Birding in Mkhuze

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Toko
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Birding in Mkhuze

Post by Toko »

Mkhuze Birding

Mkhuze Game Reserve was established and proclaimed in 1912. It is now part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. A mecca of Southern African birders, Mkhuze offers the heady mix of avian richness and is renowned for a variety of localised birds. With more than 400 species recorded it is one of Zululand’s top 3 birding spots. The main reason for this is the diversity of habitats: pans, swamps, acacia thornveld, sand forest, riverine forest and open woodland.

Best Places for Bird-watching

The camp site near Emshopi entrance gate: Jameson’s Firefinch, Green-winged Pytilia, Marico Sunbird and Black Stork
The road between the campsite and the main camp: Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Stierling’s Wren-Warbler, Striped Kingfisher, Brown-crowned Tchagra and Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike.

Picnic site near the Kwamalibala hide: Bateleur and Lappet-faced Vulture.

The sand forest around Kubube and Kumasinga hides is a very specialised vegetation type, unique to northern KZN and southern Moçambique. It is home to the endemic, nominate sub-species of the African Broadbill and holds significant populations of several restricted-range species, including Rudd's Apalis, Neergaard's Sunbird and Pink-throated Twinspot.
Kubube and Kumasinga hides are great to observe Crested Guineafowl, African Broadbill, Eastern Nicator, Rudd's Apalis, Gorgeous Bush-Shrike, Gorgeous Bush-Shrike, African Barred Owlet and Yellow-bellied Greenbul.
In late winter and early spring, flowers of the Weeping Boer Bean tree (Schotia brachypetla) attract Neergard’s, Purple-banded, Collared, Eastern Olive, Grey, Scarlet-chested and White-bellied Sunbirds.

The surrounding woodland can produce some range and biome-restricted species: Brown-headed Parrot, White-throated Robin-chat, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Gorgeous Bush-Shrike, Grey Sunbird, Black-bellied Starling.
In patches of Palm Savanna throughout the reserve Lemon-breasted Canary can be found.

Mantuma camp can provide Bearded Robin, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Lesser Masked-Weaver, Collared Sunbird and Violet-backed Starling in summer.
The small hide at the waterhole in Mantuma camp is good for close-up views of birds, including Purple-crested Turaco.
On the Riverview Walk, (which leaves from opposite the camp office), look out for Southern Banded Snake-Eagle, Broad-billed Roller (summer), Half-collared Kingfisher.Pink-throated Twinspots and Grey Waxbills.
Yellow-spotted Nicator is around the tented camp.

The Loop Road area with open thornveld, is good for Burnt-necked Eremomela, Grey Penduline Tit, Bushveld Pipit, Flappet Lark, Grey Go-away Bird, Brown-headed Parrot and some large raptors including Tawny, Steppe and Lesser Spotted Eagles.

The Ediza–Hlonhlela–Nsumo pans system is an extensive mix of grasslands and wetland with open water, marsh, floodplain fed by the Mkhuze and Umsunduze Rivers. The pan system regularly supports more than 20,000 water birds.
Nsumo Pan It has a number of hides and a pleasant picnic site where you can watch hippos. This pan is home to South Africa’s only regular breeding locality for Pink-backed Pelican. Yellow-billed Stork breed there in most years, including up to 50 nests, African Spoonbill and various egret species breed in the fever trees on the southern side of the pan. Around the picnic spot at the pan the birder can find Red-capped and White-browed Robin-Chat, Green-capped Eremomela, Woodland Kingfisher, African Broadbill, Greater Painted-snipe, African Hawk-Eagle and Tambourine Dove. Several other species are recorded around the pan in good numbers: Goliath Heron, Squacco Heron, Dwarf Bittern, Green-backed Heron African Open-billed Stork Pygmy Goose and Lesser Jacana, White-faced Whistling Duck, African Jacana, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Whiskered Tern. Sometimes small numbers of Lesser Jacana, Great White Pelican, Caspian Tern, Greater Flamingo and Lesser Flamingo are found at the pans. In years of heavy rain, Lesser Moorhen and Allen's Gallinule occur in good numbers.
Species to be found in the adjacent Fig forest include Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Narina Trogon, Broad-billed Roller (in summer), Green Malkoha, Southern-banded Snake Eagle, Blue-mantled Crested-Flycatcher, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Black-bellied Starling, White-eared Barbet, Scaly-throated Honeyguide and Green Twinspot.

