Chaplin’s barbet, or the Zambian barbet, is a bird species endemic to South Central Zambia. This species was named in honor of Sir Francis Drummond Percy Chaplin who served as colonial governor and serves as the only true endemic bird species for Zambia.
Zambia is known for its incredible variety of birds. With over 600 species, Zambia is a bird-watcher’s paradise.
From the large, colorful African finches to the rare and elusive Shoebill stork, Zambia is home to a wide variety of birds.
From the wetlands of the Kafue and Luangwa Rivers to the forests of the Bangweulu and Busanga wetlands, there are plenty of opportunities to see some of the most stunning and unique birds in the world.
BIRDING TOUR OF THE BANGWELU CIRCUIT - Sat 1 – Sun 9 JUNE 2024
Mutinondo Wilderness, Lavushi Manda, Bangweulu Wetlands and Kasanka National Park
Guide: Wouter van Spijker (TBC)
Package type: “Birds & Bush” guided safari: We’re spending as much time as feasible in wild places,
where the focus is on birding while exploring, with ample attention for other wildlife.
Accommodation type: glamping (3-star)
Participants: minimum 2, maximum 12
Package price TBC
Option 1: Collection from Lusaka / airport on Friday 31st May, drop-off on Monday 10th June 2024
fully inclusive
Dates to save
Mwinilunga & Ikelenge
Dates: From Lusaka: Fri 4 October – Mon 14 October (10 nights / 11 days)
Optional, from Solwezi / Kalumbila: Sat 5 October – Sun 13 October (8 nights / 9 days)
Guides: Frank Willems and/or Leslie Reynolds
Package type: “Birds & Bush” guided safari: We’re spending as much time as feasible in wild places,
where the focus is on birding while exploring, with ample attention for other wildlife.
Accommodation type: mix of lodging and mobile camp (3-star)
Participants: minimum 2, maximum 12
Pitta 17-21 December 2024
Bangweulu Circuit 1-9 June 2024
Mutinondo Wilderness, Lavushi Manda, Bangweulu Wetlands and Kasanka National Park
Guide: Wouter van Spijker (TBC)
Package type: “Birds & Bush” guided safari: We’re spending as much time as feasible in wild places,
where the focus is on birding while exploring, with ample attention for other wildlife.
Accommodation type: glamping (3-star)
Participants: minimum 2, maximum 12
Lochinvar National Park 26-29 September 2024
Liuwa National Park 10- November 2024
Dates: From Lusaka: Saturday 16 – Sunday 24 November 2024 (9 days / 8 nights)
Only Liuwa Plain (self-drive): Monday 18 – Saturday 23 November 2024 (6 days / 5 nights)
ZAMBIA BIRDING SAFARIS
LIVINGSTSONE AREA AND SURROUNDS
MACHILE home of the Black-cheeked Lovebird this Important Bird Area is the main stronghold for the much localised Black-cheeked Lovebird, one of the most sought after specials in Africa and one of Zambia’s two endemic species. Other birs to look for are Meves’s Starling, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Black-cheeked and Violet-eared Waxbill, Scaly-feathered Weaver, Three-banded Courser, Dickinson’s Kestrel, Burnt-necked Eremomela, Burchell’s Starling, Bennett’s Woodpecker, Southern and Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, Marico Flycatcher, Shaft-tailed Whydah, Crimson-breasted Shrike and Acacia Pied Barbet.
Other species include Marabou Stork, White-backed Vulture, Black-chested and Brown Snake Eagle, Gabar and Dark Chanting Goshawk, Martial and Tawny Eagles, Crested and Swainson’s Francolin, Crowned Lapwing, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Mourning Collared and Namaqua Dove, Grey Go-away-bird, Jacobin Cuckoo, White-browed Coucal, Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, Red-faced Mousebird, Woodland and Striped Kingfisher, Swallow-tailed and Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Purple Roller, Common Scimitarbill, Southern Ground Hornbill, Southern Red-billed and African Grey Hornbill, Rattling Cisticola, Arrow-marked Babbler, Southern Black Tit, Magpie Shrike, Yellow-billed and Red-billed Oxpecker, Lesser Masked Weaver, Red-billed Quelea, Yellow-crowned Bishop, White-winged Widowbird, Green-winged Pytilia, Jameson’s Firefinch, Village Indigobird and Black-throated Canary.
