Botswana

SUB-REGION
Southern Africa

SIZE
581,730 km²

BIRDS AND BIRDING

SPECIES
Diversity
Afrotropical avifauna
Approximately 600 recorded species

Near-endemics (NE)
Slaty Egret

Birds best found in Botswana but occurring more widely (BT)
Burchell’s Sandgrouse
Bradfield’s Hornbill
Barred Wren-Warbler

Birds occurring in only two territories of the ABC region but not NE or BT (1/2)
Short-clawed Lark

Birds best found in two territories but occurring in more (B2)
Red-billed Spurfowl
Luapula Cisticola
Burchell’s Starling
Kalahari Scrub Robin
Marico Flycatcher | Mariqua Flycatcher

Proposed splits not yet accepted by IOC
Barrow’s Bustard
White-breasted Cormorant
Ngami Owlet (BT)
African Hoopoe
Northern Olive Woodpecker
Grey-headed Parrot
Clancey’s Drongo
Dark-capped Bulbul
African Reed Warbler
Miombo Blue-eared Starling
Pretoria Rock Thrush (1/2)
Spectacled Quailfinch

National bird
Kori Bustard | Kgori

MAIN HABITATS
Okavango system, woodlands, arid savanna

BIRD AREAS
12 Important Bird Areas

BIRDING SITES
Chobe National Park, Linyanti Swamp and Okavango Delta for Slaty Egret and other waterbirds including African Pygmy Goose, African Finfoot, African Rail, Allen’s Gallinule, Wattled Crane, Long-toed Lapwing, White-crowned Lapwing, Lesser Jacana, African Snipe, Collared Pratincole, Rock Pratincole, African Skimmer, African Openbill, Saddle-billed Stork, White-backed Night Heron and Rufous-bellied Heron as well as African Barred Owlet (ngamiense), Bradfield’s Hornbill and Luapula Cisticola and other swamp and woodland species including Fiery-necked Nightjar, Swamp Nightjar, Pennant-winged Nightjar, [Böhm’s Spinetail,] Horus Swift, [Purple-crested Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Schalow’s Turaco, Denham’s Bustard,] Black-bellied Bustard, Senegal Coucal, Coppery-tailed Coucal, White-browed Coucal, Black Coucal, [Thick-billed Cuckoo, African Emerald Cuckoo,] Mourning Collared Dove, African Green Pigeon, Striped Crake, Three-banded Courser, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Western Banded Snake Eagle, Long-crested Eagle, Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, African Marsh Harrier, [Red-necked Buzzard,] Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Wood Owl, Narina Trogon, Trumpeter Hornbill, Racket-tailed Roller, Half-collared Kingfisher, [Olive Bee-eater,] Southern Carmine Bee-eater, [Green-backed Honeybird, Olive Woodpecker (ruwenzori),] Dickinson’s Kestrel, Brown-necked Parrot (suahelicus), Meyer’s Parrot, African Broadbill, Swamp Boubou, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, African Golden Oriole, Souza’s Shrike, Rufous-bellied Tit, [Eastern Nicator,] Flappet Lark, Terrestrial Brownbul, Common Bulbul (tricolor), Grey-rumped Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, [Angola Swallow,] Greater Swamp Warbler, Little Rush Warbler, Red-faced Cisticola, Chirping Cisticola, [Pale-crowned Cisticola,] Yellow-breasted Apalis, Stierling’s Wren-Warbler, Green-capped Eremomela, Southern Yellow White-eye, Hartlaub’s Babbler, Black-faced Babbler, Lesser Blue-eared Starling (elisabeth), Meves’s Starling, [Sharp-tailed Starling,] Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Bearded Scrub Robin, Pale Flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, White-browed Robin-Chat, [Red-capped Robin-Chat,] Collared Palm Thrush, Miombo Rock Thrush, African Stonechat, Arnot’s Chat, Collared Sunbird, [Shelley’s Sunbird,] Purple-banded Sunbird, [Copper Sunbird, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow,] Thick-billed Weaver, Spectacled Weaver, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Southern Brown-throated Weaver, Chestnut Weaver, [Red-headed Quelea,] Fan-tailed Widowbird, Common Waxbill (niediecki), Quailfinch (pallida), [Locust Finch,] Orange-winged Pytilia, [Red-throated Twinspot,] Brown Firefinch, Village Indigobird (okavangoensis), Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah, Cuckoo-finch, Rosy-throated Longclaw, African Pipit (grotei), Wood Pipit, Buffy Pipit (chobiensis), Plain-backed Pipit (tephridorsus) and Black-eared Seedeater
South-East District for Short-clawed Lark and Short-toed Rock Thrush (pretoriae) as well as South African Shelduck, Maccoa Duck, Natal Spurfowl, Freckled Nightjar, [White-bellied Bustard (barrowii), Blue Crane,] Great Crested Grebe, Black Stork, Cape Vulture, Verreaux’s Eagle, Jackal Buzzard, White-backed Mousebird, Tropical Boubou (limpopoensis), Southern Boubou (transvaalensis), Fairy Flycatcher, South African Cliff Swallow, Rock-loving Cisticola, Levaillant’s Cisticola, [Cloud Cisticola,] Bar-throated Apalis, Cape White-eye, [Pied Starling,] Karoo Thrush, Fiscal Flycatcher, White-throated Robin-Chat, [Cape Robin-Chat,] Mocking Cliff-Chat, Long-tailed Widowbird, Common Waxbill (astrild), Orange-breasted Waxbill, Cape Longclaw, Nicholson’s Pipit (nicholsoni), Buffy Pipit (vaalensis), Plain-backed Pipit (leucophrys), Striped Pipit (lineiventris), Bushveld Pipit (caffer), Streaky-headed Seedeater (gularis) and Cape Bunting (limpopoensis)
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Mabuasehube Game Reserve) for Black Harrier and arid savanna species including [Ludwig’s Bustard,] Burchell’s Courser, Pygmy Falcon, [Rosy-faced Lovebird,] Bokmakierie, [Black-eared Sparrow-Lark,] Stark’s Lark, [Pale-winged Starling, Mountain Chat,] Dusky Sunbird and Sociable Weaver
Makgadikgadi Pans (Nata Bird Sanctuary) for Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo and other waterbirds, when flooded, including Cape Teal, Black-necked Grebe, Pied Avocet, Chestnut-banded Plover, Caspian Tern and Great White Pelican, as well as for larks and other grassland species including Caspian Plover
North-East District for Boulder Chat as well as [Augur Buzzard, White-necked Raven,] Common Bulbul (layardi) and Red-winged Starling

