Africa (and its islands)

CAPE VERDE ISLANDS – Endemics, Seabirds & Vagrants of some remote Atlantic islands

The highlands of Santiago (image by Mark Beaman)

Pedra Badejo lagoon, Santiago (image by Mark Beaman)

American Golden Plover (image by Mark Beaman)

Long-tailed Jaeger immature (image by Mark Beaman)

Grey-headed Kingfisher (image by Mark Beaman)

Neglected Kestrel (image by Mark Beaman)

The highlands of Santiago (image by Mark Beaman)

Greater Hoopoe-Lark (image by Mark Beaman)

Yellow-billed Egret (image by Mark Beaman)

Raso Lark (image by Mark Beaman)

Brown Booby (image by Mark Beaman)

Brown Booby and chick (image by Mark Beaman)

Bar-tailed Lark (image by Mark Beaman)

White-faced Storm Petrel (image by Mark Beaman)

Cape Verde Shearwater (image by Mark Beaman)

Red-billed Tropicbirds (image by Mark Beaman)

Arctic Tern (image by Mark Beaman)

Red-billed Tropicbird (image by Mark Beaman)

Raso Lark (image by Mark Beaman)

Fea's (or Cape Verde) Petrel (image by Mark Beaman)

Brown-necked Raven (image by Mark Beaman)

Tarrafal on São Nicolau (image by Mark Beaman)

One of the Rombos Islands (image by Mark Beaman)

Yellow-billed Egret (image by Mark Beaman)

Common Waxbill (image by Mark Beaman)

The summit of the Fogo volcano (image by Mark Beaman)

Yellow-billed Egret (image by Mark Beaman)

Cape Verde Swift (image by Mark Beaman)

Raso (image by Mark Beaman)

Fogo (image by Mark Beaman)

Eurasian Blackcap (image by Mark Beaman)

Bourne's Heron (image by Mark Beaman)

Neglected Kestrel (image by Mark Beaman)

Grey-headed Kingfisher (image by Mark Beaman)

Brown Booby (image by Mark Beaman)

Cape Verde Buzzard (image by Mark Beaman)

Red-billed Tropicbird (image by Mark Beaman)

Cream-coloured Courser (image by Mark Beaman)

São Nicolau coastline (image by Mark Beaman)

The Cape Verdes are a windy part of the world (image by Mark Beaman)

Cape Verde Shearwater (image by Mark Beaman)

Red-footed Booby (image by Mark Beaman)

Fea's (or Cape Verde) Petrel (image by Mark Beaman)

Spectacled Warbler (image by Mark Beaman)

Eastern Santiago (image by Mark Beaman)

Greater Hoopoe-Lark (image by Mark Beaman)

Cape Verde Swift drinking (image by Mark Beaman)

Barragem de Faveta on Santiago (image by Mark Beaman)

The Fogo caldera (image by Mark Beaman)

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (image by Mark Beaman)

Bourne's Heron (image by Mark Beaman)

Atlantic Spotted Dophin (image by Mark Beaman)

Red-footed Booby (image by Mark Beaman)

Boyd's Shearwater (image by Mark Beaman)

Cape Verde Buzzard (image by Mark Beaman)

Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark (image by Mark Beaman)

Iago (or Cape Verde) Sparrow female (image by Mark Beaman)

Cape Verde (Cane) Warbler (image by Mark Beaman)

Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark female (image by Mark Beaman)

Cape Verde Buzzard (image by Mark Beaman)

Boyd's Shearwater (image by Mark Beaman)

White-faced Storm Petrel (image by Mark Beaman)

Iago (or Cape Verde) Sparrow (image by Mark Beaman)

Alexander's Kestrel (image by Mark Beaman)

Bulwer's Petrel (image by Mark Beaman)

Cape Verde (Cane) Warbler (image by Mark Beaman)

Fea's (or Cape Verde) Petrel (image by Mark Beaman)

Tuesday 20th April – Saturday 1st May 2027

Leader: Diedert Koppenol

12 Days

Group Size Limit 9 (tour guaranteed)

CAPE VERDE ISLANDS BIRDING TOUR: OVERVIEW

Birdquest’s Cape Verde Islands Birding Tours explore one of the world’s least-visited archipelagos (relatively few birders set foot here!), yet a great place to see endemics and other specialities. Our Cape Verde Islands birdwatching tour explores these arid but scenically dramatic islands and targets all the endemics and important seabirds. These include Cape Verde and Boyd’s Shearwaters, Fea’s (or Cape Verde) Petrel, Cape Verde Storm Petrel, Cape Verde Buzzard, Cape Verde Swift, the extraordinary Raso Lark, Cape Verde Warbler and Iago (or Cape Verde) Sparrow.

