Angola

The combination of varied habitats, high species diversity and a significant number of endemics and specialties make Angola a remarkable if little known African birding destination. With habitats ranging from Congo Basin and Afromontane forests to the Namib Desert, it’s no surprise that the country has a bird list of about 950 species.

We’ll begin by sampling the northern escarpment forests near Uíge where numerous Congo Basin birds occur alongside the endemic Braun’s Bushshrike, followed by a visit to the broadleaf woodlands and gallery forests of the Kalandula area, which host forest specialties such as White-headed Robin-Chat, as well as miombo (Brachystegia woodlands) species such as Sharp-tailed Starling. We’ll move on to the central escarpment where Kissama National Park has dry forests at the escarpment foot while the Kumbira Forest contains slightly moister forests at the top of the escarpment. Together these two sites hold almost half of Angola’s endemics and special birds, including Red-crested Turaco, White-fronted Wattle-eye, and Golden-backed Bishop.

We’ll also explore the varied Mount Moco region’s Afromontane forests, montane grasslands and miombo woodlands. Here we’ll hope to see Fülleborn’s Longclaw, Dusky Twinspot, Black-and-rufous Swallow, and Brazza’s Martin. Heading towards the arid coast, we’ll then enter the northernmost tongue of Kalahari and Namibian escarpment habitat where birds such as Hartlaub’s Francolin and White-tailed Shrike can be found.

The tour ends in the Lubango area, where we’ll visit Tundavala in search of Angola Cave Chat among others, and we’ll make a day trip to the coastal deserts to look for Rüppell’s Korhaan and Benguela Long-billed Lark.