The World Birding Website

Africa - South Africa

A popular destination for the birder interested in Africa's southern latitudes, South Africa's varied climate and topography has produced a variety of habitats that supports an astounding array of some 700 species, a large number of which are endemic or near-endemic. Ornithologically the country is well researched, which is evident from the excellent field and site finding guides available to birders. Coupled with a well developed infrastructure and a stable economy, South Africa must rank as one of Africa's prime birding destinations. The country is bordered by Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north and Mozambique and Swaziland to the east, with a coastline of 2,800 km. Lesotho occupies a small portion in the south-east. The coastal plain is separated from the high-lying interior plateau by rugged mountains Approximately 600 species breed within South Africa. South Africa supports 47 species of global conservation concern which is the second largest total in Africa after Tanzania. Most of the endemic and characteristic species of South Africa are, not surprisingly, confined to the country's unique biomes: grassland, fynbos and Karoo. Five Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) occur wholly or partly in South Africa, a number equalled in Africa only by Madagascar, and which support 25 restricted-range species. The EBAs by name are as follows: Cape fynbos; South African forests; Lesotho highlands; Southern African grasslands; South-East African coast; and Karoo secondary area. Cape Gannet, South Africa, Lamberts Bay August 2005 © Vincent Palomares In addition to its remarkable diversity of terrestrial habitat and species, South Africa has a varied coastline with 17 offshore rocky islands extending from Bird Island in Lambert's Bay to the Algoa Bay Islands which provide platforms for breeding seabird colonies. The majority of the global populations of six seabird species breed on offshore islands: African Penguin, Cape Gannet, Cape Cormorant, Bank Cormorant, Crowned Cormorant and Hartlaub's Gull. In addition, the South African owned subantarctic Prince Edward Islands support some 2.5 million breeding seabirds and could support up to 8 million birds in total including important concentrations of several penguin, albatross and petrel species. Text supplied by the African Bird Club

