10 Birds to Spot on a Birdwatching Safari in Zambia

10 Birds to Spot on a Birdwatching Safari in Zambia: Zambia is a wildlife paradise located in the heart of southern Africa. It is well-known for being an amazing and diversified safari site, as well as one of Africa’s top walking safari locations. Zambia is also a popular destination for birding excursions, thanks to its abundance of feathered treasures.

Whether you’re visiting the rainforest of Victoria Falls, the wetlands of Bangweulu and Kasanka National Park, or the lonely bush of South Luangwa, these are ten species to look for on your Zambia safari.

1. The African Fish Eagle (Icthyophaga vocifer).

The African fish eagle swoops down a lake

Black, chestnut, and white feathers make this majestic raptor stand out. It is thought to be Africa’s most famous bird of prey. Its powerful, echoing call has become a symbol of African nature.

A lot of the time, you can see it from a high place near water, where it fishes for food. Its hooked beak and powerful talons are perfect for hunting fish, but it also hunts waterbirds and eats carrion. As a kleptoparasite, it frequently helps itself to the prey of other birds, particularly fishing species such as the osprey.

Habitat: Found primarily around rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and other bodies of water in southern Africa.

Interesting fact: Zambia’s national bird is the African fish eagle, which is depicted on the country’s coat of arms.

2. Southern Carmine Bee Eater (Merops nubicoides).

A group of beautifully colored Southern Carmine Bee Eater

These are stunning birds, with bright carmine-pink plumage, greenish-blue heads, and long tail feathers. Their black beaks are sharp and somewhat curved, and they wear a distinctive black face mask.

Southern Carmine Bee Eaters are diurnal birds that eat flying insects such as bees, wasps, butterflies, locusts, and dragonflies, which they catch in mid-air. Hundreds of these can be found in one place, typically nesting in burrows along sandy riverbanks.

They live in a range of habitats, including savannahs, grasslands, and riverine environments.

Interesting Fact: These birds are noted for their spectacular aerial gymnastics as they seize their food in mid-air.

3. Pel’s Fishing Owl (Scotopelia peli)

Pel’s fishing owl, a huge, attractive ginger-colored owl with no ear tufts and inky black eyes, ranks high on many birders’ wish lists. They have an amazing wingspan of approximately 1.5 m, putting them among the world’s largest owls.

They are nocturnal and notoriously elusive, which contributes to their attractiveness. You’ll have to rely on your safari guide to find one, and the best places to look are along riverbanks with overhanging trees. South Luangwa National Park is well-known in Zambia for its Pel’s fishing owl population.

Habitat: Riverine forests, lakesides, and mangrove swamps with massive overhanging trees that provide suitable perches for them.

Interesting Fact: This elusive nocturnal bird is a must-see for many bird enthusiasts.

4. Lilian’s Lovebird (Agapornis lilianae)

These are little, vibrantly colored, and extremely active parrots with vivid green bodies, orange upper chests, and blue rumps. Their white eye rings provide a striking alert appearance. They live all over Zambia, but mostly in the Luangwa Valley. They are native to southern Africa.

However, these beautiful birds are at risk of extinction due to habitat destruction and the illegal pet trade. The numbers vary; however, some sources estimate that only 10,000 survive in the wild. People often see lovebirds bathing and grooming each other because they are so friendly.

Habitat: They prefer forests, particularly those with plenty of water.

Interesting Fact: They are known as “lovebirds” because they form monogamous pairs and spend lengthy periods of time sitting together.

5) Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis).

Saddle-billed Stork catching fish from the waters

An interesting-looking big bird with a black and white neck and body, the saddle-billed stork lives in a lot of southern Africa. Its characteristic long beak is red, black, and yellow, with a distinguishing saddle-shaped shield at the top. They also have lengthy crimson legs and a vibrant yellow ring around their eyes.

These eat fish, frogs, small animals, insects, and reptiles. Liuwa Plains National Park in Zambia, the Barotse floodplains, and the Kafue Flats are all places where you can see them. Saddle billed stork  often live in monogamous pairs and make big stick nests in trees near bodies of water.

They live all over sub-Saharan Africa, mostly near freshwater marshes, wetlands, and riverbanks.

Interesting Fact: Because they lack vocal muscles, they communicate through nonverbal bill-clattering rather than calling.

