Not only does Botswana have amazing animal wildlife, its bird life is just as amazing!

Pretty little bee-eater...

A jacana, also known as the "Jesus bird"...

...as it seems to walk on top of the water with its huge feet.

An owl is well-camouflaged, but Brooks's keen eye was able to spot it.

A coucal...

White-faced whistling ducks...

Kori bustard...

The goliath heron...this photo is deceiving as this bird is HUGE!  The largest heron in the world, standing nearly 5 feet tall...hard to tell that from this perspective.

Owlet...spotted at night.  Look at those eyes!

A trio of tawny eagles....

Beautiful and so graceful gliding in the morning light...

A weaver....

A kite....

Oxpeckers eat bugs off giraffes, cape buffalo, and in this case a kudu.

Yellow-billed hornbill, fondly called the Flying Banana,...

...making its nest inside a hole in a tree.

And, of course, my very favorite African bird, the lilac-breasted roller!

Even more beautiful in flight!

So many colors!!!

A very close second in my "favorite birds" category is the carmine bee-eater.  They are migratory, staying in Botswana for only part of the year.  I had mentioned to Brooks that we had seen only a few, wondering if they had migrated yet.  The last time we were in Botswana we saw several. 

"How many did you see at one time?"  Brooks asked me.  I responded maybe 10 or 12 flying around in one area.

"Ah...well, I will see if I can find more than 10 or 12 for you before we leave Duma Tau."

On our very last Linyanti game drive, Brooks fulfilled his promise in a HUGE way!  We drove to a breeding ground for carmine bee-eaters, where there were well over 1000 of these beautiful birds.

Wow.  Just WOW!

Very close nearby, a blacksmith lapwing had its nest.

The birds were quite skittish, and we soon saw why.  A kite flew into the area, and this fierce little lapwing took him on, chasing him away from the nesting areas protecting the eggs.

Amazing!

Truly a spectacle to behold when the flock takes flight all at once.

So many, many beautiful birds of Botswana.