Trip Reports South Africa 1st July - 27th August 2005, author Nick Moran (added September 9, 2005) (Pel's Fishing Owl, Taita Falcon, African Boradbill, African Finfoot, Lesser Jacana, 112 endemics, near-endemics & breeding endemics) South Africa — the North-east and the Cape, 13th-30th August 2004, author Surfbirds Admin (added September 25, 2004) Crozet Islands, author Hugh Venables (link created September 21, 2005) (Amazing trip, 37 'tubenose' species including both Northern and Southern Royal Albatross) Hluhluwe Game Reserve and Lake St Lucia - August 2005, author Mike Johnstone (added September 20, 2005) Western Cape, South Africa - September 12th - 27th 2007, author Steve Dark (added October 27, 2007) South Africa - Western Cape, 14-23 October 2006, author Benjamin Schwartz (added October 25, 2006) Western and Northern Cape, South Africa - 15th July - 29th August 2008, author Oscar Campbell (added October 20, 2008) (albatrosses and whales galore, 28 species of raptor, 18 species of lark, rockjumpers and Narina Trogon) South Africa: Kruger and KwaZulu-Natal, July 19th - August 20th 2007, author Oscar Campbell (added October 2, 2007) (Kruger, Drakensburgs, Zululand coastal reserves, Wakkerstroom, African Broadbill, Pels Fishing Owl, Drakensburg Rockjumper, Drakensburg Sisken, Rudd's Lark, mammals galore) South Africa (Cape Town to Port Elizabeth areas) - 10th - 26th September 2009, author Alan Miller (added October 12, 2009) (In two-and-a-half weeks we enjoyed wonderful scenery, superb wildlife viewing, delicious food and wine and excellent hospitality. With 187 species of birds and 44 species of mammals it was an experience we can thoroughly recommended.) South Africa, Natal Midlands home of www.Buttonbirding.com, author Malcolm Gemmell (link created November 7, 2005) (Blue Swallow, Cape Parrot, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Amur Falcons, Orange breasted Waxbills, crowned Cisticola, Cuckoo Finch, Lammergeier, Drakensberg Rock-jumper, Drakensberg Siskin, Yellow Canary, feiry-necked Nightjar) South Africa, Cape Town - 16th to 19th November 2006, author Andy Lovering (added November 24, 2006) (Cape Sugarbird, Cape Rockjumper, Southern Black Korhaan, Victorin's Warbler & Black Harrier) South Africa - Western Cape Birding and Wildlife Tour - September 2008, author Leon Marais (added November 18, 2008) (Cape Peninsula (including pelagic trip); Hermanus; Swellendam and Ceres.) South Africa - Mpumalanga Highlands and Kruger National Park - September 2008, author Leon Marais (added November 17, 2008) (Dullstroom, Blyde Canyon and KNP; includes special notes on the endemics / near endemics seen.) North-eastern South Africa - 27th September - 11th October 2008, author Ian Merrill (added November 14, 2008) (Highlights: Taita Falcon, Barrow's and Blue Korhaans, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Cape Parrot, Cape Eagle Owl, Knysna Woodpecker, Short-clawed, Rudd's and Botha's Larks, Blue Swallow, Spotted Ground-Thrush, Drakensberg Rockjumper, Pink-throated Twinspot) South Africa 11th - 31st October 2007., author Benjamin Schwartz (added November 13, 2007) (Fairest Cape to Kruger with a Drakensberg extension) South Africa - Pilanesberg and Mabalingwe - 3rd to 24th September 2004, author Georges Olioso (added November 13, 2004) South Africa - 22nd - 29th October 2004, author Steve Bird (added March 20, 2007) Nairobi to Cape Town, 5th Jan -1st March 2007, author Neal Warnock (added March 20, 2007) (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa) South Africa, A. O. S. tour; 4th - 12th March 2008., author Leon Marais (added June 23, 2008) (Dullstroom, Kruger National Park and Nelspruit - 34 bird of prey species!) South Africa: The Arid West: Bloemhof, Kimberley, Mokala National Park and Kuruman., author Leon Marais (added July 4, 2008) South Africa March 2007; highlands and lowlands of the east, author Leon Marais (added July 24, 2008) (Mkuze and Ndumo Game Reserves and Wakkerstroom.) South Africa, Hottentot Buttonquail and fynbos endemics in 1 day from Cape Town with Birding Africa, 21 June 2009, author Callan Cohen (added July 23, 2009) (Hottentot Buttonquail, Victorin's Warbler, Peregrine Falcon, Cape Rock-jumper, Sentinel Rock-Thrush, Ground Woodpecker, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Siskin, Orange-breasted Sunbird, African Goshawk, Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk, Black Sparrowhawk, Forest Buzzard, C) South Africa - Naturetrek Bargain Birds Tour, April 2008, author Leon Marais (added July 1, 2008) (Dullstroom, the Blyde River Canyon and Kruger National Park: a compact and diverse itinerary.) Western Cape - South Africa - January 16th - 20th 2008, author Mike Nelson (added February 5, 2008) (Langebaan, Tankwa Karoo, Strandfontein, Betty's Bay, De Hoop, Overberg) 17 Days in The Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal, author Chris Goodie (added February 5, 2005) South