Two hundred different bird species arrive in the Kruger National Park between October and March every year. They arrive when the food is plentiful and the first summer rains have fallen. By the end of April most of these birds have departed.
But in those few months when the park is alive with chatter, the Kruger becomes a birder’s paradise.
For the birds, it’s all about habitat and feeding. Birds can generally be found in places that favour their feeding. Under the right conditions, you could have good bird sightings on most of the roads in the Kruger National Park. But this being said, you will more than likely have a better viewing opportunity if you stick to areas that have riverine forest. Of course there are no guarantees when it comes to wild life or birds but there are routes that offer better chances of sightings.
These routes are:
- Lower Sabie Road
- Crocodile Bridge to Lower Sabie
- Engelhard Dam
- Kanniedood Dam
- Lower Sabie to Tshokwane
- Luvuvhu River Drive
- Mahonie Loop
- Malelane to Berg-en-Dal
- Napi and Doispane Roads
- Satara to Lebombo
As with the legendary Big Five, the regular Kruger Park Birders have a Big Six checklist for birds. The list is as follows:
Lappet-Faced Vulture
Although these vultures can be found throughout the Kruger National Park, they prefer the central grassland areas. At a kill, these vultures are the dominant scavenging bird. The Lappet-Faced Vulture is the largest vulture in the Kruger National Park and are easily recognised by their striking pink-red head.
Martial Eagle
The Martial Eagle is often spotted along the drainage lines in the Kruger National Park as there the food is plentiful. They can also be found in the mixed woodlands. This is a powerful bird of prey that sports the largest wingspan of any eagle in the Kruger National Park. It has a white chest that is covered in black spots.
Kori Bustard
The Kori Bustard is the world’s heaviest flying bird. Another interesting fact about these birds is that they have no preening glands. Kori Bustards “bath” in the sun and dust in order to clean their feathers of parasites. They can be seen in the central and northern areas of the Kruger National Park and are known for their elaborate courtship rituals.
Saddle-Billed Stork
This bird is a rare sighting in the Kruger National Park. Easily recognised by its red, yellow and black beak, this stork is the tallest bird in the world. You can tell the males from the females by their eyes. The females have yellow eyes while the males have dark brown eyes. These birds are mute and solitary. Most of the sightings of this bird are in the north especially around Letaba, Shingwedzi and Luvuvhu.
Pel’s Fishing Owl
These owls are most active on moonlit nights, especially towards dawn. During the day they roost in pairs on the large branches of trees. Pel’s Fishing Owls are large with flecked rufous markings. They can be spotted along large watercourses, especially along the Luvuvhu River.
Southern Ground-Hornbill
The Southern Ground-Hornbill is an endangered species. It can be found throughout the Kruger National Park. This is a very vocal bird that starts its calls before dawn in a chorus of repeated low grunting, that sounds a lot like a lion in the distance. The Ground Hornbill are very slow breeders producing two chicks every nine years and then mostly one survives. In the past African traditional cultures saw these birds as harbingers of rain, and killing them was forbidden.
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