Zimbabwean Seasons

The dry season is the best time to visit for game viewing, from May to October, before the rains from, December to March.

November – April – Green Season

The rains arrive, vegetation proliferates and animals are giving birth, the best time for birding.

May – December – Dry Season

A pleasant time of year to travel. In June, Wild Dogs will be denning in Mana Pools. September  Carmine bee-eater nest along the banks of the Zambezi River.

Birding in Zimbabwe

With over 670 species Zimbabwe boasts varied habitats ranging from the lower Zambezi’s Southern Carmine Bee-eater breeding sites to the Blue Swallow’s Eastern highlands montane grasslands. To really experience all that Zimbabwe has to offer you need to at least sample a couple of these habitats with their different birds.

Mashonaland main habitat is Miombo Woodland, with its Miombo Specials.

Matabeleland has more acacia and therefore a different set of birds.

Masvingo, many Miombo specials as well as Swee Waxbills and Black Saw-Wings.

The Zambezi Valley and Kariba, there is the abundance of wildlife and so there are another set of birds but the list goes on crimson-blue clouds of breeding Southern Carmine Bee-eaters, African Skimmers, herons, storks, Lilian’s Lovebirds…

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Animals in Zimbabwe

Most of Zimbabwe’s animals are located in the National Parks and private wildlife ranches which are distributed over the diverse landscape of Zimbabwe ranging from miombo woodlands to thorny acacia or kopje. Not only will visitors find the “Big Five” – buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino, but many other species, some of which are listed in the table below with the National Parks in which they can be found.

Zimbabwe, “the garden of Africa”, is a beautiful country rich in wildlife. Fantastic scenery and wildlife are found in Hwange, Mana Pools and Matobo Hills. Between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, a plateau covered with granite kopjes, mountains and verdant forests offers much to see – including The Victoria Falls.

Elephant
The elephants are the large mammals forming the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea. Three species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. For more information Click Here

Giraffe
The giraffe is a genus of African even-toed ungulate mammals, the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants. The genus currently consists of one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, the type species. Seven other species are extinct, prehistoric species known from fossils. For more information Click Here

Hippopotamus
The common hippopotamus, or hippo, is a large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus. The name comes from the ancient Greek for “river horse”. For more information Click Here

African Buffalo
The African buffalo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. Syncerus caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the typical subspecies, and the largest one, found in Southern and East Africa. For more information Click Here

Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black-and-white striped coats. Their stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds. For more information Click Here

Wildebeest
Wildebeests, also called gnus, are antelopes in the genus Connochaetes. They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed horned ungulates. For more information Click Here

White Rhinoceros
The white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. For more information Click Here

Black Rhinoceros
The black rhinoceros or hook-lipped rhinoceros is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern and southern Africa including Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Although the rhinoceros is referred to as black, its colours vary from brown to grey. For more information Click Here

Lion
The lion is a species in the family Felidae; it is a muscular, deep-chested cat with a short, rounded head, a reduced neck and round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. For more information Click Here

Leopard
The leopard is one of the five species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae. The leopard occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. For more information Click Here

Cheetah
The cheetah is a large cat of the subfamily Felinae that occurs in Southern, North and East Africa, and a few localities in Iran. For more information Click Here

Hyenas
Hyenas or hyaenas are any feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae. With only four extant species, it is the fifth-smallest biological family in the Carnivora, and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems. For more information Click Here

African Wild Dog
The African wild dog, also known as the painted hunting dog, painted wolf, African hunting dog or African painted dog, is a canid native to sub-Saharan Africa. For more information Click Here

 

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