A ringed royal albatross photographed off Cape Point on 3 August 2026 raises questions about how to identify young birds of the two royal albatross species. Peter Ryan. In the good old days, there were Wandering and Royal Albatrosses. Then life got complicated. Now we recognise four or five species in the wandering albatross complex,...

BirdLife South Africa’s annual raffle is back—and this year, you could win the birding adventure of a lifetime: an 8-day journey for two to the Philippines’ Visayan Islands, worth R150,000! Explore Cebu, Bohol, and Negros, each home to bird species found nowhere else, with Rockjumper Worldwide Birding Adventures from 3–10 April 2027. The prize includes...

Nature’s quiet corners Some of the most memorable experiences in nature are not necessarily the dramatic ones. They are the quieter moments: a bird among flowering shrubs, the dawn chorus drifting across a river, or the discovery of a wild place that feels removed from the modern world. This issue is filled with such moments....

Almost three-quarters of a million Gen Z-ers in Great Britain now regularly enjoy birdwatching, making it their second fastest growing hobby  Massive 10-fold increase in 16 to 29-year-olds (Gen Z-ers) regularly birdwatching since 2018, and numbers are still on the rise  Research published ahead of International Dawn Chorus Day on Sunday 3rd May, when the symphony of birdsong reaches its peak each spring   The RSPB and its President, NHS and TV...

9 April 2026 Velddrif, Western Cape, South Africa – A ground-breaking research initiative by BirdLife South Africa is set to uncover the remarkable journeys of migratory shorebirds by deploying tracking devices on these species – a first for the country. The project focuses on tagging, colour-ringing, and monitoring species such as Curlew Sandpipers (Calidris ferruginea)...

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 in western Europe migrate to West Africa and those that migrate to eastern southern African,...

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 of coucal chicks would be mongoose and snakes.  But those spiky white wire-like protrusions may...

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 calling and are not included here. The throat patches of the four species included in...

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 States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis, released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS),...

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 conservation at his nature reserve, now his passion and enthusiasm may soon make his bird...