The Pendjari National Park (french: Parc National de la Pendjari) lies in north western

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

, adjoining the

Arli National Park Arli National Park, often called Arly, is a national park located in Tapoa Province, southeastern Burkina Faso. It adjoins Benin's Pendjari National Park in the south and the Singou Reserve in the west. Geography and history The park is set in ...

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana t ...

. Named for the

Pendjari River The Oti River or Pendjari River is an international river in West Africa. It rises in Benin, forms the border between Benin and Burkina Faso, flows through Togo, and joins the Volta River in Ghana. Geography The Oti River is about long. Its head ...

, the

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

is known for its wildlife and is home to some of the last populations of big game like the

African forest elephant The African forest elephant (''Loxodonta cyclotis'') is one of the two living African elephant species. It is native to humid forests in West Africa and the Congo Basin. It is the smallest of the three living elephant species, reaching a shoulde ...

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...

hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two exta ...

, African buffalo, and various

antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mamm ...

s in West Africa. The park is also famous for its richness in

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s. The Pendjari National Park has an area of and is part of the WAP complex ( W- Arli-Pendjari), a large protected area in Benin, Burkina Faso and

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesAtakora range are visible from the park. In March 2009, the park was tentatively nominated for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

program, and in July 2017, it was officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a transnational extension of the WAP Complex.

Ecology

The rocky cliffs of the area are sparsely wooded with ''

Burkea africana ''Burkea africana'', the wild syringa ( bm, siri), is a deciduous, medium-sized, spreading, flat-topped tree belonging to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the family Fabaceae. The genus was named in honour of Joseph Burke, the botanist and colle ...

'', ''

Detarium microcarpum ''Detarium microcarpum'' ( bm, Ntamajalan), commonly known as sweet detar, sweet dattock or tallow tree, is an underutilized species of tree legume that grows naturally in the drier regions of West and Central Africa. It has a wide range of uses ...

'', ''Lannea acida'', ''Sterculia setigera'' and ''Combretum ghasalense''. On the deep soils of some of the summits and the Atakora escarpment, there is a greater variety of plant species with ''

Isoberlinia doka ''Isoberlinia doka'' is a hardwood tree native to African tropical savannas and Guinean forest-savanna mosaic dry forests where it can form single species stands. The tree is exploited for its economic value as a commercial timber. The leaves ...

'' and ''

Afzelia africana ''Afzelia africana'', the African mahogany, afzelia, lenke, lengue, apa, or doussi, is a tree species in the family Fabaceae. Range It occurs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, DRCongo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, ...

''. The Pendjari River is surrounded by forest. The park includes both the Sudanian and

Guinean Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground ...

s, with areas of grassland dominated by ''

Acacia sieberiana ''Vachellia sieberiana'', until recently known as ''Acacia sieberiana'' and commonly known as the paperbark thorn or paperbark acacia, is a tree native to southern Africa and introduced into Pakistan. It is used in many areas for various purposes ...

'' and ''Mitragyna inermis'' or ''

Terminalia macroptera ''Terminalia macroptera'' is a species of flowering plant in the Combretaceae known by the Hausa common name ''kwandari''. It is native to Africa, where it can be found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Sudan, Uganda, and Nigeria. Thi ...

''. The annual rainfall is approximately . The park is open year-round, although from June to November, rainfall can be heavy, and certain parts of the park may be inaccessible. File:Pendjari.JPG, Landscape File:Pendjari fluss.JPG, Pendjari river within the national park in dry season: right Burkina Faso, left Benin

Fauna and flora

Mammals

Pendjari National Park has a relatively large population of elephants, which was stable over the last decades and counted more than 800 individuals between 2005 and 2010. The WAP Complex's elephant population is more than 3,800, making it the largest elephant concentration in all of western Africa. The second largest species of the park is the hippopotamus. There are also large populations of several other large

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

s like African buffalo (''Syncerus caffer brachyceros''; c. 2,700 animals in 2000),

western hartebeest The western hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus major'') is an antelope native to the medium to tall grassland plains of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, ...

s (''Alcelaphus buselaphus major''; c. 1,500 in 2000), roan antelope (c. 2,000 in 2000), kob antelope (c. 2,600 in 2000), and

warthog ''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly con ...

s. Some other antelope species like

korrigum The korrigum (''Damaliscus lunatus korrigum''), also known as Senegal hartebeest, is a subspecies of the topi, a large African antelope. Taxonomy An 1822–1824 British expedition across the Sahara to the ancient kingdom of Bornu, returned with ...

(''Damaliscus lunatus korrigum''),

bushbuck The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus'') is a common and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009)Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both? ''Gnusletter'', 28(1):18-19. Bushbuck are found in a wide ran ...

, and

reedbuck Reedbuck is a common name for Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it ...

are relatively rare. Smaller bovids are the red-flanked duiker,

oribi The oribi (; ''Ourebia ourebi'') is a small antelope found in eastern, southern and western Africa. The sole member of its genus, it was described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1783. While this is the only ...

