Birding Factoids

852 species
in 77 families

23 endemic species
70 speciality species
16 endangered species
3 week trip expectation -
about 400 species
 

    South Africa
    (including Lesotho and Swaziland)
    Hotspots
Checklist of South African BirdsConservation, Biodiversity and the EnvironmentTours and GuidesEco-LodgesRare Bird AlertsSpeciality BirdsPrint ResourcesMap and General Country Information
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Strandfontein under Siege

The most important waterfowl refuge in the Western Cape, and arguably South Africa, is under severe threat. Despite the world’s major conservation authority on birds, BirdLife International, designating Strandfontein Waste Water Treatment ponds as part of a globally Important Bird Area (IBA SA116), plans to build a road through the area are progressing.
Click here for more information.
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For photos of South African Birds, check Stefan Tewinkel's illustrated trip report
as well as Safaricam's site
Graham Cooke has a great South African Bird Gallery,
Guiliano Gerro and Silvio Sommazzi have images of South African Birds and
check out Chris Gibbin's South African Birds on Postage Stamps
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South African Specialities
Wattled Crane - ENDANGERED - Photo copyright International Crane Foundation
Photo copyright International Crane Foundation
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Blue Crane - National Bird of South Africa - Photo copyright Peter Nilsson
Photo copyright Peter Nilsson
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Karoo Lark - ENDEMIC - Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel
Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel
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African Jacana - Photo copyright Hans Martens
Photo copyright Hans Martens
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Yellow-billed Duck - Photo copyright Erigen Birding Pages
Photo copyright Erigen Birding Pages
..Purple-crested Turaco - Photo copyright Albert Froneman
Photo copyright Albert Froneman
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Pale-winged Starling - Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel
Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel
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Maccoa Duck - Photo coyright Eric Van Poppel
Photo coyright Eric Van Poppel
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Knysa Turaco - Photo copyright Jean-Philippe Paris
Photo copyright Jean-Philippe Paris
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Goliath Heron - Photo copyright David Geale
Photo copyright David Geale
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Saddlebilled Stork - Photo copyright Nick Lowton
Photo copyright Nick Lowton
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Cape Shoveler - Photo copyright Safaricamlive
Photo copyright Safaricamlive
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Red Bishop - Photo copyright Birdlife On-Line Magazine
Photo copyright Birdlife On-Line Magazine
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Double-banded Sandgrouse - Photo copyright Cliff Buckton
Photo copyright Cliff Buckton
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Chinspot Batis - Photo copyright Graham Cooke
Photo copyright Graham Cooke
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Hamerkop - Photo copyright Marcus Martin
Photo copyright Marcus Martin
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Hooded Vulture - Photo copyright Hans Martens
Photo copyright Hans Martens
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Cape Robin-Chat - Photo copyright Marcus Martin
Photo copyright Marcus Martin
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Crowned Lapwing - Photo copyright Peter Nilssen
Photo copyright Peter Nilssen
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Jackass Penguin - Photo copyright Jeff Blincow
Photo copyright Jeff Blincow
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Grey Heron - Courtesy of Tembe Elephant Park
Courtesy of Tembe Elephant Park
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Cape Eagle-Owl - Photo copyright Steve Bird
Photo copyright Steve Bird
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Kurrichane Thrush - Photo copyright Graham Cooke
Photo copyright Graham Cooke
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White-backed Vulture - Photo copyright Eric Van Poppel
Photo copyright Eric Van Poppel
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White-backed Duck - Photo copyright ZOO inthe Wild
Photo copyright ZOO in the Wild
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Kittlitz's Plover - Photo copyright Nigel Blake
Photo copyright Nigel Blake
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Shikra - Photo copyright Sumit Sen
Photo copyright Sumit Sen
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Rufous (Cape) Rockjumper - ENDEMIC - Photo copyright Giuliano Gerra and Silio Sommazzi
Photo copyright Giuliano Gerra and Silio Sommazzi
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African Darter - Photo copyright Marcus Martin
Photo copyright Marcus Martin
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Three-banded (Heuglin's) Courser - Photo copyright Steve Bird
Photo copyright Steve Bird
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Common Grenadier (Violet-eared Waxbill) - Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel
Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel

