Animals-and-Pets
African Birdlife
Southern SIGHTINGS
MID-JULY TO MID-SEPTEMBER 2025
2 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
BLUE CRANE
A symbol of pride and vulnerability
6 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
CHAOS AT THE KOM
Between 1 and 3 December 2024 there was a remarkable sardine run off Kommetjie on the Cape Peninsula.
1 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Whatever form they take, from peatlands to estuaries, wetlands are critical for the survival of waterbirds, such as the White-winged Flufftail, Maccoa Duck and Grey Crowned Crane. They are highly productive ecosystems that are characterised by diverse and abundant food sources and they provide essential feeding, breeding, migratory and resting habitat for numerous species. iSimangaliso Wetland Park, for example, supports more than 500 bird species.
1 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
FRAMING wild feathers
WINNERS OF THE BIRDLIFE SOUTH AFRICA PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION 2025
4 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
PITTA PILGRIMAGE
Look there - on that branch, behind those green leaves!’ Crouching in thick forest, with sweat dripping, heart pounding and eyes straining, I frantically searched with my binoculars, trying to work out which branch, which green leaves - indeed, which darned tree? I was close to panicking as we had come so far, and yet I just couldn't see where our guide was pointing.
4 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
Unlocking a DIGITAL WORLD of bird stories
For more than 75 years, the South African Bird Ringing Unit (SAFRING), now hosted by the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, has woven together the complex life stories of southern Africa's birds.
1 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
MIRRORLESS MARVEL
Testing Canon's R1 in the field
3 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
Is NECHISAR NIGHTJAR a hybrid?
Vernon Head's award-winning book The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World brought widespread attention to the curious case of the Nechisar Nightjar. In 1992, a dead nightjar was found on a dirt road in Nechisar National Park, southern Ethiopia. A wing was collected and the bird was later described as a new species based on its distinctive large white wing patch. Its scientific name, Caprimulgus solala, attests to the fact that it is known only from a single wing.
2 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
a TALL Tail
In the high grass of eastern South Africa, midsummer is when the Long-tailed Widowbird transforms the veld into a stage.
1 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
Birding the TANKWA
The semi-desert Tankwa Karoo, tucked into the northern reaches of the Western Cape, is a treasure trove of avian life.
5 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
A conservation milestone
Mitigating seabird bycatch in the inshore hake trawl fleet
2 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
from riverbank TO SAVANNA
It's not only the waterways of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfronteir Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) that enthral.
5 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
A ROBERTS REVOLUTION?
The recently released Roberts Birds of Southern Africa app shares its name with the long-trusted version that many of us have relied on for years. But make no mistake, this is not a simple update. It's a completely new product, built from the ground up by a new developer and offering a fresh experience under a familiar name.
3 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
CAREN the BLUE CRANE
Hallo people, Caren Kramer here, proud resident of the Overberg.
3 min |
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
stories begin at EYE LEVEL
ALTHOUGH I HAVE been taking photographs since 1998, it wasn't until 2019 that my hobby evolved into a serious pursuit. That's when I began to see photography not just as a means of capturing a moment, but as a form of art - something that can stir emotion, spark wonder and tell a deeper story.
1 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
ALBERT the Wandering Albatross
Ahoy, shipmates, grab a pew and let me spin my yarn.
3 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
I'll be back...
Southern African populations of oxpeckers were hit by triple hammer blows during the late 19th century and much of the 20th.
2 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
BINDO and SABAP2
A match made in data science
2 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
PREDATORS of the pan
As regular visitors to Mabuasehube in the Botswanan sector of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, we have often seen vulture feathers lying in the area of the waterhole at Mpayathutlwa Pan and have frequently observed a pair of black-backed jackals in the vicinity.
1 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
Jacana & the egg thief
While on a photo expedition in the Richtersveld National Park with my brother Peter, we were watching one particular African Jacana on the Gariep River.
2 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
A STRIPE FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE?
Uncovering the adaptive complexities of falcons' malar stripes
2 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
grassland GLADIATORS
The Secretarybird is a highly soughtafter species for most birders on their first visit to Africa. It looks so strange, like a cross between a stork and an eagle. Even though it is widespread, occurring in almost any suitable habitat (grassland, open savanna and Karoo shrubland), it's generally uncommon.
1 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
SECRETS SKY
Jessica Wilmot is the driving force behind BirdLife South Africa's Flyway and Migrants Project, working across borders to safeguard some of the planet's most threatened species and habitats. Supporting BirdLife International's East Atlantic Flyway Initiative, Jessica is at the heart of efforts to keep our skies alive with birds, particularly the enigmatic European Roller, which is her current focus and passion.
6 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
Southern SIGHTINGS
Autumn is generally known to be quieter in terms of rarities across southern Africa, but the review period still had a few surprises for us, including a new species for the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
3 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
LOVEBIRDS in Gauteng
Parrots are not often seen in South Africa, and lovebirds even less often. Three lovebird species – Rosy-faced, Lilian's and Black-cheeked – occur in southern Africa, although you need a magnifying glass to find the distribution of Black-cheeked along the Chobe and Zambezi rivers.
6 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
WELCOMING NEW STAFF
BirdLife South Africa is pleased to extend a warm welcome to new team members
4 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
switching off saves lives
A particular focus for BirdLife South Africa's Birds and Renewable Energy Project is to encourage, in collaboration with industry, environmental practitioners and avifaunal specialists, the testing and implementation of measures to mitigate the impacts of wind energy facilities on birds, taking into account South Africa's unique socio-economic and environmental context.
1 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
CAPRIVI AWAKENING
The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, spanning five countries, is the world's largest cross-border conservation initiative. In this threepart series, we explore the distinctive character of some of its parks, reserves and community-managed areas, soaking up the rich birdlife along the way.
4 min |
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
13 years on...
The Secretarybird tracking study
3 min |