Common Duiker Species Profile: The Small Antelope That Dives Into Cover

The word duiker comes from Afrikaans and means diver, and it describes the way the animal plunges into bushes when disturbed. Common duikers are found from grassland edges to farmland, and they are often glimpsed crossing a track before you can raise your binoculars.

This profile explains how to recognise it, how it lives and where to look. For other small antelopes, see the dik-dik, steenbok and klipspringer profiles.

This guide is part of our animals of Uganda and East Africa guide. When you are ready to plan, see our Uganda safari packages or the Ameera Africa Safaris Uganda tours homepage.

Identification

The common duiker is small, with a slim, arched back, slender legs and a grey to grey-brown coat that can look yellowish or reddish in some areas. The underparts are paler. A dark stripe often runs down the face, and a tuft of long hair stands on the crown between the ears. Males have short, straight, pointed horns, while females usually have none or only tiny stubs. Its alert eyes and mobile ears give a nervous look. It is larger than a dik-dik but smaller than a bushbuck, and unlike forest duikers, it is a bush and open-country species.

Habitat and Range

This is one of the most adaptable antelopes in Africa. It lives in savanna, scrub, open woodland, forest edges, grassland with cover and even farmland and gardens, avoiding only the driest deserts and the densest rainforest. It needs some cover for hiding. In East Africa it is found across a wide range of altitudes. Because it copes well with human activity, it often survives outside protected areas, which is rare for antelopes of this size.

Behaviour

Common duikers are mainly solitary or live in pairs, and they hold territories they mark with scent from glands near the eyes. They are most active at dawn, dusk and night, resting in thick cover by day. When disturbed they freeze, then dash away in a zigzag and dive into vegetation, sometimes giving a sneeze-like snort. Their hiding skills mean you often see only a tail or a rump. In places with less hunting pressure they are more relaxed and may feed in the open.

Diet

The common duiker is a mixed feeder but mostly a browser. It eats leaves, buds, shoots, flowers, fruit and seeds, and also takes some herbs, fallen fruit and crops. It has also been recorded eating insects and occasionally small animals, which is unusual for an antelope. Fruit fallen from trees, including those used by monkeys, is a favourite. The diet lets it live where grass is poor. Compare browsing behaviour with that of the bushbuck.

Breeding and Life Cycle

Females give birth to a single young that is hidden in thick cover for its first weeks and visited by the mother for feeding. Breeding can occur through the year in many areas. The young grow quickly and become independent after some months. Because duikers are small, they are preyed on by leopards, servals, jackals, pythons and large eagles, and survival depends heavily on good cover and quick reactions.

Threats and Conservation

The common duiker is widespread and listed as a species of low concern globally, thanks to its adaptability. Even so, snaring and hunting for bushmeat are significant pressures in some areas, and cover loss can affect local populations. Protected areas help, and quiet, well-managed viewing minimises disturbance. Conservation of connected habitat, including woodland strips and thickets, benefits many small antelopes.

Where and How to See It

Common duikers occur in many parks, including Nairobi National Park, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo. Look along track edges at first and last light, and scan bush margins for a small grey shape. Sit quietly and let a guide stop rather than drive close. Night drives increase chances; see night drives and walking safaris. Read the East Africa wildlife guide for companion species.

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Related Tours, Guides and Resources

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• Uganda travel guide
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