Kalahari Scrub-Robin - Photo copyright Jean-Philippe Paris

Photo copyright Jean-Philippe Paris
     
    ....Birding Spots in Southern Africa - the creme-de-la-creme of birding 
      location guides, this site says it all! Highly recommended. This site has seperate sections for each of the major provinces of South Africa.
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    ....Outdoor South Africa - South Africa is a land of dramatic diversity.
      Seacoasts, mountain ranges, forests, arid plains, deserts: all have a special quality that set them apart as uniquely South African. This quality is a combination of climate, wildlife and terrain that must be directly experienced to be understood. This site provides links to information on all of South Africa's national parks and reserves.
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    ....SAfrican Birding Spots: Locality Guides and Checklists
      (always under construction !) This page links you to information on some of the best birding places in Southern Africa. Some places are described on pages on ZABIRDSTUFF, and these are complemented by links to other good sites which provide good on-line information on birding places.
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    ....Fatbirder's Guide to Birding in South Africa - South Africa`s 
      attraction as a birding destination par excellence has to be one of the world`s best kept secrets. Out of a total of more than 820 species (including some splits which are not yet universally recognised) 121 species are vagrants or accidentals, 40 species endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland and a further 110 species are endemic (or nearly so) to the southern African sub-continent, i.e. the area south of the Zambezi and Cunene Rivers. This makes South Africa one of the most desirable birding areas in Africa. Add to this a well-developed road system, an excellent network of internal airline routes and a plethora of car hire companies (including the large internationals) and this surely has to be one of the most desirable birding destinations in the world.
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    ....Birding in South Africa - South Africa itself has over 900 bird species
      - 10% of the world's bird population - and more than 130 bird species are endemic to the country.
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    ....Birding Africa's Basement - The Cape to Kalahari - an on-line 
      site guide to South Africa's Western and Northern Cape Provinces. Cape Town - arguably Africa's most beautiful city - is a phenomenal base from which to go birding in South Africa.  Two weeks in the vicinity of Cape Town could yield over 300 species, including 47 of South Africa's 58 endemics and near-endemics, and 126 of southern Africa's 180 endemics, making it an indispensable destination for anyone interested in African birds.  This article outlines the best birding spots and routes, specifically targeting endemics, both South and southern African.  The amount of time that should be allotted to each route is suggested and the birding, scenery and general tourism features are all scored! 
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    ....Cape Town Birding - this site includes details on birding, rarities, 
      pelagic birding, taxomonic discussions, photos of endemic birds and lots of other great information. These web pages aim to link together numerous facets of birding in this remarkably biodiverse region. Pay special attention to the Sample Chapter from Essential Birding - Western South Africa (see Print Resources for ordering information).
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    ....Treehaven Waterfowl Trust: Bringing Waterfowl and Wetlands to the
      People. Situated 3km from Vereeniging, Gauteng, South Africa, and only a 45 minute drive from Sandton, Johannesburg, Treehaven Waterfowl Trust is an oasis comprising 30 acres of specially  developed wetlands dedicated to the world’s waterfowl. Housed here are 140 species of waterfowl and have to date bred 113 species, including all 16 South African species.
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    ....Birding in Swaziland - Both Malolotja and Mlawula Nature Reserve 
      are excellent birding spots. More than 280 bird species have been recorded and the reserve is particularly important for its nesting Blue Swallow, Blue Crane, Stanley's Bustard and the flourishing Bald Ibis colony above the Malolotja    Falls. 350 species of birds have been recorded in Mlawula, including raptors such as the martial eagle and bateleur, and the rare African fin foot.
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    ....Birding in Elands Bay and Surroundings - Between the Olifants 
      and Berg River Estuaries on the West Coast, lies an interesting stretch of coastline with a number of excellent water bird localities. A full day would be adequate to cover the area fairly thoroughly. 
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    ....Indicator Birding - General information on birding in Southern Africa,
      in and around Pretoria/Gauteng, including an annotated regional list, trip reports and recomended localities one should visit. Includes Checklists and birding information related to the greater Johannesburg area, endemic lists and birding information for the visitor to Johannesburg or Pretoria. Pretoria and nearby Johannesburg are close to a diversity of bird habitats with about 440 species regularly occuring.
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    ....South Africa and the Benguela Current - Pelagic Birding by Angus
      Wilson - Collision of the cold Benguela Current with the southwestern tip of the African landmass, results in a major upwelling zone. This upward flow brings constant supply of nutrients that phytoplankton require for growth, resulting in an area of particularly high productivity. There are major trawling grounds some 40-60 km off South Africa's Cape of Good Hope and vast numbers of seabirds accompany the fishing fleets. The area is so rich that in winter, it is apparantly not unusual to find 5000 or more seabirds in the wake of an active trawler.
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    ....Cape Town Pelagics - This site has two elements: firstly, practical 
      information about month-by-month seabird seasonality, travel information for visitors, maps to harbour departure points, and more. Secondly, they offer a booking service for the variety of pelagic seabirding trips now on offer off Cape Town. 
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    ....Important Sites for Seabirds in South Africa - from the Avian
      Demography Unit, Cape Town University. Detailed information is provided on:
      • St Croix Island 
      • Malgas Island 
      • Dassen Island 
      • Robben Island 
      • Seal Island, False Bay 
      • Stony Point, Bettys Bay 
      • Geyser Island 
      • Dyer Island 
      • Cape Recife, Algoa Bay 
      • Bird Island, Algoa Bay 
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    ....The Zululand Birding Route - A unique self-guided birding route in
