Kenya

SUB-REGION
East Africa

SIZE
580,370 km²

BIRDS AND BIRDING

SPECIES
Diversity
Strongly Afrotropical avifauna
Approximately 1,140 recorded species (2nd longest bird list of any country in the ABC region)

Birds best found in two territories but occurring in more (B2), including ESS
Cape Teal
Vulturine Guineafowl
Sombre Nightjar
Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar
Star-spotted Nightjar
Nyanza Swift
Forbes-Watson’s Swift
Heuglin’s Bustard
Hartlaub’s Bustard
Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse
Black-headed Lapwing (latifrons)
Black-winged Lapwing
Somali Courser
Madagascar Pratincole
Northern White-faced Owl
Cape Eagle-Owl
Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill
Hemprich’s Hornbill
Green Tinkerbird
Eastern Grey Woodpecker
Eastern Black-headed Batis
Jameson’s Wattle-eye
Three-streaked Tchagra
Pringle’s Puffback
Red-naped Bushshrike
Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike (ESS keniensis)
Long-tailed Fiscal
Fan-tailed Raven
Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit
Chestnut-headed Sparrow-Lark
Fischer’s Sparrow-Lark
Pink-breasted Lark
Foxy Lark
Red-winged Lark
Dodson’s Bulbul
Joyful Greenbul
Toro Olive Greenbul
Somali Crombec
Uganda Woodland Warbler
Highland Rush Warbler
Coastal Cisticola
Boran Cisticola
Ashy Cisticola
Lynes’s Cisticola
Tiny Cisticola
Pale Prinia
Black-collared Apalis
Brown-tailed Apalis
Yellow-vented Eremomela
Scaly-breasted Illadopsis
Rufous Chatterer
Bristle-crowned Starling
Magpie Starling
Abyssinian Ground Thrush (kilimensis)
Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat
East Coast Akalat (sokokensis)
Moorland Chat | Alpine Chat
Brown-tailed Rock Chat
Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird
Grey Sunbird | Mouse-coloured Sunbird
Scarlet-tufted Sunbird
Black-bellied Sunbird
White-billed Buffalo Weaver
Black-capped Social Weaver
Brown-capped Weaver
Red-cowled Widowbird (suahelicus)
Abyssinian Crimsonwing
Black-cheeked Waxbill
Crimson-rumped Waxbill
Blue-capped Cordon-bleu
Rosy-throated Longclaw
African Citril (ESS kikuyensis)
Northern Grosbeak Canary
Stripe-breasted Seedeater

Proposed new species or splits not yet accepted by IOC
Kirk’s Francolin (BT)
Crawshay’s Francolin
Archer’s Francolin
Black-fronted Spurfowl (1/2)
Schuett’s Spurfowl
Cranch’s Spurfowl
Black-shouldered Nightjar
Abyssinian Nightjar
Black-faced Go-away-bird
Eastern Black-billed Turaco
Grey-breasted Green Pigeon
Mackinder’s Eagle-Owl (B2)
Scheffler’s Owlet (BT)
Blue-breasted Roller (B2)
Grey-headed Barbet (B2)
Brown-and-white Barbet | Snowy Barbet (E)
Coastal Tinkerbird (1/2)
Northern Red-fronted Tinkerbird (BT)
Eastern Yellow-spotted Barbet
Streaky-throated Barbet
Eastern Yellow-billed Barbet
Southern Rosy-patched Bushshrike (1/2)
East Coast Puffback (B2)
Buff-bellied Penduline Tit (1/2)
Singing Bush Lark
Eastern Crombec (BT)
African Reed Warbler
Rufous-crowned Cisticola
Tawny-breasted Camaroptera
Kulal White-eye (E)
White-winged Scrub Robin (B2)
Bafirawari Flycatcher (BT)
East Coast Flycatcher (BT)
Schalow’s Wheatear (1/2)
Gorgeous Sunbird (1/2)
Reichenow’s Weaver (BT)
Yellow-shouldered Widowbird (B2)
Red-backed Mannikin
Black-faced Quailfinch
Spectacled Quailfinch
Black-chinned Quailfinch

