Swaziland Birding Routes
The NHSS intends to post some information to this website that will form the beginnings of the Swaziland Birding Routes. Ultimately the challenge of a formal birding route will lie with the eco-tourism operators focusing on birding tourism. In particular Swaziland needs to develop local bird guides who can show visitors the special birds they wish to see. In the meantime the society hopes to start a small database that can be used by overseas birders to help plan their southern African birding trips. If any local tourism operators have information that they would like to include on the NHSS Swaziland Birding Routes web pages then please get in touch with Phil Perry: phil@naturalhistorysociety.org.sz
So 21% of the 150 most sought after Southern African birds can be found in Swaziland (as per Struik's Southern African Birdfinder). Can you regularly find any of the above birds in Swaziland ? Then you have the potential to become a Bird Guide and to establish a link in the Swaziland Bird Routes. Many regional and overseas birders will gladly pay a guide to show them the birds noted above. At least five of the above birds can regularly be seen in Malolotja Game Reserve in the north of Swaziland: Southern Bald Ibis, Denham's Bustard, Ground Woodpecker, Blue Swallow and Gurney's Sugarbird.
| 1 | Whitebacked Night-Heron | 17 | Pel's Fishing-Owl |
| 2 | Southern Bald Ibis | 18 | Pennantwinged Nightjar |
| 3 | African Pygmy Goose | 19 | Narina Trogon |
| 4 | Cape Vulture | 20 | Southern Ground-Hornbill |
| 5 | Ayres' Hawk-Eagle | 21 | Ground Woodpecker |
| 6 | Forest Buzzard | 22 | African Broadbill |
| 7 | Rufouschested Sparrowhawk | 23 | Dusky Lark |
| 8 | Black Harrier | 24 | Blue Swallow |
| 9 | Blue Quail | 25 | Bush Blackcap |
| 10 | Wattled Crane | 26 | Cloud Cisticola |
| 11 | Striped Flufftail | 27 | Short-tailed Pipit |
| 12 | African Finfoot | 28 | Southern Tchagra |
| 13 | Denham's Bustard | 29 | Gurney's Sugarbird |
| 14 | Thickbilled Cuckoo | 30 | Cuckoo Finch |
| 15 | African Grass-Owl | 31 | Green Twinspot |
| 16 | Cape Eagle-Owl | 32 | Pinkthroated Twinspot |