      Southern Zululand. The Zululand Birding Route offers a range of great birding localities, The entire route encompasses 10 different habitat types which support a total of over 400 bird species, 54% of the total South African species (excluding vagrants). 
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    ....Guide to Birds of Kruger National Park - This Bird Guide provides a
      useful description of some prominent bird species in the Kruger National Park, with more than 500 species found in the Park and over 900 species found in Southern Africa
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    ....Eremomela Birding: Michael Mills' Guide to Kruger National Park
      I have been very fortunate to spend the majority of my life in the Kruger National Park. It has stimulated my interest in birds, mammals, reptiles, frogs, trees... in fact anything that lives. I have spent more time birding in Kruger than all other places put together. Over the last ten years I have built up a good familiarity with its fantastic bird diversity. This page is aimed at providing information to birders who wish to visit.
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    ....West Coast National Park - Widlife sanctuary and Ramsar wetland.
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    ....Marievale Bird Sanctuary, Daggafontien, South Africa
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    ....Rondebult Bird Sanctuary, Germiston, South Africa
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    ....Birding KwaZulu-Natal,  South Africa - With over 650 species, 
      good roads, easily accessable birding spots, great accommodation, and awesome birds, KwaZulu Natal has got to be one of the most pleasurable birdwatching locations in the world. 
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    ....Hawana Park, Swaziland - Lynette and Paul Oxley - Swaziland is an 
      independent monarchy which is situated in southeastern Africa. This Kingdom, one of the smallest in the world is bordered in the east by Mozambique and in the southeast, south, west and north by South Africa.
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    ....The St. Lucia System - The St. Lucia System is found at the
      southern end of the Mozambique Floodplain and has a subtropical climate, warmed by the Agulhas current. Extending over 155,000ha the St. Lucia System is the largest estuarine system on the African continent, and the wetlands form critical habitats for a large number of species and several communities.
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    ....Friends of Nylsvley and Nyl Floodplain - Friends of Nylsvley is
      a voluntary organisation dedicated to the conservation and preservation of the Nyl River Floodplain, in South Africa's Northern Province. This unique area is a RAMSAR Wetland of International Importance and has been identified by 
      South Africa as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Nylsvlei is partially protected in the Nyslvley Nature Reserve and is South Africa's largest ephemeral floodplain. 
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    ....Tembe Elephant Park - At 300 square kilometres in extent 
      (190 square miles),Tembe is the third largest game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, home not only to the unique elephant population but to a profusion of wildlife. Tembe is a bird-watcher's paradise, with more than 340 species recorded in the park - including the rare Rudd's apalis, the rufous-bellied night heron, the Natal nightjar and the Woodward's batis. See also the Bird List from the Park.
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    ....World of Birds - Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa. Over 3 000 
      birds and small animals of 400 different species in walk-through aviaries - experience nature up close! Enjoy a fascinating glimpse into the private lives of birds. Get a close-up view of them as they feed, sing, display, socialize, build nests, incubate eggs and feed chicks right before your eyes - an unforgettable experience which changes with the seasons. It is a quick 15 minute drive from Cape Town along one of two scenic drives - either along the coastal route via Camps Bay and Llandudno, or via Kirstenbosch and Constantia Nek. 
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    ....Birdwatching in Namibia and South Africa Sep.-Oct. 1990, by 
      Erik Mølgaard, Jesper Meedom & Torben Pallesen. (NOTE: this is a downloadable report in WORD format from the Danish Ornithological Society´s website).The main purpose of the journey was to observe birds and animals and experience the magnifi-cent and vari-ed nature of Southern Africa. The journey was definitely a succes, as we registered a total of 583 species of birds and 61 species of mammals. The weather was very hot and dry in central Namibia, more humid with a few showers in Caprivi, nice and fresh springtime with some wind in the Cape, cold and sunny in the Drakensberg, humid with a few showers in Natal and hot and dry in Transvaal. In Namibia it was the end of the dry season, in Natal and Kruger the wet season should just have started by the time of our visit, but the rains had failed in Kruger. Birdwatching was never restricted by weather or weather conditions.
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    ....Nature Parks and Reserves in the North West Province of South Africa.
      Includes brief information on Barberspan Nature Reserve, which is an International Ramsar Site, and that is not for nothing. The birds to be seen at Barberspan and its vicinity are amazing. Three different habitat types meet at Barberspan. You can find most of the birds of the dry Kalahari Thornveld, the false grassveld and the typical dry, short grassveld around Barberspan. And then you have the amazing variety and numbers of waders on the pan itself. 
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    ....South Africa - Directory of Wetlands of International Importance
      includes information on all South Africa's Ramsar designated sites, including:
      • De Hoop Vlei
      • Barberspan
      • De Mond (Heuningnes Estuary)
      • Blesbokspruit
      • Turtle Beaches/Coral Reefs of Tongaland
      • St. Lucia System
      • Langebaan
      • Wilderness Lakes
      • Verlorenvlei
      • Orange River Mouth
      • Kosi Bay
      • Lake Sibaya
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    ....Trip Report: South Africa, August 3-30, 1991. By Richard Fairbank.
      South Africa is a very modern country, impressively so by any standards, with very good infrastructure (much better than in Britain) and road signs. Scenically very varied, from spectacular mountains (Naudesnek Pass) to industrial wastelands (Richard's Bay), but little indigenous forest remains. The people were generally surprisingly friendly.
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    ....Trip Report: South Africa, July 6 - August 17, 1995. By
      R.W.Goldbach. The visit took place during the winter season of South Africa, at rather short day time lengths. Winter is the dry season, most of the trees and bushes loosing their leaves completely or partially, and many of the small birds operate in mixed flocks ("bird parties"). On one hand some birds are absent in this season, on the other hand some extra (sea)birds, coming from further south, might be expected. Nevertheless, taking these aspects into account, the journey produced a very good list of 432 bird species (and 59 mammal species). 
