Next trip to Zululand, 14-29 March 2020, book now with Birds4Africa ! |
Zululand comprises the tropical north-eastern part of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It provides some of the highest bird diversity with good accessibility of sites for bird ringing, in southern Africa. Good sites are found around Richards Bay and Mtubatuba, easily reached from Durban airport.
Wetlands
Several wetland sites provide weavers and warblers, as well as a variety of other species in the surrounding tropical bush. A wide selection of weavers are present.
Top species (ringed in wetlands in the area): Yellow Weaver, Lesser Masked-Weaver, Southern Brown-throated Weaver, Village Weaver, and Yellow-fronted Canary.
Some specials (ringed in wetlands in the area): African Palm Swift, Pied Kingfisher, Black Cuckoo-shrike, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Olive Bush-Shrike, White-crested Helmet-Shrike, Purple-banded Sunbird and Scarlet-chested Sunbird.


Forests
The catch rate in forests is typically less than in other habitats, but with interesting species possible. An African Goshawk was the first bird in the net on one trip!
Top species (ringed in forests in the area): Red-capped Robin-Chat, Olive Sunbird, Tambourine Dove, Green-backed Camaroptera, and Yellow-bellied Bulbul.
Some specials (ringed in forests in the area): African Goshawk, Square-tailed Drongo, Terrestrial Bulbul, Woodwards Batis, Yellowspotted Nicator, Brown Robin, Collared Sunbird, and Grey Sunbird.


Garden
A private garden in a Sappi plantation attracts birds from the surrounding forest patches, providing relatively easy access to some incredible birds. Birds ringed regularly here include Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Lesser Honeyguide, and Lesser Striped Swallow.
Top species (ringed in garden): Cape White-eye, Village Weaver, Olive Sunbird, Bronze Mannikin, Dark-capped Bulbul, and Red-backed Mannikin.
Some specials (ringed in garden): White-eared Barbet, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Ashy Flycatcher, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Green Twinspot, and Grey Waxbill.


