ZAMBIA: AFRICAN PITTA SPECIAL TOUR REPORT 2024

27 November - 9 December 2024

by János Oláh

Our short tour to Zambia is designed to see the African Pitta as well as some of the special birds of the country! Normally with the arrival of the rainy season, late November and early December is the perfect time to find African Pitta when they return to their breeding grounds and busily occupying territories. However, 2024 was different! No matter how good your plans are, nature is nature. The Zambezi Valley experienced a severe drought this year, and the rainy season was late with almost no rain in November and early December. Top this off with a strong heat wave during our tour, with 40-44C temperatures, it is obvious that the lack of rain and the high temperature made things though for us, but despite all the odds we managed to see African Pitta! We hadn’t even heard any singing..! Overall, it was an action-packed tour with many great sightings and memorable moments. Zambia is a vast country and some of the sites to see the endemic or near-endemic birds are far apart, so some lengthy drives are necessary, but we were rewarded with some very special birds and mammals! We recorded 319 species of birds including sought-after birds like the rare Slaty Egret, many Lesser Jacanas, the fantastic Pel’s Fishing Owl, Pennant-winged Nightjar, the localised Racket-tailed Roller and Böhm’s Bee-eater, Pale-billed Hornbill, the endemic Chaplin’s Barbet, the near-endemic Black-cheeked Lovebird, displaying African Broadbills, both Rufous-bellied and Miombo Tits, the localised Grey-olive Greenbul, Red-capped Crombec, the perky Livingstone’s Flycatcher, Chirping, Long-tailed and Pale-crowned Cisticolas, fluty Miombo Scrub Robin, Bocage’s Akalat, Arnot’s Chat, Anchieta’s and Shelley’s Sunbirds, Katanga Masked Weaver, Red-throated Twinspot, Brown Firefinch, Locust Finch and Fülleborn’s Longclaw. We also managed to find thirty species of mammals which included the Kasanka bat spectacle where we could admire 10-12 million Straw-coloured Fruit Bats leaving their 1×1 km roosting area: surely an unforgettable sight! Seeing Angolan and Rusty-spotted Genets and localised antelopes like Puku, Sitatunga or the ‘Black’ Lechwe were memorable too!

Our main tour started in Lusaka with a longish drive to Kasanka National Park. We arrived in the late afternoon at our comfortable lodge and wasted no time to scan through the lake from the balcony.  It was packed with waterbirds, and we counted nine Lesser Jacanas, several Greater Painted-snipes, a wide selection of ducks and other waders as well as Pukus and Sitatungas grazing the shoreline. Palm-nut Vultures and African Fish Eagles were fighting in the air and we certainly felt we arrived in Africa! We soon got into our safari vehicle and drove through miombo to a very special patch of mushito forest where the bats of Kasanka are roosting. Annually up to 10-12 million Straw-coloured Fruit Bats arrive to this part of Zambia to feast on the local fruits from October to December, and they gather and roost in this special location. This is probably the biggest mammal migration on Earth. By the time we arrived gradually more and more bats emerged from the forest, and we could witness the exodus of bats for 25 minutes and by that time they were covering the sky as far as you could see! It’s not every day you get to see millions of mammals. There were also a remarkable number of hirundines over the nearby reedbed. We estimated hundreds of thousands of Barn Swallows and surely there were many other species mixed in too but in the fading light and with everything else going on we only ID-ed Barn Swallows. Our night drive back to lodge was exciting with Square-tailed Nightjars, Spotted Eagle-Owl, several Angolan Genets and Thick-tailed Greater Galagos.

Early next morning we explored some riverine habitat in the park where we found a roosting Pel’s Fishing Owl that allowed fantastic views for as long as we wanted. There were many other birds around that wanted our attention, like a displaying African Broadbill, singing Chirping Cisticolas, a pair of Böhm’s Bee-eater, a gaudy African Emerald Cuckoo and shy Red-throated Twinspots and Brown Firefinches. A singing Miombo Scrub Robin was playing hide-and-seek with us, but a male Purple-throated Cuckooshrike showed well. Morning activity was great, but we had to go. A bumpy ride took us to the southern edge of the mighty Bangweulu wetland which is a vast ecosystem of 9850 square kilometres. Bangweulu means ‘where the water meets the sky’ and we drove to the Luapula River which is one of the several rivers feeding the seasonally flooded grassland complex. Our main target here was to find the range-restricted Katanga Masked Weaver, and we succeeded quickly, but only saw one individual. Other goodies included African Pygmy Goose, Blue-breasted Bee-eater and Black-faced Canaries. A herd of 600 ‘Black’ Lechwe was a memorable encounter as well. In the afternoon we drove to the Mutinondo Wilderness area. It was well after dark when we arrived at this remote location, but we managed to see several Spotted Eagle-Owls and a Southern White-faced Owl on our night drive.