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    ....Trip Report: South Africa, December 5, 1995. By Tim Earl.
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    ....Trip Report: Cape Town (South Africa) and Zimbabwe
      October 2-25, 1996. By David Kelly. This trip report covers my second trip to southern Africa. 
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    ....Trip Report: Cape Province (South Africa), September 17 - October 15,
      1997 by Georges & Mireille Olioso.
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    ....Eastern South Africa and Zimbabwe - 3rd Feb - 5th March 1997 by 
      Jon Hornbuckle. I spent a month birding in southern Africa, mainly Natal, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. We recorded 524 species during this time.
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    ....Trip Report: South Africa, March 1-15, 1997. By David Fischer. The
      following is a report of a trip that I made with a Bill and Sandra Watson to South Africa from 1-15 March, 1997. This was the first time that any of us had visited Africa, so most of the birds were new to us. 
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    ....Trip Report: KwaZulu-Natal, Kruger N.P. (South Africa); Lesotho and
      Swaziland, August 16 - September 6, 1998 by Michael R. LevenThe following report covers three weeks spent in the north-east of southern Africa between 16th August and 6th September 1998. This was not exclusively a birding trip. Thus, the itinerary was arranged as a compromise between visits to sites for specialities and endemics of north-eastern southern Africa and those of more general wildlife interest
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    ....Trip Report: South Africa and Victoria Falls - 20 July - 14 August 1998
      by Stefano Brambilla. This is a report of a self-organised trip in South Africa, with an extension to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, made by an Italian group of 10 people this summer. The trip was not devised to see ONLY birds; in fact, although everybody was very interested in nature, animals and landscapes, I was alone when birdwatching... Notwithstanding this, the trip was very productive, as I managed to recognise about 260 species of birds and 50 mammals... and I had never been in Africa before, so no idea about its wonderful animals!
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    ....Balgowan Area Birding  - by David Geale. From April to June 1998, 
      I  attended Michaelhouse school on exchange. This was during the off-season for birds in South Africa, but I still found the birding in the area quite good. Bear in mind that much of this information could be variable, annually and especially seaonally.
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    ....Trip Impressions: Cape Town and Off-Shore (South Africa), January
      1999 by Wim Vader. Early in January I had the opportunity to flee the dark, frost and snow of my hometown Tromsø, N. Norway, and for the first time in my life to visit South Africa. When one arrives at a new place as a newcomer one does not know what to expect, and it takes some time before one gradually begins to bring some order in the bewildering array of peeps and whistles that emanate from the bushes; I am one of those people who does most of his bird-spotting by ear. 
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    ....Trip Report: Cape Province, South Africa, February 20 - March 6, 1999
      by Gruff Dodd.This was my fourth trip to Africa, and having decided on a visit to the region, my next decision was which areas to visit. I only had two weeks at my disposal, am no more than an average quality birder. I therefore decided against trying to cover the whole country, and instead decided to select one region, and try to cover it thoroughly.
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    ....Trip Report: Larking About in South Africa's Northern Cape
      Province, February 27 - March 14, 1999, by John McAllister. For most people South Africa's Northern Cape Province, if they know anything about it at all, consists of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. Perhaps they may have heard of Namaqualand and its wildflowers. Maybe they have heard of the region's exciting 4-wheel drive routes. For birders there is another reason to visit this area of semi-desert sands, hard gravel plains and rocky mountains. If you're a raptor freak then few places in southern Africa can compare with the Kalahari. As impressive as these raptors may be, they do not constitute the main appeal of the area to me, however. I am in love with southern Africa's larks. At least twenty species of these cryptically coloured little birds are to be found in the starkly beautiful area south of the Orange River. 
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    ....Trip Report: An Introduction to South African Birds: A Zululand
      Bonanza, September 18-25, 1999 - by Wim Vader. We started out in Johannesburg and ending up in Durban. The problem with reporting about the birdlife of this amazing week is that it was so overwhelming, and we moved so quickly from place to place, that the different reserves have more or less melted together in my memory. I do have a bird list for what I saw and heard in the different reserves (and can send that on request), but that is often less than what the
      leaders saw, and definitely much less than what they heard. See also Wim's reports on "Very Quiet Here Today": A Crash Course in Natal (South Africa) Birding, September 25-29, 1999 and "Two Catchup Walks in the Overberg" (Cape Province, South Africa), November 20-21, 1999.
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    ....Trip Report: "Autumn Break" at Kruger N.P. (South Africa), 
      April 23-28, 2000 - by Mike Pope. We hadn't spent more than 2 days in the Kruger National Park for many years, and the opportunity arose over the Easter holidays to take 5 days and spend some time in the north and central part of the Park. At this time of year, the migrants have all headed north but after the cyclone which left most of the country waterlogged at the end of the South African summer - the bush in the park would still be green and thick and the rivers still swollen. This would make both birding and game viewing more challenging. 
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    ....Trip Report: Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Okavango Delta (Botswana),
      Cape Town Area (South Africa), June 6-22, 2000 - by Larry Gardella. June is definitely off-season in southern Africa, especially the farther south you go. Fewer birds are breeding, and both the European visitors and some intra-African migrants have left the area. In addition, winter in Cape Town can bring a considerable amount of cold, rainy weather with occasionally strong winds. Taking all these factors into consideration, Andrea and I still decided to visit Victoria Falls, the Okavango Delta and Cape Town during 15 days in June. The scenery, the people, the mammals and the birds all made us glad that we did. 