Other taxa of interest, including more ESS
Common Ostrich (massaicus)
African Black Duck
Stone Partridge
Shelley’s Francolin (ESS macarthuri)
Hildebrandt’s Spurfowl
Yellow-necked Spurfowl
Nubian Nightjar
Slender-tailed Nightjar
Scarce Swift
Mottled Spinetail
Böhm’s Spinetail | Bat-like Spinetail
White-bellied Go-away-bird
Ross’s Turaco
White-crested Turaco
Schalow’s Turaco (ESS loitanus)
Kori Bustard
Denham’s Bustard
Buff-crested Bustard
Green Malkoha
Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo
Yellow-throated Sandgrouse
Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon
Dusky Turtle Dove
African Rail | African Water Rail
Grey Crowned Crane
Lesser Flamingo
Quail-plover
Long-toed Lapwing
Chestnut-banded Plover (venustus)
Greater Painted-snipe
African Snipe
Crab-plover
Double-banded Courser (gracilis)
Three-banded Courser | Heuglin’s Courser
Bronze-winged Courser
Brown Noddy
Sooty Gull
Bridled Tern
Sooty Tern
Roseate Tern
White-cheeked Tern
Southern Banded Snake Eagle | Fasciated Snake-Eagle
Eastern Chanting Goshawk
Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk
Mountain Buzzard
African Scops Owl (ESS nivosus)
Bar-tailed Trogon
Abyssinian Scimitarbill
Southern Ground Hornbill
Northern Red-billed Hornbill
Von der Decken’s Hornbill
Trumpeter Hornbill
Silvery-cheeked Hornbill
Olive Bee-eater | Madagascar Bee-eater
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
White-eared Barbet
Green Barbet (olivacea)
Moustached Tinkerbird
Red-fronted Barbet
Spot-flanked Barbet
Black-throated Barbet
Brown-breasted Barbet
Red-and-yellow Barbet
D’Arnaud’s Barbet
Pallid Honeyguide
Nubian Woodpecker
Little Spotted Woodpecker
Fine-banded Woodpecker (hausburgi)
African Grey Woodpecker
Brown-backed Woodpecker
Pygmy Falcon
Red-fronted Parrot
Brown-headed Parrot
Red-bellied Parrot
African Broadbill
Pale Batis | East Coast Batis
Pygmy Batis
Black-fronted Bushshrike
Gorgeous Bushshrike (nigricauda)
Doherty’s Bushshrike
Slate-coloured Boubou
Retz’s Helmetshrike
Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher
Grey Cuckooshrike
Purple-throated Cuckooshrike
Northern White-crowned Shrike
Grey-backed Fiscal
Somali Fiscal
Green-headed Oriole
Mountain Oriole
Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher
White-tailed Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Nicator
Acacia Tit | Somali Tit
Somali Short-toed Lark
Sombre Greenbul
Slender-billed Greenbul (ESS percivali)
Olive-breasted Greenbul
Northern Brownbul
Grey-olive Greenbul
Placid Greenbul
Red-faced Crombec
White-browed Crombec
Brown Woodland Warbler
Mountain Yellow Warbler
Cinnamon Bracken Warbler
Chubb’s Cisticola
Levaillant’s Cisticola (ESS oreophilus)
Pectoral-patch Cisticola
Wing-snapping Cisticola (ESS mauensis)
Red-fronted Prinia (ESS rufidorsalis)
Black-throated Apalis
Black-headed Apalis
Chestnut-throated Apalis
Grey Apalis
Grey-capped Warbler
Grey Wren-Warbler
African Hill Babbler
Banded Parisoma (ESS marsabit)
Brown Parisoma
Brown Babbler
Black-lored Babbler (ESS vepres)
Black-bellied Starling
Rüppell’s Starling
Golden-breasted Starling
Superb Starling
Shelley’s Starling
Slender-billed Starling
Waller’s Starling
Sharpe’s Starling
Yellow-billed Oxpecker
Red-billed Oxpecker
Red-tailed Ant Thrush (rufus)
Orange Ground Thrush (ESS chuka + raineyi)
Abyssinian Thrush
Bare-eyed Thrush
Bearded Scrub Robin
White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher
African Grey Flycatcher (ESS taruensis)
Silverbird
African Dusky Flycatcher
Brown-chested Alethe
Rüppell’s Robin-Chat
White-starred Robin
Collared Palm Thrush
Spotted Morning Thrush
Little Rock Thrush
Anteater Chat (cryptoleuca)
Capped Wheatear
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird
Tacazze Sunbird
Bronzy Sunbird
Northern Double-collared Sunbird
Shining Sunbird
Yellow-spotted Bush Sparrow
Chestnut Sparrow
Red-billed Buffalo Weaver
White-headed Buffalo Weaver
Grey-capped Social Weaver
Speckle-fronted Weaver
Little Weaver
Black-necked Weaver
Black-billed Weaver
Eastern Golden Weaver
Speke’s Weaver
Golden-backed Weaver
Chestnut Weaver
Dark-backed Weaver
Cardinal Quelea
Long-tailed Widowbird (delamerei)
African Silverbill
Yellow-bellied Waxbill
Grey-headed Nigrita
Kandt’s Waxbill (ESS keniensis)
Purple Grenadier
Red-throated Twinspot
Straw-tailed Whydah
Cuckoo-finch
Striped Pipit
Bushveld Pipit
Oriole Finch
Reichenow’s Seedeater | Kenya Yellow-rumped Seedeater
White-bellied Canary
Thick-billed Seedeater (ESS albifrons)
Streaky Seedeater
Somali Bunting

