Secret superhero or skulking celebrity?
Seeing is believing: Mike Unwin pursues the African finfoot What is it about the African finfoot that gets birders...
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Bands on the run
Seeing is believing: Mike Unwin admires the collective spirit of the banded mongoose Pandemonium on the savannah. A martial...
The curious case of the stump in the night time
Confessions of a safari addict, by Mike Unwin “There it is! Just look at its little ears,” said the...
Bateleur eagle: born to perform
Always one for a dramatic bird of prey, Mike Unwin casts his binoculars in the direction of this great...
Hamerkop: harbinger of doom?
It’s early evening in a rural Swazi village. A brown bird cruises low overhead in buoyant, unhurried flight. At...
Day of the jackal
Trot, trot, trot. Stop, sniff, spray. Trot, trot, trot… There’s no mistaking a foraging jackal. Restless and relentless, it...
Crowned crane: the dancing bugler
Tan-tan-tara! It seems fitting that a trumpet fanfare should herald the arrival of this most regal-looking bird. To be...
6 of the best primates to spot
1 Mountain gorillas This enormous ape is a high-altitude race of the eastern gorilla. Just over 1000 remain in...
Elephant ancestry? The remarkable case of the rock hyrax
‘Seriously?’ This – or similar – is the standard response when guides inform guests that a rock hyrax’s closest relative...
Why Africa?
Why do seasoned safari-goers return to the continent time and again, despite the myriad other global wildlife hotspots jostling...
Easy riders: the curious life of the oxpecker
A giraffe stands stock still. Tall and statuesque, its long neck and limbs are completely motionless. And yet somehow...
Capturing kaleidoscopes: the lilac-breasted roller
Wow! Look at that! Goooorgeous! If there’s one bird guaranteed to get even the most bird-blind of safari-goers reaching...
For the love of birds
Despite Uganda’s relatively small size, its unique position means a rich portfolio of habitats and thus a profusion of...
High jump heavyweight: the eland
OK, so the common eland (Taurotragus oryx) is just an antelope. But it’s a biggie. With bulls standing some...
Palmnut vulture: the vegetarian alternative
Devotees of death; connoisseurs of carnage: vultures are surely the most confirmed carnivores of the bird world. With eyesight...
Walking on water: the African jacana
Walking on water is not as hard as you might imagine, as long as you have the right feet for...
Spotted at night: the slinky allure of the genet
Sometimes, watching African wildlife leaves you conflicted. My first sighting of a freckled nightjar is a case in point. As...
Where eagles dare
As awe-inspiring in reality as in myth, eagles dominate African skies. Mike Unwin focuses on the remarkable adaptations of...
Shady dealings: the black heron
Is it a bird or is it a bin liner? Has somebody lost their umbrella? What is that strange black object flapping...
Hard act to follow: the African rock python
You know that post-Christmas lunch stupor – slumped in an armchair, feeling as though you’ve swallowed a whole turkey? Well,...
