Mike Unwin

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,...

Making a splash

Say ‘African mammal’ and most people will immediately envisage elephants, lions and other celebrated beasts on terra firma. But...

Crowning glory

Shock! horror! Giant eagle swoops down and snatches up small child in its talons. This sensational story runs, in one...

Senses and sensibility