MAIN HABITATS
Arid savanna, coastal forest, lowland rainforest, montane forest and grassland, moist savanna, desert

BIRD AREAS
East African coastal forests Endemic Bird Area (EBA)
Jubba and Shabeelle valleys EBA
Kenyan mountains EBA
Serengeti plains EBA
Tanzania – Malawi mountains EBA
Kakamega and Nandi forests Secondary Area (SA)
Mount Kulal SA
North Kenyan short grass plains SA
68 Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

BIRDING SITES
Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Dakatcha Woodland, Manda Island, Mida Creek, Sabaki River Mouth, Shimba Hills National Reserve (NR) and Tana River Delta for coastal species
Taita Hills Forests, Mount Kenya, Kinangop Grasslands and Aberdare Mountains for montane species
Maasai Mara NR and Nairobi National Park (NP) for moist savanna species
Tsavo East and West NPs, Meru NP, Shaba, Samburu and Buffalo Springs NRs and Lake Baringo for arid savanna species
Marsabit NP for desert species
Kakamega and Nandi Forests for lowland forest species, including Western Crested Guineafowl, Sabine’s Spinetail, Great Blue Turaco, Blue Malkoha, White-spotted Flufftail, Red-chested Owlet, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Cassin’s Honeybird, Least Honeyguide, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Grey Parrot, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye, Bocage’s Bushshrike, Pink-footed Puffback, Lühder’s Bushshrike, African Shrike-flycatcher, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Western Oriole, Sharpe’s Drongo, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Dusky Crested Flycatcher, Dusky Tit, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Honeyguide Greenbul, Kakamega Greenbul, Plain Greenbul, Little Grey Greenbul, Ansorge’s Greenbul, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Green Hylia, Black-faced Prinia, White-chinned Prinia, Buff-throated Apalis, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Brown Illadopsis, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Grey-chested Babbler, Southern Hyliota, Stuhlmann’s Starling, White-tailed Ant Thrush, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, Grey-winged Robin-Chat, Equatorial Akalat, Little Green Sunbird, Grey-chinned Sunbird, Green-throated Sunbird, Vieillot’s Black Weaver, Red-headed Malimbe, White-breasted Nigrita and Red-headed Bluebill
Busia for Eastern Plantain-eater, Senegal Coucal, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Rock Pratincole, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Red-headed Lovebird, Western Black-headed Batis, Black-headed Gonolek, Marsh Tchagra, Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike, Piapiac, African Blue Flycatcher, Green Crombec, Whistling Cisticola, Splendid Starling, Purple Starling, Olive-bellied Sunbird, Orange-tufted Sunbird, Superb Sunbird, Copper Sunbird, Compact Weaver, Red-headed Quelea, Black Bishop, Marsh Widowbird, Magpie Mannikin, Black-crowned Waxbill, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Black-rumped Waxbill, Locust Finch, Brown Twinspot, Black-bellied Firefinch, Bar-breasted Firefinch, Southern Citril and Black-throated Canary
Lake Victoria for Black-billed Barbet, Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Greater Swamp Warbler, White-winged Swamp Warbler, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Swamp Flycatcher, Red-chested Sunbird, Slender-billed Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Black-headed Weaver and Papyrus Canary
Also Lake Nakuru NP and Lakes Bogoria, Naivasha and Turkana

