During the 2025 Zululand Vulture Project Aerial Survey, a team of conservationists confirmed the very first active Hooded Vulture nest ever recorded in KwaZulu-Natal. The discovery is not only a provincial milestone but also the southernmost breeding site documented for this Critically Endangered species. The survey, carried out by Wildlife ACT in partnership with Ezemvelo...
9 September – The Top 10 finalists are perched and preening for the Bird of the Year title, each hoping your vote will crown them the 2026 champion of chirpers. These aren’t your average backyard sparrows, they’re feathered A-listers (and one rather overambitious contender) vying for that coveted BOTY title. In one corner, we’ve got...
Bird photographers from across South Africa have been recognised for their striking images in the 2025 BirdLife South Africa Photography Competition, announced this week. From dramatic portraits to evocative environmental shots, the winning entries highlight both the artistry of photography and the urgency of bird conservation. Beverly Pickford emerged as the overall winner, claiming the...
Vultures may not be the most glamorous of Africa’s raptors, but their role is vital. By stripping carcasses clean, they prevent the spread of deadly diseases like anthrax, botulism and rabies. Without them, ecosystems and human communities alike would be at risk. Yet across Africa, these ancient birds are vanishing at an alarming rate. On...
Cape Town, South Africa – 26 August 2025 – Conservation organisations BirdLife South Africa and SANCCOB have raised serious concerns following the announcement of new ship-to-ship fuel transfer regulations, which have been described by some as a lifeline for the endangered African Penguin. Feature image: African penguins, admitted to SANCCOB Cape St Francis Centre following...
By Anton Crone From backyards in the United States to the bushveld of South Africa, blind birders are proving that nature is not only something to see. For most birders, the thrill lies in glimpsing flashes of movement and colour through binoculars: bright sunbirds in the African bush or Blue Jays flitting through the tall...
Mpumalanga, South Africa – In a pioneering move for avian conservation and renewable energy, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has launched South Africa’s first state-sponsored bird-tracking initiative focused on informing safer wind energy development in the ecologically sensitive province of Mpumalanga. Dubbed the Mpumalanga Bird Flyways Research Project, the initiative emerges as a reconciliation of conservation science and renewable...
Appeal to fishermen to not discard fishing line. The discovery of an entangled Water Thick-knee at the end of July 2025 on the beach at Mtunzini (KZN) has prompted me to once again appeal to fishermen to be careful and not to discard fishing line, or to at least pick up and remove any line that they may...
By someone who’s made every birding blunder so you don’t have to. I started birding because my wife, Sarah, kept looking up while I was looking down. We’re both nature lovers and often find ourselves in wild places across southern Africa. But on our first trips to the Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park as...
2 July 2025, Johannesburg — In a rare conservation success story, the White-winged Flufftail, one of Africa’s most elusive and threatened birds, has been downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered in South Africa, thanks to over a decade of innovative research and fieldwork led by BirdLife South Africa with support from the Middelpunt Wetland Trust. Feature image of a White-winged...
