Kruger wildlife

The incredible diversity of habitats and wildlife is ultimately what makes Kruger National Park so special.  Its ecosystems play host to 147 mammal species, 517 bird species (of which 253 are resident), 114 reptile species, 50 fish species and tens of thousands of invertebrate species. 

The Big 5 mammals – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo – are present in good numbers in Kruger.  This term has been co-opted by the tourism industry but originated as a hunting term in the nineteenth century to describe the five mammals that were most dangerous to hunt on foot. 

It’s not all about the Big 5 though and the huge array of predators and herbivores, both big and small, is one of the park’s great attractions.  As a quick reference guide, the following population estimates are made for some of Kruger’s larger animal species.​

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Kruger animal population estimates:

• Lion

• Leopard

• Cheetah

• Wild dog

• Spotted hyena

• Crocodile

• Elephant

• Buffalo

• Giraffe

• Hippo

• Zebra

• Wildebeest

• Kudu

• Impala

1,600

1,000

<150

<300

5,500

3,000

20,000+

40,000

9,000

3,000

26,500+

12,000+

15,000

160,000+

Source: SANParks

Many more of these animals, plus the huge numbers of other species resident in the area, can be found in the neighbouring private concessions and game reserves, highlighting just how huge and important the Greater Kruger wilderness area is for the future of these animals. 

Figures deliberately not quoted here are the populations of white and black rhinos.  These species have come under intense pressure from poaching over the last 5-years and all reference to populations and locations within the park are deliberately avoided throughout this website and in the KrugerExplorer App to avoid even the slightest risk of alerting poachers to these animals' whereabouts.  Further reading on this terrible, man-made disaster can be found in our blog post called The Rhino Murder Crisis.​

KrugerExplorer Animals

For those wanting to learn about the many animals found in Kruger, the KrugerExplorer App wildlife field guide has detailed profiles on over 300 species found in the park.  The profiles include information on physical characteristics and how to identify the species, diet, habitat, behaviours, where in Kruger to find the species, 'Did you know?' facts and 'Kids Corner!' games for little ones.  

