BIRDING: EASTERN HIGHLANDS

Focus: miombo and montane birds

Zimbabwe’s eastern highlands offers a wide range of birds, many restricted to the area and adjacent Mozambique.

Habitats vary from miombo woodlands to forests, grasslands, gorges and waterfalls. The eastern highlands are largely mountainous and scenic.

With over 450 species, including 23 Afrotropical Highland biome birds, there are many birding options and thus the recommendation is to ensure you have time to maximise bird viewing.

Target birds :

Miombo specialists including Whyte’s Barbet, Green-backed Honeybird, Wood Pipit, Striped Pipit, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Boulder Chat, Miombo Rock-thrush, Collared Flycatcher (in season), Stierling’s Wren-warbler, Southern Hyliota, Green-capped Eremomela, Red-faced Crombec, Miombo Tit, African Spotted Creeper, Western Violet-backed Sunbird, Miombo Double-collared Sunbird, Miombo Blue-eared Starling and Black-eared Seedeater.

Eastern highland specials and near-endemics in montane and miombo including African Olive-pigeon, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Blue-spotted Wood-dove, Lemon Dove, Scarce Swift, Buff-spotted Flufftail, Palm-nut Vulture, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, White-eared Barbet, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Pallid Honeyguide, Green-backed Woodpecker, Grey Cuckooshrike, Stripe-cheeked Greenbul, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Orange Ground-thrush, White-starred Robin, Swynnerton’s Robin, Pale Batis, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, White-tailed Crested Flycatcher, Red-winged Warbler, Chirinda Apalis, Roberts’s Warbler, Broad-tailed Warbler, Barratt’s Warbler, Moustached Grass-warbler, Cape Grassbird, Yellow-throated Woodland-warbler, Cinnamon-breasted Tit, Olive Sunbird, Bronzy Sunbird, Malachite Sunbird, Variable Sunbird, Gurney’s Sugarbird, Anchieta’s Tchagra, Black-fronted Bush-shrike, Olive Bush-shrike, Gorgeous Bush-shrike, Square-tailed Drongo, Black-winged Bishop, Dark-backed Weaver, Black Widowfinch, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Green Twinspot, Red-faced Crimsonwing, Grey Waxbill, Lesser Seedcracker, Magpie Mannikin and Cabanis’s Bunting.

Ease of birding :

Many birds will be easy to spot whilst some are elusive or seasonal.

Miombo woodlands tend to be quiet in the afternoons so there is plenty opportunity to explore other habitats for a variety of species. These areas require some walking in hilly terrain but present no difficulty for persons of average fitness.