10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. They are usually found in small family groups perched atop bushes or short trees, from whence they sally out to catch their prey.

Africa 266

Africa Gabon Uganda South Africa 266

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2016

While Uganda does not have the international reputation of its neighbors Kenya and Tanzania, the experience there is no less extraordinary – and in many ways, particularly for the birder, it’s even more so. Bustards are another quintessential Old World family, with their deliberate gait, fat bodies and long, snaky necks.

Uganda 190

Uganda Africa Squirrels Tanzania 190

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

A lot of destinations were mentioned, with Central and South America leading the way, New Guinea, Indonesia and Australia appearing only at the middle of the list, and African countries (South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar) lagging at the end of the list.

Congo 264

Congo Africa Madagascar Kenya 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2015

As for the pseudo-warblers, I’m not actually against them so much, they are after all a family that, while wanting for a name that is descriptive and not derived from a misapplication of European names, are easy to identify and pleasant enough on the eye (with a few exceptions).

Africa 178

Africa Ethiopia Feral Tanzania 178

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

Lees and Gilroy delineate vagrancy status and trends for every bird family worldwide, highlighting examples, synthesizing research, and framing it all with their own thoughts and conclusions. It’s a unique title; twitchers and naturalists interested in migration will find it fascinating reading and valuable for future reference.

Sri Lanka 262

Sri Lanka Malaysia Suriname Malawi 262

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

Or, Pygmy leaf-folding frogs, Afrixalus brachycnemis, from Tanzania, tiny climbing frogs who lay their eggs in leaves and then fold the leaves over them for protection, sealing the nest with secretions. There is a large family of frogs, Bufonidae, that includes most of the warty, hoppy creatures we think of as toads.

Reptiles 211

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 211

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2015

If tourists are too dim to tell Sierra Leone from Botswana or Tanzania, do we really want to rely on them to save Africa’s species? Reasonable people can disagree on the conservation impacts on hunting, on the benefits and costs, and on the morality and wisdom of using it as a conservation tool.

Lions 247

Lions Sierra Leone Hunting Buffalo 247

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2024

Called home to the Oregon Coast to operate the family motel, in her free time she leads Tufted Puffin walks and escapes to guide at birding festivals and explore the world as often as possible. Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa are heavily eBirded because Americans regularly visit. eBird is a huge help with that.

Senegal 240

Senegal South Dakota Gambia Birds 240

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

The famous Verreaux family who made several expeditions into the province through the 1820’s and 1830’s procuring specimens for rich collectors. Gurney’s Sugarbird was discovered by the Verreaux family and named after wealthy English banker and amateur naturalist John Gurney from Norwich. Image by Hugh Chittenden.

Mozambique 223

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 223

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2012

This is a family site so I won’t mention the what it managed to extract from that bag of garbage. At a certain point I stopped being an observer and photographer and intervened. For one, I knew that someone would have to clean up the mess the bird was bound to make. But what actually snapped me out of documenter mode was disgust.

Emotional 246

Emotional Collecting Family Birds 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2014

The first, The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families , tells the story of Dr. Gordon Sato’s mangrove tree-planting project, which transformed the African village of Hargigo. My favorite was the Greater Flamingo in Tanzania (Pinkest bird!). This is the second nonfiction book by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore.

Puerto Rico 247

Puerto Rico Parrots New York City 2013 247

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

While hoopoes are in their own family, DNA studies suggest that the hoopoe diverged from hornbills, and the wood-hoopoes and scimitarbills from the hoopoe. Of course, the second explanation makes a lot more sense. The African Hoopoe looks very much like the Eurasian one but is now considered a separate species by most authorities.

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Benin South Africa Birds 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2012

Image taken by Adam Riley in Tanzania. Image taken by Adam Riley in Tanzania. Bubalornis – the black Buffalo Weavers A male Red-billed Buffalo Weaver photographed in Tanzania by Adam Riley The two species of black buffalo weavers are large, noisy birds of drier areas of East and southern Africa. Image by Adam Riley in Namibia.

Tanzania 256

Tanzania Buffalo Kenya Namibia 256

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. Another member of the stork family, the African Openbill , looks like it is could benefit from a good orthodontist. And sadly, it is listed as Endangered.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Eggs Africa 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

Originally they were all placed in the family Capitonidae , but over time taxonomists have determined that actual relationships between these barbets are far more complex. Gray-throated Barbet is one of the plainer members of the African Barbet family. Image taken in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania.

Ethiopia 252

Ethiopia Tanzania Uganda Africa 252

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Quintessential African scene from Tarangire National Park, Tanzania Africa boasts a fabulous and unique avifauna. Besides these truly African families, Africa abounds in a wealth of species in other more widespread groups; weavers, barbets, kingfishers, sunbirds, rollers, bee-eaters, and dare I mention them, cisticolas!

Papua New Guinea 252

Papua New Guinea Equatorial Guinea Madagascar Tanzania 252