Birds – Hluhluwe-iMfolozi GR

Philip Briggs
Expert
By Philip Briggs

Philip lives in South Africa and is the author many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Bradt and Insight guide to South Africa.

Philip lives in South Africa and is the author many Africa guidebooks, including the Bradt and Insight guide to South Africa.

Philip is the author of many Africa guidebooks, including the Bradt and Insight guides to South Africa.

Philip is the author of the Bradt and Insight guides to South Africa.

With more than 340 species recorded, along with excellent facilities for independent travel, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is a great birding destination. There are several birding shelters in the park, and the viewpoint from Hilltop Camp is a great place to observe birds of prey, such as bateleur and martial eagle, soaring over the bush. Several pairs of southern bald ibis are known to breed within the park. Migratory birds are present from November to April.

Notable Birds in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi
› ‹
Black-bellied bustard
Common
Burchell's coucal
Common
Crested guineafowl
Common
Saddle-billed stork
Common
Spotted eagle owl
Common

Birding Rating

Birding Specials –Treats for Avid Birders

(E) = endemic to South Africa & (NE) = near-endemic to South Africa

  • African black duck
  • African finfoot
  • African marsh harrier
  • African pied wagtail
  • African rock pipit
  • Amur falcon
  • Bearded scrub robin
  • Bronze-winged courser
  • Brown-headed parrot
  • Crested guineafowl
  • Crowned hornbill
  • European nightjar
  • Fan-tailed widowbird
  • Gorgeous bush-shrike
  • Grey tit-flycatcher
  • Harlequin quail
  • Lanner falcon
  • Mocking cliff chat
  • Narina trogon
  • Red-collared widowbird
  • Red-throated wryneck
  • Red-winged starling
  • Southern bald ibis
  • Southern tchagra (NE)
  • Southern white-faced owl
  • Spotted thick-knee
  • Rudd’s apalis
  • Trumpeter hornbill
  • Village indigobird
  • White-fronted bee-eater
  • White-throated swallow
  • Wire-tailed swallow
  • Woodland kingfisher
  • Yellow-billed oxpecker
  • Yellow-throated longclaw

Best Time for Bird Watching

Bird watching in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is good year-round, but at its best from November to April, when migrants from Europe and northern Africa are present. The best time for general wildlife viewing is during the dry months of June to September.

Best Parks for Birding –Including Birding Rating

Kruger is great for general birding, while Mkhuze is a real birding hotspot, offering almost as many species in a much smaller area with an incredible number of specials. The dry Kgalagadi is known for its raptors.

Want to Visit Hluhluwe-iMfolozi GR?

Birding Rating

Facts & Figures

Birds in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi GR
Bird Species
340+
Migratory Birds
Nov to Apr