# Newman’s Birds of Africa — Birds of Southern Africa > Comprehensive digital field guide for identifying birds of Southern Africa. (iPhone/iPad app by Newman's Birds Pty LTD.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newmans-birds-of-africa/id722185873 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Newman's Birds Pty LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1799923073) - Category: Reference, Lifestyle - Price: $29.99 - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 73 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2013-10-29 - Data updated: 2026-08-15 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newmans-birds-of-africa/id722185873/reviews.md ## What is Newman’s Birds of Africa? KEY FEATURES • Includes over 1000 high quality photographs. • Universal app, pay once and get app for both iPhone and iPad. • 975 bird species (i.e. ALL the species for the region). • Detailed descriptions (including species status), illustrations and distribution maps. • Accurate illustrations of each bird as it is seen in the field, with labels showing diagnostic features. • Over 800 bird calls with multiple call types (song, duet, alarm, mating). • Easy navigation using the unique Newman’s bird groups. • Browse alphabetically by family name. • Search by common, scientific and Afrikaans bird names. • Identify birds by region or your current GPS. • Filter your results by bird size and colour. • Easily compare birds using cross-references in species descriptions. • Keep track of bird sightings in your online life list, allowing you to store the date, location and comments for each sighting. • Your life list is automatically backed up online and will be shared across your other devices that have the app installed. • The full app is downloaded to your device, so internet connectivity is not required to use the app (aside from the initial logging in to the life list – see the Important Note below). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Over 1,000 high quality photos added, no additional payment required. -------------------------------------------------------------------- "Opening the Newman’s app was like meeting Ken again – elegant, simple and shining with his wonderful art. The groupings make perfect and immediate sense, the page layout is instantly assimilated in a glance – this app now sets the ornithological standard and deserves a full 5-star rating." – Dave Pepler, Presenter of Groen on DSTV --------------------------------------------------------------------- In a world characterised by speed and urgency, birding offers the antithesis – a chance to sit still, unwind and simply observe – whether in one’s own garden or in a remote area of the bush. This Newman’s Birds app is the perfect companion for all birders, from the beginner to the keenest twitcher. It is based on the 2010 commemorative edition of Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa, one of the most popular birding guides in the region since its initial publication in 1983. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FREE VERSION: Try before you buy – there is a free lite version with full app functionality, limited to 60 species, so that you can see how it works before purchasing this app. Search for Newman's Birds of Southern Africa LITE. -------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING THE LIFE LIST: This app includes a cloud-based life list that stores your sightings online. You need to log in to the life list while you have internet connectivity, but once logged in, you can add sightings when you don’t have an internet connection. When you next connect to the internet, the life list will sync, and your new entries should be added to your list. The life list will sync to all your devices that have the app installed and where you are logged in with the same details. ## Key features - 1000+ high-quality photographs - 975 bird species descriptions - 800+ bird calls with multiple types - Identification by region or GPS - Filter by size and color - Online life list for sightings - Offline functionality ## Chart rankings - #193 in Top Paid · Reference (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (10 of 78) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newmans-birds-of-africa/id722185873/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Tears *2026-06-20, version 6.3.14* App is not viable. One buys your bird app based on your physical book. Very disappointed that this app is still so poor after all this time. ### 1/5 — Cannot log in *2026-01-25, version 6.2.8* Had this app for a while now and the problems using it just keep on coming. Have been able to log in for ages then it won’t let you. Reset. No luck. Navigation of the species is also terrible. Clunky and difficult. ### 1/5 — Logged out *2025-11-08, version 6.2.8* So maddening to be logged out and then cannot log life list as it won’t allow me to log in. Even when updating the password. I know all my credentials are correct! ### 5/5 — Excellent for bird calls *2025-10-02, version 6.2.6* Worth the money spent ### 1/5 — It’s given up the ghost *2025-09-26, version 6.2.5* I don’t know what is happening, but the app no longer works. I purchased it years ago and yesterday I could not login so I changed my password, now it really doesn’t log me in, plus each time I choose a class of birds I get a value of ZERO (0) returns, no matter which classification I use (i.e. waders, or