Namibia

SUB-REGION
Southern Africa

SIZE
824,292 km²

BIRDS AND BIRDING

SPECIES
Diversity
Afrotropical avifauna in the north-east, subtropical in the south
Approximately 680 recorded species

Near-endemics (NE), including endemic subspecies (ESS)
Rüppell’s Korhaan | Rüppell’s Bustard (ESS fitzsimonsi)
Damara Tern
Gray’s Lark (ESS grayi)
Dune Lark
Herero Chat

Birds occurring in only two territories of the ABC region but not NE or BT (1/2), including ESS
Cape Spurfowl
Karoo Korhaan | Karoo Bustard
Hartlaub’s Gull
Crowned Cormorant
Bank Cormorant
Benguela Long-billed Lark | Benguela Lark (ESS kaokoensis)
Cape Long-billed Lark | Cape Lark
Cape Clapper Lark
Sclater’s Lark
Namaqua Warbler
Cinnamon-breasted Warbler | Kopje Warbler
Karoo Eremomela | Yellow-rumped Eremomela (ESS damarensis)
Orange River White-eye
Angola Cave Chat

Birds best found in two territories but occurring in more (B2), including ESS
South African Shelduck
Red-billed Spurfowl
Ludwig’s Bustard
Namaqua Sandgrouse
African Oystercatcher
African Penguin
Cape Gannet
Cape Cormorant
Black Harrier
Jackal Buzzard
White-backed Mousebird
Cape Penduline Tit | Southern Penduline Tit
Karoo Long-billed Lark (ESS damarensis)
Black-eared Sparrow-Lark
Sabota Lark (naevia)
Monotonous Lark
Layard’s Warbler | Layard’s Tit-Babbler (aridicola)
Pale-winged Starling
Karoo Thrush
Karoo Scrub Robin
Kalahari Scrub Robin
Marico Flycatcher | Mariqua Flycatcher
Short-toed Rock Thrush
Karoo Chat (ESS schlegelii)
Tractrac Chat (ESS nebulosa + barlowi + albicans)
Ant-eating Chat | Southern Anteater Chat
Mountain Wheatear (ESS atmorii)
Cape Sparrow
Sociable Weaver
Scaly-feathered Weaver | Scaly Weaver
Shaft-tailed Whydah
Black-throated Canary
Yellow Canary
Black-headed Canary (leucolaemus)
Lark-like Bunting

Proposed new species or splits not yet accepted by IOC
Kunene Francolin (BT)
Cape Gull (B2)
Ngami Owlet
Cape Eagle-Owl (1/2)
Northern Olive Woodpecker
Grey-headed Parrot
Clancey’s Drongo
Bradfield’s Lark (1/2)
Barlow’s Lark (1/2)
Pale-throated Greenbul
African Reed Warbler (B2)
Kunene Long-tailed Starling (1/2)
Spectacled Quailfinch
Ansorge’s Firefinch (B2)
Benguela Seedeater
Damara Canary (1/2)

