BIRDWATCHERS TAKE NOTE!
Not only is this area rich in fynbos, but it is also rich in the Cape's endemic birds. Because there is such a variety of habitats in the greater Mossel Bay area, it hosts a very diverse number of bird species many of which are endemic to this area. The attraction of saltpans and sea, shoreline and estuaries, riverine habitats, and Fynbos to wheatlands, attract a fair number of summer migratory birds here and make this a paradise for birdwatchers.
 Subject to tidal action, the SHORELINE produces a large variety of Waders, Terns, Gulls, Oystercatchers and Gannets. The Waders are mostly migratory birds, breeding in the northern hemisphere and spending the summer months in the southern hemisphere. Larger flocks of different species invade the shoreline from September until March/April. Occasionally during the winter storms, unusual seabirds like Shearwaters and Petrels can be seen.
 ESTUARIES like the Goukou river at Still Bay, the Gouritz River Mouth, Klein Brak and Great Brak Rivers, produce Terns, Cormorants, Darters, Egrets, Herons, Ibis, Spoonbills and Hamerkops.
Many of these birds are endemic to this area and will breed here. One of the main bird life assets of the Mossel Bay area is a healthy colony of Oystercatchers, which is an endangered species.
The Mossel Bay FYNBOS areas is home to the beautiful Sugarbird, of which there are only two species in Southern Africa. It also boasts a number of the very colourful Sunbirds, amongst these the Orange breasted Sunbird which is endemic to the fynbos area.
 The surrounding FARMLANDS which is mostly given over to wheat farming, produces a number of raptors like Eagles and Buzzards, five species of larks, the attractive Capped Wheathear and the white Stork. These areas are also famous to spot the South African Emblem - the Blue Crane.
Marine birds which can be viewed OFF SHORE from boats are Gannets, Kelp Gulls, Penguins, Cormorants and Terns.
 One of the most interesting places to visit in the Mossel Bay area is the sewerage works where a fair amount of water fowl like ducks, Bitten Purple Heron and the Island White Whiskered Tern can be found.
After the necessary rainfall local flood plains bring vast numbers of birds. The resident Fish Eagle can be seen, flocks of Flamingo's, Water Fowls, visiting Black Storks, Ruffs from the United Kingdom, as well as any amount of Plovers.
On Zoutpan it is possible to see the following species which are all endemic to South Africa.
Endemic and near-endemic species near Cape Town
those in red are found in the area of Zoutpan |
Grey-winged Francolin |
Scleroptila africanus |
Cape Francolin |
Pternistes capensis |
South African Shelduck |
Tadorna cana |
Cape Shoveler |
Anas smithii |
Hottentot Buttonquail |
Turnix hottentotta |
Knysna Woodpecker |
Campethera notata |
Ground Woodpecker |
Geocolaptes olivaceus |
Acacia Pied Barbet |
Tricholaema leucomelas |
White-backed Mousebird |
Colius colius |
Burchell's Coucal |
Centropus burchelli |
Ludwig's Bustard |
Neotis ludwigii |
Southern Black Korhaan |
Eupodotis afra |
Karoo Korhaan |
Eupodotis vigorsii |
Blue Crane |
Anthropoides paradisea |
Namaqua Sandgrouse |
Pterocles namaqua |
African Black Oystercatcher |
Haematopus moquini |
Burchell's Courser |
Cursorius rufus |
Cape Gull |
Larus [d.] vetula |
Hartlaub's Gull |
Larus hartlaubii |
Damara Tern |
Sterna balaenarum |
Cape Vulture |
Gyps coprotheres |
Black Harrier |
Circus maurus |
Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk |
Melierax canorus |
Forest Buzzard |
Buteo trizonatus |
Jackal Buzzard |
Buteo rufofuscus |
Cape Gannet |
Morus capensis |
Crowned Cormorant |
Phalacrocorax coronatus |
Bank Cormorant |
Phalacrocorax neglectus |
Cape Cormorant |
Phalacrocorax capensis |
African Penguin |
Spheniscus demersus |
Fairy Flycatcher |
Stenostira scita |
Southern Tchagra |
Tchagra tchagra |
Southern Boubou |
Laniarius ferrugineus |
Bokmakierie |
Telophorus zeylonus |
Cape Batis |
Batis capensis |
Pririt Batis |
Batis pririt |
Cape Rock-jumper |
Chaetops frenatus |
Cape Rock-Thrush |
Monticola rupestris |
Sentinel Rock-Thrush |
Monticola explorator |
Fiscal Flycatcher |
Sigelus silens |
Karoo Scrub-Robin |
Cercotrichas coryphaeus |
Mountain Wheatear |
Oenanthe monticola |
Sickle-winged Chat |
Cercomela sinuata |
Karoo Chat |
Cercomela schlegelii |
Tractrac Chat |
Cercomela tractrac |
Anteating Chat |
Myrmecocichla formicivora |
Pale-winged Starling |
Onychognathus nabouroup |
Pied Starling |
Spreo bicolor |
Cape Penduline-Tit |
Anthoscopus minutus |
Grey Tit |
Parus afer |
Greater Striped Swallow |
Hirundo cucullata |
Cape Bulbul |