The Mutinondo Wilderness is a fascinating mosaic of habitats with superb miombo woodland, grassy seasonal wetlands aka dambos, thick riverine forests called mushitos as well as rocky outcrops. We were not very lucky in Mutinondo with the weather or the birds this year as we had a 26-hour rainy period which was not helping.  We spent a lot of time looking for Bar-winged Weaver which used to be a relatively easy-to-see bird at this location, but we failed. We heard from local birders that nowadays it is increasingly difficult to find this species, and this may be due to climate change. In the miombo woodland we managed to find the localised Whyte’s Francolin and supporting cast included Black-backed Barbet, Brown-necked Parrot, Southern and Yellow-bellied Hyliotas, Green-capped Eremomela, Anchieta’s Sunbird, Miombo Scrub Robin, Miombo and Rufous-bellied Tits and Wood Pipit. On the rocky outcrops we found Rock-loving Cisticola and some of us saw Eastern Miombo Sunbird. We spent some time exploring the dambos as well where goodies included daytime views of Pennant-winged Nightjars, Harlequin Quails (sadly not the rare Blue Quail), Pale-crowned Cisticola, Marsh Widowbird, Locust Finch and Reichard’s Seedeater. Our time was short and we could spend longer exploring this remarkable area, but we had to move on. We still managed to find Bocage’s Akalat and Evergreen Forest Warbler in a patch of mushito forest. We went onwards to our lodge shortly after dusk where African Wood Owl was conspicuous.

A long drive was ahead of us the following day, to Choma, but we spent the first three hours birding miombo habitat again. It was a birdy morning for a change – miombo forest had been quiet in Mutinondo – starting with a party of Pale-billed Hornbills and a singing Stierling’s Wren-Warbler. We had connected with a large bird party and managed to see Little Spotted Woodpecker, Grey-headed Bushshrike, Brown-crowned Tchagra, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Miombo and Rufous-bellied Tits, Red-capped Crombec and Orange-winged Pytilias. We also found another Miombo Scrub Robin and a Long-tailed Cisticola. While loading our car with the bags a migrant European Honey Buzzard appeared and consumed the larvae from a wasp nest right above our heads. For the rest of the day, it was navigating through Lusaka traffic and the drive towards the Nkanga Conservation area.

Zambia has many special birds, but Chaplin’s Barbet is the only ‘true’ endemic bird of the country. Today was the day we would try to track down this specialty in the Nkanga Conservation area. The habitat these barbets occupy consists of sparsely wooded areas or even pastures with large trees, but the distribution is almost completely restricted to areas where Sycamore Fig is abundant. In the early morning we drove to the Nkanga Conservation area – to the Bruce-Miller Farm – and picked up our local guide who told us the great news that he knew a breeding hole! We drove straight to the spot with a short stop to admire Red-necked Falcons perched on a dead tree and briefly glimpsed at some perched African Hawk-Eagles. Soon enough one of the Chaplin’s Barbets was spotted on a dead treetop close to the breeding hole. We could watch this special bird for a few minutes before it flew off; what a great moment! This was easy! All very happy, we decided to go and explore some miombo habitat before it got too hot. This special habitat did not disappoint as it was just as quiet as  per usual. Nevertheless, a calling Miombo Pied Barbet kept us entertained and despite our best efforts it flew off just when we found it. A singing male Black-eared Seedeater was a good find but no Arnot’s Chats or Racket-tailed Rollers were found. We even visited the garden of the Masuku Lodge where we used to stay on previous tours, before it closed. Here we saw some Epauletted Fruit Bats but there was no sign of any breeding Arnot’s Chats. We returned to the miombo habitat late afternoon and eventually a pair of Arnot’s Chats were located! We had a wide selection of open country birds which were new for the tour list such as Southern Ground Hornbill, Striped Kingfisher and Swallow-tailed Bee-eater just to name but a few. Our night drive produced Spotted Eagle-Owls only.

