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Gaining independence in 1990, Namibia is one of Africa’s “newer” nations, although not quite as newborn as South Sudan which has yet to celebrate its first anniversary! However, Namibia’s colonial history began earlier, in 1884 when it was annexed by the Germans.
Approximately 2,300 bird species inhabit Africa, however as impressive as that sounds, much smaller South America boasts nearly 1,000 species more. Madagascar’s mammals are equally remarkable; over 100 species of endearing lemurs and bizarre carnivores amongst them!
Of course Africa could not to be left out of the pink weekend so I have researched all African species whose official or alternative names include the word “pink”. This attractive (for a lark anyway) species is restricted to the dry savannah Somali-Maasai biome of north-east Africa (northern Tanzania, Kenya, southern Ethiopia and Somalia).
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. We have both resident and migratory species, and this post will briefly discuss each of the 20 species of African bee-eaters.
Elephant The big – two species of elephant are now recognized as occuring in Africa, the smaller and more secretive Forest Elephant and the larger, more familiar African or Bush Elephant. Prime destinations for seeing African Elephant in the wild include Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Uganda.
It divides countries into categories, where the next category has 200 more species. In some cases the data are outdated, e.g. Costa Rica has 900 and not 800 species, but I made no corrections, remaining faithful to the original map data. Shown as a list, it looks like this: Less than 200 bird species: Antarctica; oceanic islands.
Underneath the map are the photos of 5 local specialty birds, followed by a longer illustrated, but not complete checklist (usually a few dozen more attractive species). For driving directions or coordinates, zoom in on the map and click on the “P” (parking) sign. What is hiding in the future?
Once upon a time, when I started birding, this great family included a wide range of species collectively known as the robins and chats. They are a single genus, Cichladusa , with three species, found mostly in Central and Eastern Africa. Across the Chobe River from Kasane, overlooking the Caprivi Strip of Namibia.
Species accounts for all 2,792 bird species. Tourist-friendly, but no endemics, hence serious birders visit it for a few add-on days to a trip to neighbouring Namibia, recommendable for a casual birder/nature lover not on a tight budget. The next one is as exciting as the country accounts – the species accounts.
We are facing a plague of poaching that is again decimating the species. Will the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference delegates up-list them to Appendix I of the Convention, forbidding any future sale over international borders? One may say so.
Fluttering Shearwater ( Puffinus gavia ) Flesh-footed Shearwater ( Puffinus carneipes ) Buller’s Shearwater ( Puffinus bulleri ) Along with these three were Two further species, also both familiar to North American birders, Sooty Shearwaters and Short-tailed Shearwaters. It is also restricted as a breeder to the north of North Island.
In this treaty, the Germans ceded control over some of their colonial territories in East Africa to the British in return for the Caprivi Strip (now Namibia) and, surprise, the island of Heligoland. But what is it about the species that makes the Germans think it is a bit dim-witted?
No need to page through dozens of plates of similar looking species anymore. Where do you charge your batteries in Namibia’s Kaokoveld during a longer trip away from lodges and hotels? Off to the Amazon? Download the relevant images and info into a location specific guide. On a day trip to Oregon for business?
More than 150 bird species are known to have become extinct over the past 500 years, and many more are estimated to have been driven to extinction before they became known to science. The Gray Crowned-Crane is a new addition to the list of the world’s Endangered species, creeping up a category from Vulnerable.
The IOC world birdlist recognizes 90 species that bear the name “weaver” or “malimbe” Not all of these are true weavers as we will discuss below. There are currently 64 recognized species in this genus, a remarkable number indeed, and this includes the 5 Asian and 2 Malagasy species.
A Long-tailed Sylph, one of the America’s many long tailed hummingbird species, photographed in Colombia by Adam Riley. A Great Argus in full call, this species’ tail consists of the longest feather in the bird world. The 9 species of whydah are brood-parasitic seedeaters belonging to the Indigobird family.
It often refers to common, non-native, or sometimes invasive bird species that are perceived as less desirable or interesting compared to other birds. Common and Ubiquitous Species : In some contexts, “trash bird” might refer to very common species that are often overlooked by birders seeking rarer sightings.
This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I used to live in Botswana, where there are about 450 bird species in an area a few dozen miles from the capital; then somewhat naively moved back to Serbia with mere 250 species around the capital.
