GUIDE FOR BIRD WATCHING SAFARIS IN KENYA WITH AFRICANMECCA

The 1089 winged, feathered inhabitants and migratory visitors of Kenya will delight and engage you in a world of entertaining antics, melodious songs and spell-binding aerial acrobatics. AfricanMecca Safaris takes you into the world of Kenya’s avi-fauna! See first-hand the gangly gait of ostriches, the daredevil hunting skills of African fish eagles and the carpets of rose-colored flamingoes that cover many of Kenya’s terrestrial and aquatic wildernesses.

Birding sites in Kenya offer an abundance of birdie species, ranging from 200 and 600+ at any given location. You see common, rare, endangered, threatened and vulnerable species in almost every type of setting – forests, lakes, grasslands, rivers, woodlands, swamps and much more! Finding these smaller creatures amidst the vast and expansive landscapes of Kenya is a real treat for safari goers of all ages and experience levels!



Arabuko-Sokoke Forest is located just a short distance from the Kenyan coast near Watamu and Malindi, so bird lovers can spend their mornings walking along white sand beaches and their afternoons exploring the dense forest for birdlife. The forest offers a phenomenal ornithological safari in Kenya. Birding International notes the forest as the second most important of all of Africa’s forest for avi-fauna conservation.

Of the over 230 recorded species, nine are considered globally threatened, including the black and yellow clarke’s weaver, sokoke scops-owl and the multi-colored east coast akalat, to name only some of the endangered species in the forest. Common species include eastern green tinkerbirds, scaly babbler, green-headed orioles, violet-breasted and mouse-colored sunbirds and many, many more.

North of Mount Kilimanjaro is Amboseli National Park that is surrounded by a few private conservancies. These areas serve to extend the protection of the habitats, so avi-fauna have plenty of space for feeding and nesting. The variety of birdlife is attracted to the many micro-ecosystems in the park that include swamps, woodlands, thickets, plains and several others.



After your adventurous game driving tour of Amboseli, birdwatching by nature-walking is a wonderful way to unwind. More than 425 species have been recorded, including white-breasted white-eyes, taita fiscals, eastern yellow-billed hornbills, straw-tailed whydahs, banded warblers, to name a few, as well as 40 raptors – perhaps more.

Masai Mara National Reserve is mostly known for the site of the Great Migration, but AfricanMecca birding enthusiasts also treasure the reserve for its more than 450 avi-fauna species especially at its riverine locations. The blend of high-paced game viewing and relaxing bird-watching trips is a superb way to see the distinct sides of Kenya during your wilderness holiday in Africa.

Madagascar pond-herons, jackson’s widowbirds and grey-crested helmet-shrikes are among the endangered and threatened species. Common species include light blue and rust lesser kestrels, cinnamon-tinted corncrakes, rufous-tailed weavers and red-throated tits amongst others.



The savannah plains of Meru National Park are diverse for viewing large mammalian species, but experienced birdwatchers also value the park as one of Kenya’s finest destinations for superior avi-fauna tracking and identification. The volcanic history of the area supports an abundance of food sources for animals large and small, including grasslands, thickets, woodlands and swamps.

Your guide’s keen eye and knowledge of avi-fauna is invaluable for finding vulnerable hinde’s pied-babblers, as well as common species, such as pringle’s puffbacks, golden-breasted starlings, pink-breasted larks, Somali bee-eaters and many other feathered creatures that hide within the dense vegetation.



In the central, heart of the country near the equator is Mount Kenya, known for offering guests a discerning highlands and forest outback. The montane woodlands are home to some of Kenya’s most incredible birds, including the rarely-seen Abyssinian owls that have been sighted in the higher-elevation forests. Red-tufted sunbirds are common in the high moorlands, and Mount Kenya National Park is one of only two locations in Kenya to see kenrick’s starlings.

Just to the southwest of Mount Kenya, Aberdare National Park is a noteworthy birders destination for your avian-seeking safari to Africa. Endangered and vulnerable feathered species include Aberdare cisticolas, abbott’s starlings, sharpe’s longclaws and jackson’s widowbirds, amongst the common species of moorland chats, montane white-eyes, mountain flycatcher-warblers, thick-billed seedeaters and more!



The rugged terrain of Shaba National Reserve and the undulating arid landscape of Buffalo Springs National Reserve and Samburu National Reserve offer the unique opportunity to enhance your game viewing vacation in northern Kenya with AfricanMecca. Over 450 species of birds have been recorded in the reserves.

Common species include von der decken’s hornbills, donaldson-smith’s nightjars, grey wren-warblers, yellow-vented eremomelas, magpie starlings, to name only some of the winged residents. Taita falcons and the lesser kestrels, both globally threatened, are found in the reserves, as are regionally threatened African darters, white-headed vultures, martial eagles and yellow-billed oxpeckers.



Located in the coastal province of Kenya just west of Mombasa, the twin national parks of Tsavo West and Tsavo East offer a varied topography that lends to diverse avi-fauna habitats. Tsavo West is the most diverse of the two parks, offering rocky ridges and outcrops, volcanic features, sporadic trees, swamps, springs and riverine woodlands. Threatened species include taita thrush, southern banded snake eagle, friedmann's lark to name only a few. The park also attracts common species, as well as thousands of migratory species.

At Tsavo East, you may see endangered basra reed-warblers, as well as ashy cisticolas, black-bellied sunbirds, black-capped social-weavers, hunter’s sunbirds and an almost endless variety of other avi-fauna. Bordering the southern edge of Tsavo West is Taita Hills Forest, noted for critically-endangered taita apalises and taita thrushes. Other species include near threatened southern banded snake-eagles and vulnerable taita falcons. abbott’s starlings have been recorded here as well as Chyulu Hills Forest on the northwestern border of Tsavo West.



Another of Kenya’s Important Bird Areas is Shimba Hills National Reserve, also located in the coastal area. March and April offer especially prime birdwatching quests in this region of Kenya, as this is when high concentrations of eurasian golden orioles, eurasian cuckoos and other palearctic species arrive in the reserve. Year-round, though, you find brown-breasted barbets, black-bellied glossy-starlings and other common species.

Threatened and endangered species have also been recorded, including southern banded snake-eagles, fischer’s turacos, spotted ground-thrushes, east coast akalats, plain-backed sunbirds and sokoke pipits. The many alkaline and freshwater lakes of Kenya attract many different species than what you may find elsewhere in the country. Lake Victoria is known for papyrus yellow warblers and papyrus gonoleks, both of which are endangered, as well as migratory blue swallows.



The Kakamega Forest, just northeast of Lake Victoria, is home to grey-cheeked hornbills, olive-green camaropteras, brown-eared woodpeckers and many other common species. The freshwater Lake Baringo attracts three-streaked tchagras, grey wrens, blue-capped cordon-bleus, red-rumped waxbills and many others. Lake Bogoria is noted as an Important Bird Area offering chances to see African fish eagles, African darters, black-necked grebes, to name some of the species. Lake Bogoria, Lake Elementaita and Lake Nakuru are the best alkaline rich sites for seeing millions of greater and lesser flamingoes.

The more than 450 bird species at the freshwater Lake Naivasha, another of Kenya’s Important Bird Areas, include the highest concentration of fish eagles in East Africa. Other noteworthy species include goliath herons, malachite and pied kingfishers, rare maccoa ducks, spoonbills and saddle-billed storks, to name only some. Lake Turkana in Sibiloi’s Northern Frontier, another Important Bird Area, is known for pink-backed pelicans, little stints, African skimmers and many other winged creatures (read more on when is the best time to travel to Kenya with AfricanMecca).



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