Tankwa Karoo National Park is a national park in South Africa. The park lies about 70 km west of

Sutherland Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...

and along the border of the

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

and

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

in Succulent Karoo habitat; a biodiversity hotspot and one of the most arid regions of South Africa. Before the park's proclamation, the only protected area of

Succulent Karoo The Succulent Karoo is an terrestrial ecoregion, ecoregion defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature to include regions of deserts and xeric shrublands, desert in South Africa and Namibia, and a biodiversity hotspot. The geographic area chosen ...

was the 2 square kilometre patch of the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve. Succulent Karoo has, together with the

Cape Floral Kingdom The Cape Floral Region is a floristic region located near the southern tip of South Africa. It is the only floristic region of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, and includes only one floristic province, known as the Cape Floristic Province. The C ...

, been declared a

biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a ecoregion, biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after ...

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, in Arlington County, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and co ...

Geography

It is bounded on the east by the Roggeveld Mountains, on the west by the

Cederberg The Cederberg mountains are located near Clanwilliam, Western Cape, Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam cedar (''Widdringtonia cedarbe ...

, to the north by the

Kouebokkeveld Mountains The Koue Bokkeveld, meaning "Cold Buck Shrubland" in Afrikaans, is a mountain range in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Geologically the range is composed of Cedarberg Sandstone of the Cape System. Location and extent It is located abov ...

and on the south by the scattered foothills of the Koedoesberge and Klein Roggeveld Mountains, and the Tankwa River. The park's headquarters are located at Roodewerf. Distances from the nearest towns to the park's headquarters are:

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid and first to be discovered * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion ...

(180 km),

(120 km), Calvinia (110 km) and Middelpos (52 km).

History

In 1998 Conrad Strauss sold 280 km² of sheep farm to the South African National Parks. Tankwa's area has been increased from an initial 270 km² to 1463 km².

Climate

Some areas receive less than 100 mm of average annual precipitation, moisture-bearing clouds from the Atlantic Ocean being largely stopped by the

mountains. Other low areas receive little more, as the Roodewerf station (co-ordinates: ) with 180 mm of mean annual rainfall. In the hottest areas of the park, the mean maximum temperature in January is 38.9 °C, and in July the mean minimum temperature ranges from about 5 to 7 °C.

Biodiversity

The park has started the reintroduction of game that used to be found naturally in the area. Research was done beforehand to ensure that introduced animals would survive on the

overgrazed Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature r ...

veld Veld ( or , Afrikaans language, Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch: ''veld'', field), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide-open, rural landscape in Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrubland, scrub, ...

. The vegetation in the park falls within the

biome and has been described as very sparse

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

and dwarf shrubland. Several unique

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

genera occur here, such as '' Tanquana'', '' Braunsia'' and '' Didymaotus''. The park is home to a large variety of birds (188 species – 2015 figure),http://sanparks.org.za/assets/docs/groups_birders/tankwa-birding-bonanza-bird-list-2015.pdf such as the

black-headed canary The black-headed canary (''Serinus alario'') is a species of finch found in Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. It is sometimes placed in the genus ''Alario'' as ''Alario alario'' Its habitat is dry open scrub and grassland, the edges of cultivat ...

Ludwig's bustard Ludwig's bustard (''Neotis ludwigii'') is a species of bird in the Otididae, bustard family, and named after Baron von Ludwig. It is a medium-to-large sized species. Description The Ludwig's bustard can weigh from , with a mean of for the muc ...

, and the

black-eared sparrow-lark The black-eared sparrow-lark (''Eremopterix australis'') or black-eared finch lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry sh ...

. Peak birding season is August to October.

List of mammals

Aardvark Aardvarks ( ; ''Orycteropus afer'') are medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammals native to Africa. Aardvarks are the only living species of the family Orycteropodidae and the order Tubulidentata. They have a long proboscis, similar to a pi ...

/Antbear (''Orycteropus afer'') *

Aardwolf The aardwolf (''Proteles cristatus'') is an insectivorous hyaenid species, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch. It is also called the maanhaar-jackal (Afrikaans for "mane-jackal"), termite-ea ...