The Mkuze River area supports small populations of Pel's Fishing Owl, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Bat Hawk, African Finfoot and White-backed Night Heron.

The thornveld around the airfield is known as a hot spot for Olive-tree Warbler, and can produce Senegal Lapwing, African Pipit, Icterine Warbler, Lizard Buzzard and Desert Cisticola.


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Toko
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Re: Birding in Mkhuze

Post by Toko »



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Toko
Posts: 26619
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:29 pm
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Re: Birding in Mkhuze

Post by Toko »

Mkhuze bird list sorted by Roberts number

008 Little Grebe (Dabchick)
049 Great White Pelican (White Pelican)
050 Pink-backed Pelican
058 Reed Cormorant
059 Crowned Cormorant
060 African Darter (Darter)
062 Grey Heron
063 Black-headed Heron
064 Goliath Heron
065 Purple Heron
066 Great Egret (Great White Egret)
067 Little Egret
068 Yellow-billed Egret
069 Black Heron (Black Egret)
071 Cattle Egret
072 Squacco Heron
074 Green-backed Heron
075 Rufous-bellied Heron
076 Black-crowned Night-Heron
078 Little Bittern
079 Dwarf Bittern
081 Hamerkop
083 White Stork
084 Black Stork
086 Woolly-necked Stork
087 African Openbill (Openbilled Stork)
088 Saddle-billed Stork
089 Marabou Stork
090 Yellow-billed Stork
091 African Sacred Ibis (Sacred Ibis)
093 Glossy Ibis
094 Hadeda Ibis
095 African Spoonbill
096 Greater Flamingo
097 Lesser Flamingo
099 White-faced Duck
100 Fulvous Duck
101 White-backed Duck
102 Egyptian Goose
104 Yellow-billed Duck
105 African Black Duck
106 Cape Teal
107 Hottentot Teal
108 Red-billed Teal
112 Cape Shoveler (Cape Shoveller)
113 Southern Pochard
114 African Pygmy-Goose (Pygmy Goose)
115 Comb Duck (Knob-billed Duck)
116 Spur-winged Goose
118 Secretarybird
121 Hooded Vulture
122 Cape Vulture
123 White-backed Vulture
124 Lappet-faced Vulture
125 White-headed Vulture
126 Black Kite
126b Yellow-billed Kite
127 Black-shouldered Kite
128 African Cuckoo Hawk (Cuckoo Hawk)
129 Bat Hawk
130 European Honey-Buzzard (Honey Buzzard)
132 Tawny Eagle
133 Steppe Eagle
134 Lesser Spotted Eagle
135 Wahlberg's Eagle
136 Booted Eagle
137 African Hawk-Eagle
138 Ayres's Hawk-Eagle (Ayres' Eagle)
139 Long-crested Eagle
140 Martial Eagle
141 African Crowned Eagle (Crowned Eagle)
142 Brown Snake-Eagle
143 Black-chested Snake-Eagle (Black-breasted Snake-Eagle)
144 Southern Banded Snake-Eagle (Southern Banded Snake Eagle)
146 Bateleur
147 Palm-nut Vulture
148 African Fish-Eagle
149 Steppe Buzzard
152 Jackal Buzzard
154 Lizard Buzzard
157 Little Sparrowhawk
158 Black Sparrowhawk
159 Shikra (Little Banded Goshawk)
160 African Goshawk
161 Gabar Goshawk
163 Dark Chanting Goshawk
164 Western Marsh-Harrier (European Marsh-Harrier)
165 African Marsh-Harrier
169 African Harrier-Hawk (Gymnogene)
170 Osprey
171 Peregrine Falcon
172 Lanner Falcon
173 Eurasian Hobby (Hobby Falcon)
175 Sooty Falcon
180 Amur Falcon (Eastern Red-footed Kestrel)
181 Rock Kestrel
183 Lesser Kestrel
188 Coqui Francolin
189 Crested Francolin
191 Shelley's Francolin
196 Natal Spurfowl (Natal Francolin)
200 Common Quail
201 Harlequin Quail
203 Helmeted Guineafowl
204 Crested Guineafowl
205 Kurrichane Buttonquail
210 African Rail
213 Black Crake
215 Baillon's Crake
217 Red-chested Flufftail
218 Buff-spotted Flufftail