, and common duiker. Primates are represented by the

olive baboon The olive baboon (''Papio anubis''), also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae Old World monkeys. The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons, being native to 25 countries throughout Africa, extending fr ...

patas monkey The common patas monkey (''Erythrocebus patas''), also known as the wadi monkey or hussar monkey, is a ground-dwelling monkey distributed over semi-arid areas of West Africa, and into East Africa. Taxonomy There is some confusion surrounding ...

, and tantalus monkey. One of the rarest large predators in the protected area is the

Northwest African cheetah The Northwest African cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus hecki''), also known as the Saharan cheetah, is a cheetah subspecies native to the Sahara and the Sahel. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. In 2008, the population was su ...

(''Acinonyx jubatus hecki''). As of 2007, there were only about 5–13 individuals left in the national park and neighboring W National Park. By 2009, the

(''Panthera leo leo'') population in the WAP Complex comprised about 100 animals and was possibly the largest in West Africa at the time. The endangered West African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus manguensis'') was recorded in Pendjari National Park during a survey in April 2000, as well as

African leopard The African leopard (''Panthera pardus pardus'') is the nominate subspecies of the leopard, native to many countries in Africa. It is widely distributed in most of sub-Saharan Africa, but the historical range has been fragmented in the course of ...

spotted hyena The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...

, side-striped jackal, and

African civet The African civet (''Civettictis civetta'') is a large viverrid native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is considered common and widely distributed in woodlands and secondary forests. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 200 ...

. The number of

waterbuck The waterbuck (''Kobus ellipsiprymnus'') is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus '' Kobus'' of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. Its 13 subspecies a ...

s (''Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa'') decreased from about 3,000 in the 1970s to 120 in 2004.

Birds

The

hooded vulture The hooded vulture (''Necrosyrtes monachus'') is an Old World vulture in the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus ''Necrosyrtes,'' which is sister to the larger ''Gyps'' ...

(''Necrosyrtes monachus'') is resident in the protected area, but in small numbers. The park is renowned for its abundance of bird species. Some 300 different species are present. Pallid harrier (''Circus macrourus'') and

lesser kestrel The lesser kestrel (''Falco naumanni'') is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across Afghanistan and Central Asia, to China and Mongolia. It is a summer migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and sometimes even to Indi ...

(''Falco naumanni'') are occasionally recorded and there are a few isolated records for lappet-faced vulture (''Torgos tracheliotus''). Fox kestrel (''Falco alopex'') is not uncommon, while the African swallow-tailed kite (''Chelictinia riocourii'') is a not uncommon dry season visitor. The

booted eagle The booted eagle (''Hieraaetus pennatus'', also classified as ''Aquila pennata'') is a medium-sized mostly migratory bird of prey with a wide distribution in the Palearctic and southern Asia, wintering in the tropics of Africa and Asia, with a ...

(''Hieraaetus pennatus'') has also been recorded here. BirdLife notes that "the Pendjari is notable for large conspicuous species such as African openbill stork (''Anastomus lamelligerus''),

Abdim's stork Abdim's stork (''Ciconia abdimii''), also known as the white-bellied stork, is a stork belonging to the family Ciconiidae. It is the smallest species of stork, feeds mostly on insects, and is found widely in open habitats in Sub-Saharan Africa an ...

(''Ciconia abdimii''),

saddle-billed stork The saddle-billed stork or saddlebill (''Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis'') is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south ...

(''Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis''), and seasonally, flocks of up to 60 European white storks (''Ciconia ciconia''). The

African fish eagle The African fish eagle (''Haliaeetus vocifer'') or the African sea eagle, is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur. It is the national bird of Malawi, Na ...

(''Haliaeetus vocifer'') and

Pel's fishing-owl Pel's fishing owl (''Scotopelia peli'') is a large species of owl in the family Strigidae. The species is found in Africa and lives near rivers and lakes. It feeds nocturnally on fish and frogs snatched from the surface of lakes and rivers. Th ...

(''Scotopelia peli'') can also be found." Among the more notable species recorded are

pied-winged swallow The pied-winged swallow (''Hirundo leucosoma'') is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It has distinctive steel-blue upperparts with white wing patches. It is native to parts of West Africa. Taxonomy The pied-winged swallow was descri ...

(''Hirundo leucosoma''),

white-crowned robin-chat The white-crowned robin-chat (''Cossypha albicapilla'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ni ...

(''Cossypha albicapillus''),

Botta's wheatear The buff-breasted wheatear (''Oenanthe bottae'') is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is found in the montane areas of the southwestern Arabian Peninsula. It is also known as Botta's wheatear or the red-breast ...

(''Oenanthe bottae''),

familiar chat The familiar chat (''Oenanthe familiaris'') is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara in rocky and mountainous habitat and around human habitation. Ta ...

(''Cercomela familiaris''), white-fronted black-chat (''Myrmecocichla albifrons''), mocking cliff-chat (''Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris''), common rock thrush (''Monticola saxitilis''),

Senegal eremomela The Senegal eremomela (''Eremomela pusilla'') is a member of the African warbler family, the Cisticolidae. It occurs in the savannas of western Sub-Saharan Africa. Taxonomy The Senegal eremomela was described by the German ornithologist Gusta ...

