Over three years, more than 137 ornithologists, conservationists, and citizen scientists compiled 193 detailed assessments to quantify extinction risk for the region’s birds. The new online Red Data Book (RDB-online) now includes an additional 70 endemic and near-endemic species still considered at lower risk, such as the Cape Sugarbird and Orange-breasted Sunbird. The findings are...
A ground-breaking Community-led conservation project in Senegal is empowering local people to protect vital habitats for migratory birds. Along the East Atlantic Flyway—a key migratory route for millions of birds from Europe to southern Africa—local communities in Senegal are stepping up to protect some of the region’s most important bird habitats. And in doing so,...
KwaZulu-Natal has announced the declaration of the iNkonjane Nature Reserve, a newly protected area named after the Critically Endangered Blue Swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea). Officially proclaimed by MEC Rev. Musa Zondi, the 181.7-hectare reserve potentially strengthens South Africa’s efforts to protect its most threatened species and habitats. Critical Habitat for the Blue Swallow Located next to the existing iMpendle Nature...
Pick up the May/June edition of African Birdlife magazine—available on shelves over the coming days—and explore a powerful season of change, exceptional photography, and bird conservation success stories. It’s a turning point for African Penguins. BirdLife South Africa has secured the protection of critical feeding grounds for six major penguin colonies—a significant conservation win. This milestone doesn’t...
How “Digital Trophies” Are Aiding Bird Conservation In the heart of the Eastern Mediterranean flyway, Lebanon should be a sanctuary for millions of migratory birds traveling between Europe and Africa. Instead, a sobering study reveals that this small nation has become a deadly trap—where social media has turned into a dark window into widespread illegal...
11 April 2025 – South Africa’s critically endangered vultures are under severe threat from expanding energy infrastructure, with collisions and electrocutions from powerlines and wind turbines driving sharp population declines. Vulpro, the country’s leading vulture conservation organisation, has recorded 191 vulture deaths or injuries between 2020 and 2025 due to powerline-related incidents. “In the past month alone,...
Court orders Sol Plaatje Municipality to fix sewerage crisis Kimberley, 11 April 2025 — A High Court ruling has offered long-overdue hope for the waterbirds of Kamfers Dam, once home to South Africa’s only breeding colony of Lesser Flamingos. Judge Stanton, delivering judgment in the Northern Cape Division of the High Court, ordered Sol Plaatje Municipality...
BirdLife South Africa has sounded the alarm over the growing threat wind energy infrastructure poses to birdlife, calling for urgent measures to reduce the impact on vulnerable species. A new report, based on bird monitoring at 33 wind farms across three provinces from 2015 to 2024, reveals that 202 bird species have been recorded as...
Update 6 April 2025 • Bird #26 has reached Dar es Salaam, having flown over 3,200 km in just six days—a remarkable feat.• Bird #24 has arrived in the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania after travelling 2,500 km in six days.• Bird #23 remains just south of the Mozambique–Tanzania border, seemingly enjoying a well-deserved pause...