(''Proteles cristatus'') *

Southern African wildcat The Southern African wildcat (''Felis lybica cafra'') is an African wildcat subspecies native to Southern and Eastern Africa. In 2007, it was tentatively recognised as a distinct subspecies on the basis of genetic analysis. Morphological evidenc ...

(''Felis lybica'') *

Bat-eared fox The bat-eared fox (''Otocyon megalotis'') is a species of fox found on the African savanna. It is the only extant species of the genus ''Otocyon'' and a Basal (phylogenetics), basal species of Canidae, canid. Fossil records indicate this canid ...

(''Otocyon megalotis'') *

Black-backed jackal The black-backed jackal (''Lupulella mesomelas'') is a medium-sized Caninae, canine native to East Africa, eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly . One region includes the southernmost tip of the continent, includin ...

(''Canis mesomelas'') *

Cape fox The Cape fox (''Vulpes chama''), also called the asse, cama fox or the silver-backed fox, is a small species of fox, native to southern Africa. It is also called a South African version of a fennec fox due to its similarly big ears. It is the ...

(''Vulpes chama'') *

Cape golden mole The Cape golden mole (''Chrysochloris asiatica'') is a small, insectivorous mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands ...

(''Chrysochloris asiatica'') *

Cape hare The Cape hare (''Lepus capensis''), also called the brown hare and the desert hare, is a hare native to Africa and Arabia extending into India. Taxonomy The Cape hare was one of the many Mammalia in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, mammal ...

(''Lepus capensis'') *

Caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...

(''Felix caracal'') *

Chacma baboon The chacma baboon (''Papio ursinus''), also known as the Cape baboon, is, like all other baboons, from the Old World monkey family. It is one of the largest of all monkeys. Located primarily in southern Africa, the chacma baboon has a wide vari ...

(''Papio cynocephalus ursinus'') *

Four-striped grass mouse The four-striped grass mouse (''Rhabdomys pumilio'') or four-striped grass rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found throughout the southern half of Africa up to above sea level, extending as far north as the Democratic Repub ...

(''Rhabdomys pumilio'') * Gerbil mouse (''Malacothrix typica'') *

Grey duiker The common duiker (''Sylvicapra grimmia''), also known as the gray duiker or bush duiker, is a small antelope and the only member of the genus ''Sylvicapra''. This species is found everywhere in Africa south of the Sahara, excluding the Horn of ...

(''Sylvicapra grimmia'') *

Grey rhebok The grey rhebok (''Pelea capreolus''), locally known as the ''vaalribbok'' in Afrikaans, is a species of antelope native to South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. The specific name ''capreolus'' is Latin for 'little goat'. Description left, A ...

(''Palea capreolus'') *

House mouse The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the rodent family Muridae, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. A ...

(''Mus domesticus'') * Karoo bush rat (''Otomys unisulcatis'') *

Klipspringer The klipspringer (; ''Oreotragus oreotragus'') is a small antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The sole member of its genus and subfamily/tribe, the klipspringer was first described by German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zi ...

(''Oreotragus oreotragus'') *

Kudu The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus '' Tragelaphus'': * Lesser kudu, ''Tragelaphus imberbis'', of eastern Africa * Greater kudu, ''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'', of eastern and southern Africa The two species look similar, th ...

(''Tragelaphus strepsiceros') *

Leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

(''Panthera pardus'') *

Meerkat The meerkat (''Suricata suricatta'') or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body ...

(''Suricata suricatta'') *

Cape porcupine The Cape porcupine (''Hystrix africaeaustralis''), Cape crested porcupine or South African porcupine, is a species of Old World porcupine native to central and southern Africa. Description left, 180px, Porcupine head Cape porcupines are the la ...

(''Hystrix africaeaustralis'') *Ratel/

honey badger The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only living species in both the genus ''Mellivora'' and the subfami ...

(''Mellivora capensis'') *Rock dassie/

rock hyrax The rock hyrax (; ''Procavia capensis''), also called dassie, Cape hyrax, rock rabbit, and (from some interpretations of a word used in the King James Bible) coney, is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East. Common ...