TIMING (Dec–Feb)
Being arid, it is best to visit at the start of the main rains (Dec–Feb), when most birds breed
Mid-winter (Jun–Aug) is less productive, especially in the south

RESOURCES (see also South Africa)
Apps
Birds of Africa (iOS or Android)
Roberts Bird Guide 2
Sasol eBirds Southern Africa

Field guides
Birds of Botswana by Peter Hancock & Ingrid Weiersbye (2016) includes species names in Setswana
Sasol Birds of Southern Africa by Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey, Warwick Tarboton, Niall Perrins, Dominic Rollinson & Peter G Ryan (2020)
Birds of Greater Southern Africa by Keith Barnes, Terry Stevenson & John Fanshawe (2024)
The Botswana Birders’ Companion: 300 Common and Conspicuous Botswana Birds by Pete Hancock (2018)
Beginner’s Guide to Birds of Botswana/Ithute Dinonyane tsa Botswana edited by Kabelo J Senyatso (2005)
Newman’s Birds of Botswana: a Guide to Common Species by Kenneth Newman (1999)
Birds of Botswana by Kenneth Newman (1989)
Wildlife of the Okavango by Duncan Butchart (2017) is a photographic guide covering more than 470 of the area’s most conspicuous and interesting mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, fishes, invertebrates, trees and aquatic plants

Sounds
Southern African Bird Sounds by Guy Gibbon

Site guides
Southern African Birdfinder by Callan Cohen, Claire Spottiswoode & Jonathan Rossouw (2006)
Gaborone Birding Sites and Area Bird List by Andrew Hester, Stephanie J Tyler & Dragan Simic (2001-2003)
Birds in the Gaborone Area and Where to Find Them by Stephanie J Tyler & Wendy D Borello (1998)

Atlases
Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2 (SABAP2), a member of the African Bird Atlas Project
Bird Atlas of Botswana by Huw Penry (1994)

Further reading
Roberts – Birds of Southern Africa edited by P A R Hockey, W R J Dean & P G Ryan (2005)
Botswana by Stephanie J Tyler & David R Bishop in Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority Sites for Conservation edited by Lincoln D C Fishpool & Michael I Evans (2001)
A Review of Waterbird Counts in Botswana, 1991-2000 by Stephanie J Tyler (2001)
Birds of Botswana: an Annotated Working Bibliography, 1835-1995 by Wendy D Borello & Remigio M Borello (1997)
European Swallows in Botswana by Bennie van den Brink, Rob G Bijlsma & Tom M van der Have (1997)
Articles in Babbler and Familiar Chat (Journal and Newsletter of BirdLife Botswana), Bull. ABC, etc.

Websites
Okavango Delta – UNESCO World Heritage List

ORGANISATIONS

BirdLife Botswana (the Botswana Bird Club as was) is the BirdLife Partner in Botswana

Other bird or conservation organisations active in Botswana include –
Kalahari Conservation Society (KCS)
Kalahari Research and Conservation & Raptors Botswana
Botswana Wild Bird Trust
Nata Conservation Trust
Lake Ngami Conservation Trust
Cape Vultures Environmental Association (CVEA)
Gaing-O Community Trust
Gumakutshaa Conservation Trust
Lenao la ga Kwalabe Conservation Trust
Botswana Envirolife Trust
Somarelang Tikologo (Environment Watch Botswana)
Peace Parks Foundation: Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), Greater Mapungubwe TFCA and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
The Nature Conservancy (TNC)