African Birds - Disney Animals

Follow the chirps to the African aviary located on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. It’s home to a variety of colorful species native to Africa.

Get an up-close look at some remarkable creatures, including fearless northern carmine bee-eaters, preening African pygmy geese, shimmering purple glossy starlings, hamerkop and inquisitive green woodhoopoes.

You can also spot many of these winged wonders on the Wild Africa Trek.

African Birds in the Wild
African bird species live throughout the continent, in shrublands and woodlands and near waterways. Iridescent feathers make many African bird species look quite striking. That shimmering color is produced by air pockets in their feathers and the incoming reflective light—it's thanks to the wonders of physics.

Meet the birds who call Disney’s African aviary home.

Green Woodhoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus)
These curious and inquisitive birds love to explore their habitat while hunting for insects hidden in the bark of trees.

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)
Hamerkops are the smallest of African storks. These birds are named after the hammer-like shape of their head.

Northern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus)
In the Gambia, these birds are called “cousin to the fire,” which comes from the bird’s unique ability to sit near fire and snatch bugs as they flee from the flames. They can even remove bee stingers with their bills so they don’t get stung.

Purple Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis purpureus)
These colorful birds catch your eye with shimmering feathers and large orange eyes.

African Pygmy Goose (Nettapus auritus)
These birds are exceptional divers, using this skill while foraging for water lilies and evading predators.

The Walt Disney Company is passionately committed to the protection of birds and their natural habitats.

Threats to African Birds
African birds are losing their habitat to expanding cities, pollution, flooding, invasive species and the conversion of land to grazing areas for livestock.

Human Pressure
While natural predators like hawks, owls, driver ants and monitor lizards can decrease African bird populations, unsustainable hunting practices put the most pressure on them. In addition, humans are poisoning the bird food supply with fatal pesticides.

Local Stewards
The Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) has supported many nonprofit organizations’ efforts to work with communities By engaging local communities, projects aim to inspire environmental stewardship and increase respect towards wildlife.