(''Procavia capensis'') *

Scrub hare The scrub hare (''Lepus saxatilis'') is one of two species of hares found in southern Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. Although it is listed as a least concern species, the population has been declining and is expected to ...

(''Lepus saxatilis'') * Small-spotted genet (''Genetta genetta'') *

Brown hyena The brown hyena (''Parahyaena brunnea''), also called the strandwolf, is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and South Africa. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Parahyaena' ...

(''Parahyaena Brunnea'') *

Springbok The springbok or springbuck (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is an antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus (biology), genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first Species description, described by the Germa ...

(''Antidorcas marsupialis'') *

Steenbok The steenbok (''Raphicerus campestris'') is a common small antelope of southern and eastern Africa. It is sometimes known as the steinbuck or steinbok. Description Steenbok resemble small oribi, standing 45–60 cm (16"–24") at the ...

(''Raphicerus campestris'') *Striped polecat/

zorilla The striped polecat (''Ictonyx striatus''), also called the African polecat, zoril, zorille, zorilla, African muishond, striped muishond, Cape polecat, and African skunk, is a species of mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. Despite bearing some ...

(''Ictonyx striatus'') *

Yellow mongoose The yellow mongoose (''Cynictis penicillata''), sometimes referred to as the red meerkat, is a member of the mongoose family. It averages about in weight and about in length. It lives in open country, semi-desert scrubland and grasslands in A ...

(''Cynictis penicillata'')

List of birds

The park's bird list currently includes 187 bird species. Birds found in the park include: *

Acacia pied barbet The acacia pied barbet or pied barbet (''Tricholaema leucomelas'') is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae which is native to southern Africa. Taxonomy The acacia pied barbet was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte ...

African black swift The African black swift (''Apus barbatus''), also known as the African swift or black swift, is a medium-sized bird in the swift family. It breeds in Africa discontinuously from Liberia, Cameroon, Zaire, Uganda and Kenya southwards to South Afric ...

African hoopoe The Eurasian hoopoe (''Upupa epops'') is the most widespread species of the genus ''Upupa''. It is a distinctive cinnamon coloured bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow ...

Pied starling The pied starling or African pied starling (''Lamprotornis bicolor'') is a bird endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. It is common in most of its range, but largely absent from the arid northwest and the eastern lowlands of South Africa. ...

African pipit The African pipit (''Anthus cinnamomeus'') is a fairly small passerine bird belonging to the pipit genus ''Anthus'' in the family Motacillidae. It is also known as the grassveld pipit or grassland pipit. It was formerly lumped together with the ...

African red-eyed bulbul The African red-eyed bulbul or black-fronted bulbul (''Pycnonotus nigricans'') is a species of songbird in the family Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-western Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, ...

Common reed warbler The common reed warbler (''Acrocephalus scirpaceus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It breeds across Europe into the temperate western Palaearctic where it is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a res ...

* African snipe *

Alpine swift The alpine swift (''Tachymarptis melba'', formerly ''Apus melba'') is a species of Swift (bird), swift found in Africa, southern Europe, and Asia. They breed in mountains from southern Europe to the Himalayas. Like common swifts, they are bird mi ...

Pied Avocet The pied avocet (''Recurvirostra avosetta'') is a large black and white wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae. They breed in temperate Europe and across the Palearctic to Central Asia then on to the Russian Far East. It is a m ...

Barn owl The barn owls, owls in the genus '' Tyto'', are the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The ter ...

Barn swallow The barn swallow (''Hirundo rustica'') is the most widespread species of swallow in the world, occurring on all continents, with vagrants reported even in Antarctica. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts and a long, deeply f ...

Black-chested snake eagle The black-chested snake eagle or black-breasted snake eagle (''Circaetus pectoralis'') is a large African bird of prey of the family Accipitridae. It resembles other snake eagles and was formerly considered conspecific with the short-toed and B ...

Black-eared sparrow-lark The black-eared sparrow-lark (''Eremopterix australis'') or black-eared finch lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry sh ...