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    ....Trip Report: Kabuli-Natal & Transvaal, South Africa. October 8 - 21, 
      2000. By Mike Hunter. The aim of this write-up is not to produce a comprehensive report, but merely to record our sightings, provide a brief site update and on-the-ground contacts to facilitate future trips for visiting birders.
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    ....Trip Report: South Africa: September 2001 by J. P. Paris. We 
      chose this country because of the great number of endemic species, the timeliness to make a pelagic trip near Cape town and the assurance to see the Right Whales... We went to the Kalahari to see some great mammals: especially Lion and Cheetah. We made many kilometers (4500km), but Valérie had never been in Africa and we wished to see the big fauna of Africa. On the first days we clearly had the feeling to miss time but finally we have no regret. The great variety of landscapes and birds widely balanced all the inconveniences.
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    ....Trip Report: Birding South Africa 2001 (Cape Town - Garden Route -
      West Coast - Kalahari) November 11 to December 4, 2001. By Stefan Tewinkel and Brigitte Andrew. Although September and October are said to be the best months November is still a good season to visit the Southern African Wildlife. We chose this month also because there is little to miss in European Birdlife at this time of the year, whereas in South Africa summer just started. (This is a lavishly illustrated report, with photographs of both the various habitats visited as well as many of the birds on the species list.)
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    ....Trip Report: Pretoria area, South Africa - 6 - 9 January 2002, by 
      Mike Prince. This was my first trip to Africa and arose at short notice through a work visit. I only had four days available for birding. The trip proved an enormous success. Over 310 species in just four (admittedly long!) days, included an incredible 227 new birds for me! This was a wonderful introduction to African birding and has given me the enthusiasm to plan my next trip already, preferably for a considerably longer time!
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    ....Trip Report - Late Winter in western South Africa - Part 1, by John
      McAllister. The following is the first part of a very belated report on a trip that my wife and I did in August, 2002.  In essence it was an exploratory trip often off the beaten birding track so hopefully it is of some interest to those of you planning a visit to South Africa. See also Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4
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    ....Trip Report: Birding in South Africa, November-December 2002.
      Pretoria, Pilanesberg National Park, Kruger National Park, Blyde River Canyon. By Stig Linander. With more than 900 species of birds recorded (about 1/10th of all species in the world), South Africa is a birders paradise. The main reason for me travelling to South Africa was the total solar eclipse on December 4th. The eclipse wasn't particularly successful but our group also did a lot of game viewing (great fun!) and most birding was done either as part of the game viewing or at the rest camps. Fortunately, our guides knew quite a    lot about birds and they found many species we otherwise would have missed. 
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    ....Trip Report: South Africa Birding Trip, 14th November -14th December
      2002, by Wim Heylen, Hans Matheve, Jan Vercammen, Ivan De Coninck. Most birding sites in South Africa are very well documented, both in trip reports and in books. It's easy to get detailed site descriptions straight from the net, and the "Essential birding" guide by Callan Cohen and Claire Spottiswoode is excellent. That's why we haven't included site descriptions as they would be redundant and would have made the report even longer. The few site descriptions that we obtained from bird guides during the trip are documented as this was genuinely new information for us.
    ...
    ....Trip Report: South Africa, 2002. Five of us spent two weeks in 
      South Africa from Nov 24th - Dec 8th 2002 in the company of Glen Holland, a South African now living in New Zealand, and his son Kyle. Glen devised an itinerary that concentrated on the endemics found in KwaZulu Natal but also included three days in the Cape. Our group trip total was 450 species and we saw 47 mammal species, including the Big Five.
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    ....Trip Report: Eastern South Africa - "Red, Rare and Reclusive"
      27 September - 17 October 2002 with leader Keith Barnes. This trip was designed as a three-week intensive trip to eastern South Africa looking for not only all the eastern endemics, but also a host of Red Data Book (threatened), rare and reclusive birds found in eastern South Africa. We were after some serious quality birds and got almost all of them.
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    ....Trip Report: South Africa - "Cape, Zululand and Drakensberg" 
      Endemics Clean-up - 27 October – 16 November 2002 with leader Keith Barnes.South Africa is classified a mega-diversity country by Conservation International. In the southwest it contains two   habitats found nowhere else in the world, the heath-like fynbos and the semi-desert Karoo. Both these systems hold a host of endemic birds. For us, seeing as many endemics as possible was the prime objective of this tour. Tropical Birding designed this trip to maximise the endemic possibilities. According to the Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland there are 64 species that are endemic or near-endemic (90% of their breeding range confined) to the region. On our 21-day trip we saw all of these.
    ...
    ....Trip Report: South Africa - KwaZulu Natal, 15th August- 29th August
      2003 - by John Dempsey. I have compiled this trip report from first hand experience and it is as accurate as I could possibly make it. I have avoided mentioning all of the 347 species observed concentrating mainly on those of interest albeit for one reason or another. My return trip to South Africa was an eleventh hour decision; luckily alternative itineraries from last years planning were still on my computer. This meant few worries about organizing a workable birding route, although in hindsight the amount of traveling between good birding areas was a little exhausting. I would prefer less driving next time around.
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    ....Trip Report: The Western Cape, South Africa, 17th to 26th January 
      2003. By Mike Powell and Phil Bristow. 
      ...
    ....South Africa Trip Reports - you can find additional South Africa trip
      reports on John Girdley's BirdTours website.
    ...
    Factoids taken from Where to Watch Birds in Africa - by Nigel Wheatley.
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Conservation, Biodiversity

