It is dominated by the central highlands, which lie almost entirely above the 1500-metre contour, extend over roughly two-thirds of an area comparable to that of South Africa and support a rich mosaic of grassland, forest, Afro-alpine moorland and cultivation. Wildly scenic and climatically temperate, the highlands are bisected by a lower-lying, lake-studded stretch of the RiftValley, while the eastern escarpment gives way to the arid badlands of Somalia and Afar, and the west drops towards the lush Nile Valley.
Ethiopia’s habitat diversity is reflected in a rich avifauna that comprises almost 900 species and includes an alluring array of endemics and near endemics. Indeed, depending on who does the lumping and splitting, Ethiopia’s list of national endemics currently stands somewhere between 15 and 25 species, possibly more. This is supplemented by about 14 ‘former endemics’ whose range only otherwise extends into Eritrea (a separate country since 1993) and another couple of dozen species shared only with inaccessible and/ or unsafe corners of northern Kenya, Somalia or South Sudan.
Best day trip from Addis Ababa
Menagesha National Forest
This story is from the September - October 2020 edition of African Birdlife.
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This story is from the September - October 2020 edition of African Birdlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
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when perfect isn't enough
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The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
flood impact on wetland birds
One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.
a star is born
It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.
