10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2013

Of course Africa could not to be left out of the pink weekend so I have researched all African species whose official or alternative names include the word “pink”. Definitely my personal favorite of Africa’s pink birds is the delicate Pink-throated Twinspot. Great White Pelicans showing the pink flush of breeding plumage.

Africa 227

Africa Somalia Pelicans Mozambique 227

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Marabous occur throughout tropical and subtropical Africa from Zululand in northern South Africa right up to the arid Sahel region fringing the Sahara Desert, avoiding the closed canopy rainforest zones of central and west Africa.

Africa 248

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 248

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

The Crested Barbet (Kruger Park, South Africa) looks a bit like a pointillist painting gone wrong. Lucia, South Africa) will be your favorite. Unfortunately, I have so far seen only a few of them, and none of the ones in the Americas … but here are ten that I have seen and got halfway decent photos of.

South Africa 228

South Africa Africa India China 228

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2019

Our first Day In South Africa, I spotted the Burchell’s Courcal, as it flew across the road in front of us we entered Kruger National Park. The birds are now breeding in the area, but are quite happy to keep coming to the daily feeding station in groups of over 100 birds. I present to you, my favorite birds of 2018.

2018 178

2018 Costa Rica South Africa New Zealand 178

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2016

A couple of years ago Adam posted a story on this site that so entranced me that when I went to South Africa a bit over a year ago the location he described was top of my bucket list. They are closely related to the oddball Rockfowl of Western Africa, and live in family groups, led by a breeding pair, in Southern Africa.

South Africa 104

South Africa Africa Family Groups 104

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

.” Another study cited in “Wired” states that “For The Green Wood Hoopoe , Middle-Aged Motherhood Is Best”, providing the rationale that “females that attempt to start breeding early in life have a very high mortality rate.” Thanks for pointing it out though. 300 birds (HBW). This is one of them.

South Africa 147

South Africa Niger Birds Mice 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I live in the southeast of Europe, for a while lived in the south of Africa and also have extensively birded western and central India. Which leaves only East Africa. Or Polynesia.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

I don’t think I’ve ever done a post on my home patch of Cape Town, South Africa. The little seaside village of Rooiels is famed for being a wonderful location to pick up some choice South African endemics but it is also one of the most beautiful spots in the Cape.

South Africa 253

South Africa Penguins Birds Africa 253

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2020

What happens when you put a naturalist in a kayak, adrift in Africa? I have read canoeing articles from Africa and knew that the Nile Crocodile ( Crocodilus niloticus ) pays no attention to the boat and, in theory, as long as I’m inside I’m safe. There are no crocs around here,’ said a smiling bartender. Oh, my big mouth! Grey Heron 4.

Botswana 207

Botswana Africa 2001 Fish 207

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

So, it sometimes comes to South Africa to relax and enjoy relative anonymity. Interestingly, the HBW gives different contact calls depending on the country in which the flycatcher lives: “Contact call a simple ‘zeet, zwayt’ (South Africa), ‘ti-twit tee-twit’ (Gabon), ‘zi’zk’zk’ (Tanzania).”

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Birds South Africa Benin 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

With this quote I have the pleasure of introducing my home province (state) for this month’s 10,000 Bird’s Africa Beat. mi (almost exactly the same size as Indiana), it is one of the smaller provinces of South Africa, but is the second most densely populated with over 10 million inhabitants. At 36,433 sq.

Mozambique 200

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 200

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

I got to see a beautiful female and owlet on a trip to a secret nest location near Howard Prairie Lake (human-made nest structures have enhanced local breeding for these huge owls whose nest success is boosted to 83% on artificial platforms vs. 66% at natural sites). I also blogged about that dreamy day. Travel is good for the birding soul.

2014 202

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 202

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2011

.’ These were found in Cape Town, South Africa and appeared oblivious to the excitement that their cousin was causing in New York. This one has not yet taken the grey head of the breeding bird.

South Africa 181

South Africa Pedigree Africa New York 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

Growing up within an hour of one of the world’s premier shorebird destinations -- West Coast National Park in South Africa -- helped for sure. This is an endemic breeding bird in North America and much is now being done by various federal and non-profit groups to ensure and foster its conservation.

Florida 206

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 206

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. The crest on the back becomes erect during breeding displays. The delicate markings if two male Nyala.

Africa 177

Africa Hunters Goats Sheep 177

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2012

They have a circumpolar distribution, breeding in vast numbers in the islands around Antarctica, as well as on Antarctica itself. Smaller numbers breed on sub-Antarctic islands as far north as the Chathams in New Zealand.

New Zealand 159

New Zealand Albatross South Africa Brazil 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2019

I have to agree with her, as every time I chance upon an owl, be it something as common as a Great Horned Owl, or something extremely special like Australia’s Powerful Owl , or the Verreaux’s Eagle-owl from South Africa, I get a huge feeling of accomplishment. I guess they don’t like staring into the sun, and more than we do!

Owls 167

Owls Arizona Tucson South Africa 167

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2017

The Species Accounts tell us the birds’ stories, and a lot of information is packed into these paragraphs: appearance; age and gender differences in appearance; how the species differs from similar birds; interesting behavior or nesting notes; whether it is common or uncommon or rare; migratory or resident, breeding or nonbreeding in Kruger N.P.;

Ecuador 184

Ecuador Wildlife Reptiles Birds 184

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2014

Four teams with renowned birders from United States, South Africa and United Kingdom will travel through the diverse and endemic bird rich region of Northern Peru, from May 12 thought May 20, 2014.

