Its habitat is arid grassland, scrub, waterholes, and salt pans. Etosha means the great white area and refers to the huge salt pan. Etosha National Park is the gateway to Northern Namibia and Ovamboland. Etosha National Park is located in north central Namibia. It's about 500 kilometers from Windhoek to Halali Camp in the center of the park. From Katima Mulilo near the Zambia border, Halali Camp is about 720 kilometers.

Etosha National Park is perhaps the best and most visited Game Park in Namibia in dry season from April-October and excellent for birding, which is best during rainy season from November-March. Etosha Pan, a vast salt pan that covers about 4800 Square Kilometer formed some 100 million years ago and was a large lake fed by the Kunene River in Angola until about 16,000 years ago. Currently it is vast expanse of sand dotted with salt springs and hillocks of clay and salt. In rainy season the pan forms rain water pools and can be entirely covered by a shallow lake if the rains are especially heavy. In those years it attracts thousands of migrating flamingos.

Etosha is home to 340 bird species, about a third of which are migratory. The avian residents of the park make up an eclectic mix that ranges from flamingos to the colourful lilac-breasted roller and eagles soaring high above. The major attractions in Etosha center on the permanent water holes, each with its own characteristics. The Okaukuejo Waterhole is adjacent to the Okaukeujo Rest Camp and is considered the best place in Africa to see Black Rhinoceros.

The Odondeka Waterhole is one of the best places to see Lions. The Halali and Goas Waterholes are the best places to see Leopard. The Sudea and Salvadora Waterholes are the best place to find Cheetah. Etosha's 35 raptors feast in dry conditions. Bateleur, tawny eagle and martial eagle float in the upwinds. Goshawks sit in the branches and eight species of owl can be spotted after sunset. The vultures that visit Etosha include lapped-faced, white-backed and hooded vultures.

Some of the specialty birds at Etosha are Black-faced Babbler, best seen at Bloubokkie Draai, Violet Woodhoopoe, Carp's Tit, and Bare-cheeked Babbler, best seen at Halali Camp, and Monteiro's Hornbill and Rueppell's Parrot, best seen in far western Etosha at Hobatere along with Hartlaub's Francolin, White-tailed Shrike, Rockrunner, and Bare-cheeked Babbler.

Other birding locales are Fisher's Pan, where one can see water birds and flamingos when wet, Namutoni Camp where the waterhole attracts Caspian Plover and Greater Painted-snipe, Andoni Plains which is very good for Blue Crane, Burchell's Sandgrouse, several larks, and other grassland birds, Springtontein where the open flats feature Double-banded Courser and Temminck's Courser, the grasslands attract Black-winged Pratincole in some years, and bushy patches are home to the isolated population of Rufous-eared Warbler. The pan attracts various water birds, plovers, and sometimes Wattled Crane, Okaukuejo Camp where a good colony of Social Weaver and the attendant Pygmy Falcon are found as well as various seedeaters, finches, and other birds, during wet season.

Bare-cheeked babbler, violet wood-hope, Carp's tit, Monterio's hornbill, rockrunner and Rappel's parrot are Namibia's specials to be seen here.