223 African Purple Swamphen (Purple Gallinule)
224 Allen's Gallinule (Lesser Gallinule)
226 Common Moorhen
227 Lesser Moorhen
228 Red-knobbed Coot
229 African Finfoot
238 Black-bellied Bustard (Black-bellied Korhaan)
240 African Jacana
241 Lesser Jacana
242 Greater Painted-snipe (Painted Snipe)
245 Common Ringed Plover (Ringed Plover)
246 White-fronted Plover
248 Kittlitz's Plover
249 Three-banded Plover
252 Caspian Plover
255 Crowned Lapwing (Crowned Plover)
256 Senegal Lapwing (Lesser Black-winged Plover)
257 Black-winged Lapwing (Black-winged Plover)
258 Blacksmith Lapwing (Blacksmith Plover)
260 African Wattled Lapwing (Wattled Plover)
261 Long-toed Lapwing (Long-toed Plover)
264 Common Sandpiper
265 Green Sandpiper
266 Wood Sandpiper
268 Common Redshank
269 Marsh Sandpiper
270 Common Greenshank (Greenshank)
272 Curlew Sandpiper
274 Little Stint
281 Sanderling
284 Ruff
290 Common Whimbrel (Whimbrel)
294 Pied Avocet (Avocet)
295 Black-winged Stilt
297 Spotted Thick-knee (Spotted Dikkop)
298 Water Thick-knee (Water Dikkop)
300 Temminck's Courser
303 Bronze-winged Courser
304 Collared Pratincole (Red-winged Pratincole)
314 Cape Sugarbird
315 Grey-headed Gull
322 Caspian Tern
324 Swift Tern
327 Common Tern
332 Sooty Tern
335 Little Tern
337 Black Tern
338 Whiskered Tern
339 White-winged Tern
349 Speckled Pigeon (Rock Pigeon)
350 African Olive-Pigeon (Rameron Pigeon)
352 Red-eyed Dove
354 Cape Turtle-Dove
355 Laughing Dove
356 Namaqua Dove
358 Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove (Green-spotted Dove)
359 Tambourine Dove
360 Lemon Dove (Cinnamon Dove)
361 African Green-Pigeon (Green Pigeon)
363 Brown-headed Parrot
370b Livingstone's Turaco
371 Purple-crested Turaco (Purple-crested Lourie)
373 Grey Go-away-bird (Grey Lourie)
374 Common Cuckoo (European Cuckoo)
375 African Cuckoo
376 Lesser Cuckoo
377 Red-chested Cuckoo
378 Black Cuckoo
380 Great Spotted Cuckoo
381 Levaillant's Cuckoo (Striped Cuckoo)
382 Jacobin Cuckoo
384 African Emerald Cuckoo (Emerald Cuckoo)
385 Klaas's Cuckoo
386 Diderick Cuckoo
387 Green Malkoha (Green Coucal)
391 Burchell's Coucal
392 Barn Owl
393 African Grass-Owl (Grass Owl)
394 African Wood-Owl (Wood Owl)
395 Marsh Owl
396 African Scops-Owl (African Scops Owl)
397 Southern White-faced Scops-Owl (White-faced Owl)
398 Pearl-spotted Owlet (Pearl-spotted Owl)
399 African Barred Owlet (Barred Owl)
401 Spotted Eagle-Owl
402 Verreaux's Eagle-Owl (Giant Eagle Owl)
403 Pel's Fishing-Owl
404 European Nightjar
405 Fiery-necked Nightjar
407 Swamp Nightjar Natal Nightjar
409 Square-tailed Nightjar (Mozambique Nightjar)
410 Pennant-winged Nightjar
411 Common Swift (European Swift)
412 African Black Swift (Black Swift)
415 White-rumped Swift
416 Horus Swift
417 Little Swift
418 Alpine Swift
421 African Palm-Swift (Palm Swift)
424 Speckled Mousebird
426 Red-faced Mousebird
427 Narina Trogon
428 Pied Kingfisher
429 Giant Kingfisher
430 Half-collared Kingfisher
431 Malachite Kingfisher
432 African Pygmy-Kingfisher (Pygmy Kingfisher)
433 Woodland Kingfisher
434 Mangrove Kingfisher
435 Brown-hooded Kingfisher
436 Grey-headed Kingfisher (Grey-hooded Kingfisher)
437 Striped Kingfisher
438 European Bee-eater
440 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
443 White-fronted Bee-eater
444 Little Bee-eater
445 Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
446 European Roller
447 Lilac-breasted Roller
449 Purple Roller
450 Broad-billed Roller
451 African Hoopoe (Hoopoe)
