 Malawi is known mostly for its beautiful lake that fills the southern end of the Rift Valley, but the country has a variety of other habitats supporting remarkable bird diversity. The country boasts of a bird list of 650 species. Though many of these are widespread species in southern Africa, there is a delightful array of specials making a dedicated Malawi birding trip truly worthwhile.
The majority of them are now denuded or covered in tea plantations, but a few accessible remnants support such rare gems as Green-headed Oriole, Thyolo Alethe, White-winged Apalis, Yellow-throated Apalis and Green Barbet. Another vital part of any itinerary is the western border country. The vast miombo woodlands clothe granite hills and are fed by crystal clear streams. Miombo endemics include Stierling’s Woodpecker, Whyte’s Barbet, Sousa's Shrike, Miombo Pied Barbet, Pale-billed Hornbill, Olive-headed Weaver, Anchieta’s Sunbird, Red-capped Crombec, Miombo Scrub-Robin and Rufous-bellied Tit. Some of these birds: Scarlet-tufted Sunbird, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Baglafecht Weaver and Yellow-crowned Canary can be seen elsewhere in East Africa, and there is a number of species endemic to the Eastern Arc Mountains complex of Tanzania and northern Malawi, including Rwenzori Nightjar, Black-lored Cisticola, Olive-flanked Robin-Chat, Fülleborn's Boubou, Forest Double-collared Sunbird, Yellow-browed Seed-eater, Montane Widowbird, Ludwig's Double-collared Sunbird and White-winged Babbling Starling.
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