and Environment

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Verreaux's Eagle-Owl - Photo copyright Graham Cooke
Photo copyright Graham Cooke
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Tours and Guides

See DISCLAIMER
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birdingpal.com...>> A Birding Pal is not a paid guide, but someone who likes to help out of town visitors. You can become a Birding Pal today! Help someone to enjoy your local birding spots and find a pal to help you when you travel. Click here for South African Birding Pals, or join to be a Birding Pal!
Ground Hornbill - Photo copyright Hans Martens
Photo copyright Hans Martens
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Grey Go-away-bird - Photo copyright Graham Cooke
Photo copyright Graham Cooke
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White-chinned Petrel - ENDANGERED - Photo copyright Claire Spottiswoode
Photo copyright Claire Spottiswoode
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Cardinal Woodpecker - Photo copyright Naoto Noda
Photo copyright Naoto Noda
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Antarctic Petrel - Photo copyright Jeroen Creuwels
Photo copyright Jeroen Creuwels
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Cape Gannet - Photo copyright Callan Cohen
Photo copyright Callan Cohen
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Speckled Pigeon - Photo copyright Marcus Martin
Photo copyright Marcus Martin
    **..South African Tours with Tropical Birding. Our trips are generally 
      for keen birders, both experienced and inexperienced. It is not necessary to be an expert or a super-lister to enjoy yourself. Our tours are designed for enthusiastic travellers who enjoy spending most, if not all, of their holiday time birding. Our goal is to get birders to the world's most amazing places, seeing the world's most amazing birds, in as much comfort as possible. Our trips range from shorter day-trips out of Cape Town to intensive three-week birding safaris throughout the continent and we offer both set departure and custom-made tours.
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    **..South African Tours - Specialised guided birding of small groups to
      Zululand, kwaZuluNatal, South Africa, a region hosting 650 bird species and 700 tree species, one of the richest areas of biodiversity in Africa.
    ...
    **..South African Birding Tour with Rainbow Tours - The southern African
      subcontinent has a diversity of habitats – 7 major terrestrial biomes are represented, including the Cape Floral kingdom with its unique botanical community of more than 8000 species. While the sub-region has around 920 species, South Africa has about 790 species, about 9% of the world’s total list. South Africa has more endemics than any other African mainland country – 34. The itinerary features the Kruger National Park, with about 500 species, and Mkhuzi, with around 400. While the Cape has fewer, the species tend to be locally endemic. 
      • 18 September – 03 October 2001 with tour leader Ian Davidson
    ...
    **..Birding Africa Guided Birding and Tours - At Birding Africa, we firmly
      believe that we can provide you with the ultimate Cape birding experience, whether you are a dedicated twitcher in search of endemics, or a first-time birder on the African continent wanting to sample its avian delights. We are able to offer a professional yet personal service based on our years of bird guiding experience. 2001 is their 5th year in operation, making them the longest operating bird guiding company in the Cape. 
    ...
    **..South Africa with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT). Sprawling
      across the temperate tip of the continent, South Africa is unique. This remarkably diverse country is a birder's paradise–with climates ranging from the near-perfect Mediterranean area of the Cape of Good Hope to the windy and cold mountains of the interior plateau, and habitats as varied as acacia bush and shrub desert, misty evergreen forest and tropical woodland, rolling grassland and macchia scrub. Many wonderful African birds are abundant and easy to see here but even more tantalizing is the high degree of endemism of the avifauna. Over 165 species are found only in Africa south of the Zambezi and Cunene Rivers, and most of them can readily be found in South Africa.
      • September 25 - October 14, 2001 (20.0 days - Limit 14) with leaders Geoff Lockwood and others
      VENT offers nearly 140 tours to over 100 land-based destinations each year and is the largest tour company in the world specializing in birding and natural history.
    ...
    ....Birding with Graham Cooke - for specialized birding safaris, in Djuma
      Game Reserve and other, not well known birding destinations in R.S.A., as there are one or two, which are still surprisingly not well known, which boast a great variety of birdlife. Contact Charmian at djuma@djuma.co.za.
    ...
    ....Cape Town Guides - For short duration (weekend/mid-week) 
      birding excursions underthe expert guidance of a local birder contact : Cape Bird Club Tel: 434 5369, Tygerberg Bird Club Tel: 96 8701, or World of Birds Tel: 790 2730.
    ...
    ....Bird Guides for Southern Africa - Bird Guides are generally expert
      birders who offer a more personalised service to the serious birder. They are familiar with the "spots" for rare and endemic birds, and will go that extra mile to find a bird for you. Whilst most have their "local area" with which they are particularly familiar, some are very accomplished "twitchers" and can accompany you on a southern African safari that will visit all the birding "hot-spots". Depending on the time of year and areas visited, trip lists of 400 to 600 species are possible.
    ...
    ....Birding and Safari Tour Operators - Birding and safari tour operators
      are generally larger more established companies that offer group tours to the more recognised big game and wildlife areas of southern Africa. They operate to very high standards and often have exclusive access to pristine areas and wildlife lodges. Consequently their rates are generally higher, but often economies of scale can make them very competitive. 
    ...
    ....What's On? - Birding organisations in Southern Africa are very active
      and there are many local and national events. All interested birders are invited to contact the organisers to arrange a "guest attendance" at club functions. 
...
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Eco-Lodges