TIMING (Apr–May, Nov)
Being a mainly arid country, it is best to visit during the rains (Apr–May and Oct–Nov) when birds breed, although timing and quality of rainfall can be quite unpredictable
Afro-Palearctic migrants are mostly present Oct–Mar
Any time of the year is good, though

RESOURCES
Apps
Birds of Africa (iOS or Android)
eGuide to Birds of East Africa

Field guides
Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Dale A Zimmerman, Donald A Turner & David J Pearson (1996), also available in an abridged, lighter edition (2005)
Birds of East Africa by Terry Stevenson & John Fanshawe (2020)
Birds of Eastern Africa by Ber Van Perlo (2009)
Birds of Kenya: a Photographic Guide by Amedeo Buonajuti (2010)
Pocket Guide Birds of East Africa by Dave Richards (2016)
Birds of the Masai Mara by Adam Scott Kennedy (2012)
Birds of Kenya’s Rift Valley by Adam Scott Kennedy (2014)
Collins Traveller’s Guide to Wildlife of Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda by David Hosking & Martin Withers (2007) is a pocket-sized photographic guide covering over 475 commonly-seen species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, trees and flowers

Sounds
100 Common Bird Calls in East Africa by Dave Richards & Brian Finch
The Bird Song of Kenya and Tanzania: an Introductory Aid to Identification by John Hammick

Site guides
50 Top Birding Sites in Kenya by Catherine Ngarachu (2017)
Where to Watch Birds in World Cities by Paul Milne (2006) covers sites in and around Nairobi
Birding Northern Kenya: in Search of Masked Lark by Kevin Vang & Wojciech Dabrowka (2007)
Birding in Kieni Forest by Nick Gardner (1996)
Birding Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and Kenya’s Northern Coast by John Fanshawe (1994)
Where to Watch Birds in Kenya by Ray Moore (1982)

Atlases
Kenya Bird Map (KBM), a member of the African Bird Atlas Project
A Bird Atlas of Kenya by Adrian Lewis & Derek Pomeroy (1989), the data from which has been digitised and published on GBIF
Biodiversity Atlas Kenya aggregates Kenya biodiversity data and makes it available and usable online
Kenya’s Natural Capital: a Biodiversity Atlas (2015)

