Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is dominated by thicket vegetation associated with the Great Fish River Valley. This supports a considerable bird diversity, with more than 300 species now recorded in the reserve. Kwandwe is an isiXhosa name meaning ‘Place of the Blue Crane’ in reference to one of several species likely to be seen here. Other prominent birds include the colorful and bulky (Africa’s heaviest flying bird). are present from November to April.
Birding Specials Treats for Avid Birders
(E) endemic = only lives in South Africa(NE) near-endemic = most of the global population is resident in South Africa
- Acacia pied barbet
- African finfoot
- Amethyst sunbird
- Barratt’s warbler (NE)
- Bateleur
- Black harrier (NE)
- Black stork
- Blue crane (NE)
- Bokmakierie (NE)
- Cape vulture
- Common ostrich
- Crowned eagle
- Crowned lapwing
- Denham’s bustard
- Double-banded courser
- Dusky sunbird
- Greater double-collared sunbird (NE)
- Half-collared kingfisher
- Jackal buzzard (NE)
- Karoo scrub robin (NE)
- Knysna woodpecker (E)
- Kori bustard
- Lanner falcon
- Malachite sunbird
- Martial eagle
- Pale chanting goshawk
- Red-billed oxpecker
- Reed cormorant
- Scaly-feathered weaver
- Secretary bird
- Southern grey-headed sparrow
- Striated heron
- Tawny eagle
- Verreaux’s eagle
- Violet-backed starling
Best Time for Bird Watching
A high proportion of the most interesting species in Kwandwe are , which means that birding is generally good all year round. For the optimal bird-watching experience, however, it is best to plan your trip from November to April, when arrive from the northern hemisphere.