Birdwatching in Zambia
Shoebill - G. Reed
Country Information
Total Area: 752,618 sq km / 290,587 sq mi
Population: 11,862,700
Currency: Zambian Kwacha (ZMK)
Capital City: Lusaka
Independance: 24 October, 1964
Important Bird Areas (IBA's): 26 (covering 75,000 sq km)
Click here to view detailed country and IBA information
Birding Safaris in Zambia
Despite it's large size (Zambia is just slightly larger than Texas), the country is dominated by a single biome and lacks any coastline, nevertheless it still boasts in excess of 750 species. The country is vast and the road network leaves much to be desired but birdwatching opportunites are good pretty much everywhere you go. Birding the miombo woodlands requires birders to be quick on the draw as much of the birding in this habitat is focused on bird parties which move quite rapidly through the trees making long looks difficult. This said, miombo birding is very rewarding and getting that one good look you were after gives a great feeling of satisfaction. The highlight of any Zambia birding holiday is a visit to the vast Bangweulu Swamps and it's most famous citizen, the Shoebill Stork (Balaeniceps rex). We offer a Shoebill safari every year which is perfectly timed to catch the water at just the right levels to make finding a Shoebill pretty much guaranteed.
Zambian Specials:
SHOEBILL, Chaplin's Barbet, Angola Pitta, Black-cheeked Lovebird, Spotted Creeper, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Red-faced Crombec, Southern Hyliota, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Western Violet-backed Sunbird, Streaky-breasted Flufftail, Souza's Shrike, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Miombo Blue-eared Starling, Ross' Turaco, Bohm's Bee-eater, African Finfoot, Pel's Fishing Owl, Swamp Flycatcher, Katanga Masked Weaver, Denham's Bustard, Great Snipe, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Common Bittern.
Scheduled Birding Trips in Zambia 2011/12
17 Day Shoebill Safari - BBK/LUN - 16 May 2011 - Full Itinerary
(Outline Itinerary: Chobe National Park, Livingstone (Victoria Falls), Choma, Nkanga, Forest Inn, Mkushi, Kasanka National Park, Mutinondo Wilderness, Lusaka)
17 Day Livingstone Birding Trail - MUB/MUB - Multiple Departures - Full Itinerary
(Outline Itinerary: Lake Ngami, Okavango Panhandle, Mahango National Park, Caprivi Strip, Kwando River, Katima Mulilo, Zambezi River, Livingstone (Victoria Falls), Choma, Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans, Moremi Game Reserve - Okavango Delta)
17 Day Bats & Birds - BBK/LUN - 07 November 2011, 12 November 2012 - Full Itinerary
(Outline Itinerary: Livingstone, South Kafue National Park, Choma, Siavonga (Lake Kariba), Forest Inn, Kasanka National Park, Mutinondo Wilderness)
Tour Reports
May 2009 - Tour report for the 2009 Shoebill Safari
