Zambia has more than 780 bird species. The main national parks (South Luangwa, Kafue and Lower Zambezi) offer great birding opportunities. And some lesser-known destinations are equally rewarding. Visit Liuwa Plain National Park to see swarms of migrating black-winged pratincoles. Lochinvar National Park is a wetland birding hot spot of note, and Kasanka National Park is home to several interesting Central African species, such as Ross’s turaco and Böhm’s bee-eater. No birding trip is complete without a boat trip in the Bangweulu Wetlands to look for shoebill. Migratory birds are present from November to April.
Endemic Birds
(E) endemic = only lives in ZambiaOther Birding Specials Treats for Avid Birders
- African finfoot
- African pitta
- Anchieta’s barbet
- Anchieta’s sunbird
- Angola lark
- Babbling starling
- Bamboo warbler
- Bar-tailed trogon
- Bar-winged weaver
- Bertram’s weaver
- Black-and-rufous swallow
- Black-chinned quailfinch
- Black-collared bulbul
- Black-necked eremomela
- Black-rumped buttonquail
- Blue quail
- Blue swallow
- Bocage’s akalat
- Böhm’s bee-eater
- Böhm’s flycatcher
- Chestnut-headed flufftail
- Collared flycatcher
- Corncrake
- Fülleborn’s longclaw
- Great snipe
- Grey-winged robin-chat
- Grimwood’s longclaw
- Laura’s woodland warbler
- Locust finch
- Margaret’s batis
- Miombo pied barbet
- Montane marsh widowbird
- Mountain yellow warbler
- Olive-flanked robin-chat
- Olive-tree warbler
- Papyrus yellow warbler
- Pel’s fishing-owl
- Red-capped crombec
- Ross’s turaco
- Rosy-throated longclaw
- Rufous-bellied tit
- Scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird
- Sharpe’s akalat
- Sharp-tailed starling
- Shelley’s sunbird
- Shoebill
- Slaty egret
- Souza’s shrike
- Spotted creeper
- Spotted thrush-babbler
- Streaky-breasted flufftail
- Striped crake
- Thick-billed cuckoo
- Thrush nightingale
- Waller’s starling
- Wattled crane
- Western banded snake eagle
- White-chested alethe
- White-spotted flufftail
- White-winged swamp warbler
Best Time for Bird Watching
The best time for birding in Zambia is between November and April. It is the Wet season, also called the ‘Emerald season’, when wetland areas come alive, birds are breeding and big flocks of migrants add to the resident species. Note though that some areas become difficult to access and many lodges are closed in the Wet season.
Best Parks for Birding Includes Birding Rating
North and South Luangwa National Parks are excellent places to see a variety of raptors and waterbirds. Bangweulu Wetlands is another spot where waterbirds gather, and it’s home to the elusive shoebill as well. Kafue National Park is the best place to look for the endemic black-cheeked lovebird.
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South Luangwa NP
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North Luangwa NP
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Kasanka NP
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Lochinvar NP
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Kafue NP
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Bangweulu Wetlands
Recommended Birding Books
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Birds of Zambia (app)
The only comprehensive dedicated Zambia field guide; a must!
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Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa
Only southern African guide that’s comprehensive for Zambia.
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Roberts Bird Guide (2nd edition; book and app)
Superb but omits Zambian species absent south of the Zambezi.
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The Birds of Zambia: An Atlas & Handbook
Not a field guide but an atlas aimed at serious birders.
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Birds of Zambia (pocket guide)
Incomplete (only 425 species) but handy alongside ‘Roberts’.