Checklists
Checklist of the Birds of Kenya by the Nature Kenya Bird Committee (2019)
Nairobi National Park Bird Check List by Brian Finch (2012)
Nature Kenya has published checklists of the birds of Boni-Dodori, Dakatcha Woodland (which gives bird names in the Giriama language), Kakamega Forest (by Itai Shanni & Bernd de Bruijn), Meru National Park (by Mark Mallalieu) and Sabaki Estuary
Rhino Ark has published The Birds of Eburu Forest checklist compiled by Washington Wachira (2017)
Annotated Checklist of the Birds of East Africa by Lester L Short, Jennifer F M Horne & Cecilia Muringo-Gichuki (1990)

Further reading
The Birds chapter in Kenya: a Natural History by Stephen Spawls & Glenn Mathews (2012)
Kenya by Leon Bennun & Peter Njoroge in Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority Sites for Conservation edited by Lincoln D C Fishpool& Michael I Evans (2001)
Kenya’s Important Bird Areas: Status and Trends (2004-2016)
Monitoring Important Bird Areas in Africa: Towards a Sustainable and Scaleable System by Leon Bennun, Paul Matiku, Ronald Mulwa, Solomon Mwangi & Paul Buckley (2005)
Birds, People and Conservation in Kenya by Mercy Njeri Muiruri & Patrick Maundu in Ethno-ornithology: Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Society edited by Sonia Tidemann & Andrew Gosler (2010)
Sound, Sight, Stories and Science: Avoiding Methodological Pitfalls in Ethno-ornithological Research, with Examples from Kenya by Fleur Ng’weno in Ethno-ornithology: Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Society edited by Sonia Tidemann & Andrew Gosler (2010)
Turaco Country: Reminiscences of East African Birding by Dale A Zimmerman (2015)
Birds of Dakatcha Woodland IBA by Fleur Ng’weno, Japhet Garama, Julio Mwambire, Samson Katisho & Albert Baya (2018)
A Guide to Taita Hills Unique Natural History by Lawrence Wagura (2014)
The Study and Ringing of Palaearctic Birds at Ngulia Lodge, Tsavo West National Park, Kenya, 1969-2012: an Overview and Update by David Pearson, Graeme Backhurst & Colin Jackson (2014)
The Avifauna of an Upland Seasonal Woodland in Central Kenya: Ecology, Behavior, Breeding by Lester L Short & Jennifer F M Horne (2006)
Birds to Watch in East Africa: a Preliminary Red Data List by Leon Bennun & Peter Njoroge (1996)
The Birds of Watamu by Robin Cahill (1992)
The Cultural and Economic Importance of Birds Among the Boran People of Northern Kenya by Hussein Adan Isack in The Value of Birds edited by A W Diamond & F L Filion (1987)
The Birds of Lake Baringo by Terry Stevenson (1980)
Birds of East Africa: Their Habitat, Status and Distribution edited by P L Britton (1980)
The Breeding Seasons of East African Birds by L H Brown & P L Britton (1980)
The Avifauna of the Kakamega Forest, Western Kenya, Including a Bird Population Study by Dale A Zimmerman (1972)

Journals
Scopus: Journal of East African Ornithology is published by the Bird Committee of the East Africa Natural History Society (EANHS)
Journal of East African Natural History (JEANH) is published jointly by the EANHS and the National Museums of Kenya (NMK)
African Journal of Ecology, formerly East African Wildlife Journal, is published in association with the East African Wild Life Society (EAWLS)
Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum (1965-1993) merged with Utafiti to form JEANH
Bulletin of the African Bird Club

Magazines and newsletters
Kenya Birding is the Nature Kenya magazine
Nature Net is the Nature Kenya newsletter
Swara is the magazine of the EAWLS
Kenya Birds (1992-2008) was a magazine published jointly by the EANHS and NMK
Nature East Africa (2003-2007) was a magazine published by Nature Kenya in succession to the EANHS Bulletin (1971-2001)

Listservs
Kenyabirdsnet is a Google group whose goal is to improve communication among Kenyan birders and others who are interested in Kenya’s birds by informing one another about interesting bird findings and rare observations, as well as announcing birding activities held in the country