We enjoyed a nice morning walk close to our hotel where we finally got excellent looks of Miombo Pied Barbet as well as Brown-necked Parrot, Miombo Blue-eared Starling, Buffy Pipit and Fülleborn’s Longclaw. A short drive took us to Livingstone and by this time the heatwave arrived in the Zambezi Valley and the temperature was around 40C. After a hearty Kudu burger in our lovely hotel by the Maramba River we started our afternoon exploration with a visit to Livingstone’s sewage ponds. Like most sewage ponds around the world, this was a birdy area with a few trip additions as well as several Hippos! The rest of the afternoon was spent in a woodland area south of Livingstone in the sweltering heat, but no Miombo Rock Thrush or Racket-tailed Roller was seen. The best birds here being Black Cuckoo, Black-throated Canary and White-bellied Sunbird plus our driver saw a Honey Badger, but nobody from the group. We were back early next morning for a second try at this location and finally found a pair of Racket-tailed Rollers. We could watch them displaying in the air! Black-bellied Bustard was also seen but Miombo Rock Thrush remained a heard-only despite much effort. A flock of 110 Abdim’s Stork and an African Savanna Elephant were seen on our way to Victoria Falls. The falls area is amazing even though very little water was flowing due to the drought. However, because of this, the gorge was now completely visible, which is not the case later in spring because of the water spray! Breathtaking scenery and a must-see spectacle!

In the heat of the day, we drove to Shackleton’s Lodge, a few hours west of Livingstone. This great fishing lodge sits along the Zambezi River and is a good base to explore the area. From the balcony of the lodge a fishing African Clawless Otter was seen; what a superb mammal it is! Our afternoon was spent on the Zambezi River where we could watch the fantastic wildlife. We were checking flooded grasslands in the hope to find the rare Slaty Egret. There were many waterbirds like White-faced Whistling and Knob-billed Ducks, Spur-winged Goose, Water Thick-knee, Blacksmith, Long-toed and White-crowned Lapwings and lots of ibises, egrets and herons. After a while we spotted a small dark heron against the light but when it flew we thought the legs were yellow! We got out of the boats and walked around the wetland to get good lights on this bird, and soon the identification was confirmed, we were indeed watching a rare Slaty Egret! A fantastic moment, and all very happy. We walked as close as we could and admired this rarely-seen bird with its brownish throat patch. After this great sighting we were back in the boats and found a few more goodies like Collared Pratincole, Red-billed Spurfowl, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Hartlaub’s Babbler, Western Banded Snake Eagle, African Marsh Harrier and best of all was a fine male Shelley’s Sunbird in a flowering tree! Hippos were also excellent allowing close looks and overall, the boat ride on the Zambezi was a great experience. Back in the lodge we had a wonderful Rusty-spotted Genet visit during our dinner, as it regularly comes for some fish bits.

The following morning, we had an early start as we were heading into the Machile Important Bird Area in search of the highly localised Black-cheeked Lovebird! The heatwave was in full swing, so we only really had a few hours to find the lovebirds before everything would go into hiding from the heat. It took us a while to get into the lovebird area through the maze of sandy tracks leading to the area, but we navigated well and shortly after dawn we were searching for the lovebirds. We tried two places where recent sightings occurred without success, so we continued towards the Machile River. Eventually we heard Black-cheeked Lovebirds calling so we stopped. After some searching we only saw them flying over. Our search continued and we saw Swainson’s Spurfowl, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Brown Snake Eagle, African Barred Owlet, African Hoopoe, Southern Red-billed Hornbill, Greater Honeyguide, Southern Black Tit, Long-billed Crombec, Marico Sunbird and Burchell’s and Meves’s Starlings. Eventually we located Black-cheeked Lovebirds and got excellent looks of these near-endemic parrots! They were now not in flocks but more in breeding mode as we had two different pairs both investigating holes and crevices. It is breeding time! Happy with our good views of the main target we started our bumpy ride back to lodge and the temperature was soaring by this time. We spent the afternoon birding around Shackleton’s Lodge adding a few new birds to our list.

