Botswana for Bird Watchers: Where to Go and What You'll See

Botswana doesn't always top the list of Africa's birding destinations the way East Africa does — but it should. Between the Chobe River, the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi wetlands, and the Central Kalahari, the range of species and habitats is genuinely exceptional.

The northern wetlands

Chobe and the Okavango are the standouts. These waterways hold some of the best populations anywhere of the near-endemic Slaty Egret and the endangered Wattled Crane, plus reliable sightings of the huge, elusive Pel's Fishing Owl — a bird many birders travel specifically to Botswana to find. Add in a wide range of herons, storks, and other water birds, and a few days on the water can produce an extraordinary species count.

The extremes

Botswana also hosts some genuine superlatives: the ostrich, the world's largest bird; the Kori Bustard, the heaviest flying bird on the planet; and the red-billed quelea, believed to be the most numerous wild bird species alive, sometimes forming flocks that darken the sky.

Getting the most out of it

Specialist birding guides operate throughout Botswana's parks and can be booked through most lodges — genuinely useful given how much of the best birding happens by call and habitat knowledge rather than chance sightings. The Central Kalahari, despite its arid reputation, also holds its own respectable list of dryland species.