Rachel Edwards

Safari sightings

Every animal I saw in Botswana and Zambia, June 2025

After three days on safari, I had exhausted my interest in looking at animals, and developed a new passion for making lists of animals. I now understand the appeal of birdspotting.

Highlights

Zebra crossing
Zebra crossing
Cheeky sundowner by the Chobe River
Cheeky sundowner by the Chobe River
View across the Okavango Delta from the (tiny!) plane
View across the Okavango Delta from the (tiny!) plane
Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls
Rainbow at Victoria Falls
Rainbow at Victoria Falls

The Bestiary

Mammals (26)
African scrub hare
African scrub hare
African wild dog
African wild dogWe saw a pack of five (including one heavily pregnant female) chase down a warthog and eat alive. Gruesome stuff.
Baboon
BaboonThey always walk single file. They sleep in the trees, where they are safe from most predators (except leopards!)
Blue wildebeest
Blue wildebeestOh, look, sire, the herd is on the move.
Buffalo
BuffaloBuffalo do not feint charging like elephants do. If they are charging, they are CHARGING.
Bush buck
Bush buckThe males’ horns can grow up to half a metre long!
Common warthog
Common warthogExtremely relaxed around people, they barely seem notice we’re there.
Elephant
ElephantElephants remember where other elephants have been killed. They cross the river to Namibia during the day to eat, and come back at night to sleep in Botswana (where it's safe from poachers).
Giraffe
GiraffeVery nervous about bending down to drink, and not just because it looks ridiculous - they are very vulnerable to predators when leaning over. Can kill a lion with one kick (if it lands right).
Hippopotamus
HippopotamusClosest living relative is whales. Can hold breath for up to six minutes.
Impala
ImpalaSkittish and leggy. Inner monologue goes something like: “Grass. Grass. Grass. Lion!! … Grass.”
Kudu
KuduFemales have smaller ears and eyes, and must travel in groups for safety. Males have enormous ears.
Leopard
LeopardTo find a leopard: look for a tree with spots.
Lion
LionUsually kill by going for the throat. Defined hierarchy for eating: adult males eat first, then lionesses, then juvenile lions, then cubs.
Spotted hyena
Spotted hyenaFunny-looking fellow.
Water buck
Water buckYassified donkey.
White rhino
White rhinoZambia’s eleven white rhinos are protected by armed guards, 24/7.
Zebra
ZebraThe reason we can rides horses and not zebras isn't just about temperament – zebras have much weaker spines.
  • Banded mongoose
  • Black-backed jackal
  • Malbrouck
  • Red lechwe (water antelope)
  • Sable antelope
  • Slender mongoose
  • Springbok
  • Vervet monkey
Birds (82)
African spoonbill
African spoonbillWonky-looking bird.
Blacksmith plover
Blacksmith ploverWe saw these by the watering hole, dive-bombing baboons in an attempt to scare them off the nest.
Cape glossy starling
Cape glossy starlingAlways seems like they're trying to bum a cigarette.
Secretary bird
Secretary birdAlso known as ‘walking eagle’. Regularly stomps snakes to death, and then eats them.
Swainson's spurfowl
Swainson's spurfowlApparently delicious.
  • African harrier hawk
  • African hawk-eagle
  • African jacana Also called ‘Jesus bird’ because they sometimes walk on water lilies.
  • African openbill
  • African pied wagtail
  • African wattled lapwing
  • Ashy flycatcher
  • Bateleur eagle
  • Bay wing goose
  • Black heron Nighttime…. daytime!
  • Black-collared barbet
  • Black-crowned night heron
  • Black-headed heron
  • Black-winged stilt
  • Bronze mannikin
  • Brown-hooded kingfisher
  • Burchell’s starling
  • Butcher bird
  • Cape turtledove
  • Carmine bee-eater
  • Cattle egret We saw these on top of elephants, eating ticks.
  • Crowned lapwing
  • Egyptian goose
  • Fire-necked nightjar
  • Firefinch
  • Fish eagle National bird of Zambia.
  • Fork-tailed drongo
  • Giant kingfisher
  • Glossy ibis
  • Goliath heron
  • Greater white egret
  • Grey heron
  • Ground hornbill
  • Ground plover
  • Guinea fowl
  • Hamerkop
  • Holub's golden weaver
  • Hooded vulture
  • Kite
  • Kori bustard National bird of Botswana
  • Leopard-faced vulture
  • Lesser jacana
  • Lesser striped swallow
  • Lilac-breasted roller Formerly the national bird of Botswana. Extraordinarily beautiful
  • Little bee-eater
  • Little bittern
  • Little egret
  • Malachite kingfisher
  • Marabou stork
  • Osprey
  • Pied kingfisher
  • Red-billed duck
  • Red-billed hornbill Zazu
  • Red-billed oxpicker Eats ticks from the backs of buffalo, giraffe, etc.
  • Red-crested korhaan
  • Red-throated twinspot
  • Reed cormorant Also known as the ‘long-tailed cormorant’.
  • Sacred ibis
  • Scimitarbill
  • Senegal coucal
  • Striped kingfisher
  • Terrestrial brownbul
  • Tropical boubou
  • Trumpeter hornbill
  • Village indigobird
  • Water thick-knee Also known as the ‘water dikkop’.
  • Wattled starling
  • White-backed vulture
  • White-breasted cormorant
  • White-crowned lapwing
  • White-faced bee-eater
  • White-faced whistling duck
  • Wood dove
  • Yellow-bellied greenbul
  • Yellow-billed hornbill
  • Yellow-billed kite
  • Yellow-billed stork
Reptiles (4)
Crocodile
CrocodileSex is not determined genetically but by temperature. At higher temperatures, most or all hatchlings will be male.
  • Lots of small lizards
  • Monitor lizard
  • Water monitor
Amphibians (1)
Painted reed frog
Painted reed frogA moment of calm and joy during a canoe trip otherwise marred by a close encounter with a hippo.
Insects (4)
Horn burrow moth
Horn burrow mothHighly specialised: larva feed on keratin from the horns and hooves of dead ungulates (hoofed mammals).
Praying mantis
Praying mantisJoined us for dinner. Practices sexual cannibalism.
  • Dung beetle
  • Termites
Plants (2)
  • Baobab tree
  • Sausage tree