6. Wattled Cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus)

Furthermore, the wattled cranes come in at number 6 on the list of 10 Birds to Spot on a Birdwatching Safari in Zambia. These extraordinarily gorgeous birds are Africa’s tallest cranes, measuring over two meters tall. They have a white neck and throat, noticeable wattles, a long, pointed beak, and lengthy legs, making them perfect for wading across swamps and marshes. These have distinctive black, grey, and white plumage, black wingtips, and a black “skull cap.”.

Wattled Cranes are considered vulnerable because their habitat is being lost all the time, mostly because of the growth of farms. They frequently forage for food in wetlands, eating water plants, grains, seeds, insects, snails, frogs, fish, and other small vertebrates. You can see them best in the Barotse or Zambezi floodplains in Zambia.

Wattled cranes inhabit marshes, grassy plains, and broad savannahs, with a preference for shallow, watery environments.

Interesting fact: these cranes are known for the unique sounds they make when they trumpet.

7. Chaplin’s Barbet (Lybius chaplini)

Chaplin’s barbet, sometimes known as the Zambian barbet, is endemic to Zambia, which means it can only be found there. It features a medium-sized white body, red eyes, black wings with yellow margins, and a black tail. It has a huge head and a strong, black bill covered with bristles.

Chaplin Barbets frequently snap their bills and sing cackling songs, but they also make irritating, buzzing noises. They like sycamore figs but will also eat cultivated fruit, vegetables, and insects. The Kalomo District is in south central Zambia, along the Upper Kafue River.

You can often find these in open woodlands next to sycamore fig trees. They nest in the trees’ cavities, excavating nesting holes as well.

Interesting Fact: This species was named after Sir Francis Drummond Percy Chaplin, the Administrator of Southern Rhodesia from 1914 to 1923.

8. African Skimmer (Rynchops Flavirostris)

African skimmers, which are common throughout sub-Saharan Africa, are distinguished by their long, brilliantly colored red bills. Their bottom mandibles are longer than their upper ones, allowing them to “skim” the water’s surface and catch small fish.

They have lengthy wings, black backs and necks, and black crowns. Their foreheads and the rest of their bodies are white, with prominent black patterns around the eyes. They are monogamous breeders, and their courtship rituals feature beautiful aerial displays that birdwatchers adore.

African skimmers are primarily found on big, dry sandbars in broad tropical rivers and lakes, especially during the breeding season.

Interesting Fact: They feed by skimming over the water, using their lower bills to cut through the surface until they catch a fish.

9. Shoebill (Balaeniceps Rex)

This enormous and intriguing bird is named after its massive, hooked, shoe-shaped beak. It’s a huge, gray, long-legged wading bird with a prehistoric appearance accentuated by its piercing eyes. Adults can generally stand up to 1.2 meters tall.

They are often solitary birds known for their slow, secretive hunting tactics. They mostly feed on fish, although they will also eat small animals, reptiles, and amphibians. Shoebills, which are listed as vulnerable, are native to much of central Africa, including Zambia’s South Luangwa and Kasanka national parks.

Habitat: Swamps, marshes, and wetlands in tropical central Africa.

Interesting Fact: Previously classified as a heron, the shoebill’s taxonomy is currently being contested, but it appears that the hamerkop, known for its distinctive mating behavior, is its closest relative.

10. Bat Hawk (Machieramphus alcinus).

Lastly is the bat hawk on the 10 Birds to Spot on a Birdwatching Safari in Zambia. This raptor is a quick and acrobatic airborne predator that hunts bats. It has attractive dark plumage and a striking white stripe across its cheek. Its strong, angular wings and big gape make it ideal for catching and consuming bats on the wing.

It is a crepuscular hunter, which means it hunts primarily between dusk and morning; however, it will hunt at night in ideal lighting circumstances. It is commonly seen near enormous bat roosts in forested environments.

Bat hawks live in a variety of habitats, from rainforests to semi-arid savannahs.

Interesting Fact: The bat hawk’s hunting approach is both unique and spectacular. It relies on speed, strength, and agility to seize its prey in midair.

Do you want to see a majestic African fish eagle effortlessly plucking its prey from the water, a shoebill standing motionless in the hushed stillness of a swamp as it patiently waits for its prey, or the jeweled colors of a carmine bee-eater perfectly captured by your camera lens?

At Engagi Safaris, we know that Zambia is one of the best destinations in the world for a birdwatching safari. So pack your binoculars, charge your camera batteries, and let us plan your perfect African birding safari experience.