Peru 160

Peru United Kingdom 2013 South Africa 160

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. Carmine bee-eaters occur throughout most of Subsaharan Africa, and many populations migrate widely post breeding.

Africa 266

Africa South Africa Gabon Uganda 266

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Ethiopia , a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. The Abyssinian Empire was the only African nation to survive what is now known as the Scramble for Africa, and was never colonized (it did endure 6 brutal years under Fascist Italian occupation).

Ethiopia 274

Ethiopia Eritrea Africa Mammals 274

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

I did that with Peacocks & Picathartes – Reflections on Africa’s birdlife (published by Penguin Random House South Africa ). In case you didn’t know, yes, there is an indigenous peacock living in Africa, the Congo Peafowl. He has authored several other books and many articles, largely on natural history.

Congo 264

Congo Africa South Africa Madagascar 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

Despite filling very similar garbage disposal related niches, the vultures in North America and the vultures in Eurasia/Africa are really not that closely related. In the 70s, with the survival of the species in jeopardy, the entire wild population was captured and brought into a captive breeding program in southern California.

California Condor 196

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 196

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

In this epic post, Patrick depicts just how dynamic the pelagic birding is off Cape Point in South Africa. Here one is close to the scenically impressive Cape of Good Hope National Park as well as the Boulder’s Coastal Park, home to hundreds of breeding African Penguins.

Albatross 193

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 193

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2011

My home country of South Africa can only be described as a birding paradise! The Cape Rockjumper (here a female) is best sought at Rooiels, on the east coast of South Africa, north of Cape Town. Males of this species are more brightly colored in their non-breeding winter plumage.

South Africa 240

South Africa Lesotho Africa Swaziland 240

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

Also from BirdLife International: In general it prefers areas where vegetation, boulders or other landscape features at ground level provide tunnels in which to shelter and to breed. Wim Van der Schot was kind enough to grant 10,000 Birds permission to use the photographs below.

Science 221

Science Transported Shelters South Africa 221

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2024

They are generally regarded as summer visitors, arriving back from their wintering grounds in Africa in March, and departing again in September. On their breeding grounds in Spain, Lesser Kestrels are very much city birds, for 95% of the population nests in towns. However, in Southern Spain a small number of birds are resident.

Falcons 218

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 218

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

All the inhabited continents except Africa have experienced bird extinctions; however the 2012 update of the IUCN Red List shows a startling, but not altogether unexpected, trend in that more and more of our bird species are facing extinction.

Endangered Species 206

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 206

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2013

However Africa has more long tailed species than any other region, and this blog post celebrates a few of these fabulous birds. Africa’s impressive Long-tailed Widowbird by Adam Riley. A male Long-tailed Widowbird in heavy flapping display flight low over the grassland in South Africa by Adam Riley. Widowbirds.

Papua New Guinea 252

Papua New Guinea South Africa Africa Zimbabwe 252

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

With a trip to South Africa on the horizon at the time, I thought I could handle it. This is evident in the introductory material, which includes sections on The Origin and Evolution of Borneo’s Birds, Conservation in Action, Vegetation and Bird Life in Borneo, Climate, Rainfall and Bird Breeding Seasons, and Bird Migration.

Brunei 182

Brunei Birds Asia China 182

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This makes it a particularly exciting time in New Zealand as the Rugby World Cup begins in two days, and the competition is being held right here in New Zealand (I would imagine they might be more excited if they hadn’t just lost two matches to Australia and South Africa, their big rivals in the Tri-Nations).

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Birds 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The African Spoonbill is one of the six global spoonbill species, and the main African one (there are also some Eurasian Spoonbills in Africa). While the species is listed as Least Concern, there are some papers suggesting it may not be as common as assumed, at least in South Africa. This was an unpleasant surprise for a Ph.D.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2022

The falcon breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China but winters in Southern and East Africa. And those we see constantly stop passers-by to ask for the way to either Siberia or South Africa, depending on the season. Still as impressed as before? That can get annoying.

Falcons 258

Falcons Japan China South Africa 258

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2013

I grew up in one of the most beautiful cities in the world – Cape Town, South Africa. In fact, there is no other region in Africa that offers such a fantastic level of endemism in such an accessible location. But their endangered status is belied by the fact that they are one of the easiest rare birds to find in Africa.

Penguins 232

Penguins South Africa Africa Sharks 232

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

But there is one place in Africa where Wattled Cranes still gather in fair numbers – the Okavango Delta of Botswana. But they are believed to have previously occurred over a much wider area, including coastal West Africa and much of the wetlands of South Africa.

Botswana 163

Botswana South Africa Africa Ethiopia 163

4 The Love Of Animals

MAY 8, 2011

Soon people from South Africa to Japan heard about what was happening, and wrote to share their stories, their challenges, and their curiosity about what Henry was learning. Born with only two legs as a result of irresponsible breeding, Tink’s spirit is irrepressible as she races about on a custom set of wheels.

San Diego 100

San Diego Kittens Emotional Cats 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

A paper on the Chestnut-vented Nuthatch titled “Nest-Site Features and Breeding Ecology of Chestnut-Vented Nuthatch Sitta nagaensis in Southwestern China” has 8 authors. The Orange-bellied Leafbird tends not to be very amused when hearing a Bronzed Drongo imitating it. But maybe this will concern some Floridians less.

Birds 196

Birds China Woodpeckers Breeding 196