Our last port of call was Gwabi Lodge on the edge of the Lower Zambezi National Park on the banks of the Kafue River. Unfortunately, bad news for us, as there had not been any substantial rain in the area for a while and the African Pittas hadn’t been very active. Everything was bone-dry. Nevertheless, we were in an African Pitta territory at dawn the next morning and we were patiently waiting, hoping to hear or see any sign of life. As the dawn chorus started up, we were hopeful, but nothing happened. Some of us saw a short-tailed bird in flight which could have been a pitta, but nothing concrete, so we changed scenery. More patient waiting and still no pitta calling. We decided to try another territory in a dry riverbed, selected a good-looking place and started waiting again. If you have been looking for pittas before, you know the feeling. Not a sniff, no calls, no movements in the undergrowth; nothing! A lovely Livingstone’s Flycatcher put on a nice show above us and African Broadbill was displaying nearby. It was quickly warming up and the bush was getting silent, morning activity ‘evaporated’. In despair and with no better idea, we moved back to the first territory and selected a different place. After 20 minutes of more waiting and scanning,  suddenly there it was! An African Pitta was foraging twenty meters from us and gradually we all had good looks. The bird stayed in sight for about 8 minutes, before slowly hopping away. We were all very happy seeing an African Pitta despite the odds and breakfast never tasted better! It is one thing to plan a tour with the best possible knowledge for such a special and rare bird but man plans, God does, and we have no opportunity to influence weather. We had another great boat journey along the Zambezi River in the afternoon venturing into Zimbabwe waters where we once again enjoyed some special looks of Southern Carmine Bee-eaters, White-crowned Lapwing, Goliath Heron as well as Bushbucks and Impalas.

On our last morning of the tour, we tried once again to see if the African Pitta would be singing, but it was the same silence as the day before, and this time we never saw a pitta. Our time in Zambia was nearly done, and it was time to pack up and make our way towards Lusaka Airport. We made one last birding stop along the way to look for Grey-olive Greenbul which we quickly found, and it was the last new bird for our list. All in all, we had a short, but certainly action-packed tour in a vast and diverse country where we saw most of our major targets! This year the miombo was rather quiet and not very kind to us but such is birding. I am sure we will all remember this tour because of the flagship bird species and for some truly unforgettable wildlife spectacles!

BIRDS OF THE TOUR

1^st African Pitta

2^nd Slaty Egret

3^rd Chaplin’s Barbet

4^th Black-cheeked Lovebird

5^th Mass migration of Straw-coloured Fruitbat

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES RECORDED DURING THE TOUR

Species marked with the diamond symbol (◊) are either endemic to the country or local region or considered ‘special’ birds for some other reason (e.g., it is only seen on one or two Birdquest tours; it is difficult to see across all or most of its range; the local form is endemic or restricted-range and may in future be treated as a full species).

The species names and taxonomy used in the bird list follows Gill, F., Donsker, D., & Rasmussen, P.(Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v14.2).

Where the subspecies seen is/are known, these are often given in parentheses at the end of the species comment.

