Bird Watching in Namibia

Don't be deceived by the apparent emptiness of Namibia's deserts; the 620 recorded species (including 13 endemics or near-endemics) has put Namibia firmly on the birding map.

Scour the harsh southern desert areas for larks, pipits and raptors. The Namib throws up all sorts of secrets when you explore its coastal stretches: head for Walvis Bay or Swakopmund for great wetland birding and thousands of pelicans and flamingos.

The open grasslands of the Etosha National Park and the Waterberg Plateau Park are host to kohraans, bustards, rollers, bee-eaters and patrolling raptors. Find a kill in Etosha and tick off vultures and flycatchers. The open woodlands of the north boast parrots, woodpeckers and all manner of passerines while the well-watered Caprivi Strip offers Namibia's best birding - try the Mahango Game Reserve and its 420 recorded species.

If you are up to the challenge of a rainy season visit, go birding in Namibia during the summer months (December to April) when many intra-African and palaearctic migrants arrive: kites, cuckoos, warblers, storks, swallows and swifts.

Birds to look out for

Namibia's specials include:

Hartlaub's francolin, Rueppell's parrot, Rueppell's korhaan, violet woodhoopoe, Monterio's hornbill, Carp's black tit, barecheeked babbler, Herero chat, rockrunner, whitetailed shrike, dune lark, Gray's lark and Damara tern.

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