
	World Birding British Birding Miscellany & Fun Birdnews Travel Library Bird Families Ornithology Sight & Sounds Equipment/Supplies

birding...

Cape Verde

You will notice that there is no introduction to this section yet.

I would like to fill this gap with an introduction from a local birder [or someone who is a frequent visitor] for every on of the geographical pages. The many thousands of birders now regularly using these pages prefer to read something written by someone who can see the place from an insider's point of view. They know the best spots, not just the ones that first time overseas visitors usually visit or that are on the normal birding trip itineraries.

Each introduction carries the e-mail address of the contributor so that birders can get in touch with them if, for example, they are planning a trip [unless the contributor is unable to do this].

Please get in touch if you feel you can contribute an introduction to this page - you don't have to be an expert; I'm not!

numbers

Number of bird species:161

numbers

Number of endemics:4
There are four true endemics: Alexander`s Swift Apus alexandri, Razo Skylark Alauda razae, Cape Verde Swamp-Warbler Acrocephalus brevipennis, Cape Verde Sparrow Passer iagoensis and also two other birds that breed nowhere else: Fea`s Petrel Pterodroma feae and Cape Verde Shearwater Calonectris edwardsii

useful reading

A Field Guide to the Birds of the Atlantic Islands

- Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Cape Verde Tony Clarke, Chris Orgill and Tony Disley Series: HELM FIELD GUIDES 320 pages, 56 col plates, maps. Christopher Helm See Fatbirder Review
ISBN: 0713660236
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birds of the Macaronesian Islands, Part 2: The Cape Verde Islands

Cursorius Photo & Video Library 2003
ISBN: 134597
Buy this book from NHBS.com

The Birds of the Cape Verde Islands

An Annotated Checklist Cornelis J Hazevoet Series: BOU CHECKLISTS 13 192 pages, 48 col plates, tabs, maps. British Ornithologists' Union
ISBN: 0907446175
Buy this book from NHBS.com

clubs

African Bird Club

http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/CapeVerdeIslands/introduction.html
With a number of endemic land birds and large seabird colonies with species which are difficult to see elsewhere in the area, the Cape Verde Islands offer much of interest. With few organised trips at present, the islands offer perhaps an opportunity for the individual traveller...

West African Ornithological Society

http://malimbus.free.fr/Country%20pages/Capeverd.htm
The West African Ornithological Society grew out of the Nigerian Ornithologists� Society, which was founded in February 1964. Its object is to promote scientific interest in the birds of West Africa and to further the region�s ornithology, mainly by means of its journal Malimbus (formerly the Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists� Society). This journal is biannual and bilingual, a unique feature in Africa.The West African Ornithological Society grew out of the Nigerian Ornithologists� Society, which was founded in February 1964. Its object is to promote scientific interest in the birds of West Africa and to further the region�s ornithology, mainly by means of its journal Malimbus (formerly the Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists� Society). This journal is biannual and bilingual, a unique feature in Africa.

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can�t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page� give them a try!

1999 [April] - Jos� Pedro Tavares

http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/tripreports/CapeVerde99.html
The Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) islands are a volcanic archipelago lying 450-800 Km west of Senegal, in west Africa. There are 10 islands and several islets, divided in two groups: the windward islands (ilhas do Barlavento) and the leeward islands (ilhas do sotavento)...

2001 [December] - Paul Carter

http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/africacapeverdeTripReport.htm
This trip report covers birding done whilst sailing in the Cape Verde (1st Nov � 5th Dec), having sailed there from the Canary Islands. Some sightings of the Canaries to Cape Verde crossing are mentioned at the end. I sailed with a friend, Peter Lennox, on his 31 ft. yacht, Nira. Birding was occasional and not always a priority...

2003 [April] - Nico Geiregat

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/cape-verde/cv2/cv-03.htm
The aim of this report is to offer an updating for some very good trip reports that have been made in the past. References of documents with more basic information and maps can be found in the literature section at the end of this report. Below you will find an update on costs, some additional information, interesting hints for future visitors and our sightings...

2003 [March] - Rob Payne

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/cape-verde/cv1/cv-mar-03.htm
I found the Islands to be a strange birding destination, they have not got a large species list and even most of those are regarded as vagrants. The birds that are there though are either endemic species (including a number of phylogenic species) or endemic sub-species...

2003 [October] - Erling Krabbe

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/cape-verde/cv3/cv-oct-03.htm
The Cape Verde Islands are an archipelago consisting of 10 islands and several islets situated in the Atlantic Ocean c. 500 km west of Senegal, West Africa. The total land area is 4033 km2 scattered over 58.000 km2 of ocean. These volcanic islands emerge steeply from depths of about 4000 m. The climate is dry tropical but sea conditions are heavily influenced by the cool Canary current that comes from the north. Consistently strong northeast tradewinds produce rough seas, often making navigation around the islands difficult and hazardous...

2005 [March] - Chris Batty

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/cape-verde/Cape-Verde-4/Cape-verde-feb-05.htm
The Cape Verde Islands are situated in the extreme southwest of the Western Palearctic, south of the Tropic of Cancer and only around five hundred kilometres west of Senegal. The archipelago consists of twelve main islands but on a comprehensive birding tour it is only necessary to birdwatch on four islands (Raso, Branco, Santiago and Boa Vista) but to reach these will require visiting a least Sal and S�o Nicolau, and probably S�o Vicente...

2007 [January] - Henk Hendriks

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/cape-verde/Cape-verde-5/Cape-verde-jan-2007.htm
...Despite 3 outings at dusk/evening at a known stake-out for Cape Verde Barn Owl I neither heard or saw this species and a total of 7 hours scanning the skies around the Pico do Antonio on Santiago did not give me the hoped for Cape Verde Peregrine...

2007 [March] - Peter C. Meijer

http://www.travellingbirder.com/tripreports/view_birding_tripreport.php?id=208
...I stayed at hotel Los �ires a good hotel with a good kitchen. Friendly staff and a shuttle each hour to the centre. The Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango) was the first bird to be seen and many of this species followed. My room had a view across the Beagle Canal and soon the first Albatross of this journey could be put on my life-list: Black-Browed Albatross (Diomedea melanophrys). I went into town visited the Tourist Office to get a map and other information. I arranged a trip to Martillo, Penguin Island...

Aves de Cabo Verde

http://www.caboverde.com/nature/aves-00.htm
On line version of a bird book...

Birdwatching

http://www.capeverdetravel.com/html/activities_bird.html
Bird watching is an activity which can be enjoyed on any of the islands as a main holiday option or purely as pleasant pastime during your visit. The islands all have their own unique variety of bird life, with special bird breeds associated with certain islands...