Africa Birds, Wildlife & the Total Eclipse, author The Travelling Naturalist (link created February 3, 2005) South Africa November 2005, author Chris Wormwell (link created December 3, 2005) (Kruger, Cape) South Africa (and a little Namibia), 8th - 14th December 2006, author Josh Engel (added December 27, 2006) (Bushmanland, Namaqualand, Fish River Canyon, Stark's, Sclater's, Red, and Barlow's larks) South Africa, Cape Endemics Tour with Birding Africa, 16-19 June 2009, author Callan Cohen (added August 9, 2009) (Cape Town, West Coast, Tanqua Karoo, Agulhas Plains; Cape Rock-jumper, Verreaux’s Eagle, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Siskin, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Protea Seedeater, Karoo Korhaan, Cinnamon-breasted warbler, Karoo Eremomela, Rufous-eared Warbler) South Africa, Cape Endemics Tour with Birding Africa, 16-19 June 2009, author Callan Cohen (link created August 9, 2009) (Cape Rock-jumper, Verreaux’s Eagle, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Siskin, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Protea Seedeater, Karoo Korhaan, Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, Karoo Eremomelas, Rufous-eared Warbler, Cape, Karoo and Agulhas Long-billed Lark, Cape Vulture, Blue Cr) South Africa, Hottentot Buttonquail and fynbos endemics in 1 day from Cape Town with Birding Africa, 21 June 2009, author Callan Cohen (link created August 9, 2009) (Hottentot Buttonquail, Victorin's Warbler, Peregrine Falcon, Cape Rock-jumper, Sentinel Rock-Thrush, Ground Woodpecker, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Siskin, Orange-breasted Sunbird, African Goshawk, Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk, Black Sparrowhawk, Forest Buzzard, C) Kkazulu-Natal & Transvaal, South Africa, 8th October - 21st October 2000, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) Cape Provinces, South Africa, (17th September - 15th October 1997), author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) South African Nine-day Wonder, 24th August - 1st September 2001, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) South Africa - Cape Region, 21/11 to 05/12 1998, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) Simons Town Pelagic, February 2004 , author Surfbirds Admin (link created August 28, 2004) (Shy Albatross, White-chinned Petrel, Spectacled Petrel) South Africa - Transvaal & Natal, 2nd to 21st April 1999, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) North-East South Africa birding trip (25 September au 21 October 2002), author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) South Africa birding trip, (14th November -14th December 2002), author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) South Africa, November - December 2002, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) Birding trip to South Africa, 17th November - 20th December 2002, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) The Western Cape, 17th to 26th January 2003, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) KwaZulu Natal, 15th August- 29th August 2003, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) Bushmanland and the Kalahari Gemsbok, February 2004, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 28, 2004) Ezemvelo Game Reserve, Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces, April - May 2004, author Dave Flumm (added August 28, 2004) Cape Town Pelagic - 8 August 2009 (Trip Report by Rob Leslie), author Callan Cohen (added August 18, 2009) (Antarctic Fulmar, Southern Royal Albatross, Northern Royal Albatross, Antarctic Fulmar, Pintado Petrel, Southern Giant Petrel; Cape Town - www.capetownpelagics.com) Cape Town Pelagics - 8 August 2009 Trip Report by Rob Leslie, author Callan Cohen (link created August 18, 2009) (Antarctic Fulmar, Southern Royal Albatross, Northern Royal Albatross, Antarctic Fulmar, Pintado Petrel, Southern Giant Petrel, pelagic, Cape Town) South Africa, Naturetrek Bargain Birds, March 2009., author Leon Marais (added April 8, 2009) (Dullstroom, Blyde River Canyon and Kruger National Park - 305 species.) South Africa Feb-Mar 06. Makulu Makete, Ndumo National Park, Hlane Royal National Park - Swaziland, author Andrew Forsyth (link created April 26, 2006) (Birding Skills Course, Pell's Fishing Owl, African Scops Owl, Martial Eagle, Maribou Stork) South Africa: Berg and Bush Safari: March 2005, author Mike Johnstone (added April 18, 2005) (KwaZulu-Natal midlands and the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains) Showing the 50 Most Recent Trip Reports Posted  See More BACK TO TRIP REPORTS HOME PAGE POST A TRIP REPORT EDIT YOUR TRIP REPORTS

Recent Sightings Tanqua Karoo, Heavy rains in the last winter have reslted in a author Keith Barnes / Tropical Birding (added November 2, 2006) Showing the 1 Latest Recent Sightings Posted ADD SOME RECENT SIGHTINGS

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