General birding around the lodge and during activities.

Abdim's Storks arrive with the summer rains and are commonly seen all around Okonjima foraging for insects. These birds have migrated from Europe, and will depart again at the beginning of the dry season.

Helmeted Guineafowl are common and you can expect to see them scurrying around the water holes and even moving through our luxury bush camp. As enigmatic as these birds are, the Go-away-bird is an even more typically dryland African species with its drawn out call that gives it its name. It belongs to the Lourie family which is a family endemic to Africa.

Three species of doves are commonly seen around the lodges, these are the Laughing, Cape Turtle and Namaqua Doves. Have a look at our birding pages to find out the difference between them.

The African Hoopoe is a characteristic bird with its long decurved bill and crest that is often seen foraging around the lodge, especially between the chalets at our luxury bush camp. The Lilac-breasted Roller is another species typifying southern Africa, with its vibrant colours and long central tail feathers. It is often seen perched on top of a tree from where it scans for prey, anything up to the size of small snakes and rodents.

The Kalahari Robin and Marico Flycatcher are two species often seen both around the lodges, and during activities at Okonjima. The former often dashes away from the car as you drive past out in the bush. It is a fairly non-discript little brown coloured bird. The Marico Flycatcher is a two-toned bird white below and brown above, which sits on the outer branches of trees hawking insects. It is common almost everywhere at Okonjima.

The Paradise Flycatcher is a busy little bird during the summer when it nests around the lodges, they have dark blue heads, chestnut backs and tail, and are white below. The males have much longer tails, and can sometimes be seen tussling with each other over a territory.

The Crimson-breasted Shrike is often seen around the luxury bush camp, and is a handsome bird with a bright red front, and black back. It often nests close to the chalets here. It is also often seen whilst waiting at water holes.

Southern Masked Weavers and Lesser Masked Weavers both nest at main camp, although the former is much more common. Have a look at our birding pages to find out how to separate these very similar species.

The common seed-eaters at Okonjima are the Scaly-feathered Finch, Violet-eared Waxbill and Black-cheeked Waxbill. All three can be seen foraging around the lodges, and are common at any water source, be it the bird bath in front of your chalet, the bird hide or the water-holes out in the bush.