Black harrier The black harrier (''Circus maurus'') is a medium-sized African harrier whose range extends from South Africa to Botswana and Namibia. It has a wingspan of and a body length of . When perched, this bird appears all black. However, in flight, a w ...

Black-headed canary The black-headed canary (''Serinus alario'') is a species of finch found in Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. It is sometimes placed in the genus ''Alario'' as ''Alario alario'' Its habitat is dry open scrub and grassland, the edges of cultivat ...

Blacksmith lapwing The blacksmith lapwing or blacksmith plover (''Vanellus armatus'') is a lapwing species that occurs commonly from Kenya through central Tanzania to southern and southwestern Africa. The vernacular name derives from the repeated metallic 'tink, ti ...

Black stork The black stork (''Ciconia nigra'') is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Measuring on average from beak tip to end of tail with a wingspan, t ...

Black-winged stilt The black-winged stilt (''Himantopus himantopus'') is a widely distributed, very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family Recurvirostridae. Its scientific name, ''Himantopus himantopus'', is sometimes used to generalize a single, almost ...

Bokmakierie The bokmakierie (''Telophorus zeylonus'') is a bushshrike. This family of passerine birds is closely related to the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, and was once included in that group. This species is endemic to southern Africa, mainly in S ...

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 ...

Brown-throated martin The brown-throated martin or brown-throated sand martin (''Riparia paludicola'') is a small passerine bird in the swallow family, Hirundinidae, that is widely distributed across Africa. It was formerly regarded as conspecific with the grey-th ...

Burchell's courser Burchell's courser (''Cursorius rufus'') is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. The name of this bird commemorates the English naturalist William John Burchell. Native to Africa, Burchell's courser is a small, diurnal, ...

Cape bulbul The Cape bulbul (''Pycnonotus capensis'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in coastal bush, open forest, gardens and fynbos in western and southern South Africa. This species nests mainly in t ...

* Cape bunting *

Cape clapper lark The Cape clapper lark (''Corypha apiata'') is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It derives its name from the wing clapping which forms part of the display flight. The Cape clapper lark is a species of open grassland and sava ...

Cape crow The Cape crow or black crow (''Corvus capensis'') is slightly larger (48–50 cm in length) than the carrion crow and is completely black with a slight gloss of purple in its feathers. It also has proportionately longer legs, wings, and tail, ...

Cape penduline tit The Cape penduline tit or southern penduline tit (''Anthoscopus minutus'') is a species of bird in the family Remizidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savannah, subtrop ...

Cape shoveler The Cape shoveler or Cape shoveller (''Spatula smithii'') is a species of dabbling duck of the genus ''Spatula''. It is resident in South Africa, and uncommon further north in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, southern Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, an ...

* Cape siskin *

Cape sparrow The Cape sparrow (''Passer melanurus''), or mossie, is a bird of the Old World sparrow, sparrow family (biology), family Passeridae found in southern Africa. A medium-sized sparrow at , it has distinctive plumage, including large pale head stri ...

Cape spurfowl The Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin (''Pternistis capensis'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is endemic to southern Africa, where it is the largest francolin. It occurs in the Western Cape province of South Africa, and local ...

Ring-necked dove The ring-necked dove (''Streptopelia capicola''), also known as the Cape turtle dove or half-collared dove, is a widespread and often abundant dove species in East and southern Africa. It is a mostly sedentary bird, found in a variety of open ha ...

* Cape wagtail * Cape weaver *

Capped wheatear The capped wheatear (''Oenanthe pileata'') is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is widely distributed over southern Africa. It was formerly classed as a member of the Thrush (bird), thrush family Turdidae, but is now placed in the Old Wor ...

* Chestnut-vented warbler *

Southern fiscal The southern fiscal or fiscal shrike (''Lanius collaris'') is a member of the shrike family found through most of southern Africa. It is also sometimes named jackie hangman or butcher bird due to its habit of impaling its prey on acacia thorns to ...

Common quail The common quail (''Coturnix coturnix''), or European quail, is a small ground-nesting game bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is mainly migratory, breeding in the western Palearctic and wintering in Africa and southern India. With its ...

Common waxbill The common waxbill (''Estrilda astrild''), also known as the St Helena waxbill, is a small passerine bird belonging to the estrildid finch family. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to many other regions of the world and n ...

