Eswatini Ramsar wetland
Van Rck Dam
295 bird species recorded; the most from January to February.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
248 species in January.230 species in February.214 species in March.174 species in April.187 species in May.162 species in June.191 species in July.196 species in August.214 species in September.202 species in October.202 species in November.220 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
CR
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
295 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 295Speciesrecorded more than once
- 101Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 4ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 13,714Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 133 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 29Raptors
- 5Owls
- 22Waders
- 2Gulls & seabirds
- 8Ducks & geese
- 21Herons, ibises & grebes
- 6Storks & cranes
- 128Songbirds
- 74Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 295 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors29 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- African Fish EagleHaliaeetus vocifer
- White-backed VultureGyps africanusCR
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Yellow-billed KiteMilvus aegyptius
- African GoshawkAccipiter tachiro
- Wahlberg's EagleHieraaetus wahlbergi
- Brown Snake EagleCircaetus cinereus
- African Harrier-hawkPolyboroides typus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Amur FalconFalco amurensis
- BateleurTerathopius ecaudatus
- Gabar GoshawkMicronisus gabar
- Little SparrowhawkAccipiter minullus
- Martial eaglePolemaetus bellicosus
- Tawny EagleAquila rapaxVU
- Lizard BuzzardKaupifalco monogrammicus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Sooty FalconFalco concolorVU
- Lappet-faced VultureTorgos tracheliotus
- Cape VultureGyps coprotheresVU
- Jackal BuzzardButeo rufofuscus
- Black SparrowhawkAccipiter melanoleucus
- Black-chested Snake EagleCircaetus pectoralis
- LannerFalco biarmicus
- Crowned EagleStephanoaetus coronatusNT
- Long-crested EagleLophaetus occipitalis
- Lesser spotted eagleAquila pomarina
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Pearl-spotted OwletGlaucidium perlatum
- Giant Eagle OwlBubo lacteus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- African Scops-owlOtus senegalensis
- Southern White-faced OwlPtilopsis granti
Waders22 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Blacksmith LapwingVanellus armatus
- African JacanaActophilornis africanus
- Water DikkopBurhinus vermiculatus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Three-banded PloverCharadrius tricollaris
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Crowned lapwingVanellus coronatus
- Kittlitz's PloverCharadrius pecuarius
- Cape Thick-kneeBurhinus capensis
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- African Wattled LapwingVanellus senegallus
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Lesser Black-winged PloverVanellus lugubris
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Bronze-winged CourserRhinoptilus chalcopterus
- White-fronted PloverCharadrius marginatus
Gulls & seabirds2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Grey-headed GullChroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Ducks & geese8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
- Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensis
- African Black DuckAnas sparsa
- Red-billed TealAnas erythrorhyncha
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
- Yellow-billed DuckAnas undulata
- Blue-billed TealSpatula hottentota
Herons, ibises & grebes21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- HadadaBostrychia hagedash
- Long-tailed CormorantMicrocarbo africanus
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- HamerkopScopus umbretta
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
- DarterAnhinga rufa
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- White-breasted CormorantPhalacrocorax lucidus
- Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala
- African SpoonbillPlatalea alba
- Goliath HeronArdea goliath
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Pink-backed PelicanPelecanus rufescens
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
Storks & cranes6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MarabouLeptoptilos crumeniferus
- Yellow-billed StorkMycteria ibis
- Asian WoollyneckCiconia episcopusNT
- Openbill StorkAnastomus lamelligerus
- Leptoptilos crumeniferLeptoptilos crumenifer
- SaddlebillEphippiorhynchus senegalensisNT
Songbirds128 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Rattling CisticolaCisticola chiniana
- Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava
- Sombre GreenbulAndropadus importunus
- Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilis
- Dark-capped BulbulPycnonotus tricolor
- Cape StarlingLamprotornis nitens
- White-bellied SunbirdCinnyris talatala
- Erythropygia leucophrysErythropygia leucophrys
- Blue WaxbillUraeginthus angolensis
- Red-faced CisticolaCisticola erythrops
- Green-backed CamaropteraCamaroptera brachyura
