Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site straddles the main Lusaka–Kabwe road, just west of Chisamba, and encompasses several private farms and a National Forest (c.4,000 ha). The terrain is very varied. Much of the area is miombo and munga woodland and there are also large patches of thicket, some small strips of riparian forest, a few dambos and several rocky hills. In the farmed areas there is cleared pasture, arable land and there are numerous dams. At least three of the farms now operate game ranches and, in addition to the direct ecological benefits, such areas also receive better protection. Tourist facilities are established in some places and are being developed in others. Within the National Forest are several sites of historic interest.
See Box and Table 3 for key species. As well as a wide variety of Zambezian biome endemics, the area is most important for its resident population of
Lybius chaplini. The dams support large numbers of waterbirds, and in the past the globally threatened
Egretta vinaceigula was recorded regularly, although it is only irregular at present.
Crex crex and
Gallinago media winter,
Circus macrourus and
Falco naumanni are both regular on passage and
Glareola nordmanni has been recorded staying through the non-breeding season. Other notable species include
Stephanoaetus coronatus,
Pachycoccyx audeberti,
Lybius minor (on the southern edge of its range) and
Amblyospiza albifrons.
Circus macrourus and
Falco naumanni are both regular on passage and
Glareola nordmanni has been recorded staying through the non-breeding season.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The protected status and condition of the National Forest requires monitoring, but otherwise there are few threats.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chisamba (Zambia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chisamba-iba-zambia on 22/11/2024.
