Annotated checklist of the birds of Banhine National Park, Southern Mozambique

Abstract

Banhine National Park, situated in Gaza Province, Mozambique, covers an area of 700 000 ha of near-pristine landscapes. Within the park borders, 11 plant communities have been identified, which can be broadly grouped into five major landscape types, viz. wetland, grassland, Mopane, sandveld and Androstachys landscapes. These landscapes support a wealth of bird species, with 318 species being confirmed in the park to date and many additional species believed to still occur in the park. Of the species recorded to date, 76 are significant range expansions for southern Mozambique, six species were previously subject to confirmation from southern Mozambique, two species have not previously been recorded from southern Mozambique and nine species are considered to be regionally or globally threatened. Of the five landscapes, the wetland boasts by far the greatest diversity and greatest numbers of species, and is probably the most important, and most threatened, landscape in the park.