- Cape CrombecSylvietta rufescens
- Yellow-breasted ApalisApalis flavida
- Orange-breasted BushshrikeChlorophoneus sulfureopectus
- White-browed Robin-chatCossypha heuglini
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Cape SparrowPasser diffusus
- Southern PuffbackDryoscopus cubla
- Spectacled WeaverPloceus ocularis
- Chinspot BatisBatis molitor
- Black-headed OrioleOriolus larvatus
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Southern BoubouLaniarius ferrugineus
- Motacilla aguimpMotacilla aguimp
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- Black-crowned TchagraTchagra senegalus
- BrubruNilaus afer
- Perrin's Bush-shrikeTelophorus viridis
- Southern Black-FlycatcherMelaenornis pammelaina
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinica
- Black TitParus niger
- Scarlet-chested SunbirdChalcomitra senegalensis
- Bronze MannikinLonchura cucullata
- Kurrichane ThrushTurdus libonyana
- Red-billed OxpeckerBuphagus erythrorhynchus
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Arrow-marked BabblerTurdoides jardineii
- Terrestrial BrownbulPhyllastrephus terrestris
- Red-billed FirefinchLagonosticta senegala
- Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
- African Paradise-FlycatcherTerpsiphone viridis
- Groundscraper ThrushPsophocichla litsitsirupa
- Brown-crowned TchagraTchagra australis
- Cape White-eyeZosterops virens
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Violet-backed StarlingCinnyricinclus leucogaster
- Wire-tailed SwallowHirundo smithii
- Red BishopEuplectes orix
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- White-crested HelmetshrikePrionops plumatus
- Red-shouldered WhydahEuplectes axillaris
- African FirefinchLagonosticta rubricata
- Green-winged PytiliaPytilia melba
- Eastern NicatorNicator gularis
- Golden-breasted BuntingEmberiza flaviventris
- Grey-headed BushshrikeMalaconotus blanchoti
- Southern Masked WeaverPloceus velatus
- Burchell's Glossy-starlingLamprotornis australis
- African PipitAnthus cinnamomeus
- Cut-throat FinchAmadina fasciata
- Purple-banded SunbirdCinnyris bifasciatus
- Collared SunbirdHedydipna collaris
- Pink-throated TwinspotHypargos margaritatus
- Lead-coloured FlycatcherMyioparus plumbeus
- Marico SunbirdCinnyris mariquensis
- Eastern Golden WeaverPloceus subaureus
- Grosbeak WeaverAmblyospiza albifrons
- White-winged WidowbirdEuplectes albonotatus
- Yellow-throated LongclawMacronyx croceus
- Common FiscalLanius collaris
- Lesser Masked WeaverPloceus intermedius
- Village IndigobirdVidua chalybeata
- Red-collared WhydahEuplectes ardens
- Red-billed QueleaQuelea quelea
- Jameson's FirefinchLagonosticta rhodopareia
- Dusky FlycatcherMuscicapa adusta
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Cape WagtailMotacilla capensis
- Yellow-throated Bush SparrowGymnoris superciliaris
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Pale FlycatcherBradornis pallidus
- Long-tailed Paradise WhydahVidua paradisaea
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- White-throated Robin-ChatCossypha humeralis
- Rudd's ApalisApalis ruddi
- African Bush-WarblerBradypterus baboecala
- Red-capped RobinCossypha natalensis
- Sabota LarkCalendulauda sabota
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Black-bellied StarlingNotopholia corrusca
- Yellow-fronted CanaryCrithagra mozambica
- Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus
- Black Cuckoo-shrikeCampephaga flava
- Ashy FlycatcherMuscicapa caerulescens
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- African Reed WarblerAcrocephalus baeticatus
- Cinnamon-breasted BuntingEmberiza tahapisi
- Burnt-neck EremomelaEremomela usticollis
- African Sand MartinRiparia paludicola
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
- Grey Penduline TitAnthoscopus caroli
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Amethyst SunbirdChalcomitra amethystina
- Dusky IndigobirdVidua funerea
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Orange-breasted WaxbillAmandava subflava
- Grey SunbirdCyanomitra veroxii
- Wattled StarlingCreatophora cinerea
- Black-and-white MuniaLonchura bicolor
- Square-tailed DrongoDicrurus ludwigii
- Lesser Swamp WarblerAcrocephalus gracilirostris
- Erythropygia quadrivirgataErythropygia quadrivirgata
- Mirafra africanaMirafra africana
- Fiscal FlycatcherSigelus silens
- Croaking CisticolaCisticola natalensis
- Red-winged StarlingOnychognathus morio
- Retz's HelmetshrikePrionops retzii
- Rufous-winged CisticolaCisticola galactotes
- Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor
- Magpie ShrikeUrolestes melanoleucus
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Orange River White-eyeZosterops pallidus
- Striped PipitAnthus lineiventris
- Pearl-breasted SwallowHirundo dimidiata
- Olive SunbirdCyanomitra olivacea
- Familiar ChatOenanthe familiaris
- Brimstone CanaryCrithagra sulphurata
Other birds74 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Brown-headed KingfisherHalcyon albiventris
- Emerald-spotted DoveTurtur chalcospilos
- Black-collared BarbetLybius torquatus
- Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
- Speckled MousebirdColius striatus
