Mkhombo Nature Reserve is a protected area in
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. It is a large, 11,223 ha reserve which conserves an easterly Kalahari thornveld environment around the shores of
Mkhombo Dam. The reserve has typical highland grassland with a network of wetlands and rocky outcrops.
The nature reserve is known for its bird life. Among the species native to the reserve are the
reed cormorant
The reed cormorant (''Microcarbo africanus''), also known as the long-tailed cormorant, is a bird in the cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae. It breeds in much of Africa south of the Sahara, and Madagascar. It is resident but undertakes some seas ...
,
African yellow-billed hornbill,
African grey hornbill,
white-breasted cormorant
The white-breasted cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo lucidus'') is a subspecies of the widely distributed great cormorant, formerly often considered to be a separate species. Its distinguishing features include a white breast and a preference for ...
,
little swift
The little swift (''Apus affinis''), is a small species of Swift (bird), swift found in Africa and southwestern Asia, and are vagrants and local breeders in southern Europe. They are found both in urban areas and at rocky cliffs where they build ...
,
hamerkop
The hamerkop (''Scopus umbretta'') is a medium-sized bird. It is the only living species in the genus ''Scopus (bird), Scopus'' and the family (biology), family Scopidae. The species and family was long thought to sit with the Ciconiiformes but ...
,
red-winged starling
The red-winged starling (''Onychognathus morio'') is a bird of the starling family Sturnidae native to eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to the Cape in South Africa. An omnivorous, generalist species, it prefers cliffs and mountainous a ...
,
pectoral sandpiper
The pectoral sandpiper (''Calidris melanotos'') (often abbreviated pec) is a small, Bird migration, migratory wader that breeds in North America and Palearctic, Asia, wintering in South America and Oceania. It eats small invertebrates. Its bird ...
,
grey plover
The grey plover or black-bellied plover (''Pluvialis squatarola'') is a large plover breeding in Arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding.
Taxonomy
The grey plover was forma ...
,
barred wren-warbler, and
yellow wagtail.
It is a frequent safari destination for visitors from around the world. Species found in the reserve include elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffaloes, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, and several antelope species.
References
Mpumalanga Provincial Parks
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