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.
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