The Cape Verde archipelago lies some 450km off the coast of West Africa. This group of far-flung volcanic islands, towering up to 2800m out of the Atlantic, is considered a far-flung part of the Palearctic region, rather than the Afrotropical realm. Relatively few ornithologists have visited the islands, some of which are inaccessible except by boat.

Here are found some of the most important seabird colonies in the Western Palearctic, with breeding species including Cape Verde Shearwater, Boyd’s Shearwater, Fea’s (or Cape Verde) Petrel, Bulwer’s Petrel, Cape Verde Storm Petrel, White-faced Storm Petrel, Red-billed Tropicbird and both Brown Band Red-footed Boobies (the latter is a recent colonist). Several of the tubenoses nest only in the Cape Verde Islands. Interestingly, Black-capped Petrel has been recorded off Fogo and White-tailed Tropicbird has even bred recently, but the Magnificent Frigatebird now appears to be extinct as a breeding bird in the Cape Verde Islands.

The landbird fauna is also quite fascinating. Although relatively impoverished, as is typical with remote island groups, there are a number of endemic landbird species; Cape Verde Buzzard, Cape Verde Swift, Raso Lark, Cape Verde Warbler and Iago (or Cape Verde) Sparrow.

There are also some distinctive island forms that have been proposed for full species status but have never been widely accepted as such, including Bourne’s (or Cape Verde) Heron (a subspecies of Purple Heron), Alexander’s and Neglected Kestrels (both considered subspecies of Common Kestrel, with the latter showing some interesting morphological characters), Cape Verde Falcon (a subspecies of Peregrine Falcon) and Cape Verde Owl (a subspecies of Western Barn Owl).

In addition, the islands hold the only Grey-headed Kingfishers in the Western Palearctic and the most accessible Helmeted Guineafowls, as well as Cream-coloured Courser, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Bar-tailed Lark, Greater Hoopoe Lark, Brown-necked Raven and Common Waxbill. The avifauna of the Cape Verdes is still rather poorly known, as relatively little work has yet been done here, and so ornithological surprises are still quite possible.

The islands were first discovered by the Portuguese in 1460 (or possibly 1456) and at that time they were entirely uninhabited, without any trace of prior human occupation. The islands were soon settled and by 1466 the inhabitants of Santiago had been granted the rights to purchase slaves in Guinea on the African mainland and supply the new colonies in Brazil and the West Indies. As a result of this unusual history, the present-day population of the islands is a ‘creole’ mix of Portuguese and African.

For most of their history these arid, drought-prone islands, which have little fertile land, have suffered from an impoverished economy. Farming has never been much more than subsistence, while local fisheries have never been developed. The situation became so bad that by the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that many of the inhabitants were compelled to go to sea to earn a living or emigrate to the New World. Some islands are still uninhabited, whilst others are quite undeveloped, although this is now changing as tourism finally reaches even these remote outposts. Visiting the more remote parts of the archipelago is still a bit of a challenge, but well worth the effort.

We shall start our Cape Verde Islands birding tour on the island of Santiago, by far the richest island for endemic landbirds in the Cape Verdes.

We will be sure to visit the spectacular volcanic island of Fogo, an extinct volcano, where we will have a boat trip in search of pelagic seabirds and enjoy the wonderful scenery.

We will also visit the scenically dramatic island of São Nicolau, our base for a boat trip to the island of Raso, the only home of the Raso Lark, and another opportunity to look for pelagic seabirds. Even a Trinidade Petrel has been recorded off São Nicolau recently!

Our last island in the archipelago will be the arid island of Sal in the northwest, where rare vagrants are frequently found at the small wetlands.

(Note: The Magnificent Frigatebirds that formerly bred on islets off the island of Boa Vista have now vanished, so we no longer include Boa Vista in our tour.)

Birdquest pioneered Cape Verde Islands birding tours as far back as 1985.

Important: Domestic flights to some of the Cape Verde Islands are infrequent and the schedules are subject to change. What is more, flight cancellations are not rare. As a result, we have built a safety margin into the tour in order to be confident of getting to all the islands. This makes the tour significantly longer than it would be if there was a frequent and reliable inter-island air service.

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotel on Santiago and the guesthouse on Fogo are of a good standard. On São Nicolau we will be staying in a fairly simple but clean and comfortable guesthouse. Road transport is by minibus/passenger van or 4×4 vehicles. Roads are variable in quality.

Walking: The walking effort during our Cape Verde Islands birding tour is mostly easy, occasionally moderate.

Climate: The weather will be predominantly warm or hot, dry and sunny. Although it may become overcast, rain is most unlikely. Strong winds blow up from time to time and it can get quite cool out to sea, or from late evening to early morning on land.