Double-banded courser The double-banded courser (''Rhinoptilus africanus''), also known as the two-banded courser, is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. Description The bird's crown is pale and streaked with brown/black feathers. A narrow black stripe exte ...

* Dusky sunbird *

Egyptian goose The Egyptian goose (''Alopochen aegyptiaca'') is an African member of the Anatidae family including ducks, geese, and swans. Because of their popularity chiefly as an ornamental bird, the species has also been introduced to Europe, the United ...

European bee-eater The European bee-eater (''Merops apiaster'') is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Except for the resident southern African populat ...

Common starling The common starling (''Sturnus vulgaris''), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, and as European starling in North America, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about long and ha ...

* Fairy flycatcher * Familiar chat *

Greater flamingo The greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. Common in the Old World, they are found in Northern (coastal) and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent (south of the Him ...

Greater honeyguide The greater honeyguide (''Indicator indicator'') is a bird in the family honeyguide, Indicatoridae, Floristic kingdom#Paleotropical Kingdom, paleotropical near passerine birds related to the woodpeckers. Its English language, English and scientif ...

* Greater kestrel *

Greater striped swallow The greater striped swallow (''Cecropis cucullata'') is a large swallow that is native to Africa south of the equator. Taxonomy The greater striped swallow was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in hi ...

* Grey-backed cisticola *

Grey-backed sparrow-lark The grey-backed sparrow-lark (''Eremopterix verticalis'') or grey-backed finch-lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern and south-central Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and ...

Grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...

* Grey tit *

Grey-winged francolin The grey-winged francolin (''Scleroptila afra'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Lesotho and South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost co ...

Hadada ibis The hadada ibis (''Bostrychia hagedash'') or hadeda () is an ibis native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for its loud three to four note calls uttered in flight especially in the mornings and evenings when they fly out or return to their roost ...

Helmeted guineafowl The helmeted guinea fowl (''Numida meleagris'') is the best known of the guinea fowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus ''Numida''. It is native to Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced, as ...

House sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the Old World sparrow, sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pa ...

Jackal buzzard The jackal buzzard (''Buteo rufofuscus'') is a fairly large African bird of prey. The taxonomy of this species has caused some confusion in the past and it almost certainly belongs in a species complex with other African ''Buteo'' species. Some t ...

Karoo chat The Karoo chat (''Emarginata schlegelii'') is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family (biology), family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in southwesternmost Angola, western Namibia and western South Africa. Its habi ...

Karoo eremomela The Karoo eremomela (''Eremomela gregalis''), also known as the yellow-rumped eremomela, is a species of bird formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but now placed in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Namibia and South Afric ...

* Karoo korhaan *

Karoo lark ''The Karoo lark should not be confused with the similarly named Karoo long-billed lark.'' The Karoo lark (''Calendulauda albescens'') or red-backed lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is endemic to South Africa where its nat ...

* Karoo long-billed lark *

Karoo prinia The Karoo prinia or spotted prinia (''Prinia maculosa'') is a small passerine bird. It is a resident breeder in South Africa, Lesotho and far southern Namibia. It is a species found in karoo scrub, fynbos and bracken-covered slopes in semi-dese ...

* Karoo scrub-robin * Karoo thrush *

Kittlitz's plover Kittlitz's plover (''Anarhynchus pecuarius'') is a small shorebird (35–40 g) in the family Charadriidae that breeds near coastal and inland saltmarshes, sandy or muddy riverbanks or alkaline grasslands with short vegetation. It is native to muc ...

Kori bustard The kori bustard (''Ardeotis kori'') is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family (biology), family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of ...

Lanner falcon The lanner falcon (''Falco biarmicus'') is a medium-sized bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia. It prefers open habitat and is mainly resident, but some birds disperse more widely after the breeding season. A l ...

Large-billed lark The large-billed lark or southern thick-billed lark (''Galerida magnirostris'') is a small passerine bird found in southern Africa. The name "large-billed lark" may also refer to Bradfield's lark. The name "thick-billed lark" more commonly refer ...