(''Eremomela pusilla''), blackcap babbler (''Turdoides reinwardtii''),

red-winged pytilia The red-winged pytilia (''Pytilia phoenicoptera'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 370,000 km2. It is found at Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Repub ...

(''Pytilia phoenicoptera''),

black-rumped waxbill The black-rumped waxbill (''Estrilda troglodytes'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in Southern Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 2,000,000 km2. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Afr ...

(''Estrilda troglodytes''), bush petronia (''Petronia dentata'') and Togo paradise-whydah (''Vidua togoensis''). Grey tit-flycatcher (''Myioparus plumbeus'') has been recorded as well as several other species of the undergrowth.

White-throated greenbul The white-throated greenbul (''Phyllastrephus albigularis''), or white-throated bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in many parts of central and western Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or ...

(''Phyllastrephus albigularis'') has been recorded at

Tanguiéta Tanguiéta is a town, arrondissement and commune located in the Atakora Department of Benin.The commune covers an area of 5465 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 74,675 people. As of 2007 the town had an estimated population of 2 ...

and the

white-throated francolin The white-throated francolin (''Campocolinus albogularis'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, ...

(''Francolinus albogularis''), a rare resident, has been spotted in farmland south of

Natitingou Natitingou, informally referred to as Nati, is a city and commune in north western Benin and the capital of Atakora Department. The commune covers an area of 3045 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 104,010 people. History The t ...

. South of the park there is a large semi-protected zone known in French as ''La zone cygnetique de la Pendjari'' where a number of other species have been spotted. The National park and the bird habitat is protected by the government in

. Other bird species include: * Fox kestrel (''Falco alopex'') resident 1998 - A3 *

Red-thighed sparrowhawk The red-thighed sparrowhawk (''Accipiter erythropus''), alternatively known as the red-legged sparrowhawk or the western little sparrowhawk is a species of sparrowhawk in the family Accipitridae from western and northern central Africa. Descript ...

(''Accipiter erythropus'') resident 1998 *

Senegal parrot The Senegal parrot (''Poicephalus senegalus'') is a parrot which is a resident breeder across a wide range of west Africa. It makes migrations within west Africa, according to the availability of the fruit, seeds and blossoms which make up its ...

(''Poicephalus senegalus'') resident 1998 - A3 *

Violet turaco The violet turaco, also known as the violaceous plantain eater (''Musophaga violacea''), is a large turaco, a group of African otidimorphae. Characteristics These are unmistakable birds, but shy and often inconspicuous in the treetops. They are ...

(''Musophaga violacea'') resident 1998 - A3 *

Blue-bellied roller The blue-bellied roller (''Coracias cyanogaster'') is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across Africa in a narrow belt from Senegal to northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is resident, apart from some local seasonal ...

(''Coracias cyanogaster'') resident 1998 - A3 *

Red-throated bee-eater The red-throated bee-eater (''Merops bulocki'') is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. This species is found in tropical Africa, in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivo ...

(''Merops bulocki'') resident 1998 - A3 *

Bearded barbet The bearded barbet (''Lybius dubius'') is an African barbet. Barbets are near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution, although New World and Old World barbets are placed in different families. The barbets get their name from the br ...

(''Lybius dubius'') resident 1998 - A3 * Yellow-billed shrike (''Corvinella corvina'') resident 1998 - A3 * Piapiac (''Ptilostomus afer'') resident 1998 - A3 * Yellow penduline-tit (''Anthoscopus parvulus'') resident 1998 - A3 * Fanti saw-wing (''Psalidoprocne obscura'') resident 1998 *

Pied-winged swallow The pied-winged swallow (''Hirundo leucosoma'') is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It has distinctive steel-blue upperparts with white wing patches. It is native to parts of West Africa. Taxonomy The pied-winged swallow was descri ...

(''Hirundo leucosoma'') resident 1998 - A3 *

(''Eremomela pusilla'') resident 1998 - A3 * Blackcap babbler (''Turdoides reinwardii'') resident 1998 - A3 * Purple glossy-starling (''Lamprotornis purpureus'') resident 1998 - A3 *

White-crowned robin-chat The white-crowned robin-chat (''Cossypha albicapilla'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ni ...

(''Cossypha albicapilla'') resident 1998 - A3 * Bush petronia (''Petronia dentata'') resident 1998 - A3 *

Red-winged pytilia The red-winged pytilia (''Pytilia phoenicoptera'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 370,000 km2. It is found at Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Repub ...

(''Pytilia phoenicoptera'') resident 1998 - A3 * Red-faced pytilia (''Pytilia hypogrammica'') resident 1998 - A3 * Lavender waxbill (''Estrilda caerulescens'') resident 1998 - A3 *

Black-rumped waxbill The black-rumped waxbill (''Estrilda troglodytes'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in Southern Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 2,000,000 km2. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Afr ...

(''Estrilda troglodytes'') resident 1998 - A3 * Togo paradise-whydah (''Vidua togoensis'') resident 1998 - A3

References

External links