Some previous trips
Here is a list of blogs of some of my many previous ringing trips to Zululand (and Durban), showing a few highlights and species totals that were ringed.
- 9-21 October 2019, Pietermaritzburg
- 29-31 July 2019, Zululand (minimal ringing, 77 birds, of 22 species)
- 6-12 February 2012, Zululand (424 birds, 58 species)
- 14-19 November 2010, Zululand (363 birds, 42 species)
- Jan 2008, Durban and Pietermaritzburg
Species totals ringed and recaptured in Zululand
(species ringed by other ringers with me are not included here)
Sp no. | Species | Latin | Count |
160 | African Goshawk | Accipiter tachiro | 3 |
228 | African Jacana | Actophilornis africanus | 3 |
238 | Three-banded Plover | Charadrius tricollaris | 1 |
314 | Red-eyed Dove | Streptopelia semitorquata | 6 |
319 | Tambourine Dove | Turtur tympanistria | 12 |
321 | Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove | Turtur chalcospilos | 8 |
373 | Fiery-necked Nightjar | Caprimulgus pectoralis | 1 |
385 | Little Swift | Apus affinis | 1 |
387 | African Palm-Swift | Cypsiurus parvus | 2 |
390 | Speckled Mousebird | Colius striatus | 4 |
394 | Pied Kingfisher | Ceryle rudis | 1 |
397 | Malachite Kingfisher | Alcedo cristata | 3 |
398 | African Pygmy-Kingfisher | Ispidina picta | 2 |
402 | Brown-hooded Kingfisher | Halcyon albiventris | 4 |
410 | Little Bee-eater | Merops pusillus | 1 |
431 | Black-collared Barbet | Lybius torquatus | 2 |
432 | Acacia Pied Barbet | Tricholaema leucomelas | 1 |
433 | White-eared Barbet | Stactolaema leucotis | 1 |
436 | Red-fronted Tinkerbird | Pogoniulus pusillus | 1 |
438 | Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird | Pogoniulus bilineatus | 13 |
439 | Crested Barbet | Trachyphonus vaillantii | 3 |
440 | Greater Honeyguide | Indicator indicator | 1 |
441 | Scaly-throated Honeyguide | Indicator variegatus | 3 |
442 | Lesser Honeyguide | Indicator minor | 23 |
447 | Golden-tailed Woodpecker | Campethera abingoni | 1 |
493 | Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | 14 |
503 | Lesser Striped Swallow | Hirundo abyssinica | 17 |
509 | Brown-throated Martin | Riparia paludicola | 1 |
513 | Black Cuckooshrike | Campephaga flava | 2 |
517 | Fork-tailed Drongo | Dicrurus adsimilis | 1 |
521 | Black-headed Oriole | Oriolus larvatus | 1 |
545 | Dark-capped Bulbul | Pycnonotus tricolor | 67 |
546 | Terrestrial Brownbul | Phyllastrephus terrestris | 1 |
551 | Sombre Greenbul | Andropadus importunus | 5 |
552 | Kurrichane Thrush | Turdus libonyanus | 10 |
576 | African Stonechat | Saxicola torquatus | 2 |
579 | Red-capped Robin-Chat | Cossypha natalensis | 26 |
581 | Cape Robin-Chat | Cossypha caffra | 2 |
588 | White-browed Scrub-Robin | Cercotrichas leucophrys | 5 |
595 | Garden Warbler | Sylvia borin | 1 |
604 | Lesser Swamp-Warbler | Acrocephalus gracilirostris | 10 |
606 | African Reed-Warbler | Acrocephalus baeticatus | 14 |
607 | Marsh Warbler | Acrocephalus palustris | 1 |
609 | Little Rush-Warbler | Bradypterus baboecala | 2 |
621 | Long-billed Crombec | Sylvietta rufescens | 2 |
625 | Yellow-breasted Apalis | Apalis flavida | 1 |
627 | Green-backed Camaroptera | Camaroptera brachyura | 14 |
642 | Rattling Cisticola | Cisticola chiniana | 8 |
645 | Rufous-winged Cisticola | Cisticola galactotes | 6 |
646 | Levaillant’s Cisticola | Cisticola tinniens | 1 |
649 | Tawny-flanked Prinia | Prinia subflava | 18 |
654 | Spotted Flycatcher | Muscicapa striata | 2 |
655 | African Dusky Flycatcher | Muscicapa adusta | 3 |
656 | Ashy Flycatcher | Muscicapa caerulescens | 3 |
664 | Southern Black Flycatcher | Melaenornis pammelaina | 2 |
665 | Fiscal Flycatcher | Sigelus silens | 2 |
666 | Dark-capped Yellow Warbler | Chloropeta natalensis | 16 |
677 | Black-throated Wattle-eye | Platysteira peltata | 1 |
682 | African Paradise-Flycatcher | Terpsiphone viridis | 1 |
686 | Cape Wagtail | Motacilla capensis | 2 |
704 | Yellow-throated Longclaw | Macronyx croceus | 1 |
709 | Southern Boubou | Laniarius ferrugineus | 4 |
712 | Black-backed Puffback | Dryoscopus cubla | 1 |
717 | Olive Bush-Shrike | Telophorus olivaceus | 2 |
719 | Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike | Telophorus sulfureopectus | 1 |
727 | White-crested Helmet-Shrike | Prionops plumatus | 2 |
745 | Red-winged Starling | Onychognathus morio | 1 |
766 | Olive Sunbird | Cyanomitra olivacea | 56 |
771 | Collared Sunbird | Hedydipna collaris | 2 |
774 | Scarlet-chested Sunbird | Chalcomitra senegalensis | 8 |
784 | House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | 17 |
791 | Spectacled Weaver | Ploceus ocularis | 30 |
792 | Lesser Masked-Weaver | Ploceus intermedius | 106 |
797 | Village Weaver | Ploceus cucullatus | 109 |
799 | Cape Weaver | Ploceus capensis | 2 |
800 | Yellow Weaver | Ploceus subaureus | 258 |
802 | Southern Brown-throated Weaver | Ploceus xanthopterus | 51 |
804 | Thick-billed Weaver | Amblyospiza albifrons | 9 |
805 | Red-billed Quelea | Quelea quelea | 1 |
806 | Red-headed Quelea | Quelea erythrops | 9 |
808 | Southern Red Bishop | Euplectes orix | 10 |
816 | Fan-tailed Widowbird | Euplectes axillaris | 5 |
823 | Bronze Mannikin | Spermestes cucullatus | 46 |
824 | Red-backed Mannikin | Spermestes bicolor | 34 |
827 | Green Twinspot | Mandingoa nitidula | 17 |
833 | African Firefinch | Lagonosticta rubricata | 8 |
837 | Red-billed Firefinch | Lagonosticta senegala | 2 |
842 | Grey Waxbill | Estrilda perreini | 1 |
843 | Common Waxbill | Estrilda astrild | 26 |
846 | Pin-tailed Whydah | Vidua macroura | 2 |
859 | Yellow-fronted Canary | Crithagra mozambicus | 66 |
863 | Brimstone Canary | Crithagra sulphuratus | 1 |
1172 | Cape White-eye | Zosterops virens | 212 |
Research articles from my Zululand ringing

Oschadleus HD & Underhill LG. 2006. Breeding seasonality and primary moult in weavers in eastern South Africa. Durban Museum Novitates 31: 24-31 (pdf).
Oschadleus HD. 2015. Ringing birds in a Sappi forest garden. KZN Birds 44:12-13.
Oschadleus D. 2015. The Cape Weaver in eastern Zululand. KZN Birds 46:23-25.
Oschadleus HD. 2016. Oldest Southern Red Bishop recorded in KZN. KZN Birds 49:22.
Booking
Book your ringing trip to Zululand with Birds4Africa ! You will be picked up at Durban airport, and a 2 hour drive takes us to Richards Bay. Accommodation is in comfortable bnbs in Richards Bay and later near Mtubatuba, to be near different ringing sites. Durban and Pietermaritzburg ringing sites can also be added to the itinerary, depending on interest. A typical expedition lasts 10 days, but this can be extended.
To make a booking (or enquiry), send an email to Dieter at dieter@birds4africa.org |