Top Birding Spots in South Africa

KwaZulu Natal Zululand Birding Route (600 species!)
Mkusi & lake Sibaya.
Sani Pass.

Gauteng
Borakolalo National Park (over 300 bird species).
Vaalkop dam (over 150 species).
Doorndraai Dam Nature Reserve (100 – 130 species).
Nylsvley Area (around 400 bird species).
Marakele National Park

Highveld
Suikerbosrand

Pretoria
Moreleta Kloof (120 species).

North-Eastern Lowveld and Kruger Park
The Kruger National Park, Northern Sector (450 species).

Mpumalanga
The Mpumalanga Birding Route (over 500 species):
Blue Swallow Heritage Site
Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve
Kruger National Park
Mahushe Shongwe Nature Reserve

Limpopo
The Great Limpopo Birding Route (over 600 recorded species, and 90% of all raptor species).

Northern Province
Magoebaskloof.

Western Cape
Western Cape mountains, and Karoo semi-desert (of Southern Africa’s 86 endemics, 60 occur here and half of the near-endemics).

Northern Cape
Namaqualand, Bushmanland.

More of SA's Hotspots & some of their tennants

Cape Town, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Cape Francolin, Forest Canary, Red-chested Cuckoo, Knysna Warbler.

Cape Town, Boulders Beach African Penguin Colony
900 pairs of African Penguin (under great threat).

Cape Town, Strandfontein Sewage Works
Greater Flamingo, Great White Pelican, Maccoa Duck, Black-necked Grebe, African Marsh Harrier.

West Coast National Park, Western Cape
Black Harrier, Black Bustard, Cape Penduline Tit, African Water Rail, Karoo Lark, waders.

De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape
Cape Vulture, Southern Tchagra, Knysna Woodpecker, Denham’s Bustard, Agulhas Long-billed Lark, Karoo Bustard, Black Bustard.

Bushmanland Brandvlei
Ludwig’s Bustard, Karoo Bustard, Burchell’s Courser, Red and Sclater’s Larks Karoo Eremomela, Black-headed Canary.

Kalahari Savanna
Bateleur, Red-necked and Pygmy Falcons, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Burchell’s Sandgrouse and Pink-billed Lark.

Port Elizabeth
Cape Recife
Roseate, Damara and Antarctic Terns, African Black Oystercatcher, Knysna Woodpecker.

KwaZulu-Natal, Mkhuze
Broad-billed Roller, Pel’s Fishing-owl, Lesser Black-winged Lapwing, African Cuckoo Hawk, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, African Broadbill, Gorgeous Bush-Shrike, Eastern Bearded Scrub-Robin, Eastern Nicator, Rudd’s Apalis, Olive-tree Warbler, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Bush Pipit, Green and Pink-throated Twinspots, Grey Waxbill and Lemon-breasted Canary.

KZN Maputaland, Ndumo
Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Narina’s Trogon, Broad-billed Roller, Pel’s Fishing-owl, Lesser Black-winged Lapwing, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Sooty Falcon, African Broadbill, Gorgeous Bush-Shrike, Retz’s Helmet-Shrike, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Eastern Bearded Scrub-Robin, Eastern Nicator, Rudd’s Apalis, Green-capped Eremomela, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Bush Pipit, Pink-throated Twinspot, Grey Waxbill.

KZN, St Lucia
Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, Lesser and Greater Flamingos, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Crested Guineafowl, Buff-spotted Flufftail, Livingstone’s Turaco, Yellowbill, Swamp Nightjar, Mangrove Kingfisher, African Broadbill, Western Nicator, Brown and Eastern Bearded Scrub-Robins, Rudd's Apalis, Woodward's Batis, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Green and Pink-throated Twinspots, and Grey Waxbill.

KZN, Eshowe
Olive Woodpecker, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Narina’s Trogon, Crowned and Trumpeter Hornbills, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Lemon Dove, Buff-spotted Flufftail, Crowned Eagle, Spotted Ground-Thrush, Chorister Robin-Chat and Green Twinspot.

Wakkerstroom
Red-winged Francolin, Ground Woodpecker, Denham’s Bustard, Blue Bustard, Grey Crowned and Blue Cranes, African Water Rail, Black-winged Lapwing, Southern Bald Ibis, Sentinel Rock-Thrush, Buff-streaked Chat, Bush Blackcap, Drakensberg Prinia, Rudd’s, Eastern Long-billed, Pink-billed and Botha’s Larks and Yellow-breasted Pipit.

Marievale
African Crake, Black Egret, Slaty Egret, Baillon’s Crake, Greater Painted-snipe, Black-winged Pratincole, Yellow Wagtail, Parasitic Weaver, Great Crested Grebe and African Marsh Harrier. Spotted Crake.

Tzaneen, Trijdom Tunnel
Cliff Chat, Striped Pipit, Cape Rock-Thrush and White-necked Raven.

Drakensberg escarpment, Magoebaskloof
Black-fronted Bush Shrike, Chorister Robin-Chat, Brown Scrub-Robin, White-starred Robin, Knysna Turaco, Orange Ground-Thrush, Narina Trogon, Buff-spotted Flufftail, Crowned Eagle, Bat Hawk, Brown-necked Parrot, African Emerald Cuckoo, Grey Cuckoo-Shrike, Yellow-streaked Bulbul, Green Twinspot, Mountain Wagtail, Barratt’s Warbler.

