Malawi
Malawi is dominated by the Great Rift Valley and the enormous Lake Malawi, which occupies much of the country's eastern side and is renowned for its exceptionally diverse freshwater fish fauna. Away from the lake, the landscape rises through wooded plateaus and escarpments to isolated mountain massifs. The Nyika Plateau in the north is characterized by rolling montane grasslands, while Mount Mulanje in the south rises dramatically above the surrounding lowlands to more than 3,000 metres. Habitats range from miombo woodland and savanna to wetlands, evergreen forest and high-altitude grassland.
Overview
Malawi offers a particularly attractive combination of miombo woodland and montane birding. The Nyika Plateau is a major site for highland species such as Denham's Bustard, Blue Swallow and Montane Widowbird, while its forest patches hold numerous Afromontane birds. Mount Mulanje is especially important for the highly localized Thyolo Alethe and other forest specialties, and nearby southern highlands add further restricted-range species. Extensive miombo supports Miombo Pied Barbet, White-breasted Cuckooshrike and various sunbirds, while Lake Malawi and associated wetlands attract fish-eagles, kingfishers and waterbirds. Malawi receives fewer birding visitors than neighbouring Tanzania or Zambia but has established lodges and wildlife tourism. The country's relatively small size makes major regions manageable to combine, although reaching some montane forests requires hiking and local guidance.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus | 51.7% | 48.1% | 54.1% | 52.7% | 44.6% | 56.6% | 55.0% | 58.6% | 44.7% | 57.6% | 49.2% | 48.7% | 50.7% |
| Southern Cordonbleu Uraeginthus angolensis | 31.3% | 35.9% | 35.1% | 31.1% | 28.8% | 34.6% | 39.2% | 34.7% | 29.0% | 23.9% | 25.8% | 26.4% | 31.8% |
| Pied Crow Corvus albus | 31.2% | 30.6% | 28.3% | 30.7% | 23.9% | 35.1% | 36.5% | 35.3% | 28.7% | 32.7% | 29.4% | 30.1% | 32.9% |
| Ring-necked Dove Streptopelia capicola | 28.4% | 21.3% | 31.8% | 27.7% | 28.2% | 33.3% | 40.0% | 30.8% | 25.6% | 29.5% | 32.3% | 22.8% | 17.9% |
| Black-backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla | 28.2% | 22.7% | 28.9% | 27.0% | 26.7% | 30.4% | 32.1% | 28.2% | 23.9% | 32.0% | 28.5% | 29.5% | 28.0% |
| Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata | 26.6% | 25.9% | 34.1% | 23.3% | 28.7% | 30.7% | 32.8% | 30.6% | 18.4% | 24.0% | 24.3% | 22.4% | 24.2% |
| Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis | 26.3% | 22.8% | 24.4% | 22.8% | 22.9% | 27.9% | 36.0% | 33.9% | 28.3% | 27.4% | 27.1% | 24.1% | 18.3% |
| Tropical Boubou Laniarius major | 23.8% | 22.8% | 25.5% | 21.6% | 18.2% | 24.4% | 24.2% | 28.0% | 17.3% | 24.8% | 24.6% | 23.1% | 30.7% |
| African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp | 23.0% | 17.6% | 21.0% | 21.3% | 21.2% | 27.0% | 26.6% | 28.2% | 22.5% | 26.3% | 22.1% | 22.6% | 19.6% |
| Yellow-fronted Canary Crithagra mozambica | 22.5% | 23.9% | 27.7% | 32.8% | 23.8% | 20.4% | 20.8% | 17.1% | 16.7% | 19.0% | 19.3% | 23.2% | 25.6% |