Each year, thousands of millions of African birds undertake seasonal movements, ranging from a few hundred kilometres to epic trans-continental journeys of more than 10 000 kilometres. Of the approximately 1 800 bird species found in sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 200 species migrate seasonally between the Palearctic (Europe and Asia) and Afrotropical (sub-Saharan Africa) regions. A further 50 or so migrate between Africa and the New World, Antarctica and oceanic islands. In addition to these, more than 580 species are known to undertake seasonal migrations within the continent.
Here are some of the birds to look out for during your stay The Hide Safari Camp.
The Barn Swallow
The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts and a long, deeply forked tail. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.
The martin migrates on a broad front to winter in Africa, Arabia, and the Indian subcontinent. The barn swallows wintering in Southern Africa are from across Eurasia to at least 91°E, and have been recorded as covering up to 11,660 km (7,250 mi) on their annual migration.
Most leave the UK during September, with early broods of youngsters being the first to go. But a few stragglers may hang around into October. The return journey to Africa takes about six weeks.
Where do swallows migrate to?
Swallows undertake an impressive 6000 mile migration between the UK and South Africa twice a year in search of food.
They nest in the UK in summer, but as they only feed on aerial insects (the majority of which are large flies, such as horseflies and bluebottles), their food source starts to run out in autumn. Faced with the prospect of little or no food, they start to head south during September and October.
It’s no walk in the park for our departing swallows as their extreme migration takes them south through Europe and across the Sahara desert. They cover approximately 200 miles a day, generally at about 20mph – the maximum flight speed recorded was a whopping 35mph.
In addition to their epic journey, swallows also run the risk of starvation, exhaustion and must cope with extreme weather conditions. Although they fatten up before they leave, it is difficult for them to avoid the hazards they will encounter on route. Therefore, swallow populations do fluctuate year on year.
Black Cukoo and Jacobin Cukoo, levaillants cuckoo, red chested cuckoo
Cuckoos overwinter in Africa, migrating to the UK in the spring and leaving by late June. Fledglings fly to Africa a few weeks after their parents.
Carmine Bee Eaters
The bee-eater is a migratory species, spending the breeding season, between August and November, in Zimbabwe and Zambia, before moving to South Africa for the summer months, and then migrating to Equatorial Africa from March to August.
Species that breed in subtropical or temperate areas of Europe, Asia and Australia are all migratory. The European bee-eaters that breed in Southern Europe and Asia, migrate to the West and Southern Africa. Another population of the same species breeds in South Africa and Namibia; these birds move northwards after breeding.
The lesser grey shrike
The lesser grey shrike (Lanius minor) is a member of the shrike family Laniidae. It breeds in South and Central Europe and western Asia in the summer and migrates to winter quarters in southern Africa, early autumn, returning in spring.
Lesser spotted eagle 
As a migratory species, lesser spotted eagles spend the breeding season in Europe and then migrate to Africa during the winter.
In winter (typically during the month of September), lesser spotted eagles migrate to the warmer climates of South Africa and Mozambique. The specific location of their winter habitat is dependent on the location of their breeding grounds.
Red backed shrike
The Red-backed Shrike breeds in open woodland with dense thorny cover providing hunting posts and thorny branches for impaling the food items (larders).
This species is migratory and winters in South Africa from Europe.
Steppe eagle
Winter in Africa from Europe and Asia
White Stork
Storks living in central and northern Europe migrate to southern Europe and Africa in the autumn, with an eastern route and a western route. The captive-bred birds are offspring of storks originally brought from Poland and so some researchers expected them to use an easterly migratory path.
Yellow Billed Kite
They migrate annually to central-east Africa from late March each year. The birds eat mostly small rodents, frogs and insects. They can sometimes be seen in November and December during impala lambing season eating the afterbirth.