birds of prey etc.). It was working fine at least 2 weeks ago! I’ve tried to offload the app and then reinstalling it but it is still the same. I tried to download assets, nothing happens either. I don’t want to lose my lists plus I paid for this app, so I expect it to work. This is very inconvenient. I don’t know what you’ve done to the app but this glitch needs to be fixed ASAP. ### 2/5 — Life list not working *2025-02-09, version 4.0.6* When accessing the life list, no previously sightings appear. You need to close the app and restart it. It can’t save current sightings as well. The closing of the sound clip is also a hastle. ### 1/5 — Previous App was better *2025-01-04, version 4.0.6* The previous app had a great search function. The current version is still clumsy. I hope they can improve this soon. ### 1/5 — A disaster *2024-12-28, version 4.0.6* When I first bought this app I was assured that the developers were aware of the bugs and things that were not working. Three years later it still isn’t working. Sometimes part of it works. Most of the time very little works. The list of sightings hangs and does not load, as a result my previous trips appear to be completely lost. I intend to upgrade but not to this app! ### 1/5 — It was great before the “update” *2024-11-09, version 4.0.6* Now- I can’t enlarge the pics… It’s not user friendly anymore . Going to just buy something else and start again. 0/10 would not recommend ### 5/5 — Now a great app with very welcome improvements! *2024-07-12* This app always had great content, but the user interface and experience was awful: until the recent refresh. What a positive change! You can’t even call this an update; it’s a complete and very welcome overhaul. This is the interface that the content deserved, well done! Highly recommended. ## Frequently asked questions about Newman’s Birds of Africa ### What is the price of Newman's Birds of Africa? Newman's Birds of Africa is a paid app priced at $29.99. There is a free lite version available for download that includes 60 species to try before purchasing the full app. ### Can I use Newman's Birds of Africa offline? Yes, the full app is downloaded to your device, allowing for offline use. Internet connectivity is only required for the initial login to the cloud-based life list. ### What devices are compatible with Newman's Birds of Africa? Newman's Birds of Africa is a universal app compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod. You pay once and get the app for both iPhone and iPad. ### How often is Newman's Birds of Africa updated? The app was last updated on November 1, 2025, indicating regular updates. The current version is 6.2.8. ### What is the age rating for Newman's Birds of Africa? Newman's Birds of Africa has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in birds. ### Does Newman's Birds of Africa include bird calls? Yes, the app features over 800 bird calls, including multiple call types such as song, duet, and alarm calls, enhancing the identification experience. ### How does the life list feature in Newman's Birds of Africa work? The app includes a cloud-based life list where you can store date, location, and comments for each bird sighting. Your list is backed up online and shared across your devices. ### What kind of information is provided for each bird species? Each of the 975 bird species includes detailed descriptions, species status, accurate illustrations with diagnostic labels, and distribution maps. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 6.3.14 — 2026-04-11 Bug fixes for the editing and deleting of a trip list ### 6.3.12 — 2026-04-07 - Brand new revamped design! - Bug fixes for life list ### 6.2.8 — 2025-11-01 - Fixed issue with the download of the CSV for the life list ### 6.2.6 — 2025-09-26 - Sync issue resolved for iOS users after login ### 6.2.5 — 2025-09-20 NEW UPDATES: - Offline sync improvements - Upgraded API - Better offline logging performance ## Apps similar to Newman’s Birds of Africa | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Sasol eBirds Southern Africa](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sasol-ebirds-southern-africa/id1505731669) | 4.7 (92) | $19.99 | Reference | | [Stuarts’ African Mammals](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stuarts-african-mammals/id1233082642) | 4.5 (11) | $15.99 | Reference | | [Tracks4Africa Guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tracks4africa-guide/id918481937) | 4.3 (10) | Free | Reference | | [Sibley Birds 2nd Edition](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibley-birds-2nd-edition/id1236011411) | 4.9 (2,804) | $19.99 | Reference | | [iBird Pro Guide to Birds](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibird-pro-guide-to-birds/id308018823) | 4.3 (7,067) | Free | Reference | | [eBird](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ebird/id988799279) | 3.8 (797) | Free | Reference | ## Related topics [birds from southern africa](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/birds-from-southern-africa) · [esnakes southern africa](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/esnakes-southern-africa) · [birding in southern africa](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/birding-in-southern-africa) · [mammal guide of southern africa](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/mammal-guide-of-southern-africa) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-15.*