Endangered Birds

Top of the list of Southern Africa?s endangered
birds is the Egyptian vulture. This bird lives in East
Africa , but occasionally comes south to Zambia
and Botswana . Other endangered birds of prey
include the Cape vulture, the lappet-faced vulture
and the bateleur eagle, although all can be seen in
Zambia – especially in national parks.

Countrywide, populations are falling simply
because the birds don?t get enough to eat, as small
animals and other prey are taken by human
hunters or find their own habitats reduced.

The ground hornbill, a black turkey-sized bird with
a prominent red bill, is also threatened in farming
areas, although in the protected environs of
national parks sightings are common.

One of Africa ?s rarest birds is the shoebill stork
which is found in one place in Zambia, and just a
few other places in Africa.

Also near the top of the endangered list in Africa is
the wattled crane, a tall, long-necked wading bird
with characteristic nodes (or wattles) under its bill.
It inhabits wetland areas, which are a particularly
threatened habitat as they are drained to provide
farming or housing land, flooded under dams, or
silted up because of soil erosion.

Compared with some other countries in Southern Africa, the chance of seeing wattled cranes in Zambia is quite
good – especially in Kafue National Park.

Another wetland bird, which occurs notably in the
Zambezi Valley between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is
the African skimmer. It is also threatened by
human intervention, this time by power boats: Their
wakes flood the skimmers? nest sites.

Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/zambia/wildlife/endangered-species