Bird Photography: Opportunities during our Cape Verde Islands birding tour are quite good.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Visiting some of the most remote and little-visited islands in the Atlantic Ocean
Watching rare 'Western Palearctic' endemics that few birders have ever heard of, let alone seen
Enjoyable birding on a very easy trip, with hardly any walking involved
An excellent mix of seabirds and endemic landbirds focusing on four islands of this rarely-visited archipelago
Enjoying good accommodation and excellent seafood dining in front of the sea almost every day
Fantastic pelagic birding on two separate boat trips, off São Nicolau and Fogo
Seabirds including Cape Verde and Boyd´s Shearwaters, White-faced and Cape Verde Storm Petrels and Fea´s (or Cape Verde) Petrel
Spending time photographing Red-billed Tropicbirds and Brown and Red-footed Boobies
Seeing the extraordary Raso Lark, one of the rarest birds in the world, endemic to a tiny islet
Very good chances of seeing American and African vagrants!
Watching the endemics on Santiago, including the endangered Cape Verde Buzzard, Iago (or Cape Verde) Sparrow, Cape Verde Swift and Cape Verde Warbler
Enjoying the only Grey-headed Kingfishers of the Western Palearctic
Searching for desert birds such as Cream-coloured Courser, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Bar-tailed and Greater Hoopoe Larks, and Brown-necked Raven
Several endemic subspecies and candidates for splitting such as Bourne´s (Purple) Heron, Neglected and Alexander´s (Common) Kestrels and Cape Verde Barn Owl

OUTLINE ITINERARY

Day 1: Evening tour start at Praia Airport on Santiago.
Days 2-11: Exploring Santiago, Fogo, São Nicolau, Raso and Sal. Including boat trips.
Day 12: Evening tour end at Sal Airport.

To see a larger map, click on the square-like ‘enlarge’ icon in the upper right of the map box.

To see (or hide) the ‘map legend’, click on the icon with an arrow in the upper left of the map box.

To change to a satellite view, which is great for seeing the physical terrain (and for seeing really fine details by repetitive use of the + button), click on the square ‘map view’ icon in the lower left corner of the ‘map legend’.

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for accommodation/restaurant staff.

We also include the following flights in our tour price:

Santiago-Fogo

Fogo-Santiago

Santiago-São Nicolau

São Nicolau-Sal

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)

2027: provisional prices £2980, $4010, €3490, AUD6290. Praia/Praia.

Single Supplement: 2027: £270, $360, €320, AUD570.

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

This tour is priced in Euros. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.

CAPE VERDE ISLANDS BIRDING TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY

Cape Verde Islands: Day 1 The tour begins late this evening on the island of Santiago, where we will stay overnight. After arrival at Praia Airport, we will be transferred to our hotel.

(Most international flights to Praia route via Lisbon in Portugal.)

Cape Verde Islands: Days 2-11 During these days we will be based on the islands of Santiago, Fogo, São Nicolau and Sal, the order in which the islands are explored and the time spent on each will depend on the inter-island flight timetable in operation at the time of the tour.

SANTIAGO

Santiago is the largest of the islands and is certainly the most developed and prosperous. Praia, the small capital city of the Cape Verde Islands, is situated at the southeastern end of Santiago. As with all the islands, the inhabitants are a ‘Creole’ mixture of Portuguese and West African, but here African influences are strongest. Living standards are very low in the islands, but Santiago is blessed with more rainfall than most and has numerous small farms and plantations. The better-watered valleys of the island, with their comparatively luxuriant vegetation, are the habitat beloved of Grey-headed Kingfisher and the endemic Cape Verde Warbler. We will also encounter our first Iago Sparrows, a pretty endemic that was once lumped with the Rufous Sparrows of mainland Africa. In addition, these areas hold Spectacled Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Brown-necked Raven, Common Waxbill and Spanish Sparrow.

Overhead we should see the endemic Cape Verde Swift, whilst the scenically spectacular and very rugged mountains of the interior, which are reminiscent of mountain ranges in the more arid areas of the African mainland, harbour the endemic Cape Verde Buzzard, the endemic Alexander’s Kestrel (occasionally split from Common), the distinctive Cape Verde race of the Rock Dove and Helmeted Guineafowl. We will stay out until dusk in order to try and see the endemic Cape Verde Owl (occasionally split from Western Barn Owl).

Although there are few wetlands on Santiago, Bourne’s (or Cape Verde) Heron (occasionally split from Purple, and very different in appearance) is restricted to the island and Western Cattle Egrets are local residents. The heron is nowadays much easier to find than it once was, thanks to the construction of new reservoirs.

