south africa
WHY SOUTH AFRICA IS IDEAL FOR BIRDWATCHING
South Africa is one of the finest countries for birding — not just on the African continent , but anywhere in the world . Almost 900 different species have been spotted here — that ’ s not far from the combined total that have been found in the U . S . and Canada , in an area around 16 times smaller .
If you haven ’ t travelled to Africa before , there are a huge number of new landbirds , waterbirds and seabirds to see . The wider region of Southern Africa ( Angola , Botswana , Lesotho , Malawi , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Swaziland , Zambia and Zimbabwe ) boasts around 100 endemic species — 18 of which can be found within South Africa .
The key to seeing a wide variety of birds is to visit a wide variety of habitats . That ’ s where South Africa excels : with moist and arid savannahs , grasslands , montane and lowland forests , deserts and semideserts , rivers , lakes and marshes , and the coast — all of which host different groups of birds .
The country also has two very distinctive biomes . To the north and east of Cape Town , the arid area known as the Karoo has an array of desert birds .
Further south , running in a narrow belt just inland from the coast , the Mediterranean-type shrubland known as fynbos has one of the highest number of plants anywhere in the world . Not surprisingly , these play host to a very special suite of birds — including no fewer than 11 species found nowhere else on the planet .
All these habitats are the result of South Africa being home to an extremely varied climate , which makes the country an excellent year-round destination . Whatever time of year you decide to travel , there ’ s always somewhere special to watch birds .
From right : A weaver in a Jacaranda tree in Johannesburg ; Fynbos on a hilltop overlooking Hout Bay , part of the Table Mountain National Park Previous pages : The Boulders Beach penguin colony in Simon ’ s Town in the Western Cape
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