Destinations
Kruger National Park
Birds in the Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is justly famous for its mammals, but it's equally a tremendous experience for birdwatchers. This page features just a tempting few of the 517 bird species recorded in the park to date, 253 residents and 117 non-breeding migrants.
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The giant kingfisher (right), Africa's largest kingfisher, is found at wetlands, but there are others, including the aptly named woodland kingfisher (left), that feed in dry country, catching grasshoppers and other big insects.
Yellow-billed hornbills nest in holes in trees. To protect eggs and chicks from predators, the female is sealed into the hole. She has just enough space for her beak to stick out so she and the fledglings can be fed by the male though the hole.
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Blue-eared glossy starling (left) is one of many brightly-coloured starlings in Kruger. Swainson's francolin, or spurfowl, is a game bird, characteristically seen walking across roads or through grass.
Lilac-breasted roller: unmistakable, and often easy to see on tree tops and other perches.
Magpie shrike,
also known as the African long-tailed shrike. The black and white patterning you'd expect from its name is more obvious in flight.
Spotted eagle owl. With luck, a bird you might see on a night drive in Kruger National Park.
Dark-capped bulbul. Its wide range of diet means it's often seen around rest camps.
White-crested helmet shrike. A gregarious bird, often in small parties that forage on the move.
Hadeda ibis. Also seen daily on our Garden Route holiday!
As well as our main Kruger page, see also mammals in Addo Elephant National Park, farther south in South Africa, here
Photos on this page are by Geoff Crane
