Site Report: Pemba - Ngezi Forest, Tanzania

Pemba Sunset by Barbara Carr

Pemba Scops-Owl (Otus pembaensis)

Brown House Snake (Boaedon fuliginosus)

Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)

East-African Snake-eyed Skink (Cryptoblepharus africanus)

Mangrove Kingfisher (Halcyon senegaloides)

Army Crab (Dotilla fenestrata)

African Pygmy-Kingfisher (Ispidina picta)

Crowned Hornbill (Lophoceros alboterminatus)

Dickinson's Kestrel (Falco dickinsoni)

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)

African Harrier-Hawk (Polyboroides typus)

Teak Trunk Borer (Stromatium barbatum)

Pemba White-eye (Zosterops vaughani)

Broad-billed Roller (Eurystomus glaucurus)

Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus)

Brown-headed Parrot (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus)

Green Rock Crab (Grapsus fourmanoiri)

Pemba Green-Pigeon (Treron pembaensis)

Gaudy Grasshopper (Chrotogonus sp)

Pemba Flying Fox (Pteropus voeltzkowi)

Crab-Plover (Dromas ardeola)

Pemba Sunbird (Cinnyris pembae)

Black-bellied Starling (Notopholia corusca)

Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea)

Pemba Sunbird (Cinnyris pembae) - Female

Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirumda smithii)

Black Heron (Egretta ardesiaca)

Black-winged Bishop (Euplectes hordeaceus)

Small-eared Greater Galago (Otolemur garnettii)

Forest

Map of Site Report: Pemba - Ngezi Forest, Tanzania

Visits

2025-02-08: We arrived to Pemba to a crush of people at the terminal. We had arranged a driver beforehand, but touts insisted on the hard sell anyway. We finally met up with our driver who took us to the north of the island.
2025-02-09: Today's adventure was a boat trip out to snorkel at one of the coral reefs. Unfortunately, the reef here was in similar condition to many of the other coral reefs around the world, which is to say nearly dead. We did see an octopus, however.
2025-02-10: Woke up this morning to a snake in the cabin. This marks the second snake/hotel encounter of the trip to Tanzania. After getting a good photo of the snake, we joined a local guide to show us the bird life of the area. We traveled into the forest, to a mud-flat at low tide, and to a small pond. Later in the day, we went back to the forest to look for the Pemba Scops Owl. The highlight of the day, however, had to be FINALLY seeing an African Pygmy Kingfisher which I have looked for every day in probably close to 2 years spent travelling around Africa.

Species Seen

Kingdom: Animals (68 records)

Phylum: Arthropods (4 records)

Class: Insects (2 records)

Order: Beetles (1 record)
- Family: Longhorn Beetles
- Teak Trunk Borer (Stromatium barbatum)

Order: Grasshoppers, Katydids and Crickets (1 record)
- Family: Gaudy Grasshoppers
- Gaudy Grasshopper (Chrotogonus sp)

Class: Malacostracans (2 records)

Order: Crabs (2 records)
- Family: Sand Bubbler Crabs and Allies
- Army Crab (Dotilla fenestrata)
- Family: Shore Crabs
- Green Rock Crab (Grapsus fourmanoiri)

Phylum: Chordates (64 records)

Class: Birds (59 records)

Order: Anseriformes (2 records)
- Family: Swans, Geese, and Ducks
- White-backed Duck (Thalassornis leuconotus)
- White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)

Order: Bucerotiformes (1 record)
- Family: Hornbills
- Crowned Hornbill (Lophoceros alboterminatus)

Order: Cranes, Rails, and Allies (1 record)
- Family: Rails, Gallinules, and Allies
- Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Order: Doves and Pigeons (2 records)
- Family: Pigeons and Doves
- Blue-spotted Wood-Dove (Turtur afer)
- Pemba Green-Pigeon (Treron pembaensis)

Order: Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies (5 records)
- Family: Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- African Goshawk (Aerospiza tachiro)
- African Harrier-Hawk (Polyboroides typus)
- Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
- European Honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
- Palm-nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)

Order: Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Motmots (6 records)
- Family: Bee-eaters
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)
- Family: Rollers
- Broad-billed Roller (Eurystomus glaucurus)

Order: Owls And Nightjars (1 record)
- Family: Typical Owls
- Pemba Scops-Owl (Otus pembaensis)

Order: Parrots (1 record)
- Family: New World Parrots
- Brown-headed Parrot (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus)

Order: Pelicans (18 records)
- Family: Falcons and Caracaras
- Dickinson's Kestrel (Falco dickinsoni)
- Family: Grebes
- Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
- Family: Jacanas
- African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)

Order: Perching Birds (16 records)
- Family: Jays and Crows
- House Crow (Corvus splendens)
- Pied Crow (Corvus albus)
- Family: Old World Sparrows
- Black-and-white Mannikin (Spermestes bicolor)
- Bronze Mannikin (Spermestes cucullata)
- Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea)
- Family: Paradise-flycatcher
- African Paradise-Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis)
- Family: Starlings and Mynas
- Black-bellied Starling (Notopholia corusca)
- Family: Sunbirds
- Pemba Sunbird (Cinnyris pembae)
- Family: Swallows
- Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
- Western House-Martin (Delichon urbicum)
- Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)
- Family: Wagtails and Pipits
- African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp)
- African Pipit (Anthus cinnamomeus)
- Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
- Family: Weavers
- Black-winged Bishop (Euplectes hordeaceus)
- Family: White-eyes
- Pemba White-eye (Zosterops vaughani)

Order: Shorebirds and Allies (6 records)
- Family: Crab Plover
- Crab-Plover (Dromas ardeola)
- Family: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
- Great Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii)

Class: Mammals (2 records)

Order: Bats (1 record)
- Family: Old World Fruit Bats
- Pemba Flying Fox (Pteropus voeltzkowi)

Order: Primates (1 record)
- Family: Galagonidae
- Small-eared Greater Galago (Otolemur garnettii)

Class: Ray-finned Fish (1 record)

Order: Jacks, Flounders, Barracudas, and Allies (1 record)
- Family: Billfishes
- Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus)

Class: Reptiles (2 records)

Order: Lizards and Snakes (2 records)
- Family: Lamprophiidae
- Brown House Snake (Boaedon fuliginosus)
- Family: Skinks
- East-African Snake-eyed Skink (Cryptoblepharus africanus)

Lifelists

Trips

Tanzania