Bushveld and Woodland birds and birding in the Kruger National Park:

Bushveld and Woodland birds are found throughout the Kruger National Park in any habitat / ecozone that has bush and trees. Bushveld and Woodland are the most dominant habitat of the park. The South African National Parks camps (restcamps) and private lodges, riverine bush and acacia thickets are best, while the mopane and broadleaved woodlands north of Olifants are less productive.

The Kruger National Park is particularly rich in Cuckoos(9 species), Rollers(5 species), Hornbills(6 species), and Kingfishers(9 species).

Interesting species of the Kruger National Park's Bushveld and Woodland include:

Greyheaded Parrot , African Cuckoo, Thickbilled Cuckoo, and Great Spotted Cuckoo, Greyhooded Kingfisher and Woodland Kingfisher, Carmine Bee-eater and Bluecheeked Bee-eater, Broadbilled Roller and Rackettailed Roller, Southern Ground Hornbill and Trumpeter Hornbill, Bennett's Woodpecker and Bearded Woodpecker, Redbreasted Swallow and Mosque Swallow, Black Cuckooshrike and Whitebreasted Cuckooshrike, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Whitethroated Robin and Bearded Robin, Stierling's Barred Warbler, Greyheaded Bush Shrike, Longtailed Starling, Greater Blue-eared Starling and Plumcoloured Starling, Yellowbilled Oxpecker and Redbilled Oxpecker, Scarletchested Sunbird, Redheaded Weaver, Melba Finch, Violeteared Waxbill and Lemonbreasted Canary. Almost all buffalo herds in the northern half of the park are attended by Yellowbilled Oxpecker.

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Kruger National Park Birding Habitats:

The parks wide variety of habitats can be summarised into 16 major habitat types, which are are the product of the underlying geology, topography and annual rainfall. The park is generally flat to undulating, with average height of 260m above sea level. The Lebombo Mountains form the eastern boundary, and hilly areas occur in the south-west and far north. Rocky outcrops also occur sporadically throughout.

Rainfall occurs in summer from September to March, decreasing from 800mm in the south to 400mm in the north, with an average of 500mm. Flat basaltic plains in the east support open grassland and savanna, while the undulating granitic soils in the west support various woodlands. In the drier area north of the Olifants River, the dominant woodland and savanna plant is the Mopane, while in the moister south, mixed broad-leaved and acacia species occur.

In the far north, a dense mixed woodland occurs on red sandy hills around Punda Maria, and a rugged dry Baobab and Mopane veld occurs around Pafuri. On the eastern boundary to the east of Punda Maria, the extensive Nwambiya Sandveld in Mozambique just pushes into the park with its characteristic sandveld vegetation and associated avaifauna.

Six major rivers traverse the park from west to east and these yield a range of riverine habitats including forest. Approximately eighty dams and numerous seasonal pans provide additional habitat for water birds. Cliffs and gorges occur where the rivers cut through the Lebombo mountains, and also along the Luvuvu River in the north.