- White-browed CoucalCentropus superciliosus
- Ring-necked DoveStreptopelia capicola
- Red-faced MousebirdUrocolius indicus
- Ortygornis sephaenaOrtygornis sephaena
- Lilac-breasted RollerCoracias caudatus
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
- Red-eyed DoveStreptopelia semitorquata
- Golden-tailed WoodpeckerCampethera abingoni
- Southern Yellow-billed HornbillTockus leucomelas
- African Palm SwiftCypsiurus parvus
- Grey LourieCorythaixoides concolor
- African HoopoeUpupa africana
- Common Scimitar-billRhinopomastus cyanomelas
- Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens
- African Green-pigeonTreron calvus
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Black CrakeAmaurornis flavirostra
- Crested BarbetTrachyphonus vaillantii
- Yellow-rumped TinkerbirdPogoniulus bilineatus
- White-eared BarbetStactolaema leucotis
- Woodland KingfisherHalcyon senegalensis
- Green WoodhoopoePhoeniculus purpureus
- Diederik CuckooChrysococcyx caprius
- Tambourine DoveTurtur tympanistria
- Malachite KingfisherCorythornis cristatus
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- White-fronted Bee-eaterMerops bullockoides
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Klaas's CuckooChrysococcyx klaas
- Brown-headed ParrotPoicephalus cryptoxanthus
- Bearded WoodpeckerChloropicus namaquus
- Crowned HornbillLophoceros alboterminatus
- Striped KingfisherHalcyon chelicuti
- Giant KingfisherMegaceryle maxima
- Lesser HoneyguideIndicator minor
- Little Bee-eaterMerops pusillus
- Speckled PigeonColumba guinea
- African Grey HornbillLophoceros nasutus
- Acacia Pied BarbetTricholaema leucomelas
- Fiery-necked NightjarCaprimulgus pectoralis
- Trumpeter HornbillBycanistes bucinator
- Scaly-throated HoneyguideIndicator variegatus
- Red-chested CuckooCuculus solitarius
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- Black CuckooCuculus clamosus
- Bennett's WoodpeckerCampethera bennettii
- Red-billed HornbillTockus erythrorhynchus
- Black-bellied KorhaanLissotis melanogaster
- Red-fronted TinkerbirdPogoniulus pusillus
- Eastern Crested GuineafowlGuttera pucherani
- Jacobin CuckooClamator jacobinus
- Greater HoneyguideIndicator indicator
- African Pygmy KingfisherIspidina picta
- Namaqua DoveOena capensis
- Square-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus fossii
- Natal FrancolinPternistis natalensis
- White-rumped SwiftApus caffer
- Swainson's SpurfowlPternistis swainsonii
- Common ButtonquailTurnix sylvaticus
- Purple-crested TuracoTauraco porphyreolophus
- European SwiftApus apus
- African Grey CuckooCuculus gularis
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- African FinfootPodica senegalensis
- Wahlberg's HoneyguideProdotiscus regulus
- Striped CuckooClamator levaillantii
- African CrakeCrex egregia
- Grey-headed KingfisherHalcyon leucocephala
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from January to February.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan32°/19°127 mm
- Feb32°/19°94 mm
- Mar31°/18°84 mm
- Apr29°/16°48 mm
- May27°/13°17 mm
- Jun25°/11°11 mm
- Jul25°/10°13 mm
- Aug27°/12°15 mm
- Sep29°/14°31 mm
- Oct30°/16°58 mm
- Nov31°/17°102 mm
- Dec32°/18°115 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Van Rck Dam.
Artificial reservoir in Eswatini
Van Rck Dam is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Eswatini.
295 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 13,714 open records.
The most recorded are the Egyptian Goose, the Rattling Cisticola and the Tawny-flanked Prinia.
66 species come for the summer, 34 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
4 are threatened worldwide, including White-backed Vulture, Tawny Eagle and Sooty Falcon.
The most species are recorded from January to February.
Get there and watch
- Big Bendnearest town · 2.3 km in a straight line
- King Mswati III International Airport (SHO)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 51 km in a straight lineCar hire at MPM airport (Maputo)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
- places to stay within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Van Rck Dam.
The lakes, beaches, rivers, mountains, forests and viewpoints around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas6 mountains within 25 kmKwaMabona · 17 kmKwaMankenke · 19 kmSinyamatulu · 22 kmLibombos Sul · 22 kmKhume · 23 kmNdlazibende · 24 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmVan Rck Dam1.2 km² · 0.2 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Van Rck Dam
Eswatini
- 77Birdyas Score
- 295Species
- 101Migrants
- 4Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q60997898) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 13,714 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Lakeyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
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Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
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Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
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forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit