CLASSIC TOURS & SAFARIS LTD
BIRD WATCHING SAFARIS
Tanzania is an amazing birding destination in the world.
Tanzania boasts a bird list of 1,038 species, the 3rd biggest in
Africa. Eight of the 10 families endemic to mainland Africa are present.
Raptors, plovers, parrots, turacos, bee-eaters, barbets, starlings,
weavers, pipits and sunbirds are well represented. Led by excellent guides
specialised in Bird life, this safari will visit some of the most
interesting areas in Northern Tanzania focusing into different habitats
and ecosystems. This is a safari for keen naturalists, for people
interested in something else than viewing wildlife from the comfort of
their vehicle. Apart from the usual game drives in 4WD we will walk with
our binoculars in the Acacia woodlands and plains of Sinya, the
Mountain Forests of Arusha National Park and Ngorongoro, the
Baobab country in Tarangire, the Rift Valley escarpment and ground
water forest at Lake Manyara and the Serengeti Plains in search of the
most interesting bird species.
In
contrast to popular safaris which are oriented towards large mammal
viewing, our bird watching safaris present a truer picture of the rich
biodiversity of Tanzania & East Africa with attention given both to
birding and to regular wildlife observation.
Northern parks
are home to countless birds including many Tanzanian specialties
(grey-breasted spur fowl, Fischer's lovebird, Rufous-tailed weaver, ashy
starling and yellow-collared lovebird) more than 40 raptors including
vultures, eagles, harriers, hawks, falcons and kites. turacos, starlings,
barbets, woodpeckers, sunbirds, honey guides, larks, chats, water birds and
more.
Southern parks
like Mikumi, Ruaha and Selous are where we look for miombo woodland
specialties such as pale-billed and trumpeter hornbills, Reichenow's
woodpecker, Dickinson's kestrel, violet-crested turaco, brown-necked
parrot, pale batis, miombo rock-thrush, orange-winged pytilia, and
broad-tailed paradise-whydah. These are also good general birding sites
with an abundant avifauna of storks, herons, raptors, bee eaters, weavers
and more. When in the south we sometimes bird the vast kibasira swamp,
where 3 new bird species were discovered in the last 10 years. We stand a
very good chance of seeing both the two distinctive cisticolas which are
as yet undescribed and the Kilombero weaver.
Eastern Arc Mountains
Long isolated from other highland blocks, the flora and fauna of these
mountains have evolved into a significant number of endemic and
near-endemic species. Birding in the Uluguru, Usambara and
Udzungwa Mountains we look for fuelleborn's boubou, white-chested
alethe, Usambara akalat, African tailorbird, Chapin's apalis, Mrs.
Moreau's warbler, spot-throat, loveridge's, banded, and Uluguru
violet-backed sunbirds, and Usambara weaver. Other species, which are
harder to see but also occur are : dapple-throat, long-billed tailorbird
and Udzungwa Forest partridge.
Western
Tanzania Birding Destinations
include
Rubondo Island, Mahale Mountains and Gombe Stream National Parks.
These are remote destinations and are hard and expensive to get to but the
rewards for those who make it are great. These are beautiful forest parks,
they are world renown for their populations of chimpanzees but also for
other forest & lake inhabitants like Sitatunga, spotted necked otters,
red tailed monkeys and red and black & white Colobus. Bird species include
giant kingfisher, blue breasted kingfisher, crowned eagle, African
broadbill, Ross's turacos, Livingstone's turacos, trumpeter hornbill, palm
nut vulture, green pigeon, emerald cuckoo, cinnamon-chested bee-eater,
yellow-whiskered Greenbul, crested guinea fowl, redwing starlings,
violet-backed starlings, golden rumped tinker-bird, double-toothed barbet,
red-chested cuckoo, red-capped robin-chat, Peter's twin spot only to name a
few. Rubondo Island is also famous for having the world's largest
population of African fish eagles.
