10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2016

and dreaming of a place where the heat is moderate, beer snake-cold and birds innumerable… Let’s say, where the average annual maximum varies from 22 to 24 degrees Celsius / 72 to 75 Fahrenheit and where some 700+ bird species – 24 of them endemic – are waiting for an intrepid birder… Answer to the riddle?

Africa 140

Africa Uganda Gorillas Rwanda 140

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

And so, I went on the American Birding Association Safari to South Africa. That was easily fixed by adding a post-Safari trip to Eastern South Africa, led by dashing Rockjumper guide Clayton Burne, to my itinerary. I was not on one of those lucky groups, but I did get to see a Secretarybird on my Eastern South Africa trip.)

South Africa 254

South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 254

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

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.

Africa 265

Africa South Africa Gabon Uganda 265

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Knowing that there are reserves with long lists of 600 or more species, I set my threshold at more than 600 birds… and found only a few such hotspots. In early November 2020, there were 15 countries with more than 1000 species eBirded so far. Other than that, there are barely a few hotspots with over 500 species.

Asia 276

Asia Malaysia Papua New Guinea Thailand 276

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2018

After a very long day of 7 hours of driving, 11 hours flying and then 9 hours more driving, we have arrived at our temporary home here in South Africa. Daily park fees are such that we opted for the annual “Wild Card” that is good not only for Kruger, but nearly every park in South Africa. This pass cost us $3850.00

South Africa 117

South Africa Africa Rhinos Mongoose 117

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Pafuri lies in the northernmost part of the Kruger National Park and is described as “some of the most potentially productive birding territory in South Africa” on the SANParks website. A slightly more surprising threat for the vultures comes from elephants. Elephants destroy the trees the vultures live and nest in.

Elephants 147

Elephants Birds Congo Africa 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

Nowhere else in Africa do the preconceived ideas of the continent really exist in such living detail; tall, red-robed Maasai herding their skinny cattle, endless grasslands studded with flat-topped Acacia trees and grazed by herds of zebras and wildebeest, and dramatic volcanic calderas brimming with big game and fierce predators!

Tanzania 228

Tanzania Africa Stud Leopards 228

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2021

Think of African safaris and many people will naturally envisage herds of elephants and antelope, alongside some of the largest predators in the world. All very exciting, but for the birder Africa has so much more to offer. In 2019 I joint-led my seventeenth safari in twelve years with Capture Africa, we are a good team.

Botswana 185

Botswana Africa Elephants Angola 185

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2015

I have to admit, I didn’t think it could when I left for Africa last year. I had a copy of Sasol’s eBirds of Southern Africa on my iPhone (and iPad), but I had bought it to brush up on my African birds in my spare time, like on bus trips or particularly long meetings. There had also been a number of splits.

Africa 154

Africa South Africa Zimbabwe Penguins 154

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

I’m sure you’ve all heard of Africa’s famous Big Five , but do you know there is also an equally fascinating Little Five ? Africa is famous for its large, charismatic mammals, and the Big Five epitomize the most sought-after of these fantastic beasts. This blog post will discuss both the Big and Little members of these quintuplets.

Buffalo 213

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 213

Critter News

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

African elephants being poached in unprecedented numbers. They are disappearing from the continent as the poachers become increasingly militarized. Full story here at the New York Times.

Africa 100

Africa New York Times Elephants New York 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2014

Later the continents broke up into smaller regions such as South America, Africa, Asia and such, an a few smaller pieces like Madagascar and New Zealand as well. To be more specific, the Kiwi descends from a bird that FLEW there from Africa or Madagascar and then became the kiwi. Birds Elephant Bird evolution kiwi ratites Vicariance'

Madagascar 210

Madagascar Ostriches Elephants New Zealand 210

Critter News

JUNE 21, 2009

There has been a lot of violence between the elephants and subsistence farmers (unfortunately, I think the violence is pretty one-sided.) Tags: malawi africa animal rescue elephants endangered species. They are being moved to a wildlife sanctuary. From Wildlife Extra News.