Other taxa of interest (see also under Birding Sites), including more ESS
Common Ostrich
White-backed Duck
Blue-billed Teal
Cape Shoveler
African Black Duck
Yellow-billed Duck
Red-billed Teal | Red-billed Duck
Southern Pochard
Maccoa Duck
Helmeted (Tufted) Guineafowl (papillosus)
Crested Francolin
Orange River Francolin (levalliantoides)
Swainson’s Spurfowl
Rufous-cheeked Nightjar
Fiery-necked Nightjar
Freckled Nightjar
Square-tailed Nightjar
African Black Swift | African Swift
Grey Go-away-bird
Kori Bustard
Red-crested Korhaan | Red-crested Bustard
Northern Black Korhaan | White-quilled Bustard
Burchell’s Sandgrouse
Ring-necked Dove (onguati/damarensis)
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
African Green Pigeon (ESS vylderi)
Lesser Moorhen
Water Thick-knee
Spotted Thick-knee
Blacksmith Lapwing
Crowned Lapwing
African Wattled Lapwing
Caspian Plover
Double-banded Courser (ESS erlangeri)
Pink-backed Pelican
Secretarybird
Cape Vulture | Cape Griffon
Booted Eagle
Verreaux’s Eagle
Pale Chanting Goshawk
Augur Buzzard
Southern White-faced Owl
Spotted Eagle-Owl
Red-faced Mousebird
Green Wood Hoopoe
Common Scimitarbill
Southern Ground Hornbill
Southern Red-billed Hornbill
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
Bradfield’s Hornbill
Lilac-breasted Roller
Striped Kingfisher
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (hirundineus)
European Bee-eater | Golden Bee-eater
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
Acacia Pied Barbet | Pied Barbet
Bennett’s Woodpecker (capricorni)
Golden-tailed Woodpecker
Bearded Woodpecker
Cardinal Woodpecker
Pygmy Falcon
Rock Kestrel
Greater Kestrel
Red-necked Falcon (horsbrughi)
Meyer’s Parrot
Chinspot Batis
Pririt Batis
Bokmakierie
Brown-crowned Tchagra (damarensis)
Black-crowned Tchagra (kalahari)
Black-backed Puffback | Southern Puffback (okavangensis)
Crimson-breasted Shrike | Crimson-breasted Gonolek
Brubru
White-crested Helmetshrike
African Golden Oriole
African Paradise Flycatcher
Magpie Shrike
Southern Fiscal
Cape Crow
Southern Black Tit
Ashy Tit
Spike-heeled Lark (ESS erikssoni + boweni)
Dusky Lark
Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark
Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark
Fawn-colored Lark
Eastern Clapper Lark
Rufous-naped Lark (pallida/ghansiensis)
Pink-billed Lark (ESS damarensis)
Red-capped Lark
African Red-eyed Bulbul | Black-fronted Bulbul
Large Rock Martin
Pearl-breasted Swallow
White-throated Swallow
Greater Striped Swallow
South African Cliff Swallow | South African Swallow
Long-billed Crombec | Cape Crombec
Rattling Cisticola (ESS frater)
Tinkling Cisticola
Grey-backed Cisticola | Red-headed Cisticola (ESS windhoekensis)
Neddicky | Piping Cisticola
Desert Cisticola
Black-chested Prinia
Yellow-breasted Apalis
Rufous-eared Warbler (ESS etoshae)
Grey-backed Camaroptera
Barred Wren-Warbler
Yellow-bellied Eremomela
Burnt-necked Eremomela
Chestnut-vented Warbler | Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler (cinerascens)
Southern Yellow White-eye
Wattled Starling
Cape Starling
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Burchell’s Starling
Groundscraper Thrush
White-browed Scrub Robin | Red-backed Scrub Robin
Southern Black Flycatcher
Chat Flycatcher
Capped Wheatear
Familiar Chat
Amethyst Sunbird
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Marico Sunbird | Mariqua Sunbird
White-bellied Sunbird | White-breasted Sunbird
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow
Red-billed Buffalo Weaver
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver
Lesser Masked Weaver
Southern Masked Weaver
Chestnut Weaver (trothae)
Red-headed Weaver
Yellow-crowned Bishop
Southern Red Bishop
Black-faced Waxbill (erythronotos)
Common Waxbill (ESS damarensis)
Cut-throat Finch | Cut-throat
Violet-eared Waxbill
Blue Waxbill | Southern Cordon-bleu
Green-winged Pytilia
Red-billed Firefinch
Village Indigobird
Pin-tailed Whydah
Long-tailed Paradise Whydah | Eastern Paradise Whydah
Cape Wagtail
African Pipit (bocagii/grotei)
Nicholson’s Pipit (leucocraspedon)
Buffy Pipit (ESS namibicus)
Plain-backed Pipit (tephridorsus)
White-throated Canary
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting (nivenorum)
Cape Bunting (ESS bradfieldi)
Golden-breasted Bunting

National bird
African Fish Eagle | Onkwalukugo | Nwanyi | Mpungu

MAIN HABITATS
Desert, escarpments, arid savanna, woodlands and wetlands along the Caprivi Strip

BIRD AREAS
Western Angola Endemic Bird Area
Karoo Secondary Area (SA)
Namib desert SA
Namibian escarpment SA
19 Important Bird Areas

