Kruger's Rare Localised Birds: Where to look for them

[Klipspringer]

First, you must distinguish a generally "rare" bird from a localised bird:

There are numerous records of rare birds which are just vagrants, such as Egyptian Vultures, Sacred Ibises etc. These vagrants can turn up anywhere and there are no places where you are more likely to spot them. So recording them does not make sense.

Then there are the summer or winter visitors which are rare because of seasonal movements, such as the Western Osprey, many Sandpipers, Dwarf Bittern etc. If you want to spot them, plan for the correct time of the year. Again there are no "best places" to spot them. They can pitch up everywhere in suitable habitat (such as seasonal pans or places with abundant food).

And some birds such as Buttonquails don't appear often on social media, they are common, but overlooked. Look carefully on your next visit!


This topic is about birds which are:

1. localised residents in the Kruger National Park: they are likely to be found only in a restricted area (often in the Far North)
2. not common in these locations

[Klipspringer]

Verreaux's Eagle - uncommon. Only likely in Punda Maria, Pafuri and Berg-en-Dal areas.

Crowned Eagle - rare. Restricted to the major rivers

Jackal Buzzard - rare. Only likely in Berg-en-Dal area

Black Sparrowhawk - rare. Forest type habitat: Pafuri, Skukuza and Berg-en-Dal the only likely areas where it is recorded with any regularity.

African Goshawk - uncommon. A localised species and not one of the commoner Accipiters, but resident at Skukuza.

Peregrine Falcon - rare. Found in gorges and cliffs over lengths of KNP

Rock Kestrel - rare. Most regular in the Berg-en-Dal area

Dickinson's Kestrel - uncommon. Generally restricted to Far North

Crested Guineafowl - uncommon. Pafuri, Punda Maria, Nwambiya Sandveld and Lebombos

African Rail- rare. Probably resident in suitable locations and coloniser of suitable conditions (especially Leeupan in flood)

African Finfoot - uncommon. Regular only on Sabie, Levuvhu and Crocodile Rivers

White-fronted Plover - uncommon. Regularly recorded only on Olifants River and a few water points in the Mopani Camp region

Senegal Lapwing - nomadic, uncommon. Most regular in Orpen and Lower Sabie regions

White-crowned Lapwing - uncommon. Regular on Levuvhu, Olifants and Sabie Rivers

Three-banded Courser - rare. Restricted to the Far North.

Collared Pratincole - uncommon. First recorded breeding in mid 1980s. Now regular north of the Olifants, particularly in Letaba and Mopani areas.

Speckled Pigeon - rare. Occurs regularly only in the Berg-en-Dal, Olifants and Pafuri Gorge areas

African Mourning Dove - common. A localised species, mainly restricted to camps/picnic spots, where it is common, strangely absent in between.

Tambourine Dove - rare. Resident in suitable riverine habitat.

Brown-necked Parrot (Grey-headed Parrot) - uncommon. Only occurs in the Pafuri and Punda Maria areas.

African Grass-Owl - uncommon. Regularly recorded in the Punda Maria and Pretoriuskop areas, rare or absent elsewhere

Pel's Fishing Owl - uncommon. Recorded along all major rivers, under suitable conditions from a few other locations. Levuvhu & Olifants best spots

Pennant-winged Nightjar - uncommon. Associated with stony ground and regular only in Punda Maria (night drives!) and Pretoriuskop regions

Mottled Spinetail - uncommon. Only regularly recorded from Pafuri region and occasionally Punda Maria - generally in assosication with baobabs

Böhm's Spinetail - uncommon. Only reliably recorded from Pafuri region - generally in assosication with baobabs

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - summer visitor, uncommon. Localised to the extreme north and eastern boundary of the park

Broad-billed Roller - uncommon. Generally found only in the northern parts of the park

Crowned Hornbill - uncommon. Mainly in Far North, but some birds are found further south

Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird - uncommon. An isolated localised population occurs at Crocodile Bridge & Skukuza, scattered records elsewhere in S.

Scaly-throated Honeyguide - rare. Recorded fairly regularly at Pafuri - rare vagrant elsewhere

Brown-backed Honeybird - rare. Possibly overlooked, but there are records for the park, particualrly in the P'kop area

Monotonous Lark - nomadic. Absent at times, but prone to erruptions where it will be common and vocal

Fawn-coloured Lark - rare. Only in the north eastern plains that are off the tourist routes

Mosque Swallow - uncommon. Mainly restricted to the northern baobab zone, but a few southern localities have been colonised

African Golden Oriole - uncommon. Generally restricted to the Punda Maria, Pafuri, Sirheni areas

Mountain Wheatear - rare. Many claims of seeing this bird turn out to be Arnott's Chat, especially those in the Punda Maria and Sirheni areas.

