Mokala National Park

National Park · South Africa

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Photo © Dr. Alexey Yakovlev

Photo © Dr. Alexey Yakovlev — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Across the semi-arid savanna of the Northern Cape, where red earth meets sparse acacia woodland and open grassland punctuated by rocky outcrops, lies a landscape shaped by centuries of drought and fire. Mokala National Park encompasses 715 square kilometers of this distinctive habitat, where seasonal water sources and varied terrain support a resilient wildlife community adapted to unpredictable rainfall and scorching summers. The park's mix of woodland thickets, grassland plains, and scattered rocky kopjes creates a mosaic of ecological niches. Herbivores—from small grazing antelope to larger herd animals—move across these open areas following seasonal grass growth, while birds of prey quarter the skies above the grasslands and perch watchfully from dead trees. Nocturnal mammals, carnivorous predators, and ground-dwelling insectivorous birds exploit the shelter of thorny scrub and rocky crevices. This is not lush savanna but rather the harsher, more austere version: a landscape where every plant and animal has evolved to survive on less, making it ecologically rich in ways that reward patient observation and genuine engagement with African wilderness.

Website sanparks.org/parks/mokala

Kalahari Scrub Robin

Cercotrichas paena

Scaly-feathered Weaver

Sporopipes squamifrons

Crithagra flaviventris

Red-crested Korhaan

Lophotis ruficrista

Red-billed Firefinch

Lagonosticta senegala

Struthio camelus

Fiscal Flycatcher

Violet-eared Waxbill

Granatina granatina

South African Shelduck

Ant-eating Chat

Myrmecocichla formicivora

Green-winged Pytilia

Red-billed Quelea

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

Plocepasser mahali

Red-headed Finch

Amadina erythrocephala

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

Calendulauda sabota

Northern Black Korhaan

Afrotis afraoides

Lesser Grey Shrike

Alopochen aegyptiaca

Sagittarius serpentarius

White-backed Vulture

Spike-heeled Lark

Chersomanes albofasciata

Melaniparus cinerascens

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah

Vidua paradisaea

White-backed Mousebird

Desert Cisticola

Cisticola aridulus

Golden-breasted Bunting

Emberiza flaviventris

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Three-banded Plover

Thinornis tricollaris

Acacia Pied Barbet

Tricholaema leucomelas

Wattled Starling

Creatophora cinerea

Speckled Pigeon

Diederik Cuckoo

Chrysococcyx caprius

Bostrychia hagedash

Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurio

Scopus umbretta

Black-chested Snake Eagle

Circaetus pectoralis

Red-billed Oxpecker

Buphagus erythroryncha

Uraeginthus angolensis

Anthus cinnamomeus

Red-faced Mousebird

Urocolius indicus

Village Indigobird

Vidua chalybeata

Nicholson's Pipit

Anthus nicholsoni

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Campethera abingoni

Southern Fiscal

Lanius collaris

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

Falco rupicolus

Chat Flycatcher

Agricola infuscatus

Plain-backed Pipit

Anthus leucophrys

Red-billed Teal

Anas erythrorhyncha

Southern Grey-headed Sparrow

Passer diffusus

Polihierax semitorquatus

Fawn-colored Lark

Calendulauda africanoides

Lamprotornis nitens

Spilopelia senegalensis

Motacilla capensis

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Melierax canorus

Black-chested Prinia

Prinia flavicans

Greater Kestrel

Falco rupicoloides

Southern Masked Weaver

Ploceus velatus

Passer melanurus

Cisticola fulvicapilla

Blacksmith Lapwing

Vanellus armatus

Common Scimitarbill

Rhinopomastus cyanomelas

Orange River White-eye

Zosterops pallidus

Crowned Lapwing

Vanellus coronatus

Orange River Francolin

Scleroptila gutturalis

Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

Rufous-eared Warbler

Malcorus pectoralis

Emberiza capensis

White-faced Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna viduata

African Fish Eagle

Icthyophaga vocifer

Southern Red Bishop

Long-billed Crombec

Sylvietta rufescens

Oenanthe familiaris

Greater Striped Swallow

Cecropis cucullata

Chestnut-vented Warbler

Curruca subcoerulea

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Merops hirundineus

White-rumped Swift

Clamator jacobinus

European Bee-eater

Merops apiaster

Sociable Weaver

Philetairus socius

Black-faced Waxbill

Brunhilda erythronotos

Shaft-tailed Whydah

Burchell's Sandgrouse

Pterocles burchelli

Crimson-breasted Shrike

Laniarius atrococcineus

Short-toed Rock Thrush

Monticola brevipes

Coturnix coturnix

Swainson's Spurfowl

Pternistis swainsonii

African Palm Swift

Cypsiurus parvus

Bradfield's Swift

Apus bradfieldi

Ludwig's Bustard

Neotis ludwigii

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Clamator glandarius

Cuculus clamosus

Streptopelia semitorquata

Tringa glareola

Temminck's Courser

Cursorius temminckii

Ciconia abdimii

Ciconia ciconia

Microcarbo africanus

African Spoonbill

Black-headed Heron

Ardea melanocephala

Gyps coprotheres

Polemaetus bellicosus

Hieraaetus pennatus