The endemic Cape Verde Falcon (occasionally split from Peregrine) is now either very rare or already extinct. (An additional endemic landbird species, the Cape Verde Kite, is now thought to be extinct, and indeed the pure population may have been extinct for some time, the current theory being that the more recently surviving birds were a hybrid population produced by interbreeding with migrant Black Kites.)

Some parts of the island are very arid and hold such species as Cream-coloured Courser, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark and Bar-tailed Lark. At a small lagoon, we should find Grey Heron, Little Egret and Common Moorhen, plus a selection of migrant waders including Black-winged Stilt, Common Ringed, Kentish and Grey (or Black-bellied) Plovers, Sanderling, Little Stint, Wood, Common and Curlew Sandpipers, Eurasian Whimbrel, Common Greenshank and Ruddy Turnstone.

Nearctic vagrant shorebirds turn up here on a regular basis and vagrant herons, such as Black Heron and Intermediate Egret, have also occurred. Consequently, we shall be on the lookout for rarities.

FOGO

Our main reason for coming to the spectacular island of Fogo, which is in effect a volcano rising from the sea (the highest point on the island is 2829m or 9281ft above sea level), is to try and observe Cape Verde Storm Petrel, which is more reliable here than off São Nicolau.

During our pelagic, we are also sure to have great views of Fea’s (or Cape Verde) Petrels and Cape Verde Shearwaters, and other species, such as Boyd’s Shearwater and Bulwer’s Petrel, are also likely. Recently, and very surprisingly, even Black-capped Petrel has been recorded off Fogo, so we shall hope to get lucky!

Brown Boobies and Red-billed Tropicbirds are common nesting species and recently they have been joined by small numbers of Red-footed Boobies. There has even been a recent record of White-tailed Tropicbird nesting on some small islets not far from Fogo.

If we have time, we will drive up the mountain road to the caldera of the extinct volcano to admire the other-worldly landscapes.

SÃO NICOLA AND RASO

From the airport, we will travel through the rugged interior of the island until we reach the picturesque little harbour at Tarrafal.

The beautiful island of São Nicolau is typical of the northern Cape Verdes, being a land of rugged, rocky ridges with steep, partly terraced hillsides and tiny villages. Here we will have opportunities to watch the aptly named Neglected Kestrel (occasionally split from Common Kestrel), which is fairly common. Virtually lacking sexual dimorphism in its plumage, neglectus has noticeably shorter wings than typical Common Kestrels, giving it an appearance more like that of Seychelles Kestrel or Mauritius Kestrel.

Along the coastline, we could see a Yellow-legged Gull of the form atlantis, while Fea’s (or Cape Verde) Petrels and Boyd’s Shearwaters regularly pass by the island’s headlands. The western part of the island is a good place for Helmeted Guineafowl.

During our stay at Tarrafal, we will make a boat trip in search of seabirds and the most isolated of all the Cape Verdean endemics, the rare Raso Lark. From São Nicolau we will sail eastwards towards the small and remote island of Raso. Most Cape Verde tubenose species are only very sparsely distributed at sea, ranging over huge areas, but we should see plenty of Cape Verde Shearwaters and small numbers of Boyd’s Shearwaters, Fea’s (or Cape Verde) Petrels and Bulwer’s Petrels.

We may also see Cape Verde Storm Petrel and White-faced Storm Petrel. Flying fish are frequently to be seen and there is a good chance that we will encounter some dolphins. There has even been a recent record of Trinidade Petrel from these waters!

After about two hours we will reach the ornithologically famous island of Raso (or Razo), which lies between São Nicolau and São Vicente. Here on this small uninhabited island, approximately 2.5 km in diameter, lives the entire world population of the little-known Raso Lark – probably around 1000 individuals according to the latest study. In addition to the famous lark, which is unusual in showing marked sexual dimorphism, Raso possesses several pairs of breeding Western Ospreys and an important seabird colony. Boyd’s and Cape Verde Shearwaters, Cape Verde Storm Petrel, Brown Booby and Red-billed Tropicbirds all nest here, protected by the sheer inaccessibility of this remote island.

Please note that we have enough time on São Nicolau deliberately so that we can have two windows for the Raso pelagic in case of very windy weather. Unlike Fogo, where the waters are more sheltered by the volcano, Raso is very exposed to the wind.

SAL

The rather barren island of Sal had a huge runway built during World War II and this was turned over to civilian use afterwards. In recent years tourism on the island (mostly of the beach variety) has hugely expanded. For this reason, many of the flights to and from the Cape Verde Islands go to Sal rather than Praia.

The island is an easy place to find Greater Hoopoe Lark, but of particular interest are its small wetlands that have turned up many vagrant waterbirds over the years. We are almost sure to find some stragglers here and these have come both from the African mainland and from the Americas!

Cape Verde Islands: Day 12 Our Cape Verde Islands birding tour ends this evening at Sal airport.