Websites
Rupi the African Trotter
Cisticola Tours: Birding and Nature Tours in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda
Kenya Birding: Bird Watching in Magical Kenya
Kenya Birds
UNESCO World Heritage List: Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley, Lake Turkana National Parks and Mount Kenya National Park/National Forest

Blogs
Nature Kenya Blog by the EANHS
Kenya Bird Map Blog is a blog for sharing information, updates and tips relating to the KBM project
Dr Liv’s Blog: Wildlife and Small Conservation Projects in Africa by Luca Borghesio
Birders of Kenya, 2016: Yale University Press by Nancy J Jacobs

Facebook groups
Kenya Bird Map is the official group for the KBM project for posts related to bird mapping in Kenya
Birding in Kenya is a group to discuss birding activities/events, birding sites and species of Kenya
Birds of East Africa is a group for everybody who is interested with Eastern African birdlife
Wings over Kenya was created to highlight Kenya’s avifauna
Bird Watching in Kenya is for sharing your views and best shots of birds in Kenya

ORGANISATIONS

Nature Kenya – The East Africa Natural History Society (EANHS) is the BirdLife Partner in Kenya and Africa’s oldest environmental society

The Ringing Scheme of Eastern Africa coordinates and promotes bird ringing/banding throughout the East African region and beyond through issuing of rings to qualified ringers, curating ringing data and tracking ring recoveries

The East African Rarities Committee assesses records of new and very rare birds occurring in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi

The Ornithology Section of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) manages databases of bird records, curates NMK’s collection of bird specimens, and conducts action-oriented research, training, and documentation and dissemination of information on birds and their habitats

The following Site Support Groups (SSGs) at priority IBAs work in partnership with Nature Kenya –
Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Adjacent Dwellers Association (ASFADA)
Busia Environmental Conservation Education Program (BECEP)
Chebororwa Sekemiat Self-help Group
Dakatcha Woodland Conservation Group
Dawida Biodiversity Conservation CBO (DaBiCo)
Friends of Dunga Swamp (formerly Lake Victoria Sunset Birders)
Friends of Kinangop Plateau (FoKP)
Friends of Nature Bogoria (FoNB)
Ithugi Self-help Group
Kakamega Environmental Education Programme (KEEP)
Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO)
Lake Elementaita Ecosystem Group
Lake Naivasha Biodiversity Conservation Group
Maasai Mara Wildlife Ambassadors
Mida Creek Conservation and Awareness Group (MCCAG)
Mount Kenya Biodiversity Conservation Group (Mt Kebio)
Mumoni SSG
Mukurwe-ini Environmental Volunteers Organization (MEVO)
Murguiywet CBO
Mutitu SSG
Nyahururu Bird Club
Ruma Park SSG
Sabaki River Conservation Development Organization (SARICODO)
South Nandi Biodiversity Conservation Group (SONABIC)
Tana Delta Conservation Network (TDCN)
Yala Ecosystem Site Support Group (YESSG)

Other bird or conservation organisations active in Kenya include –
East African Wild Life Society (EAWLS)
A Rocha Kenya (ARK)
Wildlife Clubs of Kenya (WCK)
Community Action for Nature Conservation (CANCO)
Kenya Bird of Prey Trust
Kenya Women Birders
Cranes Conservation Volunteers (CCV)
Kilusu Bird Club
Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA)
The Green Belt Movement (GBM)
Rhino Ark
Mount Kenya Trust
Kijabe Forest Trust
Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust
Tsavo Trust
Natural Africa Concern (NAC)
Watamu Marine Association
Oceans Alive Trust
Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean – East Africa (CORDIO-EA)
Blue Ventures
Seacology
NABU
Fauna & Flora International (FFI)
WCS Kenya
WWF-Kenya
Wetlands International Eastern Africa
The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
Eden Reforestation Projects