BIRDS
White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata
Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis
Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos
Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
African Pygmy Goose Nettapus auritus A few seen at Bangweulu and along the Zambezi River.
Blue-billed Teal (Hottentot T) Spatula hottentota
Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata
Red-billed Teal (R-b Duck) Anas erythrorhyncha
Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris
Whyte’s Francolin ◊ Scleroptila whyteii Two parties were seen well at Mutinondo.
Red-billed Spurfowl Pternistis adsperus Restricted in Zambia, a party was seen along the Zambezi.
Swainson’s Spurfowl Pternistis swainsonii
Red-necked Spurfowl (R-n Francolin) Pternistis afer
Harlequin Quail Coturnix delegorguei Two were flushed in Mutinondo.
Swamp Nightjar Caprimulgus natalensis One was seen at Mutinondo.
Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma One was seen at Mutinondo.
Square-tailed Nightjar (Gabon N) Caprimulgus fossii Several good looks, day and night.
Pennant-winged Nightjar ◊ Caprimulgus vexillarius Great looks at daytime in Mutinondo.
African Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus
Common Swift (Eurasian S) Apus apus
Little Swift Apus affinis
Grey Go-away-bird Crinifer concolor
Ross’s Turaco Tauraco rossae heard only
Schalow’s Turaco Tauraco schalowi
Black-bellied Bustard Lissotis melanogaster One was seen near Livingstone.
Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis
Coppery-tailed Coucal Centropus cupreicaudus Several sightings in wetlands.
White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus heard only
Levaillant’s Cuckoo Clamator levaillantii
Diederik Cuckoo (Didric C) Chrysococcyx caprius
Klaas’s Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas
African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus
Black Cuckoo Cuculus clamosus
Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius
Rock Dove (introduced) Columba livia
Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
Ring-necked Dove Streptopelia capicola
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove Turtur chalcospilos
Namaqua Dove Oena capensis
African Green Pigeon Treron calvus
African Finfoot Podica senegalensis
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
African Swamphen Porphyrio madagascariensis
Black Crake Zapornia flavirostra
Water Thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris
Long-toed Lapwing Vanellus crassirostris
Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus
White-crowned Lapwing ◊ Vanellus albiceps
African Wattled Lapwing Vanellus senegallus
Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis
Lesser Jacana ◊ Microparra capensis Up to nine were seen in Kasanka NP.
African Jacana Actophilornis africanus
African Snipe Gallinago nigripennis
Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Ruff Calidris pugnax
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
African Openbill (A O Stork) Anastomus lamelligerus
Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer
Abdim’s Stork Ciconia abdimii A flock of 110 were seen near Livingstone.
African Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia microscelis
African Darter Anhinga rufa
White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus One was seen on the Zambezi River.
Reed Cormorant Microcarbo africanus
African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus
Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Slaty Egret ◊ Egretta vinaceigula Superb looks of this rare bird along the Zambezi River!
Black Heron (B Egret) Egretta ardesiaca
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Striated Heron Butorides striata
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
Great Egret Ardea alba
Yellow-billed Egret Ardea brachyrhyncha
Western Cattle Egret Ardea ibis
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala
Goliath Heron Ardea goliath
Hamerkop Scopus umbretta
Osprey Pandion haliaetus
Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
African Harrier-Hawk (Gymnogene) Polyboroides typus
Palm-nut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis
European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus Great to see one consuming a wasp nest, eating the larvae.
Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus
White-backed Vulture (African W-b V) Gyps africanus
White-headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis One was seen in Kasanka NP.
Brown Snake Eagle Circaetus cinereus
Western Banded Snake Eagle Circaetus cinerascens Two were seen along the Zambezi River.
Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus
Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis
Wahlberg’s Eagle Hieraaetus wahlbergi
African Hawk-Eagle Aquila spilogaster
Lizard Buzzard Kaupifalco monogrammicus
Gabar Goshawk Micronisus gabar
Shikra (Little Banded Goshawk) Tachyspiza badia
Little Sparrowhawk Tachyspiza minulla
Black Sparrowhawk Astur melanoleucus
African Marsh Harrier Circus ranivorus
Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius
African Fish Eagle Icthyophaga vocifer
Common Buzzard (Steppe B) Buteo [buteo] vulpinus
African Barred Owlet Glaucidium capense Two sightings.
Southern White-faced Owl Ptilopsis granti Great looks of this beauty in the Mutinondo area.
Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africanus Many excellent looks at night.
Pel’s Fishing Owl ◊ Scotopelia peli Walk away looks if a one in Kasanka NP.
African Wood Owl Strix woodfordii Regularly heard and seen.
Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus
Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus
Narina Trogon Apaloderma narina One was seen at Gwabi.
African Hoopoe Upupa africana
Green Wood Hoopoe Phoeniculus purpureus
