Moz-Birding TOURS & Safari

21/03/2024

In the enchanting landscapes of Mozambique, a country known for its vibrant culture and breathtaking natural beauty, birdwatchers in 2024 can revel in the unique opportunity to observe a plethora of endemic bird species that call this place home. From the vivid plumage of the Mozambique Spurfowl and the elusive Namuli Apalis, to the captivating calls of the East Coast Akalat and the striking Green-headed Oriole, Mozambique offers an avian treasure trove awaiting discovery. These endemic species, alongside the Dapple-throat and the Olive-headed Weaver, provide a mesmerizing glimpse into the rich biodiversity and ecological uniqueness of Mozambique, making it a must-visit destination for birders around the globe seeking to add these exclusive sightings to their birdwatching adventures.

03/05/2020

21/09/2017

02/08/2015

Birdwatching in Mozambique

Mozambique stretches over 2000km from north to south. It is a lush and varied country, and birding in Mozambique is particularly good along its Indian Ocean coastline. Migrant coastal waders are found in the south, whilst the ornithological records of the bays and islands of the north are still incomplete.
Birdwatching in Mozambique offers the chance to see spectacular species including the endangered Thyolo alethe; beautiful white-tailed blue flycatcher; and striking red and blue double-collared sunbirds. Other popular and colourful species include the mangrove kingfisher; tiny greenbul; and olive-headed weaver.

One of the birding highlights of southern Mozambique is Gorongosa National Park, which has open woodlands, grasslands and expansive seasonal wetlands.In the far north, the Quirimbas Archipelago remains relatively untouched and thus of special interest to keen birdwatchers. Ornithological records here are constantly being updated, with new sightings recorded very frequently. For more of our ideas and the best lodges for birdwatching in Mozambique, see the links below.

02/08/2015

ZAMBEZI RIVER DELTA, SOFALA PROVINCE:
The Zambezi River Floodplain refers to the area in the immediate vicinity of Caia, where numerous pans and oxbow lakes branch off from the Zambezi River, along with the grassy plains located between Caia, and Villa de Sena (to the north). An exciting new destination, slightly to the north of Villa de Sena, GEZL, is also included, which comprises good access to the Zambezi River, some productive riverine woodland, and vast tracts of open woodland. The birding within this area is always productive, and holds many great specials. The entire area is rather populated, and one must just be aware when out birding of the surroundings, but in general the people are friendly and willing to assist should a problem arise.

26/06/2015

Mozambique combined show the highest diversity on the planet in terms of 30 different avian orders represented. They also share with coastal West Africa and Tanzania and Uganda the second-highest count of different families, only surpassed by northern India. This tour easily yields more than 400 species out of this incredible avian biodiversity. It also leads through varied and extremely beautiful scenery. Combined with excellent infrastructure in Zimbabwe and ever improving conditions in Mozambique, this is a delightful and exciting tour for the avid world birder.

Beginning the ‘Birding Tour Zimbabwe’ adventure in Harare on Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland Plateau, we almost immediately start searching for a host of south-central African endemics, largely confined to Miombo woodland and occurring in neither South nor East Africa. Many of these birds have this unique woodland type in their name, such as Miombo Tit, Miombo Rock Thrush, Miombo Double-collared Sunbird, and a lot of others. After a couple of days birding around Harare, we head eastwards to the beautiful mountains straddling the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, en route hoping to find the unusual Boulder Chat, a species almost confined to Zimbabwe.

Here in the Eastern Highlands evergreen forests hold some very localized endemics such as Chirinda Apalis and Roberts’s Warbler, as well as several birds that are more easily found here than in other countries, including Swynnerton’s Robin. We also bird mountain grasslands for the vulnerable Blue Swallow, and with luck we might find Striped or Buff-spotted Flufftail, Scarce Swift, and other birds that are fairly widespread but never easy to find.

After a few days in this idyllic mountain paradise, we eventually cross the border into the steaming lowlands of Mozambique and head to the sprawling delta area of the Zambezi, one of Africa’s greatest rivers. Here we hope to find the dazzling African Pitta displaying (we try our best to time the tour right for this). We also hope to find a rich array of other specials, such as East Coast Akalat, White-chested Alethe, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Lowland Tiny Greenbul, Mangrove Kingfisher, and tons more.

The wide coastal plain is interrupted by Mount Gorongosa, where we stop for three days in search of Green-headed Oriole, Blue Quail (with luck), Pallid Honeyguide (difficult to get visuals on!), Speckle-throated Woodpecker, Pel’s Fishing Owl (if we’re lucky), Red-winged Warbler, and many others.

We end the tour in the port city of Beira. Nearby, at Rio Savane, we hope to find some excellent waterbirds (Rufous-bellied Heron can be surprisingly common here), but the number of waterbirds depends on how much rain has fallen.

All in all, this ‘Birding Tour Zimbabwe’ excursion includes some of the richest parts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique for birds, encompassing an amazingly wide range of habitats. Starting the trip in Harare and ending it in Beira means that we can minimize driving time and maximize birding time. Given just 15 days, this is the route to take if you want to find the greatest number of tough and localized birds, along with an extremely respectable total bird list

20/05/2014

Mozambique commits to tackling wildlife crime
Under increasing pressure from CITES, neighbouring South Africa and the international conservation community, Mozambican government officials have committed to escalate their responses towards tackling wildlife crime, particularly elephant and rhino poaching.

Under increasing pressure from CITES, neighbouring South Africa and the international conservation community, Mozambican government officials have committed to escalate their responses towards tackling wildlife crime, particularly elephant and rhino poaching.

16/05/2014

Our birding trips to Mocambique cover a variety of habitats including Montane forest (Mount Gorongosa), Lowland forest (Chinizua), Mangrove swamps (Rio Savane), Coastal (Beira) and a variety of mixed woodlands. This diversity ensures maximum results for your time in Mocambique and gives you a great cross-section of the country at the same time.The areas highly threatened lowland forests and miombo woodlands are home to many African specials such as African Pitta Pitta angolensis, Green-headed Oriole Oriolus chlorocephalus, East Coast Akalat Sheppardia gunningi, White-chested Alethe Alethe fuelleborni, Chestnut-fronted Helmet-Shrike Prionops scopifrons, Olive-headed Weaver Ploceus olivaceiceps, Plain-backed Sunbird Anthreptes reichenowi, Locust-Finch Paludipasser locustella and the localised Mascarene Martin Phedina borbonica in winter, also a time when Crab-plover Dromas ardeola and Greater Frigatebird Fregata minor can be found along the coast. Areas of Mozambique, north of the Zambezi River, are largely unexplored ornithologically with a recent trip to the area.