Miles To The Wild

VIDEOS

Nothing on Youtube! There are a few clips on HBW taken around the Erongo area.

Dusky Sunbird (Cinnyris fuscus)

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Tara

The Dusky Sunbird (Cinnyris fuscus) is found in arid savanna, thickets and shrubland in southern Africa and is duller than most other sunbirds.

They can be found throughout Angola, Namibia, Botswana & South Africa. I saw this one right near our room at Huab Lodge in Namibia.

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VIDEOS

Here’s some slides with a sound clip.

Burchell’s Starling (Lamprotornis australis)

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Tara

Burchell’s Starling or Burchell’s Glossy-starling (Lamprotornis australis) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. The name of this bird commemorates the English naturalist William John Burchell.

They can be found in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. I had my best viewing at Kunene River Lodge but also saw a few in Etosha NP.

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VIDEOS

A safari guide explains some bird facts.

Stunning close-up of this beautiful bird. Note the black eyes which are a major identification point.

Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath)

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Tara

The Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath), also known as the Giant Heron, is the largest heron in the world.

A younger Goliath Heron

They have a huge range in Africa but I can only recall seeing them during the Zambezi River Cruise in Livingstone and the sunset cruise at Kunene River Lodge.

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Heron Conservation

VIDEOS

Nice close ups here!

Fish for lunch!

Crocodile for dinner!

Red-headed Finch (Amadina erythrocephala)

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Tara

The Red-headed Finch (Amadina erythrocephala) (also known as the Paradise Finch or the Red-headed Weaver) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa.

They have quite a large range in southern Africa. I found this one while driving through Etosha NP in Namibia.

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VIDEOS

It’s hard to find video clips of non-captive birds as this species seems to be very popular as aviary birds, but here’s one!

Purple Roller (Coracias naevius)

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Tara

The Purple Roller (Coracias naevius), or rufous-crowned roller, is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. Compared with other rollers its colours are rather dull and its voice rather harsh and grating.

They have a large range throughout southern Africa. I saw this little guy in Etosha NP, Namibia.

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Siyabona Africa

VIDEOS

I found a couple clips of this beautiful little bird!

Shaft-tailed Whydah (Vidua regia)

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Tara

The Shaft-tailed Whydah or Queen Whydah (Vidua regia) is a small, sparrow-like bird in the genus Vidua. During the breeding season the male has black crown and upper body plumage, golden breast and four elongated black tail shaft feathers with expanded tips. After the breeding season is over, the male sheds its long tail and grows olive brown female-like plumage.

They have a large range over much of southern Africa. I saw several in Etosha NP, in Namibia, especially near Okakuejo Rest Camp.

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Flax Photography

VIDEO

There weren’t many options for this beautiful and graceful bird on Youtube but I did find one!

Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)

Posted on October 7, 2017 by Tara

The Fork-tailed Drongo, also called the Common Drongo, African Drongo, or Savanna drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), is a species of drongo in the family Dicruridae, which are medium-sized passerine birds of the Old World. It is native to the tropics, subtropics and temperate zones of the Afrotropics.

This cheeky little bird is very common in Africa and you will see them just about everywhere! These photos were taken in Namibia. I have also seen them in Tanzania (everywhere) Kruger in South Africa and South Luangwa in Zambia.

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VIDEOS

They start out innocent enough.

Some can be friendly.

Others not so much.

Still others are downright devious!

Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala)

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Tara

The Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) has five subspecies:

H. l. acteon (Lesson, R, 1830) – Cape Verde Islands
H. l. leucocephala (Statius Müller, PL, 1776) – Senegal and Gambia to northwest Somalia, north Tanzania and north DR Congo
H. l. semicaerulea (Gmelin, JF, 1788) – south Arabian Peninsula
H. l. hyacinthina Reichenow, 1900 – southeast Somalia to Tanzania
H. l. pallidiventris Cabanis, 1880 – south DR Congo to northwest Tanzania and south to north South Africa

The ones I saw in Zambia would be the last subspecies, H. l. pallidiventris.

As you can see they have a huge range covering most of sub-Saharan Africa. The photos above were taken by me in South Luangwa NP, Zambia.

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VIDEOS

Let’s see what Youtube has. Here’s one from Ghana.

Another one from Gambia.

How about the Kenyan subspecies?

And lastly one from Kruger in South Africa which is the same subspecies as Zambia.

White-fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides)

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Tara

The White-fronted bee-eater (Merops bullockoides) is a species of bee-eater widely distributed in sub-equatorial Africa. They have a distinctive white forehead, a square tail and a bright red patch on their throat. They nest in small colonies, digging holes in cliffs or earthen banks but can usually be seen in low trees waiting for passing insects from which they hunt either by making quick hawking flights or gliding down before hovering briefly to catch insects.

They have a very large range in southern Africa. I saw them in Zambia in both Machile IBA & South Luangwa NP.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHITE-FRONTED BEE-EATERS