Botswana is well known for its varied range of wildlife which have found their habitat here. The game has been well protected from poaching and the statistical picture reveals that nowadays the country is host to 164 species of mammals, 157 of reptiles, 80 of fish and 550 of birds.
Mammals The mammals which can be seen in Botswana include the following: vervet monkey, Chacma baboon, wild dog, bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, large-spotted genet, small-spotted genet, mongoose, spotted hyaena, brown hyaena, lion, leopard, cheetah, aardvark, Burchell's zebra, white rhino, warthog, giraffe, common duiker, klipspringer, springbok, steenbok, impala, blue wildebeest, tsessebe, sable antelope, roan antelope, sitatunga, reedbuck, waterbuck, bushbuck, kudu, eland, buffalo, hippopotamus, elephant.
Birds The best areas where to admire some of Botswana's 550 bird species are the Okavango Delta and aquatic environments in general. Besides, a huge number of flamingos and migratory birds can be seen in some parts of the country at some times of the year.
The best period for bird-watching is usually in the middle of the dry season, that is in July and August, when migratory birds fly to the riverbanks in search of precious water.
The birds you are most likely to see in Botswana include the following: ostrich, African cormorant, African darter, woolly-necked stork, hammerkop, greater and lesser flamingo, pygmy goose, knobbilled duck, Egyptian goose, African jacana, black korhaan, Kori bustard, Cape vulture, bateleur eagle, African fish eagle, Cape turtle dove, laughing dove, half-collared dove, masked dove, bee-eater, mangrove kingfisher, African pied hornbill, forktailked drongo, Cape crow, pied crow, southern pied babbler, yellowbilled oxpecker, redbilled oxpecker, masked weaver, paradise whydah, African tiger heron, African openbill stork, secretary bird.
Fish Although the Okavango Delta is the main water source of the country (95% of the surface waters), the Chobe and Limpopo Rivers are host to several different fish species as well. Among the 70 species living in Botswana, the most common are: African pike, barbel, bream, tiger fish and tilapia, besides eel and African catfish with sharp teeth.
