Malolotja Nature Reserve - Birds
More than 280 species of birds have been recorded from Malolotja and the reserve is particularly important for breeding groups of endangered species, such as the blue swallow, blue crane, bald ibis and Stanley's bustard. Only two breeding colonies of the bald ibis exist in Swaziland, and one of these is found inside the reserve. This colony, located on the cliffs above the Malolotja Falls, is increasing in size and for the last two years a record eighteen chicks have been raised by the breeding birds. These birds have been known to breed, in small groups of one or two pairs, at two other localities in the reserve.
Many other rare species are to be found in the reserve in a variety of specialised habitats. The bog and vlei systems are home to striped flufftails, blackrumped buttonquails and blue cranes; the streams and riverbanks to giant, malachite and halfcollared kingfishers and the African finfoot; the high protea woodland to sunbirds and Gurney's sugarbirds; the short grassland to blue swallows, anteating chats, blackwinged plovers and Stanley's bustard; and the rock outcrops to sentinel rock thrushes, buffstreaked chats and ground woodpeckers. As one descends into the valleys one finds a greater proportion of middleveld species, including some gems like green pigeons, Knysna and purplecrested louries, little bee-eaters, plumcoloured starlings, coucals and bushshrikes.
| Orange throated
Longclaw |
 |
Longclaw nest |  |
Priority species:
| Status | Scientific Name | Common Name |
| R
I O V I E r R I V I r E I r r |
Ciconia ciconia
Ciconia nigra Geronticus calvus Gyps coprotheres Aviceda cuculoides Turnix hottentotta Anthropoides paradisea Sarothrura affinis Podica senegalensis Neotis denhami Tyto capensis Geocolaptes olivaceus Hirundo atrocaerulea Delichon urbica Oenanthe bifasciata Schoenicola brevirostris |
White stork
Black stork Bald ibis Cape vulture Cuckoo hawk Blackrumped buttonquail Blue crane Striped flufftail African finfoot Stanley's bustard Grass owl Ground woodpecker Blue swallow House martin Buffstreaked chat Broadtailed warbler |
Key to conservation status codes
E V R I O r e |
Southern African Red
Data Book species
Endangered Vulnerable Rare Indeterminate Out of danger Species not included in the above categories which are: regionally important species, rare in Swaziland or restricted distributions Swaziland endemics |
# species possibly occurs