See DISCLAIMER


Bearded Scrub-Robin - Photo copyright David Geale
Photo copyright David Geale

Red-billed Duck - Photo copyright Marcus Martin

Photo copyright Marcus Martin
    **..Pumula Lodge - Pumula is an African name for "rest". Nestled amongst
      the trees in the quiet suburb of Hunters Home in Knysna, you will find peace and tranquillity. The natural surroundings support an abundant bird life including our famous Knysna Loerie. At night guests are lulled to sleep by the soft sound of running water coming from the stream which runs through the property. The lodge is centrally situated between the village and the Knysna Heads, which allows for easy access to all the attractions in the area.
    ...
    ....Drifters Game Lodge in the heart of the Lowveld's Combretum veld - 
      Article and photos by Lynette Oxley.
    ...
    ....Farmstay, South Africa - discover the wide variety of farmstays
      and activities on farms and in rural areas offering quality facilities in attractive yet  unconventional surroundings and at tariffs you can afford - bed and breakfast, self-catering, game viewing, bird watching, hiking, biking, 4x4 routes, fly-fishing, horse riding, and many more.

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Rare Bird Alert

White-backed Night-Heron - Photo copyright John Parr
Photo copyright John Parr
    ....Birdlife South Africa - BirdLife.org.za is the official web portal of BirdLife
      South Africa, which represents close on 8000 birders in the subregion. The site provides news, events, rarity reports, competitions, bird ID quiz and opinion polls.

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Endemics and Specialities

in South Africa

Cape Weaver - Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel
Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel
Information on endemics and specialities is derived from Sibley & Monroe checklists and bird distribution lists in Thayer's Birder's Diary - Version 2.05, supplemented by material found in Where to Watch Birds in Africa - by Nigel Wheatley. African speciality birds, while not endemic, are those that can only be found in three or less countries of Africa. Information on endangered birds is derived from the IUCN Red List, Birdlife International.  The endemic, endangered and speciality birds may be uncommon, extremely rare vagrants, may be extirpated in the country now or may only be present in migration. However, documented sightings of each species noted below have been made in South Africa. 
Southern Bald Ibis - ENDANGERED - Photo by Peter Dollinger, taken at the World of Birds, Hout Bay, South Africa
Photo copyright 
Peter Dollinger
taken at the World of Birds,
Hout Bay, South Africa
Endemics in South Africa
___ Bald Ibis
___ Blue Bustard
___ Botha's Lark
___ Cape Bulbul
___ Cape Siskin
___ Cape Sugarbird
___ Cape Weaver
___ Drakensburg Siskin
___ Forest Canary
___ Grey-winged Francolin
___ Ground Woodpecker
___ Knysna Scrub-Warbler
___ Knysna Woodpecker
___ Long-tailed Pipit
___ Orange-breasted Rock-jumper
___ Orange-breasted Sunbird
___ Protea Seedeater
___ Rudd's Lark
___ Rufous-Rock-jumper
___ Victorin's Scrub-Warbler
___ Woodward's Barbet
___ Yellow-breasted Pipit
___ Yellow-tufted Pipit
Endangered Birds in South Africa
(endemics are printed in bold italic)