Western Barn Owl

Pearl-spotted Owlet

Glaucidium perlatum

African Grey Hornbill

Lophoceros nasutus

European Roller

Coracias garrulus

Lesser Honeyguide

Indicator minor

Cardinal Woodpecker

Dendropicos fuscescens

Red-footed Falcon

Falco vespertinus

Falco amurensis

Melaniparus afer

Black-eared Sparrow-Lark

Eremopterix australis

Mirafra cheniana

Large-billed Lark

Galerida magnirostris

Neophedina cincta

White-throated Swallow

Hirundo albigularis

Red-breasted Swallow

Cecropis semirufa

South African Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon spilodera

Grey-backed Cisticola

Cisticola subruficapilla

Yellow-bellied Eremomela

Eremomela icteropygialis

Zosterops virens

Karoo Scrub Robin

Tychaedon coryphoeus

Sickle-winged Chat

Emarginata sinuata

Capped Wheatear

Oenanthe pileata

Estrilda astrild

Jameson's Firefinch

Lagonosticta rhodopareia

Pin-tailed Whydah

White-throated Canary

Crithagra albogularis

Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

Emberiza tahapisi

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

Spotted Eagle-Owl

Lilac-breasted Roller

Coracias caudatus

Blue-billed Teal

Spatula hottentota

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar

Caprimulgus rufigena

Tachymarptis melba

African Black Swift

Chrysococcyx klaas

Cuculus gularis

Namaqua Sandgrouse

Pterocles namaqua

Red-knobbed Coot

Fulica cristata

Zapornia flavirostra

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

Lesser Flamingo

Phoeniconaias minor

Common Buttonquail

Turnix sylvaticus

Spotted Thick-knee

Burhinus capensis

Recurvirostra avosetta

Common Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticula

Gallinago nigripennis

Calidris minuta

Burchell's Courser

Cursorius rufus

Grey-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

African Sacred Ibis

Threskiornis aethiopicus

Plegadis falcinellus

Egretta garzetta

Ardeola ralloides

African Harrier-Hawk

Polyboroides typus

Lappet-faced Vulture

Torgos tracheliotos

Brown Snake Eagle

Circaetus cinereus

Circus macrourus

Buteo rufofuscus

Southern White-faced Owl

Ptilopsis granti

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl

Speckled Mousebird

Colius striatus

Green Wood Hoopoe

Phoeniculus purpureus

Malachite Kingfisher

Corythornis cristatus

Giant Kingfisher

Megaceryle maxima

Little Bee-eater

Merops pusillus

Trachyphonus vaillantii

Greater Honeyguide

Indicator indicator

Telophorus zeylonus

Corvus capensis

Monotonous Lark

Mirafra passerina

Spizocorys starki

Pink-billed Lark

Spizocorys conirostris

Red-capped Lark

Calandrella cinerea

Western House Martin

Delichon urbicum

Phylloscopus trochilus

Lesser Swamp Warbler

Acrocephalus gracilirostris

Common Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Icterine Warbler

Hippolais icterina

Rattling Cisticola

Cisticola chiniana

Levaillant's Cisticola

Cisticola tinniens

Zitting Cisticola

Cisticola juncidis

Cloud Cisticola

Cisticola textrix

Namaqua Warbler

Phragmacia substriata

Barred Wren-Warbler

Calamonastes fasciolatus

Acridotheres tristis

Lamprotornis bicolor

Pale-winged Starling

Onychognathus nabouroup

African Stonechat

Saxicola torquatus

Emarginata schlegelii

White-bellied Sunbird

Cinnyris talatala

Cinnyris fuscus

Passer motitensis

Passer domesticus

Ploceus capensis

Yellow-crowned Bishop

Ortygospiza atricollis

African Pied Wagtail

Motacilla aguimp

Macronyx capensis

European Nightjar

Caprimulgus europaeus

Fiery-necked Nightjar

Caprimulgus pectoralis

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Yellow-billed Stork

Butorides striata

Verreaux's Eagle

Aquila verreauxii

Montagu's Harrier

Circus pygargus

Coracias naevius

White-fronted Bee-eater

Merops bullockoides

Black-collared Barbet

Lybius torquatus

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

African Paradise Flycatcher

Terpsiphone viridis

Karoo Long-billed Lark

Certhilauda subcoronata

Eastern Long-billed Lark

Certhilauda semitorquata

Pinarocorys nigricans

Calendulauda albescens

Riparia riparia

Red-winged Starling

Onychognathus morio

Cape Rock Thrush

Monticola rupestris

White Rhinoceros

Ceratotherium simum

Suricata suricatta

Syncerus caffer

Alcelaphus buselaphus

Antidorcas marsupialis

Damaliscus lunatus

Phacochoerus africanus

Blue Wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

Tragelaphus strepsiceros

Hippotragus equinus

Raphicerus campestris

Hippotragus niger

Black Wildebeest

Connochaetes gnou

Chlorocebus pygerythrus

Kobus ellipsiprymnus

Tragelaphus angasii

Aepyceros melampus

Yellow Mongoose

Cynictis penicillata

South African Ground Squirrel

Geosciurus inauris

Black-backed Jackal

Lupulella mesomelas

Hystrix africaeaustralis

Tragelaphus oryx

Lepus saxatilis

Mountain Reedbuck

Redunca fulvorufula

Eastern Rock Sengi

Elephantulus myurus

Southern African Springhare

Pedetes capensis

West-central Four-striped Grass Rat

Rhabdomys bechuanae

Otocyon megalotis

Cape Gray Mongoose

Herpestes pulverulentus

Common Slender Mongoose

Herpestes sanguineus

Damaliscus pygargus

Xeric Four-striped Grass Rat

Rhabdomys pumilio

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