Into the blue: a new documentary on Blue Swallows

Into the Blue is a powerful short documentary by Richard Flack that traces the fragile future of one of South Africa’s rarest birds, the Blue Swallow. What began as a simple day of filming at Roselands Nature Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal evolved...
30 March 2026
Pennant-winged Nightjar

March calendar bird – Pennant-winged Nightjar

Image by MANFRED SUTER, text by FAYE KNIGHT March has quickly snuck up on us which means the bird of the month is here! The Pennant-Winged Nightjar, a jewel in the crown for SA birders, is the featured bird for the month...
11 March 2026
birdwatching tips

Lessons from Nature: Learning to See

By John Kinghorn, Avitourism Project Manager, BirdLife South AfricaFor many people, birding and tracking seem to belong to two entirely different worlds. Birders are often imagined by others with binoculars pointed skyward, scanning treetops for flashes of movement and bright...
10 March 2026
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Getting to Know European Bee-eaters

When you next see a European Bee-eater, don’t assume that it’s from western or central Europe or if it speaks French or Spanish, because it probably doesn’t! Some  interesting results were  posted on Facebook presenting migratory patterns. The birds that breed...
6 March 2026
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Photo of the Day

3 March – Little Egret, by Gouadjelia Tarek. Each day we scour Birdlife South Africa’s social media community, and submissions from photographers, to find the Photo of the Day. Sometimes we don’t find a winner, but thanks to the talent...
4 March 2026

On shelves today!

27 February – As I write this, the waters have subsided in Kruger National Park after double the seasonal average rainfall caused widespread infrastructure damage and the temporary closure of several camps. Among them was Return Africa’s Pafuri Camp, set...
27 February 2026
Mouse Free Marion Project
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Mouse-Free Marion Project secures transformational pledge

By Tarryn Havemann, Mouse-Free Marion Project Development Officer 26 February – The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project has secured a transformational pledge of US$10 million from a Swiss-based international foundation. This commitment represents the largest contribution received to date and marks...
26 February 2026
Malachite Sunbird

February calendar bird – Malachite Sunbird

Image by HINESH PATEL, text by FAYE KNIGHT African Birdlife is back with the bird of the month from our annual calendar! February features the nectar-loving bird renowned for their brilliant metallic-green plumage, the Malachite Sunbird. Now, keeping to the...
12 February 2026
Big Year of African Bird Sounds

2026 Big Year of African Sounds

By Anton Crone, 11 February – Across Africa’s sweeping landscapes, birds are constantly singing, calling and chattering in a glorious chorus of sound. Yet despite the continent’s extraordinary avian diversity, Africa remains under-represented in global bird sound libraries. The Big...
10 February 2026

Bad Hair Day: The Spiky Secret of Coucal Chicks

By Hugh Chittenden – Welcome to the world of weird things, trichoptiles, the strange hair-like protrusions on newly hatched coucal chicks. I’ve been trying to get my head around the function of coucal trichoptiles. Being almost ground level breeders, two of the main predators...
2 February 2026
endangered food source
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How You Can Help Stop Food Scarcity for Critically Endangered African Penguin

By Faye Knight 28 January – WWF’s Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (WWF-SASSI) has released its updated list to guide seafood lovers on how to select the most sustainable seafoods and highlights the need for continued caution in what consumers...
28 January 2026

BirdLife South Africa: The year by numbers 2025

We highlight some of our BirdLife South Africa’s key achievements from the year – from saving African Penguins from extinction to tracking a European Roller from Limpopo to China, and much more! Feature image: BirdLife South Africa’s management team. You...
22 January 2026
Korhaans

Korhaans – the all-important black throat patch

By Hugh Chittenden This note deals with one of the most interesting aspects of Korhaan biology which is their habit of using throat feathers in display, especially while calling. The ‘black’ Korhaans are better known for their aerial cruises while...
19 January 2026
Narina Trogon

January’s calendar bird – Narina Trogon

Image by JANDRÉ PETRUS VERSTER, text by FAYE KNIGHT Every year Birdlife South Africa releases a calendar that showcases fantastic photography of some fan favourite birds. The photographs featured in this year’s calendar were entered into the Birdlife South Africa...
12 January 2026

Birding in the United States: A giant of conservation and the economy

Birding is often portrayed as a gentle, solitary pursuit, binoculars raised and voices lowered. Yet behind this calm exterior lies one of the most significant nature-based activities in the United States, both culturally and economically. According to Birding in the United...
5 January 2026

Just the beginning: A bird observatory rises in the Karoo

South Africa is on the verge of taking great strides towards establishing the country’s first bird observatory at the Khoisan Karoo Conservancy in Northern Cape province. The project is driven by Mr PC Ferreira who has made enormous progress in...
29 December 2025

South Africa’s National Biodiversity Assessment – a living resource

By Alan Lee The National Biodiversity Assessment 2025 (NBA) was launched on 9 December 2025 by an array of governmental luminaries, including Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts. The NBA marks a major milestone for biodiversity science and conservation in South Africa....
17 December 2025
African Birdlife magazine

Evolution, Extinction, Salvation – The Latest African Birdlife Magazine

By Anton Crone I visited Mauritius some years ago. By then I had already read The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions by David Quammen, an exceptional exploration of how isolation shapes evolution, and how...
15 December 2025
Lovelater Sebele
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Through the Eyes of Vultures – interview with author Lovelater Sebele

Editor of African Birdlife magazine Anton Crone conducted an interview with debut author and conservation biologist Lovelater Sebele discussing her new title, Through the Eyes of Vultures. Sebele takes readers through the strife and ever-changing landscapes that vultures face each...
10 December 2025
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Western Cape’s conservation estate grows by 47 000 hectares

Cape Town (08 December 2025) – The Western Cape has added 47 000 hectares to its conservation estate through the declaration of two new nature reserves and the expansion of two others. This major boost to the province’s protected areas creates...
8 December 2025

How You Can Help During South Africa’s Latest Avian Flu Outbreak

By Faye Knight – The coastline of southern Africa has been facing an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) since July 2025, specifically in the Western Cape and Gqeberha regions and marking this outbreak to be the first since...
25 November 2025
Racket-tailed Roller, Pafuri

Win a trip to birding heaven in the 2025 Birding Big Day

Calling all bird-enthusiasts, nature-lovers and friendly competitive teams: this year (on 6 December 2025) the team at BirdLife South Africa are once again calling you to take part in their annual Birding Big Day. It’s simple: register your team, pick...
21 November 2025
Botha's lark
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Botha’s Lark, South Africa’s most endangered bird, rediscovered after 18 months

With fewer than 340 individuals thought to be left in the wild, the Botha’s Lark could become the first bird in mainland Africa to go extinct in modern memory, but recent breakthrough discoveries are giving conservationists hope. 18 November 2025, Johannesburg,...
18 November 2025
Living Planet Awards
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WWF applauds effort to protect Black Harrier heartland

18 November, 2026 – WWF South Africa has announced the recipients of its 2025 Living Planet Award, honouring individuals and organisations whose work strengthens the country’s environmental future. This year’s awardees are Dr John Kani in the individual category for...
18 November 2025

Chad and African Parks Renew Partnership After Two-Week Standoff

N’Djamena, Chad, 17 October– The Chadian government and the conservation organisation African Parks have restored their partnership agreements for the management of the country’s protected areas, ending a two-week diplomatic standoff triggered by Chad’s unilateral termination of the accords earlier this month....
17 October 2025