Mammals

Baboon

Banded mongoose

Black rhino

Black-backed jackal

Buffalo

Bushbuck

Caracal

Cheetah

Civet

Common genet

Dassie

Duiker

Dwarf mongoose

Eland

Elephant

Fruitbat

Giraffe

Greater galago

Grysbok

Hippo

Honey badger

Impala

Klipspringer

Kudu

Large-spotted genet

Leopard

Lesser galago

Lion

Mountain reedbuck

Nyala

Pangolin

Porcupine

Roan

Sable

Scrub hare

Serval

Side-striped jackal

Slender mongoose

Southern reedbuck

Spotted hyena

Steenbok

Tree squirrel

Tsessebe

Vervet monkey

Warthog

Waterbuck

White rhino

Wild cat

Wild dog

Wildebeest

Zebra

Birds

African black duck

African darter

African fish eagle

African green pigeon

African grey hornbill

African harrier-hawk

African hawk-eagle

African hoopoe

African jacana

African openbill

African paradise flycatcher

African pied wagtail

African pipit

African pygmy kingfisher

African scops owl

African spoonbill

African stonechat

African wattled lapwing

Arrow-marked babbler

Ashy flycatcher

Barn swallow

Bateleur

Bearded scrub-robin

Bearded woodpecker

Bennett's woodpecker

Black crake

Black cuckooshrike

Black-backed puffback

Black-bellied bustard

Black-chested snake eagle

Black-collared barbet

Black-crowned tchagra

Black-headed heron

Black-headed oriole

Black-shouldered kite

Black-winged stilt

Blacksmith lapwing

Blue waxbill

Broad-billed roller

Brown snake eagle

Brown-crowned tchagra

Brown-headed parrot

Brown-hooded kingfisher

Brubru

Burchell's coucal

Burchell's starling

Cape glossy starling

Cape turtle dove

Cape vulture

Cape white-eye

Cardinal woodpecker

Chestnut-backed sparrow-lark

Chinspot batis

Cinnamon-breasted bunting

Collared sunbird

Common buttonquail

Common buzzard

Common greenshank

Common myna

Common ostrich

Common sandpiper

Common scimitarbill

Common waxbill

Coqui francolin

Crested barbet

Crested francolin

Crested guineafowl

Crowned lapwing

Dark chanting goshawk

Dark-capped bulbul

Diederik cuckoo

Double-banded sandgrouse

Dusky lark

Egyptian goose

Emerald-spotted wood dove

European bee-eater

European roller

Fiery-necked nightjar

Fork-tailed drongo

Gabar goshawk

Giant kingfisher

Golden-breasted bunting

Golden-tailed woodpecker

Goliath heron

Great egret

Greater blue-eared starling

Greater honeyguide

Green-backed (striated) heron

Green sandpiper

Green wood hoopoe

Green-winged pytilia

Grey go-away-bird

Grey heron

Grey tit-flycatcher

Grey-headed bushshrike

Grey-headed kingfisher

Groundscraper thrush

Hadada ibis

Hamerkop

Helmeted guineafowl

Hooded vulture

House sparrow

Jacobin cuckoo

Jameson's firefinch

Klaas's cuckoo

Knob-billed / comb duck

Kori bustard

Kurrichane thrush

Lappet-faced vulture

Laughing dove

Lesser grey shrike

Lesser honeyguide

Lesser masked weaver

Lesser spotted eagle

Lesser striped swallow

Levaillant's cuckoo

Lilac-breasted roller

Little bee-eater

Little egret

Little grebe

Little stint

Lizard buzzard

Long-billed crombec

Long-tailed paradise whydah

Magpie shrike

Malachite kingfisher

Marabou stork

Marico sunbird

Martial eagle

Meves's starling

Mocking cliff chat

Mourning collared dove

Namaqua dove

Natal spurfowl

Neddicky

Orange-breasted bushshrike

Pearl-spotted owlet

Pel's fishing owl

Pied kingfisher

Pin-tailed whydah

Purple heron

Purple roller

Purple-crested turaco

Rattling cisticola

Red-backed shrike

Red-billed buffalo weaver

Red-billed firefinch

Red-billed oxpecker

Red-billed quelea

Red-breasted swallow

Red-chested cuckoo

Red-crested korhaan

Red-eyed dove

Red-faced cisticola

Red-faced mousebird

Red-headed weaver

Red-winged starling

Reed cormorant

Retz's helmetshrike

Rufous-naped lark

Sabota lark

Saddle-billed stork

Secretarybird

Senegal lapwing

Sombre greenbul

Southern black flycatcher

Southern black tit

Southern boubou

Southern carmine bee-eater

Southern grey-headed sparrow

Southern ground hornbill

Southern masked weaver

Southern red-billed hornbill

Southern white-crowned shrike

Southern yellow-billed hornbill

Speckled mousebird

Spectacled weaver

Spotted eagle-owl

Spotted flycatcher

Spotted thick-knee

Spur-winged goose

Squacco heron

Square-tailed nightjar

Steppe eagle

Striped kingfisher

Swainson's spurfowl

Tawny eagle

Tawny-flanked prinia

Terrestrial brownbul

Three-banded plover

Tropical boubou

Trumpeter hornbill

Verreaux's eagle-owl

Village weaver

Violet-backed starling

Wahlberg's eagle

Water thick-knee

Wattled starling

Western barn owl

Western Cattle Egret

White stork

White-backed vulture

White-bellied sunbird

White-breasted cormorant

White-browed robin-chat

White-browed scrub-robin

White-crested helmetshrike

White-crowned lapwing

White-faced whistling duck

White-fronted bee-eater

White-headed vulture

White-throated robin-chat

White-winged widowbird

Willow warbler

Wire-tailed swallow

Wood sandpiper

Woodland kingfisher

Woolly-necked stork

Yellow-bellied greenbul

Yellow-billed kite

Yellow-billed oxpecker

Yellow-billed stork

Yellow-brested apalis

Yellow-fronted canary

Yellow-throated longclaw

Yellow-throated petronia

Zitting cisticola

Reptiles

Flap-necked chameleon

Giant plated lizard

Leopard tortoise

Nile crocodile

Rainbow skink

Rock monitor

Rough-scaled plated lizard

Serrated hinged terrapin

Southern African python

Southern tree agama

Striped skink

Variable skink

Water monitor

Invertebrates

Dung beetle

Giant African land snail

Giant African millipede

Ground armoured cricket

Flora

Apple-leaf

Baobab

Fever tree

Jackalberry

Knob-thorn

Leadwood

Marula 

Mopane

Red bushwillow

Sausage tree

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