Birdlife of Swaziland

There are a number of reserves within Swaziland that are abundant in birdlife.

In the north, the Malolotja Nature Reserve is home to roughly 280 bird species. These include bald ibis, blue crane, striped flufftail, Stanley's bustard, blackwinged plover, Knysna lourie, narina trogon, blue swallow, buffstreaked chat, chorister robin, broadtailed warbler and Gurney's sugarbird.

In the east, there are two reserves of particular interest. Firstly, the Mbuluzi Game Reserve is home to nearly 400 bird species including the dwarf bittern, African finfoot, crested guineafowl, yellowspotted nicator, gorgeous bush shrike, blackheaded and goliath herons, whitebacked herons, cuckoo hawk and black sunbird.

The nearby Hlane Royal National Reserve boasts the highest concentration of nesting whitebacked vultures in Africa, and the reserve holds four other species of vulture

Mlawula Nature Reserve has a bird list of over 350 species, a number of which are very difficult to spot elsewhere in the country. These include the African finfoot, lesser blackwinged plover, thickbilled cuckoo, scalythroated honeyguide, redbilled helmetshrike, African broadbill, grey sunbird and pinkthroated twinspot.

If you are an avid birder, then the Kingdom of Swaziland is an ideal travel destination away from the crowds seeking big-game thrills.

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