Endemics and to some extent near-endemics of Southern Africa is one of the major draw cards of the birding business in this region. The Southern Africa region boasts a total number of 171 endemic or near-endemic species. 99 of these are endemic and 72 near-endemic.
An endemic specie is one that only occurs in a specific region and a near-endemic a specie that occurs only has a very limited range directly outside of the region. The boundaries set for the Southern Africa region is the Zambezi-Okavango-Kunene rivers or 17 degrees South.
The Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis) one of the more easily seen endemics in South Africa.
One of the endangered endemics of Southern Africa, the African Black Oystercatcher (Himantopis moquini). This bird is especially vulnerable to the destruction of it's habitat and nests.
For a complete list of the endemic and near-endemic species of Southern Africa, click here. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes the English, Scientific and Afrikaans names and also the Roberts numbers.
Endemic birds of Sub-Sahara Africa
For the first version of a list of the endemic species of Sub-Sahara Africa , click here. The list uses the fieldguide, Birds of Africa south of the Sahara, as it's primary source and follows the listing thereof. The list includes the English and Scientific names and also the area of endemism. Please send me an e-mail if you download the list so that I can notify you of any updates to the list.
