Hotspots | BirdLife Botswana

WHERE TO BIRD

Birding around Botswana

There is no doubt about it - with about 577 bird species including over 500 regularly occurring species, Botswana offers some brilliant birding opportunities. With a knowledgeable local guide you may expect 100 species per day in winter, and up to 200 species in summer.

Important Birding Areas (IBA) of Botswana

Birdlife International's Important Bird Area (IBA) programme is a worldwide initiative aimed at identifying and protecting a global network of sites for the conservation of the world's birds and other biodiversity.

In Botswana, the IBAs are well distributed throughout the country. Over half of them (seven sites) are wetlands, either very large wetlands and adjacent areas (Okavango Delta, Lake Ngami, Makgadikgadi Pans and the Chobe/Linyanti river system), or small artificial wetlands (Bokaa Dam). Two sites are designated as IBAs because of their colonies of the globally threatened Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres) and these include Mannyelanong Hill and Tswapong Hills.

To read more about Botswana's twelve IBAs click on the map.

BOTSWANA HOTSPOTS

Whether on a month long tour around the country or a quick business meeting in the capital city of Gaborone, there are plenty of places around Botswana that you can bird. Besides the obvious national parks and game reserves that Botswana is renowned for, there are numerous lesser known areas to bird and so we have provided a few options below that will provide any birder with hours of enjoyable birdwatching!