Zimbabwe Ramsar wetland
Chinhoyi Caves
205 bird species recorded; the most from January to February and from April to May.
Suesen · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
138 species in January.140 species in February.125 species in March.134 species in April.130 species in May.66 species in June.112 species in July.106 species in August.121 species in September.123 species in October.11 species in November.20 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
205 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 205Speciesrecorded more than once
- 103Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 1ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 3,687Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 1,256 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 13Raptors
- 5Owls
- 8Waders
- 4Ducks & geese
- 14Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 103Songbirds
- 55Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 205 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- African Fish EagleHaliaeetus vocifer
- African GoshawkAccipiter tachiro
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Lizard BuzzardKaupifalco monogrammicus
- Amur FalconFalco amurensis
- Little SparrowhawkAccipiter minullus
- African Harrier-hawkPolyboroides typus
- Black-chested Snake EagleCircaetus pectoralis
- African Cuckoo HawkAviceda cuculoides
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Long-crested EagleLophaetus occipitalis
- Brown Snake EagleCircaetus cinereus
- Western Banded Snake EagleCircaetus cinerascens
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wood OwlStrix woodfordii
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- African Scops-owlOtus senegalensis
- Spotted Eagle-OwlBubo africanus
- Cape Eagle-OwlBubo capensis
Waders8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- African JacanaActophilornis africanus
- African Wattled LapwingVanellus senegallus
- Blacksmith LapwingVanellus armatus
- Crowned lapwingVanellus coronatus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Three-banded PloverCharadrius tricollaris
- Temminck's CourserCursorius temminckii
Ducks & geese4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
- Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensis
Herons, ibises & grebes14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala
- Long-tailed CormorantMicrocarbo africanus
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- HamerkopScopus umbretta
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Black HeronEgretta ardesiaca
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- DarterAnhinga rufa
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Abdim's storkCiconia abdimii
- Openbill StorkAnastomus lamelligerus
- MarabouLeptoptilos crumeniferus
Songbirds103 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White-browed Robin-chatCossypha heuglini
- Dark-capped BulbulPycnonotus tricolor
- Red-throated TwinspotHypargos niveoguttatus
- Southern PuffbackDryoscopus cubla
- Terrestrial BrownbulPhyllastrephus terrestris
- Erythropygia quadrivirgataErythropygia quadrivirgata
- Kurrichane ThrushTurdus libonyana
- Yellow-bellied GreenbulChlorocichla flaviventris
- Blue WaxbillUraeginthus angolensis
- Red-faced CisticolaCisticola erythrops
- Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilis
- Grey-backed CamaropteraCamaroptera brevicaudata
- Spectacled WeaverPloceus ocularis
- Rattling CisticolaCisticola chiniana
- Yellow-throated LongclawMacronyx croceus
- White-bellied SunbirdCinnyris talatala
- African Paradise-FlycatcherTerpsiphone viridis
- Ashy FlycatcherMuscicapa caerulescens
- Yellow-breasted ApalisApalis flavida
- Brown-crowned TchagraTchagra australis
- Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava
- Chinspot BatisBatis molitor
- Black-crowned TchagraTchagra senegalus
- Orange-breasted BushshrikeChlorophoneus sulfureopectus
- Black-headed OrioleOriolus larvatus
- Mirafra africanaMirafra africana
- Bronze MannikinLonchura cucullata
- Arrow-marked BabblerTurdoides jardineii
- Scarlet-chested SunbirdChalcomitra senegalensis
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Ethiopian BoubouLaniarius aethiopicus
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- Northern Yellow White-eyeZosterops senegalensis
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinica
- Croaking CisticolaCisticola natalensis
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Grey-rumped SwallowPseudhirundo griseopyga
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Grey-headed BushshrikeMalaconotus blanchoti
- Southern Black-FlycatcherMelaenornis pammelaina
- Green-winged PytiliaPytilia melba
- Red-collared WhydahEuplectes ardens
- Wire-tailed SwallowHirundo smithii
- Erythropygia leucophrysErythropygia leucophrys
- Motacilla aguimpMotacilla aguimp
- White-crested HelmetshrikePrionops plumatus
- Lesser Swamp WarblerAcrocephalus gracilirostris
- Red-billed FirefinchLagonosticta senegala
- White-winged WidowbirdEuplectes albonotatus
- Black Cuckoo-shrikeCampephaga flava
- Flappet LarkMirafra rufocinnamomea
- Jameson's FirefinchLagonosticta rhodopareia
- Red-billed QueleaQuelea quelea
- Village IndigobirdVidua chalybeata
- Black-and-white MuniaLonchura bicolor
- Purple-banded SunbirdCinnyris bifasciatus
- Yellow-throated Bush SparrowGymnoris superciliaris
- Red-breasted SwallowCecropis semirufa
- Eastern Miombo SunbirdCinnyris manoensis
- Amethyst SunbirdChalcomitra amethystina
- Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
- Cape CrombecSylvietta rufescens
- Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus
- Stierling's Wren-WarblerCalamonastes stierlingi
- Southern Masked WeaverPloceus velatus
- Southern Blue-eared Glossy-StarlingLamprotornis elisabeth
- Red BishopEuplectes orix
- Cape SparrowPasser diffusus
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- African Golden OrioleOriolus auratus
- White-throated Robin-ChatCossypha humeralis
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- African Golden WeaverPloceus xanthops
- Familiar ChatOenanthe familiaris
