Site description (2001 baseline)
The reserve lies along the western boundary of the Serengeti (TZ009) and abuts the south-western corner of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (TZ013). The northern half of the reserve drains westwards into Lake Victoria, whilst the remaining land drains southward into Lake Eyasi (TZ023). The only areas of open grassland, so characteristic of the Serengeti plains, are in the north, at Ndoho and in the extreme south-east, adjacent to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. There are fewer (and smaller) hills than in the adjacent Serengeti.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 2 for key species. There is no species list for this site and it remains poorly known, despite being on the edge of the Serengeti. Species composition is likely to be similar to that in the western part of the Serengeti. Apalis karamojae is probably resident in Acacia drepanolobium woodland and Agapornis fischeri is locally common. The presence of Prionops poliolophus is suggested by recent, unconfirmed records. Sixteen species of the Somali–Masai biome have been recorded (see Table 3).
Non-bird biodiversity: Most, if not all, of the larger mammals known from the Serengeti occur in this reserve.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Maswa Game Reserve (Tanzania). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/maswa-game-reserve-iba-tanzania on 22/11/2024.