are listed as Vulnerable.
Tiny, shy, and hard to spot even for the most seasoned birders, Botha's Lark is found only in SA's high-altitude grasslands. But this little bird is in big trouble, it's critically endangered, clinging to shrinking patches of natural grassland threatened by agriculture.
Known as the 'bone breaker,' the Bearded Vulture has one of the most unusual diets in the bird world. It survives almost entirely on bones, dropping them from great heights to crack them open for the marrow inside. Found in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains, it's critically endangered due to poisoning, disturbance, and habitat loss.
Shimmering blue with long tail streamers, the Blue Swallow is one of the most beautiful birds in flight. A little jewel of the sky. Sadly, it's also one of the rarest. Breeding in mid-altitude Mistbelt grasslands, it relies on aardvark and porcupine burrows for nesting. But as farmland expands, its habitat shrinks, making it critically endangered.
Tiny but mighty, the Amur Falcon makes one of the longest migrations in the bird world, flying from Asia all the way to southern Africa every year. In SA, they arrive in great flocks to feed on insects, especially termites. Although listed as Least Concern, they face threats from trapping and habitat loss along their migratory route.
Voting is open until 30 September 2025 at 23:59 (SAST), and BirdLife South Africa is encouraging all South Africans to make their voices heard by casting their vote here.