BATOKA GORGE is a haven for cliff-nesting birds. It is listed as an IBA by Birdlife International due to the 30+ species of birds of prey that have been recorded here. Peregrine, Lanner Falcon, Augur Buzzard, Verreaux’s Eagle, Mocking Cliff Chat, Red-winged Starling, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Striped Pipit and the vulnerable Taita Falcon.
Night birds to look out for on the banks of the Zambezi are Pearl-spotted Owlet, African Wood Owl and Square-tailed Nightjar.
MOSI OA TUNYA NATIONAL PARK - Schalow’s Turaco, loud Trumpeter Hornbill, quite rare Collared Palm Thrush, Verreaux’s Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, White-browed Robin-chat, the localised holiday subspecies of African Black Swift, Tropical Boubou, Red-winged Starling .
LIVINGSTONE SEWERAGE WORKS - Purple Heron, Giant Kingfisher, Black-winged Stilt, African and Lesser Jacana, Allen’s Gallinule, Reed Cormorant, African Sacred and Glossy Ibis, African Swamphen, Black Crake, African Reed Warbler, Wood Sandpiper, Fulvous and White-faced Whistling Duck, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow and Red-faced Cisticola.
CHOMA / NKANGA RIVER CONSERVANCY is known for seeing Chaplin’s Barbet, a Zambian endemic. This area is also good for a variety of raptors that include White-headed, lappet-faced, Hooded and White-backed Vulture, Bateleur, Martial, Tawny, Crowned and Long-crested Eagle, Black-chested and Brown Snake Eagle, Black, Gabar, Ovambo and Little Sparrowhawk, African Goshawk and African Hawk-eagle. Arnot’s Chat, Crested and Black-collared Barbet, Miombo and Greater Blue-eared Starling, Village, Blue Waxbill, Red throated Twinspot, African Hoopoe, Green-winged Pytilia, Meyer’s Parrot, Bearded, Golden-tailed, Bennett’s and Cardinal Woodpecker, Miombo and Southern Black Tit, Scarlet-chested, Black, Collared and White-bellied Sunbird, Kurrichane and Groundscraper Thrush, Broad-billed and Lilac-breasted Roller, Green Wood Hoopoe, Bronze Mannikin, Pied Wagtail, Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow, Chinspot Batis, Willow Warbler and African Paradise Flycatcher.
Racket-tailed Roller, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Miombo Pied Barbet, Bennett’s Woodpecker, Grey Penduline Tit, Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah, Orange-winged Pytilia, Green-capped Eremomela, Shelley’s Sunbird, Cabanis’s Bunting, Stierling’s Wren-warbler, African Spotted Creeper, and Yellow-bellied and Southern Hyliota.
Sooty Chat, Rufous-naped and Flappet Lark, and Croaking Cisticola. Saddle-billed Stork, Glossy Ibis, Little Bittern, White-backed, Knob-billed and African Black Duck, African Pygmy Goose, Collared Pratincole, Lesser Moorhen, Allen’s Gallinule, Senegal Coucal, African Wattled Lapwing, African Snipe, Malachite Kingfisher, African Rails and Lesser Jacanas.
Brown-necked Parrot, but we could also see Grey-headed and Orange-breasted Bushshrike, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Long-billed Crombec, Kurrichane Thrush, Red-headed Weaver and even Fiery-necked Nightjar.
KASANKA NATIONAL PARK
MAMMALS - African Elephant, African Buffalo, Hippopotamus, Nile Crocodile, Sable and Roan Antelope, the rare swamp-dwelling Sitatunga, Lichtenstein’s subspecies of Hartebeest, Puku, Bushbuck and Common Warthog.
