BIRDING : VICTORIA FALLS & HWANGE

The west of Zimbabwe offers a wide range of birds restricted to the area and adjacent Botswana. Habitats vary from teak and acacia woodlands, fossil dunes with grasslands and pans in Hwange, to basalt gorges and the spectacular Victoria Falls with the Zambezi River offering its own specials. There are naturally a lot of game-watching opportunities too!

Target birds

Red-billed Spurfowl, Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Swamp Nightjar, Coppery-tailed Coucal, White-browed Coucal, African Finfoot, Kori Bustard, Red-crested Korhaan, Schalow’s Turaco, White-backed Night-heron, Rufous-bellied Heron, Slaty Egret, Long-toed Lapwing, White-crowned Lapwing, Rock Pratincole, African Skimmer, Secretarybird, Western Banded Snake-eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle, Southern Pale Chanting-goshawk, Bradfield’s Hornbill, Dickinson’s Kestrel, Red-necked Falcon, Taita Falcon, Grey-backed Sparrowlark, Plain-backed Pipit, African Red-eyed Bulbul, Collared Palm-thrush, Ant-eating Chat, Arnot’s Chat, Kalahari Scrub-robin, Black-chested Prinia, Luapula Cisticola, Chirping Cisticola, Barred Wren-warbler, Greater Swamp-warbler, Hartlaub’s Babbler, Shelley’s Sunbird, Swamp Boubou, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Broad-tailed Paradise-whydah, Shaft-tailed Whydah,Orange-winged Pytilia, Brown Firefinch and Black-eared Seedeater.

Ease of birding

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