There’s a belief that the only constants in life are death and taxes, but as social beings, and constant in the human experience are trends. Some are subtle, like the return of Oleku in Lagos; others are inescapable— the corseted traditional attire at Nigerian weddings. This love of fad precedes Nigeria and predates the 21st century. For example, the number of children named Dua doubled in England in the year 2019.

This significant growth is largely due to the domination of the British pop star, Dua Lipa, who was born Albanian and ironically knew no other Duas upon relocating to England. This follow-the-icon trend can also be found in the Victorian era when citizens of Edinburgh copied every aspect of Alexandra of Denmark, the bride of the Prince of Wales. From the outfits she wore to her jewellery selections, nothing was off the table, including her limp. It was called the Alexandra Limp, as the princess had survived a rheumatic fever which left her with a limp; this became a fad, not out of mockery but as a form of flattery.

So, when the Netflix whodunnit show, The Residence, featured its lead character unabashedly showcasing her love for birdwatching, there was bound to be a rise in interest in the avian world.

One domino effect of this is beauty scaling. There’s been a lot of spotlight on unique-looking birds. With only a few weeks until the Met Gala, this bird beauty contest has slowly begun to feel like a preparation for the event dubbed the fashion Olympics.

With their bright colours and shapes, these birds are inspiring trends in the beauty community. However, like a Western artiste’s world tour, African birds are getting slept on. So like a mistletoe in Norse mythology, here are beautiful African birds you can never overlook again:

Secretary Bird:

Secretary birds are classified as raptors, however, they bear a chimeric appearance, with an eagle-like body perched on long, crane-like legs, and dramatic crest made of long black quills, as Avibirds reports.

They have a crest of around 20 long, black feathers at the back of their heads, resembling quill pens tucked behind the ears, which is how they got their name, Secretary. Their plumage is mostly light grey, with black on the wings, thighs, and elongated central tail feathers. The underwing linings are white. They have a featherless face with red-orange skin and a short, down-curved beak backed by a yellow cere (the fleshy part at the base of the upper beak). They also have notably long eyelashes.

Secretary birds are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, avoiding only the extremely arid deserts and dense equatorial forests. They prefer open habitats such as savannas, grasslands, and scrublands with scattered short trees. They can also be found in open areas within forests and even in human-modified landscapes like airfields and pastures. They generally avoid mountainous or very hilly regions.

Rosy-Faced Lovebird:

The Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis), also known as the peach-faced lovebird, is a small, vibrant parrot native to the dry woodlands of southwestern Africa. I would argue that they look more like watermelons than peaches, but unfortunately, that’s not what their Wikipedia states.

The Rosy-faced Lovebird is a Namibian savanna woodlands native. Rosy-faced lovebirds have a wide range of colour mutations in captivity, leading to various combinations of blues, yellows, and other colours. They are relatively small birds, typically around 17-18 cm (6.7-7.1 inches) in length, with a short, pointed tail. 

Lilac-Breasted Roller Bird:

The Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) is a strikingly beautiful bird belonging to the roller family (Coraciidae). It’s widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa and is known for its vibrant plumage and acrobatic flight displays.

While not officially designated as the national bird by the Kenyan government, it’s widely considered the country’s unofficial national bird due to its beauty and prevalence in Kenyan landscapes.

The Lilac-breasted Rollers prefer open woodlands, savannas, and grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs, which they use as perches. They are found throughout eastern and southern Africa, ranging from the Red Sea coast to South Africa, and are also vagrants to the southern Arabian Peninsula. They tend to avoid densely forested or completely treeless areas and human-inhabited areas unless abandoned.

They are known to take advantage of bush fires, feeding on insects and other small animals fleeing the flames.

Knysna Turaco Bird:

To quote Africa Freak.com, “Birders will be green with envy if you spot this beautiful African bird.” The intrigue and admiration for the Knysna Turaco stems from the knowledge that Turacos are the only true green birds. Other birds derive their appearance from the light reflecting off their feathers, environmental biologist James MacDonald reports.

The Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix), also known as the Knysna Loerie in South Africa, is a beautiful, medium-sized bird belonging to the turaco family (Musophagidae). These birds are endemic to the evergreen forests of southern and eastern South Africa and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland).

They are found in the coastal forests extending from the Western Cape through to Mpumalanga, including Eswatini, up to altitudes of 1800 meters. They favour Afromontane forests, especially tall, multi-layered forests with large trees like Yellowwoods.

They are vocal birds, with a loud and distinctive “kow-kow-kow-kow” call that is a familiar sound in their forest habitat. One bird calling often elicits responses from others. They are arboreal and spend most of their time in the trees, rarely descending to the ground except for fallen fruit or bathing.

The Knysna Turaco is currently listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List. The species faces threats from forest destruction and the exploitation of forest patches for medicinal plants.

Grey Crowned Crane Bird:

The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is an elegant and easily recognisable bird found in eastern and southern Africa. It holds the distinction of being the national bird of Uganda and is a significant symbol in several other African cultures.

The Uganda Safari website explains, “The crested crane continues to be Uganda’s National bird – because of its beauty and humble ways. It appears on all instruments of the state and the national Coat of Arms.”

Grey Crowned Cranes inhabit dry savannas in sub-Saharan Africa but nest in somewhat wetter areas.

They can be found in various wetland and open grassland habitats, including marshes, floodplains, rivers, and savannas. They also adapt to human-modified landscapes like cultivated lands and pastures, particularly in East Africa. Unlike most other crane species, Grey Crowned Cranes can roost in trees due to their long hind toes, which allow them to grasp branches.

They engage in elaborate courtship dances that involve bowing, jumping, running, and wing flapping, accompanied by booming calls produced by inflating their red gular sacs. These dances also occur outside the breeding season, possibly to strengthen pair bonds. They are monogamous and usually mate for life.

In February 2025, BBC reported that the Grey Crowned Crane is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Their populations have experienced rapid declines due to habitat loss and degradation, draining of wetlands, overgrazing, and pesticide use. Along with the capture of live birds and the collection of their eggs.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Bird:

The African Pygmy Kingfisher is not the first pygmy to be mentioned on Saharan Style, as we have covered the near extinction of the pygmy hippopotamuses from Nigeria. 

The African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta) is a tiny, brightly colored bird found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its name, it isn’t always found near water and has a diet mainly consisting of insects rather than fish.

They are widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara but are absent from much of the Horn of Africa and the drier western parts of Southern Africa. They inhabit woodlands, savannas, and coastal forests and are not necessarily tied to water sources. The southern populations are intra-African migrants, moving north to central Africa after breeding (around March-April) and returning in September-October.