BIRDING SITES
Walvis Bay and Offshore for Damara Tern as well as Cape Teal, Great Crested Grebe and Black-necked Grebe, Greater Flamingo and Lesser Flamingo, waders/shorebirds including African Oystercatcher and Eurasian Oystercatcher, Pied Avocet, Chestnut-banded Plover, Red Knot, Red-necked Phalarope and Red Phalarope, seabirds including Sabine’s Gull, Caspian Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Black Tern, Brown Skua, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Wilson’s Storm Petrel, Black-bellied Storm Petrel, Snowy Albatross, Black-browed Albatross, Shy Albatross, Grey-headed Albatross, Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross, European Storm Petrel, Leach’s Storm Petrel, Southern Giant Petrel, Northern Giant Petrel, Southern Fulmar, Cape Petrel, Antarctic Prion, Great-winged Petrel, Soft-plumaged Petrel, White-chinned Petrel, Spectacled Petrel, Cory’s Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Great Shearwater and Manx Shearwater, also White-breasted Cormorant and Great White Pelican
Erongo Mountains, Spitzkoppe and Spreetshoogte Pass for escarpment species including Herero Chat
Namib-Naukluft National Park (NP) for desert species including Rüppell’s Korhaan, Gray’s Lark and Dune Lark (erythrochlamys)
Tsau ǁKhaeb (Sperrgebiet) NP, Orange River Valley and Fish River Canyon (/Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park) for Dune (Barlow’s) Lark (barlowi/patae/cavei) as well as Cape Spurfowl, Cape Long-billed Lark, Cape Clapper Lark, Sclater’s Lark, Namaqua Warbler and Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, also Red-eyed Dove, Hadada Ibis, Fairy Flycatcher, Grey Tit, Large-billed Lark (sedentaria), Lesser Swamp Warbler (gracilirostris), Levaillant’s Cisticola, Karoo Prinia, Cape Robin-Chat, Sickle-winged Chat, Malachite Sunbird, Southern Double-collared Sunbird, Cape Weaver and African Pied Wagtail (aguimp)
Kunene River Valley for Cinderella Waxbill as well as Orange River (Kunene) Francolin (jugularis), Red-necked (Benguela) Spurfowl (afer), White-browed Coucal, Mourning Collared Dove, Olive Bee-eater (alternans), Grey Kestrel, Grey-headed Bushshrike (citrinipectus), Swamp Boubou, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Wire-tailed Swallow, Lesser Swamp Warbler (cunenensis), Tawny-flanked Prinia, Meves’s (Kunene) Starling (violacior), Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Ashy Flycatcher, Rufous-tailed Palm Thrush, Spectacled Weaver, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Jameson’s (Ansorge’s) Firefinch (ansorgei), African Pied Wagtail (vidua) and Nicholson’s Pipit (palliditinctus)
Zebra Mountains for Angola Cave Chat
Brandberg for Benguela Long-billed Lark
Etosha NP for Blue Crane and arid savanna species as well as Three-banded Courser and Egyptian Vulture
Caprivi Strip (Bwabwata NP, Popa Falls, Mudumu NP and Nkasa Rupara NP) and Khaudum NP for waterbirds including African Pygmy Goose, African Finfoot, African Rail, Allen’s Gallinule, Striped Crake, Wattled Crane, Long-toed Lapwing, White-crowned Lapwing, Lesser Jacana, African Snipe, Collared Pratincole, Black-winged Pratincole, Rock Pratincole, African Skimmer, African Openbill, Saddle-billed Stork, African Woolly-necked Stork, Glossy Ibis, White-backed Night Heron, Rufous-bellied Heron and Slaty Egret, as well as woodland and swamp species including Southern Crested Guineafowl, Coqui Francolin, Swamp Nightjar, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Böhm’s Spinetail, Horus Swift, [Ross’s Turaco,] Schalow’s Turaco, Denham’s Bustard, Senegal Coucal, Coppery-tailed Coucal, White-browed Coucal, Black Coucal, Thick-billed Cuckoo, African Emerald Cuckoo, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Mourning Collared Dove, Red-eyed Dove, African Green Pigeon (schalowi), Hadada Ibis, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Western Banded Snake Eagle, Long-crested Eagle, Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, African Goshawk, African Marsh Harrier, [Red-necked Buzzard,] Marsh Owl, Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Wood Owl, Narina Trogon, Crowned Hornbill, Trumpeter Hornbill, Racket-tailed Roller, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Half-collared Kinfisher, White-fronted Bee-eater, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Black-collared Barbet, Crested Barbet, Green-backed Honeybird, (Northern) Olive Woodpecker (ruwenzori), Dickinson’s Kestrel, Brown-necked (Grey-headed) Parrot (suahelicus), African Broadbill, Grey-headed Bushshrike (hypopyrrhus), Orange-breasted Bushshrike, Brown-crowned Tchagra (rhodesiensis), Tropical Boubou, Swamp Boubou, Retz’s Helmetshrike, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Black-headed Oriole, Souza’s Shrike, Rufous-bellied Tit, Grey Penduline Tit, Eastern Nicator, Flappet Lark, [Yellow-throated Leaflove (flavigula),] Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Terrestrial Brownbul, Dark-capped Bulbul, Banded Martin, Grey-rumped Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, Greater Swamp Warbler, Little Rush Warbler, Red-faced Cisticola, Luapula Cisticola, Chirping Cisticola, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Stierling’s Wren-Warbler, Green-capped Eremomela, Arrow-marked Babbler, Hartlaub’s Babbler, Miombo Blue-eared Starling, Meves’s Starling (mevesii), Sharp-tailed Starling, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Red-billed Oxpecker, Kurrichane Thrush, Bearded Scrub Robin, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Pale Flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, White-browed Robin-Chat, [Red-capped Robin-Chat,] Collared Palm 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, Village Weaver, [Red-headed Quelea,] Fan-tailed Widowbird, White-winged Widowbird, Bronze Mannikin, Orange-breasted Waxbill, Orange-winged Pytilia, Jameson’s Firefinch (jamesoni), Brown Firefinch, Purple Indigobird, Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah, Cuckoo-finch, African Pied Wagtail (vidua), Rosy-throated Longclaw, African Pipit (spurium), Wood Pipit, Yellow-fronted Canary (vansoni) and Streaky-headed (Benguela) Seedeater (benguellensis)

