10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2012

Zimbabwe is last in the alphabetical atlas of countries of the world. But eastern Zimbabwe is an almost mythical place and a highly productive birding destination. But eastern Zimbabwe is an almost mythical place and a highly productive birding destination. I have had the privilege of birding Zimbabwe on a handful of occasions.

Zimbabwe 189

Zimbabwe Buffalo Mozambique Birds 189

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

And so, back to political entities, this field guide covers Namibia , Botswana , Zimbabwe , the southern half of Mozambique (south of the Zambezi River), South Africa , Lesotho and Eswatini ( Swaziland ). Distribution maps show the relative abundance of a species in the region and also indicate resident or visiting status.

Africa 264

Africa South Africa Swaziland Lesotho 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2018

It divides countries into categories, where the next category has 200 more species. In some cases the data are outdated, e.g. Costa Rica has 900 and not 800 species, but I made no corrections, remaining faithful to the original map data. Shown as a list, it looks like this: Less than 200 bird species: Antarctica; oceanic islands.

Equatorial Guinea 188

Equatorial Guinea Costa Rica Guyana Central African Republic 188

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2024

The antwren had been elevated to species level and Hilton is just a sucker for anything Paulista, and besides, who needs a reason to go birding? I have been guided by David Letsoale and Paul Nkhumane for Cape Parrot and other difficult forest species. It is possible to clutch victory from the jaws of defeat. They are that good.

Birds 213

Birds Mozambique Zimbabwe Mammals 213

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2015

Once upon a time, when I started birding, this great family included a wide range of species collectively known as the robins and chats. They are a single genus, Cichladusa , with three species, found mostly in Central and Eastern Africa. It all comes back to a split in one of the great bird families, the Turdidae, or thrushes.

Mozambique 161

Mozambique Zambia Zimbabwe Namibia 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2015

Whoever is in charge of names in the area had abandoned an unwise relationship with compound names ((meaning Redwinged Starlings were Red-winged Starlings again) and seemed to have shifted the names of lots of species around in the hopes of aligning them with the IOC (goodbye louries). There had also been a number of splits.

Africa 152

Africa South Africa Zimbabwe Penguins 152

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2024

Phoebe Snetsinger was an American birder who first passed the 8,000 species mark. Before leaving the safety of the car I heeded the park’s advice and checked for animal tracks belonging to any biting, gnawing, mauling, trampling, stabbing or disembowelling species. She died in a car accident during a birding trip.

Mozambique 209

Mozambique Birds Ghana Namibia 209