Malawi 100

Malawi Elephants International Fund For Animal Welfare Rescue 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2020

Even the claim that Sri Lanka is the world’s best safari destination outside of Africa comes from him. No doubt, the big five of Sri Lanka include the biggest of the big ever – the Blue Whale , followed by Sperm Whale , Asian Elephant , Leopard and Sloth Bear. 465 species have been recorded and the list keeps growing.

Sri Lanka 213

Sri Lanka Whales Whaling Leopards 213

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2019

Murchison Falls NP earns all sorts of superlative accolades: most powerful waterfall in the world, top 5 game park in Africa, and some of the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets you’ve ever seen. The 5,000 sq km of exquisite savanna and bush may hew more closely to your ideal vision of Africa than any other spot on the continent.

Uganda 201

Uganda Senegal Africa Game 201

Critter News

AUGUST 16, 2008

I don't know how to call this one.will it help or hurt the elephant population in the long run? The UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting in Geneva voted in favour of China becoming a licensed importer. Tags: ivory africa CITES poaching china elephants.

Elephants 100

Elephants China Zimbabwe Namibia 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. The African Spoonbill is one of the six global spoonbill species, and the main African one (there are also some Eurasian Spoonbills in Africa).

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2022

It may indicate, however, that the form of government in Eswatini – it is Africa’s last remaining absolute monarchy – is not ideal. The HBW allows itself a rare moment of dry humor when discussing the sounds of the species: “Most vocalizations of this species are harsh and unmusical.

Swaziland 147

Swaziland Landlord Birds Sweden 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2022

There are quite a few raptor species around Skukuza. Most likely, the devil, not god created this species. While some bustards are the largest bird species capable of flight, the Black-bellied Bustard is only mid-sized. There is also a much older blog post on 10,000 Birds (by Adam Riley) specifically on Africa’s Barbets.

Birds 147

Birds Africa Eagles Barn Owls 147

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

I’ll never forget my introduction to the mammals of Kruger National Park, South Africa. We –participants of the ABA South Africa Safari—were on a small plane when one Lori Conrad looked out the window and screamed, “There are elephants down there!” Species that belong to the famous “Big Five” get special badges.

Rhinos 247

Rhinos Mammals Animal White Rhinos 247

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2015

I’m a big fan of the antelopes, a group that is most commonly associated with Africa but which also occurs in Asia and, if you stretch the term to be cladistically meaningful, Europe and North America. With an elephant for scale. The delicate markings if two male Nyala. A female Nyala in Imfolozi.

Africa 173

Africa Hunters Goats Sheep 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2016

Madikwe , in South Africa, wasn’t a site of importance before it came into existence. And so South Africa’s fifth largest park came to be (it’s worth remembering that its largest park, Kruger, is the size of Israel) on marginal land that no one in particular could do much with. There are very few trees left.

South Africa 159

South Africa Leopards Giraffes Africa 159

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2012

What this land-locked country lacks in endemic birds it more than makes up for in accessibility of tough species, numbers of birds and the overall wildlife experience. It is also home to the largest concentration of African Elephants on the planet and over 450 bird species. We are currently filming in Botswana.

Botswana 215

Botswana Zebras Lions Elephants 215

Critter News

AUGUST 29, 2009

From the African Conservation Foundation.the story was actually published earlier in August, but still worth posting A shocking undercover journey reveals that a poaching cartel known as ‘The Crocodile Gang’, led by Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, is slaughtering rhinos and elephants to fulfill ‘requests’ for horn and ivory.

Rhinos 100

Rhinos Elephants Butcher Slaughter 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

They occur in three biogeographic regions; the Neotropic, Afrotropic and Indo-Malaya ecozones, basically tropical South and Central America, Africa south of the Sahara and tropical Asia. The diminutive Tinkerbirds are Africa’s smallest barbets, depicted here is Red-fronted Tinkerbird photographed at Lalibela, Ethiopia.