452 Green Wood-Hoopoe (Red-billed Wood-Hoopoe)
454 Common Scimitarbill (Scimitar-billed Wood-Hoopoe)
455 Trumpeter Hornbill
457 African Grey Hornbill (Grey Hornbill)
458 Red-billed Hornbill
459 Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
460 Crowned Hornbill
463 Southern Ground-Hornbill
464 Black-collared Barbet
465 Acacia Pied Barbet (Pied Barbet)
466 White-eared Barbet
469 Red-fronted Tinkerbird (Red-fronted Tinker Barbet)
471 Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird (Golden-rumped Tinker Barbet)
473 Crested Barbet
474 Greater Honeyguide
476 Lesser Honeyguide
478 Brown-backed Honeybird (Sharp-billed Honeyguide)
483 Golden-tailed Woodpecker
486 Cardinal Woodpecker
487 Bearded Woodpecker
490 African Broadbill
494 Rufous-naped Lark
496 Flappet Lark
498 Sabota Lark
505 Dusky Lark
515 Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark (Chestnut-backed Finchlark)
518 Barn Swallow (European Swallow)
520 White-throated Swallow
522 Wire-tailed Swallow
524 Red-breasted Swallow
526 Greater Striped Swallow
527 Lesser Striped Swallow
529 Rock Martin
530 Common House-Martin (House Martin)
531 Grey-rumped Swallow
532 Sand Martin
533 Brown-throated Martin
536 Black Saw-wing (Black Saw-wing Swallow)
538 Black Cuckooshrike
540 Grey Cuckooshrike
541 Fork-tailed Drongo
542 Square-tailed Drongo
543 Eurasian Golden Oriole (European Golden Oriole)
545 Black-headed Oriole
547 Cape Crow (Black Crow)
548 Pied Crow
550 White-necked Raven
554 Southern Black Tit
558 Grey Penduline-Tit (Grey Penduline Tit)
560 Arrow-marked Babbler
568 Dark-capped Bulbul (Black-eyed Bulbul)
569 Terrestrial Brownbul (Terrestrial Bulbul)
572 Sombre Greenbul (Sombre Bulbul)
574 Yellow-bellied Greenbul (Yellow-bellied Bulbul)
575 Eastern Nicator (Yellow-spotted Nicator)
576 Kurrichane Thrush
580 Groundscraper Thrush
581 Cape Rock-Thrush
589 Familiar Chat
593 Mocking Cliff-Chat (Mocking Chat)
596 African Stonechat (Stonechat)
598 Chorister Robin-Chat (Chorister Robin)
599 White-browed Robin-Chat (Heuglin's Robin)
600 Red-capped Robin-Chat (Natal Robin)
602 White-throated Robin-Chat (White-throated Robin)
606 White-starred Robin (Starred Robin)
613 White-browed Scrub-Robin (White-browed Robin)
617 Bearded Scrub-Robin (Bearded Robin)
619 Garden Warbler
620 Common Whitethroat (Whitethroat)
625 Icterine Warbler
626 Olive-tree Warbler
628 Great Reed-Warbler (Great Reed Warbler)
631 African Reed-Warbler (African Marsh Warbler)
633 Marsh Warbler (European Marsh Warbler)
634 Sedge Warbler (European Sedge Warbler)
635 Lesser Swamp-Warbler (Cape Reed-Warbler)
637 Dark-capped Yellow Warbler (Yellow Warbler)
638 Little Rush-Warbler (African Sedge Warbler)
642 Broad-tailed Warbler
643 Willow Warbler
645 Bar-throated Apalis
648 Yellow-breasted Apalis
649 Rudd's Apalis
651 Long-billed Crombec
653 Yellow-bellied Eremomela
655 Green-capped Eremomela
656 Burnt-necked Eremomela
657 Green-backed Camaroptera (Bleating Warbler)
659 Stierling's Wren-Warbler (Stierling's Barred Warbler)
661 Cape Grassbird Grassbird
664 Zitting Cisticola (Fan-tailed Cisticola)
665 Desert Cisticola
672 Rattling Cisticola
674 Red-faced Cisticola
675 Rufous-winged Cisticola (Black-backed Cisticola)
678 Croaking Cisticola
681 Neddicky
683 Tawny-flanked Prinia
689 Spotted Flycatcher
690 African Dusky Flycatcher (Dusky Flycatcher)
691 Ashy Flycatcher (Blue-grey Flycatcher)
693 Grey Tit-Flycatcher (Fan-tailed Flycatcher)
694 Southern Black Flycatcher (Black Flycatcher)