Pycnonotus capensis |
Grey-backed Cisticola |
Cisticola subruficapillus |
Karoo Prinia |
Prinia maculosa |
Namaqua Warbler |
Phragmacia substriata |
Rufous-eared Warbler |
Malcorus pectoralis |
Cinnamon-breasted Warbler |
Euryptila subcinnamomea |
Knysna Warbler |
Bradypterus sylvaticus |
Victorin's Warbler |
Bradypterus victorini |
Cape Grassbird |
Sphenoeacus afer |
Karoo Eremomela |
Eremomela gregalis |
Layard's Tit-Babbler |
Parisoma layardi |
Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler |
Parisoma subcaeruleum |
Cape Clapper Lark |
Mirafra apiata |
Agulhas Clapper Lark |
Mirafra marjoriae |
Karoo Long-billed Lark |
Certhilauda [c.] subcoronata |
Cape Long-billed Lark |
Certhilauda [c.] curvirostris |
Agulhas Long-billed Lark |
Certhilauda [c.] brevirostris |
Karoo Lark |
Certhilauda albescens |
Spike-heeled Lark |
Chersomanes albofasciata |
Black-eared Sparrowlark |
Eremopterix australis |
Grey-backed Sparrowlark |
Eremopterix verticalis |
Large-billed Lark |
Galerida magnirostris |
Cape Sugarbird |
Promerops cafer |
Orange-breasted Sunbird |
Anthobaphes violacea |
Southern Double-collared Sunbird |
Cinnyris chalybea |
Greater Double-collared Sunbird |
Cinnyris afra |
Dusky Sunbird |
Cinnyris fusca |
Cape Sparrow |
Passer melanurus |
Cape Longclaw |
Macronyx capensis |
African Rock Pipit |
Anthus crenatus |
Cape Weaver |
Ploceus capensis |
Swee Waxbill |
Estrilda melanotis |
Forest Canary |
Serinus scotops |
Yellow Canary |
Serinus flaviventris |
White-throated Canary |
Serinus albogularis |
Protea Seedeater |
Serinus leucopterus |
Cape Siskin |
Pseudochloroptila totta |
Lark-like Bunting |
Emberiza impetuani |
SOME OF THE OTHER BIRD SPECIES TO BE SEEN HERE
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Bishops
Sparrows
Warblers
Black-chested prinia
Common fantail cisticola
Cloud cisticolas
Le vaillant’s cisticola
Sunbird
Malachite sunbird
Orange-breasted sunbird
Greater double-collared sunbird
Lesser double-breasted sunbird
Cape wagtail
Richard’s pipit
Nicholson’s pipit
Plain-backed pipit
Hoopoe
Barbets
Starling
Secretary bird
Black-shouldered kiteblack-shouldered kite
Cape pigeon
Pink-backed pelican
White pelican
Cape gannet
Bokmakierie
Hamerkop
Night heron
Wood ibis
Black stork
White stork
Spoonbill
Lesser and greater flamingo
Spurwing goose
Egyptian goose
African shelduck
Black duck
Yellowbill
Red-bill teal
Secretary bird
Cape vulture
Peregrine and lanner falcons
Rock and lesser kestrels
Black and yellow-billed kite
Black shouldered kite
Black eagle
African hawk eagle
Martial eagle
Jackal buzzard
Red-breasted sparrowhawk
African goshawk
African marsh harrier
Grey-wing francolin
Red-wing francolin
Cape francolin
African quail
Guinea fowl
Hottentot button-quail
Cape rail
Purple gallinule
Moorhen
Red-knobbed coot
Stanley bustard
Black korhaan
Painted snipe
Ringed plover
Kittlitz’ssandplover
Crowned plover
Blacksmith plover
Curlew sandpiper
Common sandpiper
Dikkops
Coursers
Terns
Namaqua sandgrouse
Rock pigeon
Red-eyed turtledove
Cape turtle dove
Laughing dove
Namaqua dove
Emerald spotted wood-dove
Red-chested cuckoo
Klaas’s cuckoo
Burchell’s coucal
Cape bunting
Golden-breasted bunting |
Barn owl
Grass owl
Marsh owl
Wood owl
Cape eagle owl
Spotted eagle owl
European nightjar
Black swift
Little swift
Speckled mousebird
Red-faced mousebird
Narina trogon
Pied kingfisher
Malachite kingfisher
Giant kingfisher
Brown hooded kingfisher
European bee-eater
African hoopoe
Red-billed hoopoe
Trumpeter hornbill
Crowned hornbill
Pied barbet
Greater honey-guide
Scaly throated honey-guide
Lesser honey-guide
Ground woodpecker
Cardinal woodpecker
Olive woodpecker
Clapper lark
Spike heeled lark
Red-capped lark
European swallow
White throated swallow
African sand martin
Black saw-wing swallow
Black cuckoo-shrike
Grey cuckoo-shrike
Fork-tailed drongo
Black-headed oriole
Pied crow
Black crow
Cape raven
Penduline tit
Cape bulbul
Terrestrial bulbul
Sombre bulbul
Cape thrush
Cape rock thrush
Sentinel rock thrush
Mountain chat
Capped wheatear
Familiar chat
Cape robin
Cape reed warbler
African marsh warbler
African sedge warbler
Grassbird
Spotted flycatcher
Dusky flycatcher
Tit-babbler
Fiscal flycatcher
Paradise flycatcher
Cape wagtail
Cape longclaw
Fiscal shrike
Boubou shrike
Tchagra shrike
Wattled starling
Pied starling
Red-winged starling
Cape white-eye
Cape sparrow
Cape weaver
Masked weaver
Red-billed quelea
Red bishop
Cape widow bird
Swee waxbill
Common waxbill
Quail finch
Pin tailed whydah
Cape canary
Forest canary
Bully seedeater
White-throated seedeater
Yellow canary
Streaky headed seed-eater
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