Baviaanskloof Bird Life
Tuesday, 1st May 2018
The Baviaanskloof is a bird watcher's paradise. Which birds the visitor sees is determined by the veld type, habitat and season. Nearly 300 species have been recorded.
Streams, rivers and open water offer splendid opportunities to view a number of water fowl and species such as fish eagles, herons kingfishers and even the African finfoot.
The forest patches are home to the Knysna loerie, Rameron pigeons, Klaas's and red-chested cuckoo, Knysna and olive woodpecker.
Large congregations of different species can be seen at times when the white stinkwood and Cape figs are in fruit. Most species may also be seen in the bushveld on the lower mountain slopes and along river and stream banks, a habitat which also offers the opportunity of seeing a range of other species, including the Paradise flycatcher, red-billed wood hoopoe, brown-hooded kingfisher, black-collared barbet, black headed oriole, glossy starling and six different species of weaver.
A walk up onto the Fynbos and grassy plateaus could yield sightings of Cape sugarbirds, stone chats, orange-throated longclaw, Greyling francolin, black harrier and even Cape rockjumper.
A move into the drier Karoo parts of the reserve could produce sightings of pale chanting goshawk, Karoo korhaan, Namaqua dove, mountain chat, Pririt batis and perhaps a black-breasted snake eagle.
The area boasts an impressive twenty five raptor species ranging from the little Sparrowhawk to the martial eagle. Others include the crowned eagle and black sparrowhead. Eight sunbirds occur in the area. The orange-breasted sunbird is the characteristic species in the fynbos while the greater double-collared and black sunbirds will usually be found in the low-lying bushy parts.
Some threatened and near-threatened species inhabit, or make use of, the area at certain times of the year. These include blue crane, African marsh harrier, striped fluff tail, Stanley's bustard, black harrier, protea canary, black stork and peregrine falcon.
Common Birds in the Baviaanskloof
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African Marsh Warbler |
Anteating Chat |
Barthroated Apalis |
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Black Crow |
Black Cuckoo |
Black Eagle |
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Black Flycatcher |
Black Korhaan |
Black Sawwing Swallow |
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Black Sunbird |
Blackcollared Barbet |
Blackheaded Heron |
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Blackheaded Oriole |
Blackshouldered Kite |
Blackthroated Canary |
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Bleating Warbler |
Bluebilled Firefinch |
Bokmakierie |
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Brown Robin |
Brownhooded Kingfisher |
Brownthroated Martin |
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Bully Canary |
Cape Penduline Tit |
Cape Batis |
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Cape Bulbul |
Cape Bunting |
Cape Canary |
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Cape Reed Warbler |
Cape Robin |
Cape Rock Thrush |
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Cape Rockjumper |
Cape Siskin |
Cape Sparrow |
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Cape Sugarbird |
Cape Turtle Dove |
Cape Wagtail |
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Cape Weaver |
Cape White-eye |
Cardinal Woodpecker |
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Cattle Egret |
Chinspot Batis |
Chorister Robin |
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Cinnamon Dove |
Clapper Lark |
Collared Sunbird |
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Common Quail |
Common Waxbill |
Crowned Hornbill |
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Diederik Cuckoo |
Dusky Flycatcher |
Dusky Sunbird |
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Egyptian Goose |
European Swallow |
European Swift |
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Fairy Flycatcher |
Familiar Chat |
Fiscal Flycatcher |
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Fiscal Shrike |
Forest Canary |
Forest Weaver |
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Forktailed Drongo |
Giant Kingfisher |
Glossy Starling |
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Goldenbreasted Bunting |
Grassbird |
Greater Striped Swallow |
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Grey Heron |
Greybacked Cisticola |
Greyheaded Sparrow |
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Greywing Francolin |
Grtr Double collared Sunbird |
Gymnogene |
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Hadedah Ibis |
Helmeted Guineafowl |
Hoopoe |
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House Martin |
Jackal Buzzard |
Jacobin Cuckoo |
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Karoo Korhaan |
Karoo Robin |
Klaas's Cuckoo |
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Knysna Woodpecker |
Laughing Dove |
Layard's Titbabbler |
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Lazy Cisticola |
Lesr Doublecollared Sunbird |
Lesser Kestrel |
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Lesser Striped Swallow |
Levaillant's Cisticola |
Little Swift |
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Longbilled Crombec |
Longbilled Lark |
Longbilled Pipit |
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Malachite Sunbird |
Masked Weaver |
Mocking Chat |
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Mountain Chat |
Namaqua Dove |
Namaqua Prinia |
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Neddicky |
Olive Bush Shrike |
Olive Thrush |
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Olive Woodpecker |
Orangebreasted Sunbird |
Orangethroated Longclaw |
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Pale Chanting Goshawk |
Palewinged Starling |
Paradise Flycatcher |
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Pearlbreasted Swallow |
Pied Barbet |
Pied Crow |
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Pied Kingfisher |
Pied Starling |
Plainbacked Pipit |
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Pririt Batis |
Puffback |
Rameron Pigeon |
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Redbilled Teal |
Redbilled Woodhoopoe |
Redchested Cuckoo |
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Redeyed Bulbul |
Redeyed Dove |
Redfronted Tinker Barbet |
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Redlaced Mousebird |
Rednecked Francolin |
Redwinged Starling |
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Richard's Pipit |
Rock Bunting |
Rock Kestrel |
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Rock Martin |
Rock Pigeon |
Rufousearred Prinia |
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Rufousnaped Lark |
Sentinel Rock Thrush |
Sicklewinged Chat |
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Sombre Bulbul |
South African Shelduck |
Southern Black Tit |
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Southern Boubou |
Southern Grey Tit |
Speckled Mousebird |
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Spectacled Weaver |
Spotted Flycatcher' |
Spotted Prinia |
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Spottedbacked Weaver |
Starred Robin |
Steppe Buzzard |
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Stone Chat |
Streakyheaded Canary |
Swee Waxbill |
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Terrestrial Bulbul |
Thickbilled Lark |
Titbabbler |
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Victorin's Warbler |
Wailing Cisticola |
Whitebacked Mousebird |
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Whitebrowed Robin |
Whitenecked Raven |
Whiterumped Swift |
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Whitethroated Canary |
Whitethroated Swallow |
Yellow Canary |
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Yellowbellied Eremomela |
Yellowbilled Duck |
Yellowbilled Kite |
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Yellowbreasted Apalis |
Yelloweyed Canary |
Yellowthroated Sparrow |
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Yellowthroated Warbler |
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