- Violet-backed StarlingCinnyricinclus leucogaster
- Orange-breasted WaxbillAmandava subflava
- Retz's HelmetshrikePrionops retzii
- Thrush NightingaleLuscinia luscinia
- Orange-winged PytiliaPytilia afra
- Piping CisticolaCisticola fulvicapilla
- African BroadbillSmithornis capensis
- African PipitAnthus cinnamomeus
- Long-tailed Paradise WhydahVidua paradisaea
- BrubruNilaus afer
- Grey Penduline TitAnthoscopus caroli
- Greater Blue-eared StarlingLamprotornis chalybaeus
- Lesser Blue-eared StarlingLamprotornis chloropterus
- Golden-breasted BuntingEmberiza flaviventris
- Cinnamon-breasted BuntingEmberiza tahapisi
- Rock-loving CisticolaCisticola aberrans
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Greencap EremomelaEremomela scotops
- Cape WeaverPloceus capensis
- Red-headed WeaverAnaplectes rubriceps
- Red-capped LarkCalandrella cinerea
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Capped WheatearOenanthe pileata
- Green-backed CamaropteraCamaroptera brachyura
- Tropical BoubouLaniarius major
- Brimstone CanaryCrithagra sulphurata
- Yellow-fronted CanaryCrithagra mozambica
- African Yellow WarblerIduna natalensis
Other birds55 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Emerald-spotted DoveTurtur chalcospilos
- Ring-necked DoveStreptopelia capicola
- Red-eyed DoveStreptopelia semitorquata
- Black-collared BarbetLybius torquatus
- Natal FrancolinPternistis natalensis
- Swainson's SpurfowlPternistis swainsonii
- Brown-headed KingfisherHalcyon albiventris
- Yellow-fronted TinkerbirdPogoniulus chrysoconus
- Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
- Senegal CoucalCentropus senegalensis
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- African Grey HornbillLophoceros nasutus
- Black CrakeAmaurornis flavirostra
- Fiery-necked NightjarCaprimulgus pectoralis
- Striped KingfisherHalcyon chelicuti
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- African Palm SwiftCypsiurus parvus
- Red-chested CuckooCuculus solitarius
- African Black CoucalCentropus grillii
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
- Green WoodhoopoePhoeniculus purpureus
- Trumpeter HornbillBycanistes bucinator
- Giant KingfisherMegaceryle maxima
- Red-faced MousebirdUrocolius indicus
- Diederik CuckooChrysococcyx caprius
- Black CuckooCuculus clamosus
- Grey LourieCorythaixoides concolor
- Crested BarbetTrachyphonus vaillantii
- Malachite KingfisherCorythornis cristatus
- Little Bee-eaterMerops pusillus
- Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens
- Common Scimitar-billRhinopomastus cyanomelas
- Striped CuckooClamator levaillantii
- Lesser HoneyguideIndicator minor
- Lilac-breasted RollerCoracias caudatus
- Klaas's CuckooChrysococcyx klaas
- Broad-billed RollerEurystomus glaucurus
- Tambourine DoveTurtur tympanistria
- Swallow-tailed Bee-eaterMerops hirundineus
- Namaqua DoveOena capensis
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- African Grey CuckooCuculus gularis
- Golden-tailed WoodpeckerCampethera abingoni
- Greater HoneyguideIndicator indicator
- African Green-pigeonTreron calvus
- Emerald CuckooChrysococcyx cupreus
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- African HoopoeUpupa africana
- African CrakeCrex egregia
- Purple-crested TuracoTauraco porphyreolophus
- Cape ParrotPoicephalus robustusVU
- White-rumped SwiftApus caffer
- Crowned HornbillLophoceros alboterminatus
- Bearded WoodpeckerChloropicus namaquus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from January to February and from April to May.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan28°/18°219 mm
- Feb28°/17°168 mm
- Mar28°/16°108 mm
- Apr28°/14°30 mm
- May27°/11°5 mm
- Jun25°/9°2 mm
- Jul25°/8°1 mm
- Aug29°/11°0 mm
- Sep32°/15°3 mm
- Oct34°/18°20 mm
- Nov33°/19°96 mm
- Dec29°/18°201 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Chinhoyi Caves.
Group of caves in north central Zimbabwe
Chinhoyi Caves is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Zimbabwe, 1,256 m above the sea.
205 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 3,687 open records.
The most recorded are the White-browed Robin-chat, the Emerald-spotted Dove and the Dark-capped Bulbul.
41 species come for the summer, 59 for the winter and 3 only pass through.
1 are threatened worldwide, including Cape Parrot.
The most species are recorded from January to February and from April to May.
Get there and watch
- Chinhoyi Cave National Park Campsitecampsite · 1.0 km · 2 within 10 km
- The Chinhoyi Treehouseplace to stay · 5.7 km · 236 within 10 km
- Chinhoyinearest town · 8.2 km in a straight line
- Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (HRE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 121 km in a straight lineCar hire at HRE airport (Harare)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1visitor centres within 6 kmPark Headquartier
- 1viewpoints within 5 kmChinhoyi Cave
- 1car parks within 3 km
- 2campsites within 10 kmChinhoyi Cave National Park Campsite, Orange Grove Motel Campsite
- 236places to stay within 10 kmThe Chinhoyi Treehouse, Zebras Dazzle Bed & Breakfast, Orange Grove Motel and 233 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Chinhoyi Caves.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas6 mountains within 25 kmNjiri · 7.2 kmRomwe Hills · 17 kmRomwe · 17 kmZhonzhi Range · 19 kmNyanga Range · 20 kmHunyani Range · 23 km
Cavernyas1 caves within 20 kmChinhoyi Caves · this place
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Chinhoyi Caves
Zimbabwe
- 68Birdyas Score
- 205Species
- 103Migrants
- 1Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q5101060) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 3,687 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Cavernyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
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Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit caves
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viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
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