Common Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus cyanomelas
Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri One was seen on the Bruce-Miller Farm.
Southern Red-billed Hornbill Tockus rufirostris
Crowned Hornbill Lophoceros alboterminatus
African Grey Hornbill Lophoceros nasutus
Pale-billed Hornbill ◊ Lophoceros pallidirostris A party was seen near Fika Lodge.
Trumpeter Hornbill Bycanistes bucinator
Racket-tailed Roller ◊ Coracias spatulatus Eventually a pair was seen near Livingstone.
Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudatus
European Roller Coracias garrulus
Broad-billed Roller Eurystomus glaucurus
Grey-headed Kingfisher (Chestnut-ballied K) Halcyon leucocephala Several sightings.
Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris Common.
Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti One was seen on our journeys.
Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis Just a few sightings.
African Pygmy Kingfisher Ispidina picta Great looks at Mutinondo.
Malachite Kingfisher Corythornis cristatus Common.
Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis Common.
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirundineus Only seen at the Bruce-Miller Farm.
Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus Regular sightings.
Blue-breasted Bee-eater ◊ Merops variegatus A few seen at the edge of the Bangweulu wetland.
White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides Common along the Zambezi River.
Böhm’s Bee-eater ◊ Merops boehmi A pair in Kasanka NP.
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus Good numbers south of Livingstone.
European Bee-eater Merops apiaster Regular sightings.
Southern Carmine Bee-eater ◊ Merops nubicoides Excellent looks along the Zambezi River.
Crested Barbet Trachyphonus vaillantii
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus chrysoconus
Miombo Pied Barbet ◊ Tricholaema frontata It took some time but we got great looks!
Chaplin’s Barbet ◊ Lybius chaplini Endemic. Excellent views on the Bruce-Miller Farm.
Black-collared Barbet Lybius torquatus
Black-backed Barbet ◊ Pogonornis minor Two were seen in Mutinondo.
Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor
Greater Honeyguide (Black-throated H) Indicator indicator
Golden-tailed Woodpecker Campethera abingoni
Little Spotted Woodpecker Campethera cailliautii
Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens
Red-necked Falcon Falco [chicquera] ruficollis A pair was seen on the Bruce-Miller Farm.
African Hobby Falco cuvierii Two sightings.
Brown-necked Parrot ◊ (Grey-headed P) Poicephalus [fuscicollis] suahelicus Seen at Mutinondo and Choma.
Meyer’s Parrot (Brown P) Poicephalus meyeri
Black-cheeked Lovebird ◊ Agapornis nigrigenis Top target and we got top looks! Wonderful!
African Broadbill ◊ Smithornis capensis Two excellent sightings!
African Pitta ◊ Pitta angolensis A silent bird was seen well for 8 minutes foraging in front of us at Gwabi.
Chinspot Batis Batis molitor
Grey-headed Bushshrike Malaconotus blanchoti
Orange-breasted Bushshrike (Sulphur-b B) Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus
Brown-crowned Tchagra Tchagra australis
Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegalus
Black-backed Puffback (Southern P) Dryoscopus cubla
Tropical Boubou Laniarius major
Brubru Nilaus afer
White-crested Helmetshrike Prionops plumatus
Retz’s Helmetshrike Prionops retzii
White-breasted Cuckooshrike Ceblepyris pectoralis
Black Cuckooshrike Campephaga flava
Purple-throated Cuckooshrike Campephaga quiscalina A male was seen at Kasanka NP.
Black-headed Oriole (Eastern B-h O) Oriolus larvatus
African Golden Oriole Oriolus auratus
Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus
Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis
African Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis
Northern Fiscal Lanius humeralis
Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio
Pied Crow Corvus albus
White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis heard-only
Southern Black Tit Melaniparus niger
Rufous-bellied Tit ◊ Melaniparus rufiventris Two encounters in Miombo habitat.
Miombo Tit ◊ (M Grey T) Melaniparus griseiventris Two encounters in Miombo habitat.
Eastern Nicator Nicator gularis
Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea
Sombre Greenbul (Zanzibar S G) Andropadus importunus
Yellow-bellied Greenbul Chlorocichla flaviventris
Terrestrial Brownbul Phyllastrephus terrestris
Grey-olive Greenbul ◊ Phyllastrephus cerviniventris Great looks of a pair on our last day!
Cabanis’s Greenbul Phyllastrephus cabanisi
Dark-capped Bulbul (Common B) Pycnonotus tricolor
Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne pristoptera
Banded Martin Neophedina cincta
Sand Martin Riparia riparia
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii
Lesser Striped Swallow Cecropis abyssinica
Red-breasted Swallow Cecropis semirufa
Mosque Swallow Cecropis senegalensis
Long-billed Crombec Sylvietta rufescens
Red-capped Crombec ◊ Sylvietta ruficapilla Three were seen at Fika Lodge.
Livingstone’s Flycatcher ◊ Erythrocercus livingstonei Several sightings at Gwabi Lodge.
Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus
Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina
Fan-tailed Grassbird (Broad-t Warbler) Catriscus brevirostris One was seen at Mutinondo.
Evergreen Forest Warbler Bradypterus lopezi One was seen en route to Fika Lodge.
Red-faced Cisticola Cisticola erythrops heard-only
Trilling Cisticola Cisticola woosnami
Rock-loving Cisticola ◊ Cisticola aberrans Seen well at Mutinondo.
Rattling Cisticola Cisticola chiniana
Chirping Cisticola ◊ Cisticola pipiens Good looks at Kasanka NP and on the edge of the Bagweulu wetland.
Croaking Cisticola Cisticola natalensis
Short-winged Cisticola (Siffling C) Cisticola brachypterus