BIRDS - over 470 species recorded
Ross’s Turaco, Böhm’s Bee-eater, Pale-billed Hornbill, Anchieta’s Sunbird, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Grey Waxbill, Black-backed Barbet, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Bocage’s Akalat, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, Little and Cabanis’s Greenbul, Grey Apalis, African Thrush, Green-headed Sunbird, Dark-backed Weaver, Black-tailed Waxbill, Red-throated Twinspot, and Red-backed Mannikin. Thick-billed Cuckoo, Racket-tailed Roller, Miombo Pied and Anchieta’s Barbet, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Rufous-bellied Tit, Grey Penduline Tit, Trilling Cisticola, African Spotted Creeper, Red-capped Crombec, Black-necked Eremomela, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Böhm’s Flycatcher, Bearded and Miombo Scrub Robin, Miombo Rock Thrush, Bush Pipit, Cabanis’s Bunting and Black-eared Seedeater.
Wetlands and dambos are good places for us to search for African Finfoot, Half-collared Kingfisher, Coppery-tailed and Black Coucal, White-backed Duck, Hottentot Teal, Rufous-bellied Heron, African Swamphen, African and Lesser Jacana, Marsh Tchagra, Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Pygmy Goose, Fülleborn’s Longclaw, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Moustached Grass Warbler and Short-winged Cisticola.
Wattled Crane, Black-bellied Bustard and raptors like Crowned, Martial and African Fish Eagle, Bateleur, African Hawk-eagle, Ovambo Sparrowhawk and Dark Chanting Goshawk..
The legendary, weird-looking, mythical Shoebill has also been seen on occasion in Kasanka, but we would have to be very lucky to encounter this species here. It is far easier seen on our Bangweulu Swamp extension that you can easily add to this trip.
KAPISHYA HOT SPRINGS AND SHIWA NGANDU
Palm-nut Vulture, Bat Hawk around the lake, Chestnut-headed Flufftail, African Grass Owl, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Marsh Widowbird, Stout Cisticola and Quailfinch in the dambos. In rocky areas we will look for Rock Martin, Mocking Cliff Chat and Lazy Cisticola and in the mushitu for Bocage’s Akalat, Black-backed Barbet, Grey Apalis and Splendid Starling.
Along the rivers look for African Finfoot, African Pygmy Goose, Yellow-billed and Knob-billed Duck, Goliath Heron, Fülleborn’s Longclaw and Half-collared Kingfisher, and in the papyrus swamp we could find Greater Swamp Warbler, and if we are very lucky even something rare like Corn Crake, Great Snipe or Malagasy Pond Heron. Bar-winged Weaver and White-tailed Crested Flycatcher.
MUTINONDO WILDERNESS - Augur Buzzard, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Rock Martin, Red-winged Starling, Striped Pipit, Western Miombo Sunbird and Rock-loving Cisticola, to name a few.
In the woodlands - Bar-winged Weaver (the best place in all of Zambia to see this special), Racket-tailed Roller, Whyte’s, Black-backed, Miombo Pied and Anchieta’s Barbet, Miombo Tit, Pale-billed Hornbill, Miombo Wren-warbler, Miombo Scrub Robin, Miombo Rock Thrush, African Spotted Creeper, Black-headed Oriole, Green-backed Woodpecker, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Souza’s Shrike, Anchieta’s and Eastern Miombo Sunbird, Orange-winged Pytilia, Reichard’s Seedeater, Retz’s Helmetshrike, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Rufous-bellied Tit, Cabanis’s Bunting, Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow and Fawn-breasted Waxbill.
Mushitu forest - Bocage’s Akalat, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Laura’s Woodland and Evergreen Forest Warbler, Black-throated Wattle-Eye, Green Twinspot, White-tailed Crested Flycatcher and Ross’s Turaco. African Black Duck, Fan-tailed Grassbird, Stout Cisticola, Mountain Wagtail, Marsh Widowbird, Swamp Nightjar, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Blue Quail, Locust Finch and Chestnut-headed Flufftail. Hildebrandt’s Francolin, Crowned Eagle, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Green-backed Honeybird, Meyer’s Parrot, Red-capped Crombec, Brown-headed Apalis, Hartlaub’s Babbler, Böhm’s Flycatcher, and Wood and Striped Pipit and Freckled Nightjar .
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