Endemic, near endemic and endangered birds of South Africa

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Tip: best months for viewing game are from April to September and done from your own/hired car. Do not leave your car in 'open' areas.

Tip: best months for viewing game are from April to September and done from your own/hired car. Do not leave your car in 'open' areas.

The Travel-Informed Team

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South Africa’s endemic and near-endemic birdlife

Acacia Pied Barbet
African Black Oystercatcher
African Penguin
African Red-eyed Bulbul
African Rock Pipit
Agulhas Clapper Lark
Agulhas Long-billed Lark
Anteating Chat
Ashy Tit
Bank Cormorant
Bare-cheeked Babbler
Barlow's Lark
Barratt's Warbler
Barred Wren-Warbler
Barrow's Korhaan
Benguela Long-billed Lark
Black Harrier
Black-chested Prinia
Black-eared Seedeater
Black-eared Sparrowlark
Black-faced Babbler
Blue Crane
Blue Korhaan
Bokmakierie
Botha's Lark
Bradfield's Hornbill
Bradfield's Swift
Brown Scrub-Robin
Buff-streaked Chat
Burchell's Coucal
Burchell's Courser
Burchell's Sandgrouse
Burchell's Starling
Bush Blackcap
Cape Batis
Cape Bulbul
Cape Clapper Lark
Cape Cormorant
Cape Francolin
Cape Gannet
Cape Glossy Starling
Cape Grassbird
Cape Gull
Cape Long-billed Lark
Cape Longclaw
Cape Parrot
Cape Penduline-Tit
Cape Rock-jumper
Cape Rock-Thrush
Cape Shoveler
Cape Siskin
Cape Sparrow
Cape Sugarbird
Cape Vulture
Cape Weaver
Carp's Tit
Chat Flycatcher
Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler
Chirinda Apalis
Chorister Robin-Chat
Cinderella Waxbill
Cinnamon-breasted Warbler
Crimson-breasted Shrike
Crowned Cormorant
Damara Tern
Double-banded Sandgrouse
Drakensberg Prinia
Drakensberg Rock-jumper
Drakensberg Siskin
Dune Lark
Dusky Sunbird
Eastern Clapper Lark
Eastern Long-billed Lark
Fairy Flycatcher
Fiscal Flycatcher
Forest Buzzard
Forest Canary
Gray's Lark
Great Sparrow
Greater Double-collared Sunbird
Greater Striped Swallow
Grey Tit
Grey-backed Cisticola
Grey-backed Sparrowlark
Grey-winged Francolin
Ground Woodpecker
Gurney's Sugarbird
Hartlaub's Francolin
Hartlaub's Gull
Herero Chat
Hottentot Buttonquail
Jackal Buzzard
Kalahari Scrub-Robin
Karoo Chat
Karoo Eremomela
Karoo Korhaan
Karoo Lark
Karoo Long-billed Lark
Karoo Prinia
Karoo Scrub-Robin
Knysna Turaco
Knysna Warbler
Knysna Woodpecker
Large-billed Lark
Lark-like Bunting
Layard's Tit-Babbler
Lemon-breasted Canary
Long-tailed Pipit
Ludwig's Bustard
Marico Flycatcher
Melodious Lark
Meves's Starling
Monotonous Lark
Monteiro's Hornbill
Mountain Wheatear
Namaqua Sandgrouse
Namaqua Warbler
Natal Francolin
Neergaard's Sunbird
Northern Black Korhaan
Olive Bush-Shrike
Orange River Francolin
Orange-breasted Sunbird
Pale-winged Starling
Pied Starling
Pink-billed Lark
Pink-throated Twinspot
Pririt Batis
Protea Seedeater
Red Lark
Red-billed Francolin
Red-crested Korhaan
Red-headed Finch
Robert's Warbler
Rockrunner
Rosy-faced Lovebird
Rudd's Apalis
Rudd's Lark
Rufous-eared Warbler
Ruppell's Korhaan
Ruppell's Parrot
Sabota Lark (incl. Bradfield's)
Scaly-feathered Finch
Sclater's Lark
Sentinel Rock-Thrush
Shaft-tailed Whydah
Short-clawed Lark
Short-toed Rock-Thrush (incl. Transvaal)
Sickle-winged Chat
Slaty Egret
Sociable Weaver
South African Cliff-Swallow
South African Shelduck
Southern Bald Ibis
Southern Black Korhaan
Southern Black Tit
Southern Boubou
Southern Double-collared Sunbird
Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk
Southern Pied Babbler
Southern Tchagra
Southern White-crowned Shrike
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
Spike-heeled Lark
Stark's Lark
Swainson's Spurfowl
Swee Waxbill
Tractrac Chat
Victorin's Warbler
Violet Wood-Hoopoe
Violet-eared Waxbill
White-backed Mousebird
White-tailed Shrike
White-throated Canary
White-throated Robin-Chat
Yellow Canary
Yellow-breasted Pipit

Southern African Birds...