Raeesah Habib

Raeesah Habib is a South African conservationist and freelance writer. She completed a diploma in nature conservation in 2016 through the University of South Africa (UNISA). During her internship, she spent a year working with wattled cranes on the Wattled Crane Recovery Programme (WCRP).

The program aims to prevent the local extinction of the wattled crane in Southern Africa through the release of captive-reared individuals into critically endangered wild populations across the country. During her time at the research facility, she was also responsible for the general monitoring and husbandry of other magnificent species, including blue cranes and secretary birds.

Following her internship, she was fortunate to have worked in some spectacular wilderness areas across the country, including the Cradle of Humankind, the Kruger National Park, and the northern Zululand. As a wildlife monitor, her responsibilities included conducting bird point counts. Birds surveys are a useful means to collect data on the avian populations in an area. The data helps researchers gain an understanding of population trends and ecosystem health.

When not in the field, Rae enjoys writing to share her passion, knowledge, and experiences with others.

Kingfisher perched

The Vibrant World of Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

The Kingfishers are a diverse family of colorful birds. Once known as the halcyon bird in ancient Greece, these attractive birds have held a special presence in our lives throughout history. The name Halcyon would later be given to one of the three...

European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster)

European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster): 10 Interesting Facts

While the rest of us have been confined to our respective countries over the last few months, European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) have been drawing closer to their annual southerly migration. Luckily, international borders don’t matter for birds...