Capped Wheatear - uncommon. Mainly an uncommon winter visitor to suitable grassland habitat. Appears to be attracted to burnt veld.

Collared Palmthrush - rare. Annual breeds in Shingwedzi. Restricted to hyphae palms

Thrush Nightingale - rare. A summer visitor, usually rare, restricted to Pafuri region, but commoner in some years

Brown Scrub-Robin - rare. A few records from Pafuri and Punda Maria

Bar-throated Apalis - rare. Confirmed only from Pretoriuskop area. Wider records exist but need verified

Rudd's Apalis - fairly common. Restricted to north-eastern sandveld, where visitors cannot travel.

Grey-backed Camaroptera - fairly common. The camaroptera at Pafuri Picnic Site. Most camaropteras elsewhere will be green-backed.

Red-faced Cisticola - common. Restricted to river courses and rank vegetation

Rufous-winged Cisticola - uncommon. Restricted to river courses and rank vegetation in north and east

Croaking Cisticola - fairly common. Mainly confined to areas in the south near Lower Sabie and Pretoriuskop

Lazy Cisticola - uncommon. Hills around Pretoriuskop and Berg-en-Dal

Black-throated Wattle-eye - uncommon. Regular at Pafuri, occaisional at Lower Sabie and Croc Bridge

Mountain Wagtail - rare. Recorded on the Sabie and from Lanner Gorge

Striped Pipit - uncommon. Not certain that it is resident, but it is seen regularly in suitable habitats, like the koppies around Pretoriuskop.

Tropical Boubou - common. Only along Limpopo and Levuvhu Rivers - records further south will be Southern Boubou

Burchell's Starling - common. Found almost exclusively south of the Olifants

Meve's Starling - Only found in the vicinity of the Levuvhu and Limpopo Rivers. Birds seen further south will be Burchells

Yellow-billed Oxpecker - uncommon. A successful recoloniser of the park after a period of absence. It appears to be spreading successfully

Amethyst Sunbird - uncommon. Only likely in southwestern camps

Southern Yellow White-eye - erratic, uncommon. Only possible at Pafuri, other yellow white-eyes (and some at Pafuri) the yellow form of Cape White-eye

Pink-throated Twinspot - fairly common. Localised to the extreme south-east and the north-eastern sandveld

Orange-breasted Waxbill - rare. An easily overlooked species, so may not be as rare as it appears

Cutthroat Finch - uncommon. Not a common bird, but found in isolated patches spread over the length of the park.

Red-headed Finch - nomadic, uncommon. Usually absent, but prone to nomadic incursions, probably during dry periods

Red-backed Mannikin - uncommon. These birds are regularly recorded in certain locations (e.g. Skukuza) where they appear to have colonised because of artificially created camp conditions

Purple Indigobird - rare. Despite the presence of its known host (Jameson's Firefinch), most white billed Indigobirds in the park are Dusky. There are only a handful of confirmed sightings mainly from the Punda and Pafuri regions.

Lemon-breasted Canary - uncommon. This bird will only be seen in the vicinity of Pafuri, notably at Crook's Corner

Lark-like Bunting - nomadic. Usually absent but occasional erruptions in dry times

[Richprins]

Klippies!

[Sprocky]

This is quite cool, thanks Klippies.

What makes it even better, is that 8 of the birds in bold are on Grietjie.

[Klipspringer]

Now I am curious to hear and see what you have spooted in the KNP, please let us know details on location and time!

[Sprocky]

Now I am curious to hear and see what you have spooted in the KNP, please let us know details on location and time!

By KNP I presume that it is only KNP and not the Greater KNP?

[Klipspringer]

Sprocky, I don't know much about rarity in the western parts of Greater Kruger. Some species might be common there but uncommon in KNP

I do however appreciate to see your birdies and even better if you can add some info on habitat. And maybe you can also tell us if your birdies are seen often in your area.

[Richprins]

I've seen fishing owl on the Olifants trail, crowned eagle at Pafuri!

Finfoot between Skukuza and lower Sabie.

Grey-headed parrot at Kremetart near Klopperfontein.

[Lisbeth]

I don't think that I have seen any of the above in Kruger

[Klipspringer]

Here a lousy photo of a cool sighting (sun set drive from Punda Maria, you can arrange to get to the site where you can find these cool birds, it's not on a public road)