Breeding Birds

Non-Breeding Birds

___ Bald Ibis
___ Blue Crane
___ Blue Swallow
___ Botha's Lark
___ Cape Griffon
___ Ferruginous Lark
___ Kerguelen Tern
___ Rudd's Lark
___ Spotted Ground-Thrush
___ Taita Falcon
___ Wandering Albatross
___ Wattled Crane
___ White-winged Flufftail
___ Yellow-breasted Pipit
___ Corn Crake
___ Lesser Kestrel

Other Speciality and Near-endemic Birds in South Africa
(adapted from Where to Watch Birds in Africa - by Nigel Wheatley.)

___ African Oystercatcher
___ African Pied Starling
___ African Scrub-Warbler
___ Bank Cormorant
___ Black Bustard
___ Black Harrier
___ Black Mountain-Babbler
___ Black-eared Sparrow-lark
___ Black-headed Canary
___ Blue Crane
___ Bokmakerie
___ Bradfield's Lark
___ Bradfield's Swift
___ Brown Scrub-Robin
___ Buff-streaked Wheatear
___ Cape Canary
___ Cape Cormorant
___ Cape Francolin
___ Cape Rock-Thrush
___ Crowned Cormorant
___ Damara Canary
___ Fairy Warbler
___ Ferruginous Lark
___ Fiscal Flycatcher
___ Greater Double-collared 
___ Sunbird
___ Grey Tit
___ Gurney's Sugarbird
___ Hottentot Buttonquail
___ Jackal Buzzard
___ Jackass Penguin
___ Kopje Warbler
___ Karoo Bustard
___ Karoo Chat
___ Karoo Lark
___ Karoo Prinia
___ Karoo Scrub-Robin
___ King (Hartlaub's) Gull
___ Krysna Turaco
___ Large-billed Lark
___ Latakoo Lark
___ Layard's Warbler
___ Lemon-breasted Seedeater
___ Ludwig's Bustard
___ Monotonous Lark
___ Mountain Pipit
___ Neergaard's Sunbird
___ Pale White-eye
___ Pink-billed Lark
___ Pink-throated Twinspot
___ Red-headed Cisticola
___ Rosy-faced Lovebird
___ Rudd's Apalis
___ Rufous-eared Warbler
___ Sclater's Lark
___ Sentinel Rock-Thrush
___ Short-clawed Lark
___ Short-toed Rock-Thrush
___ Sicklewing
___ Social Weaver
___ South African Shelduck
___ Southern Boubou
___ Southern Double-collared
___Sunbird
___ Southern Tchagra
___ Stark's Lark
___ Swee Waxbill
___ Tractrac Chat
___ Transvaal Rock-Thrush
___ White-breasted Prinia
___ Yellow-rumped Eremomela
___ Zululand Batis

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Print and Other Resources on Birds

and Birding in South Africa

(logos and links take you to on-line locations where you can order/purchase these resources)
....
AMAZON.COM is the registered trademark of Amazon.com, Inc.
A small portion of your purchase price for any books purchased by following links from this site will go toward supporting the maintenance and development costs of this site.

White-backed Mousebird - Photo copyright ZOO in the Wild

Photo copyright ZOO in the Wild
    ....Newman's Birds of Southern Africa (South African Travel & Field
      Guides) by Ken Newman, Kenneth Newman. The most comprehensive birding guide available. This book not only enables the amateur to identify birds from common to "lesser spotted" but shares interesting info too. More habitual birders will agree that this is truly the "birding bible". 
    ..
    ....Illustrated Guide to the Birds of Southern Africa by Ian Sinclair, Phil
      Hockey, Warwick Tarboton (Contributor), P Hayman, pe Heyman, Norman Arlott (Illustrator)  This is a comprehensive and up-to-date field guide to the birds of Southern Africa, featuring more than 4000 newly commissioned images. Intended to aid birders in identifying and distinguishing birds in one of the world's richest birding areas, the book depicts over 900 species, resulting in the most comprehensively illustrated field guide ever produced for Southern Africa.
    ..
    ....Ian Sinclair's Field Guide to the Birds of Southern Africa - by Ian
      Sinclair. 
    ..
    ....Southern African Birds : A Photographic Guide by Ian Sinclair, Ian
      Davidson. 
    ..
    ....A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Prey of Southern, Central ..
    ....Essential Birding - Western South Africa - by  Callan Cohen and 
      Claire Spottiswoode. The routes are well served with detailed, full colour maps, and photographs illustrating the most sought-after birds and their environments. The time-limited visitor is informed of exactly how to get to each of the regions' most rewarding birding sites, as well as what one can expect to see there, and the best times and seasons to visit. Also included are practical suggestions for trip planning and a comprehensive annotated bird list. 

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