20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Black Lechwe Herd at Sunset

A huge herd of black lechwe fills the open grassland in the Bangweulu Wetlands in Zambia. The marshland has well over 50,000 black lechwe, which are endemic to this area. Large grazing areas surrounded by vast waterways and islands make this an ideal habitat for them. This herd grew in size as more and more of them emerged from the edges of the field shortly before sunset and joined the mass of lechwe in the center.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 06.2022
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Zambia
Camera: ILCE-7RM4
Copyright: © Beverly Houwing