* Lark-like bunting *

Laughing dove The laughing dove (''Spilopelia senegalensis'') is a small pigeon that is a resident breeder in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Western Australia where it has established itself in the wild after being released from Perth Zoo in 1898. Th ...

* Layard's warbler *

Lesser honeyguide The lesser honeyguide (''Indicator minor'') is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae. Like other honeyguides, it is a brood parasite that lays eggs most commonly in the nests of African barbets, but will also occasionally use the nests of ...

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 bird migration, migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and someti ...

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 ...

Long-billed crombec The long-billed crombec or Cape crombec (''Sylvietta rufescens'') is an African warbler. The long-billed crombec breeds in southern Africa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Tanzania southwards to South Africa. This is a comm ...

* Nicholson's pipit *

Malachite sunbird The malachite sunbird (''Nectarinia famosa'') is a small nectarivorous bird found from the highlands of Ethiopia southwards to South Africa. They pollinate many flowering plants, particularly those with long corolla tubes, in the Fynbos. Taxonom ...

Marsh sandpiper The marsh sandpiper (''Tringa stagnatilis'') is a small wader. It is a rather small Tringa, shank, and breeds in open grassy steppe and taiga wetlands from easternmost Europe to the Russian Far East. The genus name ''Tringa'' is the Neo-Latin name ...

Martial eagle The martial eagle (''Polemaetus bellicosus'') is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa.Ferguson-Lees & Christie, ''Raptors of the World''. Houghton Mifflin Company (2001), . It is the only member of the genus ''Polemaetus''. A species of t ...

* Mountain wheatear *

Namaqua dove The Namaqua dove (''Oena capensis'') is a small Columbidae, pigeon. It is the Monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Oena.'' It is found over much of Sub-Saharan Africa as well as Arabia and Madagascar. Taxonomy The Namaqua dove is the onl ...

Namaqua sandgrouse The Namaqua sandgrouse (''Pterocles namaqua''), is a species of ground-dwelling bird in the sandgrouse family. It is found in arid regions of south-western Africa. Taxonomy The Namaqua sandgrouse was formally described in 1789 by the German na ...

* Namaqua warbler * Nicholson's pipit *

Pale-winged starling The pale-winged starling (''Onychognathus nabouroup'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Habitat This starling is found in arid and semi-arid areas in South-western Af ...

Peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

Pied crow The pied crow (''Corvus albus'') is a widely distributed African bird species in the crow genus of the family Corvidae. Structurally, the pied crow is better thought of as a small crow-sized raven, especially as it can hybridise with the Somali ...

Pririt batis The pririt batis (''Batis pririt'') also known as the pririt puff-back flycatcher or pririt puffback, is a small passerine bird in the wattle-eye family. It is resident in Southern Africa and southwestern Angola. It is a small stout insectivoro ...

Red-billed teal The red-billed teal or red-billed duck (''Anas erythrorhyncha'') is a dabbling duck which is an abundant resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa typically south of 10° S. This duck is not bird migration, migratory, but will fly great d ...

Red-capped lark The red-capped lark (''Calandrella cinerea'') is a small passerine bird that breeds in the highlands of eastern Africa southwards from Ethiopia and Somaliland. In the south, its range stretches across the continent to Angola and south to the Cap ...

Red-faced mousebird The red-faced mousebird (''Urocolius indicus'') is a species of mousebird or coly. It is a common in southern Africa from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Zambia and Tanzania south to the Cape. Its habitat is savanna with thi ...

Red-knobbed coot The red-knobbed coot or crested coot, (''Fulica cristata''), is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is a resident breeder across much of Africa and in southernmost Spain on freshwater lakes and ponds. It builds a nest o ...

Rock kestrel The rock kestrel (''Falco rupicolus'') is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family (biology), family Falconidae. It was previously considered a subspecies of the common kestrel (''Falco tinnunculus''). This spec ...

* Rock martin * Rufous-eared warbler *

Secretarybird The secretarybird or secretary bird (''Sagittarius serpentarius'') is a large bird of prey that is Endemism, endemic to Africa. It is mostly terrestrial, spending most of its time on the ground, and is usually found in the open grasslands and s ...