696 Pale Flycatcher (Pallid Flycatcher)
698 Fiscal Flycatcher
701 Chinspot Batis
704 Woodwards' Batis
705 Black-throated Wattle-eye (Wattle-eyed Flycatcher)
708 Blue-mantled Crested-Flycatcher (Blue-mantled Flycatcher)
710 African Paradise-Flycatcher (Paradise Flycatcher)
711 African Pied Wagtail
712 Mountain Wagtail (Long-tailed Wagtail)
713 Cape Wagtail
714 Yellow Wagtail
715 Grey Wagtail
716 African Pipit (Grassveld Pipit)
720 Striped Pipit
723 Bushveld Pipit
727 Cape Longclaw (Orange-throated Longclaw)
728 Yellow-throated Longclaw
731 Lesser Grey Shrike
732 Common Fiscal (Fiscal Shrike)
733 Red-backed Shrike
735 Magpie Shrike (Long-tailed Shrike)
736 Southern Boubou
740 Black-backed Puffback (Puffback)
741 Brubru
742 Southern Tchagra
743 Brown-crowned Tchagra (Three-streaked Tchagra)
744 Black-crowned Tchagra
747 Gorgeous Bush-Shrike
748 Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike
750 Olive Bush-Shrike
751 Grey-headed Bush-Shrike
753 White-crested Helmet-Shrike (White Helmet-Shrike)
754 Retz's Helmet-Shrike (Red-billed Helmet-Shrike)
760 Wattled Starling
761 Violet-backed Starling (Plum-coloured Starling)
764 Cape Glossy Starling (Glossy Starling)
768 Black-bellied Starling
769 Red-winged Starling
772 Red-billed Oxpecker
778 Copper Sunbird (Coppery Sunbird)
779 Marico Sunbird
780 Purple-banded Sunbird
782 Neergaard's Sunbird
787 White-bellied Sunbird
789 Grey Sunbird
790 Olive Sunbird
791 Scarlet-chested Sunbird
792 Amethyst Sunbird (Black Sunbird)
793 Collared Sunbird
796 Cape White-eye
797 African Yellow White-eye (Yellow White-eye)
798 Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver
801 House Sparrow
804 Southern Grey-headed Sparrow (Grey-headed Sparrow)
805 Yellow-throated Petronia (Yellow-throated Sparrow)
807 Thick-billed Weaver
808 Dark-backed Weaver (Forest Weaver)
810 Spectacled Weaver
811 Village Weaver (Spotted-backed Weaver)
814 Southern Masked-Weaver (Masked Weaver)
815 Lesser Masked-Weaver
817 Yellow Weaver
818 Southern Brown-throated Weaver (Brown-throated Weaver)
819 Red-headed Weaver
821 Red-billed Quelea
822 Red-headed Quelea
824 Southern Red Bishop (Red Bishop)
826 Yellow-crowned Bishop (Golden Bishop)
828 Fan-tailed Widowbird (Red-shouldered Widow)
829 White-winged Widowbird (White-winged Widow)
831 Red-collared Widowbird (Red-collared Widow)
834 Green-winged Pytilia (Melba Finch)
835 Green Twinspot
838 Pink-throated Twinspot
840 African Firefinch (Blue-billed Firefinch)
841 Jameson's Firefinch
842 Red-billed Firefinch
844 Blue Waxbill
846 Common Waxbill
848 Grey Waxbill
850 Swee Waxbill
852 African Quailfinch (Quail Finch)
857 Bronze Mannikin
858 Red-backed Mannikin
859 Magpie Mannikin (Pied Mannikin)
860 Pin-tailed Whydah
862 Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah (Paradise Whydah)
864 Dusky Indigobird (Black Widowfinch)
867 Village Indigobird (Steelblue Widowfinch)
869 Yellow-fronted Canary (Yellow-eyed Canary)
871 Lemon-breasted Canary
877 Brimstone Canary (Bully Canary)
881 Streaky-headed Seedeater (Streaky-headed Canary)
884 Golden-breasted Bunting
886 Cinnamon-breasted Bunting (Rock Bunting)


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Amoli
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Re: Birding in Mkhuze

Post by Amoli »

I will certainly go in search of the migrating birds during my visit over the Easter period.

Thanks for posting this list Toko.


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