Long-tailed Cisticola ◊ Cisticola angusticauda One was seen in Miombo near Fika Lodge.
Pale-crowned Cisticola ◊ Cisticola cinnamomeus It was seen at Mutinondo.
Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava
Yellow-breasted Apalis Apalis flavida
Grey-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brevicaudata
Stierling’s Wren-Warbler ◊ Calamonastes stierlingi Good looks at Fika Lodge and heard elsewhere.
Green-capped Eremomela Eremomela scotops
Garden Warbler Sylvia borin
Southern Yellow White-eye Zosterops anderssoni
Arrow-marked Babbler Turdoides jardineii
Hartlaub’s Babbler ◊ Turdoides hartlaubii It was seen along the Zambezi River.
Yellow-bellied Hyliota Hyliota flavigaster Two were seen at Mutinondo.
Southern Hyliota Hyliota australis Seen well at Mutinondo and Fika Lodge.
Common Myna (introduced) Acridotheres tristis
Greater Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus
Miombo Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis elisabeth
Meves’s Starling ◊ Lamprotornis mevesii Common in the Machile area.
Burchell’s Starling ◊ Lamprotornis australis Common in the Machile area.
Violet-backed Starling (Amethyst S) Cinnyricinclus leucogaster
Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio
Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorynchus
Groundscraper Thrush Turdus litsitsirupa
Kurrichane Thrush Turdus libonyana
Miombo Scrub Robin ◊ Cercotrichas barbata Good looks at Kasanka, Mutinondo and Fika Lodge.
White-browed Scrub Robin Cercotrichas leucophrys
Pale Flycatcher Agricola pallidus
Ashy Flycatcher Fraseria caerulescens
Southern Black Flycatcher Melaenornis pammelaina
African Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta
Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata
White-browed Robin-Chat Cossypha heuglini
Red-capped Robin-Chat Cossypha natalensis
Collared Palm Thrush (C Morning T) Cichladusa arquata One was seen by some at Mutinondo.
Bocage’s Akalat ◊ Sheppardia bocagei Great looks in mushito forest!
Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis
Miombo Rock Thrush ◊ Monticola angolensis Despite much effort, we just heard it briefly.
African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus
Sooty Chat Myrmecocichla nigra
Arnot’s Chat (White-headed Black C) ◊ Myrmecocichla arnotti A pair was tracked down in Miombo forest.
Anchieta’s Sunbird ◊ Anthreptes anchietae A single male was seen at Mutinondo.
Collared Sunbird Hedydipna collaris
Olive Sunbird Cyanomitra olivacea
Amethyst Sunbird Chalcomitra amethystina
Scarlet-chested Sunbird Chalcomitra senegalensis
Eastern Miombo Sunbird ◊ Cinnyris manoensis One was seen by some at Mutinondo.
Marico Sunbird Cinnyris mariquensis
Shelley’s Sunbird ◊ Cinnyris shelleyi A nice male was seen after much search!
White-bellied Sunbird Cinnyris talatala
Variable Sunbird Cinnyris venustus
Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow (Y-t Petronia) Gymnoris superciliaris
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow Passer griseus
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus
House Sparrow (introduced) Passer domesticus
Red-billed Buffalo Weaver Bubalornis niger
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver Plocepasser mahali
Thick-billed Weaver (Grosbeak W) Amblyospiza albifrons
Spectacled Weaver Ploceus ocularis
Holub’s Golden Weaver Ploceus xanthops
Southern Brown-throated Weaver Ploceus xanthopterus Seen along the Zambezi River near Shackleton’s Lodge.
Lesser Masked Weaver Ploceus intermedius
Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus
Katanga Masked Weaver ◊ Ploceus katangae Just one was seen on the edge of the Bangweulu wetland.
Village Weaver (Black-headed W) Ploceus cucullatus
Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps
Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix
Yellow Bishop Euplectes capensis
Fan-tailed Widowbird (Red-shouldered W) Euplectes axillaris
Marsh Widowbird ◊ Euplectes hartlaubi Great looks at Mutinondo.
Long-tailed Widowbird Euplectes progne
Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullata
Fawn-breasted Waxbill Estrilda paludicola
Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild
Locust Finch ◊ Paludipasser locustella We had great looks of a pair in Mutinondo.
Blue Waxbill (Southern Cordon-bleu) Uraeginthus angolensis
Green-winged Pytilia Pytilia melba Several seen at Gwabi Lodge.
Orange-winged Pytilia Pytilia afra Several seen at Fika Lodge and Nkanga Conservation area.
Red-throated Twinspot Hypargos niveoguttatus A pair was seen well at Kasanka NP.
Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala
African Firefinch Lagonosticta rubricata
Brown Firefinch ◊ Lagonosticta nitidula Three were seen in Kasanka NP.
Village Indigobird Vidua chalybeata
Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura
Western Yellow Wagtail (Grey-headed W) Motacilla [flava] thunbergi
Western Yellow Wagtail (Blue-headed W) Motacilla [flava] flava
Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis
African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp
Fülleborn’s Longclaw ◊ Macronyx fuelleborni Several great looks in grassy habitat.
African Pipit (Grassland P) Anthus cinnamomeus
Wood Pipit ◊ Anthus nyassae A few seen in Miombo habitat.
Buffy Pipit Anthus vaalensis One was seen near Choma.
Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis
Black-faced Canary ◊ Crithagra capistrata Three were seen on the edge of the Bagweulu wetland.
Black-throated Canary Crithagra atrogularis Two were seen near Livingstone.
Yellow-fronted Canary Crithagra mozambica
Brimstone Canary Crithagra sulphurata
Reichard’s Seedeater ◊ (Stripe-breasted S) Crithagra reichardi Great looks of this localised bird in Mutinondo.
Black-eared Seedeater ◊ Crithagra mennelli One was seen in the Nkanga Conservation area.
Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza flaviventris

