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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 1998 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('key species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Burchell's Sandgrouse Pterocles burchelli	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Bradfield's Hornbill Lophoceros bradfieldi	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Racquet-tailed Roller Coracias spatulatus	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Barred Wren-warbler Calamonastes fasciolatus	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Stierling's Wren-warbler Calamonastes stierlingi	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Meves's Long-tailed Starling Lamprotornis mevesii	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Kurrichane Thrush Turdus libonyana	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Kalahari Scrub-robin Cercotrichas paena	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Miombo Rock-thrush Monticola angolensis	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Arnot's Chat Myrmecocichla arnotti	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
White-breasted Sunbird Cinnyris talatala	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Eastern Miombo Sunbird Cinnyris manoensis	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Broad-tailed Paradise-whydah Vidua obtusa	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Black-eared Seedeater Crithagra mennelli	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1998. The most recent assessment (2011) is shown below.

State (condition of the key species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Grassland	good (>90%)	moderate (70–90%)	near favourable
Forest	good (>90%)	moderate (70–90%)	near favourable

Pressure (threats to the key species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Natural system modifications	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Residential and commercial development	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	no deteri­oration (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A manage­ment plan exists, but it is out of date or not compre­hensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1949	Hwange	National Park (II)	100

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Forest	72	Woodland - mixed
Shrubland	16
Artificial/Terrestrial	10
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine	-	Other artificial wetlands
Grassland	-	Grassland - edaphic, dry
Wetlands (inland)	-	Ephemeral pools and wetlands

Land use	% of IBA
forestry	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
water management	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Hwange National Park (Zimbabwe). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/hwange-national-park-iba-zimbabwe on 24/01/2025.