TIMING (Oct, Mar–Apr)
Being a dry country, it is best after the main rains (Jan–Apr)
Spring (Sep–Oct), when some birds start to breed, can also be a good time to visit
The cold winter months (May–Aug) are less productive

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

Field guides
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)
A Photographic Guide to Birds of Namibia by Ian & Jackie Sinclair (2002)
Pocket Guide Birds of Namibia by Ian Sinclair & Joris Komen (2017)

Sounds
Southern African Bird Sounds by Guy Gibbon
Namibia Soundscapes/Paysages de Namibie by Anthony Walker

Site guides
Southern African Birdfinder by Callan Cohen, Claire Spottiswoode & Jonathan Rossouw (2006)
Birding in Namibia: an Illustrated Guide to Selected Sites by Eckart Demasius (1999)
Namibia’s Caprivi Strip by Christopher Hines (1996)

Atlases
Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2 (SABAP2), a member of the African Bird Atlas Project
Atlasing in Namibia: Bird Information System by the Environmental Information Service (EIS) Namibia

Further reading
Roberts – Birds of Southern Africa edited by P A R Hockey, W R J Dean & P G Ryan (2005)
Birds to Watch in Namibia: Red, Rare and Endemic Species by Rob Simmons, Christopher J Brown & Jessica Kemper (2015)
Namibia by Robert E Simmons, Christian Boix-Hinzen, Keith Barnes, Alice M Jarvis & Antony Robertson in Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority Sites for Conservation edited by Lincoln D C Fishpool & Michael I Evans (2001)
Birds of Namibia: a Photographic Journey by Pompie Burger (2008)
Birds of the Eastern Caprivi by J H Koen (1988)
Birds of the Etosha National Park by R A C Jensen & C F Clinning (1983)
Articles in Lanioturdus (Journal of the Namibia Bird Club), Namibia Bird News, Namibia Scientific Society Journal, Namibian Journal of Environment, Madoqua (Journal of Arid Zone Biology and Nature Conservation Research), Bull. ABC, etc.

Websites
The Namibian Avifaunal Database includes all available information on birds in Namibia including SABAP1 data, nest record cards, wetland bird counts, raptor road counts, and museum specimens
Birdwatching in Namibia is a website owned by Neil MacLeod, who runs SafariWise, a tour operator based in Namibia specializing in birding tours
Birds in Etosha National Park
Namib Sand Sea – UNESCO World Heritage List

Blogs
Birds in Namibia from the Gondwana Collection
Namibia’s 15 Key Birds – 10,000 Birds by Adam Riley

Facebook groups
Birds of Namibia is a group for sharing photos and posts of bird species found in Namibia

ORGANISATIONS

There is currently no BirdLife Partner in Namibia

Bird or conservation organisations active in Namibia include –
Namibia Bird Club (formerly the Ornithological Working Group of the Namibia Scientific Society)
Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF)
Namibian Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS)
Vultures Namibia
Wild Bird Trust
Rare & Endangered Species Trust (REST)
Namibia Animal Rehabilitation Research and Education Centre (NARREC)
Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC)
Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia (CETN)
Lüderitz Marine Research
NamibRand Conservation Foundation (NRCF)
African Safari Foundation (ASF)
Peace Parks Foundation: Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) and /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
WWF
The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

NNF supports two working groups who focus on the conservation of Namibia’s birdlife and their habitats –
Namibia Crane Working Group, who publish Namibia Crane News
Raptors Namibia Working Group

The National Museum of Namibia, Windhoek holds the world’s largest collection of Namibian bird specimens

Gobabeb Namib Research Institute is a catalyst for gathering, understanding and sharing knowledge about arid environments, especially the hyper-arid Namib Desert