MAMMALS
African Savanna Elephant Loxodonta africana One was seen near Livingstone.
Lion Panthera leo Heard-only at Mutinondo.
Rusty-spotted Genet Genetta maculata Great looks at Shackleton’s Lodge.
Angolan Genet ◊ Genetta angolensis Several seen at Kasanka NP.
African Clawless Otter Aonyx capensis Several looks at Shackleton’s Lodge.
Common Warthog Phacochoerus africanus Just a few seen at Kasanka NP.
Plains Zebra Equus quagga Two were seen near Livingstone.
Impala Aepyceros melampus A few sightings south of Livingstone.
Waterbuck (Ellipsen W) Kobus ellipsiprymnus A few seen along the Zambezi River.
Southern Lechwe ◊ Kobus leche The smithemani race alias ‘Black’ Lechwe was seen at the Bagweulu wetland.
Puku Kobus vardonii Many were seen in Kasanka NP.
Sharpe’s Grysbok Raphicerus sharpie Seen well at Kasanka NP.
Southern Reedbuck Redunca arundinum We had good looks in the Mutinondo area.
Bush Duiker Sylvicapra grimmia It was seen well in Kasanka NP and in the Mutinondo area.
Southern Bushbuck Tragelaphus sylvaticus It was seen well in Kasanka NP and in the Mutinondo area.
Sitatunga Tragelaphus spekii Excellent looks at Kasanka NP.
Common Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius Common in the Zambezi River.
African Straw-colored Fruit Bat Eidolon helvum Millions were seen in Kasanka NP. What a spectacle!
Wahlberg’s/Peter’s Epauletted Fruit Bat Epomophorus wahlbergi Ten were seen in the Nkanga area.
Mauritian Tomb Bat Taphozous mauritianus One was seen at Shackleton’s Lodge.
Southern Lesser Galago ◊ Galago moholi One was seen at Mutinondo.
Thick-tailed Greater Galago Otolemur crassicaudatus Several sightings in Kasanka NP.
Malbrouck Monkey Chlorocebus cynosures Regularly seen.
Vervet Monkey Chlorocebus pygerythrus Those seen at Gwabi Lodge were probably this species.
Kinda Baboon ◊ Papio kindae Those seen in Kasanka NP were certainly this species!
Chacma Baboon Papio ursinus A few seen around Victoria Falls.
African Savanna Hare Lepus victoriae Several sightings.
Red Rock Rat Aethomys chrysophilus One was seen with babies in Gwabi.
Mutable Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus mutabilis It was seen at Mutinondo and Gwabi.
Smith’s Bush Squirrel Paraxerus cepapi A few seen in the Machile area.