And so, back to political entities, this field guide covers Namibia , Botswana , Zimbabwe , the southern half of Mozambique (south of the Zambezi River), South Africa , Lesotho and Eswatini ( Swaziland ). Distribution maps show the relative abundance of a species in the region and also indicate resident or visiting status.
In the Neotropics the barbets have been placed into two families, the original Capitonidae (New World Barbets) with 14 species and Semnornithidae (Toucan Barbets) with 2 species (Toucan and Prong-billed Barbet). Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird is a woodland species that occurs widely through Africa. Benson to collect birds.
Like Kapiti the island is an offshore refuge for many species extinct on the mainland, with a lot of the work being done by the voluntary Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi. One species I really hoped to find on the trip was the Kokako. Saddleback ( Philesturnus carunculatus ) on the beach.
Birdlife South Africa has previously done two of these types of trips before, previously called Flock to Sea – Namibia in 2013 and Flock to Nowhere in 2017, in partnership with MSC Cruises. Marion has a fascinating history with invasive species. It is an extremely popular fundraising project with an almost cult-like following.
There are are presently thought to be five species of kiwi with a possible sixth extinct species, all of which have suffered varying degrees of range contraction since the arrival of humans. Both these tours are for the Little Spotted Kiwi , the smallest species and one now one mainly confined to offshore islands.
As the national bird of Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the African Fish Eagle is usually very busy whenever it stays in these countries, giving speeches, opening shopping centers, etc. The Latin species name vermiculatus (worm-like) refers to the markings on the upperparts. Of course, the second explanation makes a lot more sense.
People are often surprised that large predators kills smaller species but its actually a common phenomenon and I have previously seen a Leopard carrying a dead African Wild Cat at Punda Maria in Kruger National Park and Lions killing a Black-backed Jackal in Namibia’s Etosha National Park.
Leaving from the border town of Kasane we meandered westwards along the northern edge of the massive Chobe National Park to our left and the far eastern tip of Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. I bring this up because birding the Chobe River in northern Botswana gave me the interesting opportunity to bird a country I technically wasn’t in.
The UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting in Geneva voted in favour of China becoming a licensed importer. It will allow China to bid for more than 100 tonnes of ivory stockpiled in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe through culling and natural deaths.
There were opportunities to go to far flung places like the islands of the Pacific or the coast of Canada or the Yorkshire Dales… Anyway, as I was obsessed by Africa at the time, I leapt at the opportunity to go to Namibia to collect samples of bat DNA for a biogeography project. And then, there it was.
A few years back, I birded northern Greece with a couple from Namibia. The species he was thrilled to see was the Mute Swan. The species he was thrilled to see was the Mute Swan. Well, for me – no, but for Nicolaas, Mute Swans were a lifer species. All photos (6) by Vladimir Milovanovic.
Steve travels to Namibia, a land of rolling dunes, sand and plenty of dangerous wildlife. Monday, July 11 at 10PM ET/PT on Nat Geo WILD! Africa’s big cats are among the most iconic predators. Steve dons a camouflage suit for a once-in-a-lifetime experience that gets him closer to a wild leopard than he ever hoped. Will you be watching?
Growing up in Namibia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka provided the perfect setting for this interest. Species included Red Knot , Common Ringed Plover , Bar-tailed Godwit , Sanderling , Dunlin , Curlew Sandpiper , European Golden-Plover , Grey Plover , Ruff , Eurasian Godwit , and Little Stint.
Phoebe Snetsinger was an American birder who first passed the 8,000 species mark. For number three we need to travel to Mahango Park in Namibia. This is a small and very interesting park in northern Namibia. He subsequently leaves for Peru and gets kidnapped and killed by Sendero Luminoso – the local brand of Maoists.
I therefore finished the year on a high note, seeing quite a few species I scarcely got to see during the previous years. So here they are, my top 10 bird species of 2016, in no particular order except for No. This allowed for my first very nice views at this species since the year 2001, which made me very happy.
Given the complexity of the research, the result feels like a bit of a letdown – “northern populations start migration earlier than southern populations, especially in autumn” The species name of the Chestnut-eared Bunting is fucata , from the Latin “fucare”, to paint red.
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