There are thousands of bird species in Africa of every shape and size, from secretary birds to hammerkops and saddle billed storks to pygmy kingfishers. Virtually all countries in southern Africa are good for bird watching although some are better than others. We explain which ones.
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Safari holidays: yellow billed storks in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
In Southern Africa, keen ornithologists will enjoy the Green Season (November to March) when birds are in bright breeding plumage and courtship displays are common.
Also worthy of note is June in Zambia’s South Luangwa when large parties of spoonbills, yellow-billed storks, saddle billed storks and fish eagles gather into ‘fishing parties’ to scoop fish out of drying lagoons.
October sees the arrival of beautiful carmine bee-eaters which nest in Botswana's Kwando and Zambia’s Luangwa riverbanks. East Africa is no less spectacular with the Selous River and lake system in Tanzania, home to a myriad of brightly coloured water birds all year round.
Of particular note is Lake Nakuru in Kenya which is home to more than a million flamingos at certain times of year. Finally, in the southeast trade wind (May to October) around 800,000 pairs of sooty terns arrive to nest on Bird Island in the Seychelles.
This is just a fraction of what Africa has to offer the keen ornithologist – please speak to our specialists for further details of specialist birding safaris.
13 days from £3,085pp
Stay on two of the Seychelles beautiful Indian Ocean islands for a holiday of relaxation, stunning beaches and the warm Indian Ocean waters.
13 days from £3,710pp
Explore the highlights of Kenya including Lake Naivasha, the Masai Mara and some time at the end to relax on the stunning beaches.