Mwea National Reserve
| Mwea National Reserve | |
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Location of Mwea National Reserve
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| Location | Embu County, Kenya |
| Nearest town | Siakago |
| Coordinates | 0°49′05″S 37°37′19″E / 0.818°S 37.622°ECoordinates: 0°49′05″S 37°37′19″E / 0.818°S 37.622°E |
| Area | 42 km2 (16 sq mi) |
| Established | 1976 |
| Governing body | Kenya Wildlife Service |
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The Mwea National Reserve is a nature reserve in Kenya. It is characterized by bushy vegetation and scattered large trees (Acacia species and baobab trees), typical savannah ecosystem. Open grasslands are dominant along the main rivers, with occasional thick undergrowth.
Game species range from African elephants, lesser kudus, Nile crocodiles, giraffes, Grant's zebras, buffalos, African leopards, common duikers, black-backed jackals, bushbucks, waterbucks, Sykes' monkeys, warthogs, rock hyraxes, bush pigs, impalas and hartebeests. Striped ground squirrels, genet (animal)s and yellow baboons are also found in Mwea.
Renowned for its water birds and waders, over 200 species of birds have been recorded in the reserve. This warranted it being an Important Bird Area (IBA). The reserve is the only protected area in which the globally threatened and Kenya-endemic Hinde's babbler (Turdoides hindei) is known to occur. Mwea National Reserve also shelters two other rare species; the Pel's fishing owl (Scotopelia peli) and the white-backed night heron (Gorsachius leuconotus). The Malagasy pond heron (Ardeola idae) is also a common sighting.
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