Sickle-winged chat The sickle-winged chat or sicklewing chat (''Emarginata sinuata'') is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae endemic to southern Africa. It is a common resident breeder in South Africa and Lesotho, and is also fo ...

South African shelduck The South African shelduck or Cape shelduck (''Tadorna cana'') is a species of shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds which are part of the bird family Anatidae, which also includes the swans, goose, geese and ducks. This is a common specie ...

* Southern double-collared sunbird *

Southern grey-headed sparrow The southern grey-headed sparrow (''Passer diffusus'') is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marri ...

Southern masked weaver The southern masked weaver (''Ploceus velatus''), or African masked weaver, is a resident breeding bird species common throughout southern Africa. This weaver is very widespread and found in a wide range of habitats, including shrubland, savann ...

Pale chanting goshawk The pale chanting goshawk (''Melierax canorus'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This hawk breeds in southern Africa and is a resident species of dry, open semi-desert with 75 cm or less annual rainfall. It is commonly seen ...

Southern red bishop The southern red bishop or red bishop (''Euplectes orix'') is a small passerine bird belonging to the bishop and widowbird genus ''Euplectes'' in the weaver family, the Ploceidae. It is common in wetlands and grassland in Africa south of the Equa ...

Speckled pigeon The speckled pigeon (''Columba guinea''), also African rock pigeon or Guinea pigeon, is a pigeon that is a resident breeding bird in much of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common and widespread species in open habitats over much of its range ...

* Spike-heeled lark * Spotted eagle owl *

Spotted thick-knee The spotted thick-knee (''Burhinus capensis''), also known as the spotted dikkop , or Cape thick-knee, is a wader in the family Burhinidae. It is native to tropical regions of central and southern Africa. Description The spotted thick-knee, whic ...

Steppe buzzard The common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. It is a member of the genus ''Buteo'' in the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across much of th ...

Three-banded plover The three-banded plover, or three-banded sandplover (''Charadrius tricollaris''), is a small wader. This plover is resident and generally sedentary in much of East Africa, southern Africa and Madagascar. It occurs mainly on inland rivers, pools, ...

Tractrac chat The tractrac chat (''Emarginata tractrac'') is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in southernmost Angola, western Namibia and western South Africa. Its habitat is Karoo and des ...

Verreaux's eagle Verreaux's eagle (''Aquila verreauxii'') is a large, mostly African, bird of prey. It is also called the black eagle, especially in southern Africa, not to be confused with the black eagle (''Ictinaetus malayensis'') of south and southeast Asia. ...

Wattled starling The wattled starling (''Creatophora cinerea'') is a nomadic resident bird in eastern and southern Africa. It is a species of grassland, open woodland, and cultivation. This is the only African starling that appears to show affinities with the As ...

* White-backed mousebird *

White-necked raven The white-necked raven (''Corvus albicollis'') is a species of raven native to eastern and southern Africa. It is somewhat smaller (50–54 cm in length) than the common raven or its nearest relative, the thick-billed raven ''C. crassiros ...

White-rumped swift The white-rumped swift (''Apus caffer'') is a species of swift. Although this small bird is superficially similar to a house martin, it is not closely related to that passerine species. The resemblances between the swallows and swifts are due to ...

* White-throated canary *

Willow warbler The willow warbler (''Phylloscopus trochilus'') is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia. It is strongl ...

* Yellow-bellied eremomela *

Yellow-billed kite The yellow-billed kite (''Milvus aegyptius'') is the Afrotropic counterpart of the black kite (''Milvus migrans''), of which it is most often considered a subspecies. However, DNA studies suggest that the yellow-billed kite differs significantly ...

Yellow canary The yellow canary (''Crithagra flaviventris'') is a small passerine bird in the true finch family. It is a resident breeder in much of the western and central regions of southern Africa and has been introduced to Ascension and St Helena islan ...

References

External links

South African National ParksTankwa Karoo birdingVisit South Africa
{{authority control Protected areas established in 1986 National parks of South Africa Protected areas of the Northern Cape 1986 establishments in South Africa