Ethiopia 240

Ethiopia Tanzania Africa Uganda 240

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2015

I get that you’re really angry, I mean, he was a popular lion and yes, his cute widdle cubs will probably die to, but I can’t help feeling you’ve kind of missed the point a bit, and well, ending all hunting in Africa will not solve much and maybe make things worse and… No, no, I’m not a hunter. I’m sorry.

Lions 218

Lions Hunting Sierra Leone Buffalo 218

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Hunters go to Africa to shoot lions, and this is without question a good thing; for birds, for ecosystems, and for lions in general! If you don’t accept that we sometimes have to do harm to individuals to do good for the species, well, nothing I’m going to say is going to convince you. I’m not even trolling (much).

Lions 188

Lions Killing Hunting Hunters 188

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

Other species have certainly expanded their ranges, but never in such a rapid and global scale. The Cattle Egret is native to Africa, where it is a familiar sight among herds of large mammals. For reasons that are not quite clear, this species underwent a massive range expansion. This species is primarily an insectivore.

Cattle 170

Cattle South Korea Suriname Seychelles 170

Critter News

AUGUST 23, 2009

I've been reading a lot about threatened elephants and primate populations in Africa and wondered about lions. Tags: africa Kenya lion endangered species. One rarely hears about how they are doing. But, unfortunately, they are in trouble too. This article talks about the specific situation in Kenya.

Kenya 100

Kenya Lions Endangered Species 2002 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

Even in the tropics there are few birds that excel some of our own in elegance and beauty of plumage and we have an unusually large number of species considering the smallness of the area they inhabit. ” (Woodward brothers, “Natal Birds”, 1899) The mighty Drakensberg Mountains run along the western boundary of KwaZulu-Natal province.

Mozambique 195

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 195

Critter News

JUNE 26, 2009

Dozens of animals have been killed by armed groups at Africa's oldest national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of the year, park officials and environmental groups said Tuesday. Tags: virunga africa congo gorillas endangered species. They died between May 25 and June 16, he said. Now there are only 300.

Congo 100

Congo Gorillas Endangered Species Animal 100

Critter News

FEBRUARY 24, 2009

Cameroon, with one of Africa’s highest rates of deforestation, has set up a new national park to protect gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants and a rare type of antelope called bongo. Tags: conservation africa park gorillas endangered species cameroon.

Cameroon 100

Cameroon Gorillas Apes Endangered Species 100

Critter News

MARCH 13, 2010

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or Cites that opened in the Qatari capital on Saturday will be discussing 42 proposals during the next two weeks. Oh look, more meetings. From Al Jazeera.

Marine Life 100

Marine Life Agenda Polar Bears Monaco 100

Animal Person

MARCH 27, 2009

Henican writes: The truth of the matter, of course, is that most city kids will never have the chance to visit the wilds of Africa and Asia, assuming there are any wilds left in the decades to come. The only way most of us will ever see an elephant (or a tiger or a hippo) is on the National Geographic Channel, at a circus or in a zoo.

Circus Animals 100

Circus Animals New York City Elephants Zoos 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2015

But if they obeyed the rules, which may be too strict – in the Kruger Park in South Africa, the limit is 50 km/h (31 mi/h) – they would not manage to show tourists much of the reserve in about three hours in the morning and the afternoon, which would reflect on their tip.

Tigers 253

Tigers Boars India Chickens 253

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 31, 2019

Perhaps you don’t know it yet, but with more than 1000 bird species, palm-fringed sandy beaches, developed tourism infrastructure, moderate prices and political stability, Thailand is a country you definitively want to visit. Among them are 20 endemics and near-endemics, and 58 vagrant species. And what do you need to pack?

Thailand 199

Thailand Zambia Birds Asia 199

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2015

The river cruises up the Chobe River are most famous for the dry season aggregations of African Bush Elephants drawn to the year-round water. But even without huge herds of elephants large game is defiantly the major draw for most people on the cruise. In particular, there are lots of waterbirds.

Botswana 162

Botswana Birds Lesotho Elephants 162