Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
An unusual but well-known private estate. At its heart is an enormous manor house around which has grown a thriving community with its own school, post office and clinic. It lies at submontane levels and the surrounding mountainous terrain is, in places, quite dramatic. Lake Ishiba Ngandu, a natural water-body, provides a somewhat rare plateau habitat, with fringing reedbeds and
Cyperus papyrus swamp. Elsewhere, miombo is predominant, both in the flatter areas and on the hills, and there are also broad dambos, some mushitu and riparian forest. The soils are poor and, besides cattle production, other economic activity has included production of essential oils. Situated about 70 km north of Mpika, it is easily accessible and there are tourist facilities at Kapisha Hot Springs, some 10 km west of the main estate.
See Box and Table 3 for key species. With its wide range of habitats, the site supports a considerable diversity of birdlife.
Gypohierax angolensis is regularly seen, especially around the lake, and
Sarothrura lugens,
Tyto capensis,
Cisticola robustus and
Ortygospiza gabonensis are all found in the dambos.
Hirundo fuligula,
Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris and
Cisticola aberrans are regular in rocky areas and mushitu birds include
Sheppardia bocagei and
Lamprotornis splendidus.
Podica senegalensis and
Alcedo semitorquata are found along the rivers and
Acrocephalus rufescens inhabits the papyrus swamp where
Ardeola idae has been recorded once.
Crex crex is occasionally noted, and
Gallinago media winters in small numbers. Amongst the Zambezian biome endemics is
Ploceus angolensis, at the very eastern edge of its range, and a single species of the Afrotropical Highlands biome,
Trochocercus albonotatus, also occurs.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The area is well protected, although there is pressure from tree-cutting.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Shiwa Ng'andu (Zambia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/shiwa-ngandu-iba-zambia on 22/11/2024.
