Map of the world

  • Where to watch BIRDS and

  • other wildlife in the world

    • Photograph of Saddle-billed Stork

    A fabulous Saddle-billed Stork photographed in the Masai Mara by Steve Garvie.

  • Where to watch birds and wildlife in
    • KENYA

    Best Birds and other wildlife in Kenya

    Photograph of Martial Eagle

    Martial Eagle, one of the numerous impressive raptors in Kenya, by Marie-France Grenouillet.

    Birds

    Endemics 13
    Jackson’s Francolin (also recorded in Uganda), Brown-and-white (White-headed) Barbet, Williams’s Lark, Taita Apalis, Tana River Cisticola (virtually unknown in the field), Aberdare Cisticola, Taita White-eye, Kulal White-eye, Kikuyu White-eye, Hinde’s Babbler, Taita Thrush, Clarke’s Weaver and Sharpe’s Longclaw.

    Near-endemics

    Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea 1
    Abyssinian (African) Citril.

    Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia 12
    Somali Bee-eater, Red-naped Bushshrike, Collared Lark, Gillett’s Lark, Somali Short-toed Lark, Dodson’s (Common) Bulbul, Scaly Babbler, White-crowned Starling, Donaldson-Smith’s Sparrow-weaver, Golden Palm Weaver, Juba (Salvadori’s) Weaver and Northern Grosbeak-canary.

    Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti 1
    Somali Sparrow.

    Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan 1
    Chestnut-headed Sparrow-lark.

    Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Uganda 3
    Yellow-vented Eremomela, Pale Prinia and Bristle-crowned Starling.

    Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Tanzania 10
    Vulturine Guineafowl, Red-bellied (Orange-bellied) Parrot, Short-tailed Lark, Somali Crombec, Banded Warbler (Parisoma), Kenya (Pale) White-eye, Golden-breasted Starling, Fischer’s Starling, Bare-eyed Thrush and Black-bellied Sunbird.

    Kenya and Ethiopia 3
    Black-fronted Francolin, Grant’s (Violet) Woodhoopoe and Masked Lark.

    Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan 1
    Star-spotted Nightjar.

    Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan 1
    Jackson’s Hornbill.

    Kenya, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 1
    African (Abyssinian) Long-eared Owl.

    Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania 2
    Friedmann’s Lark and Black-capped Social-weaver.

    Kenya and Somalia 4
    Manda (Coastal) Boubou, Violet-breasted Sunbird, Red (Red-headed) Weaver and Malindi Pipit.

    Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania 10
    Fischer’s Turaco, White-headed Mousebird, Mombasa Woodpecker, Eastern Black-headed Batis, Zanzibar Boubou (and Zanzibar), Long-tailed Fiscal, Coastal Cisticola, Little Yellow Flycatcher, Fire-fronted Bishop and Pangani Longclaw.

    Kenya and Uganda 1
    Elgon (Moorland) Francolin.

    Kenya, Uganda and DRC 1
    Chapin’s Flycatcher.

    Kenya and DRC 1
    Turner’s Eremomela.

    Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania 3
    Hartlaub's Turaco, Karamoja Apalis and Lynes’s (Wailing) Cisticola.

    Kenya and Tanzania 26
    Sokoke Scops-owl, Usambiro (D’Arnaud’s) Barbet, Fischer’s Lovebird, Grey-crested Helmetshrike, Forest (Short-tailed) Batis, Red-throated Tit, Buff-bellied (African) Penduline-tit, Athi Short-toed Lark, Stripe-faced Greenbul, Eastern Mountain Greenbul, Mbulu White-eye, Northern Pied Babbler, Hildebrandt's Starling, Abbott's Starling, Amani Sunbird, Eastern Double-collared Sunbird, Usambara Double-collared Sunbird, Gorgeous (Beautiful) Sunbird, Tsavo Sunbird, Rufous-tailed Weaver (only just in Kenya), Jackson’s Widowbird, Taveta Golden Weaver, Kenya (Rufous) Sparrow, Swahili (Grey-headed) Sparrow, Sokoke Pipit and Southern Grosbeak-canary.

    Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi 1
    Kenrick’s Starling.

    Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique 3
    Kretschmer’s Longbill, Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird and Zanzibar Red Bishop.

    Photograph of Golden-breasted Starling

    A stunning Golden-breasted Starling in Tanzania by Dubi Shapiro.

    Other specialities
    Somali Ostrich, White-spotted Flufftail, Crab Plover, Somali Courser, Madagascar Pratincole (mostly May-Aug), Sooty Gull, Forbes-Watson's Swift, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Speckle-breasted Woodpeckers, Green-headed and Mountain Orioles, East Coast (Pale) and Pygmy Batises, Jameson’s and Yellow-bellied Wattle-eyes, Papyrus Gonolek, Taita Fiscal, Fischer's Sparrow-lark, Pink-breasted Lark, White-browed Crombec, Basra Reed-warbler (mainly Nov-Mar), Kakamega Greenbul, Black-collared and Chestnut-throated Apalises, Slender-billed, Magpie, Sharpe's and Stuhlmann's Starlings, Abyssinian Ground-thrush, Equatorial and East Coast Akalats, White-throated Robin (mainly Nov-Mar), Little Rock-thrush, Plain-backed, Hunter's, Tacazze, Red-tufted (Scarlet-tufted Malachite), Golden-winged and Red-chested Sunbirds, Northern Brown-throated and Northern Masked Weavers, Red-headed Bluebill, Abyssinian Crimsonwing, Grey-headed Silverbill, Golden Pipit, Oriole Finch and Papyrus Canary. Also a chance of Olive) Ibis and Striped Flufftail.

    Others
    Common Ostrich, Black and Goliath Herons, Saddle-billed Stork, Hamerkop, Lesser and Greater Flamingos (numbers usually peak in Nov-Dec when 1-2 million have been present at Lake Bogoria alone), Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, African Darter, over 50 raptors including vultures, African Fish-eagle, African Crowned, Martial and Verreaux's Eagles, Bateleur, Mountain Buzzard, Pygmy Falcon and Secretary Bird, Black Crake, bustards including Hartlaub's and Kori, Grey Crowned Crane, many shorebirds including Spotted Thick-knee, Blacksmith and Chestnut-banded Plovers, African Jacana, Heuglin's and Temminck's Coursers, sandgrouse, pigeons and doves, Red-bellied Parrot, Great Blue, Ross's and White-crested Turacos, owls including Verreaux's Eagle-owl, mousebirds, Bar-tailed and Narina Trogons, kingfishers including Giant, bee-eaters including Northern Carmine and Madagascar (mostly Apr-Sep), Lilac-breasted Roller, African Hoopoe, woodhoopoes, hornbills, Southern Ground-hornbill, barbets including Double-toothed and Red-and-yellow, honeyguides, batises, wattle-eyes, Chestnut-fronted, Retz's and White-crested Helmetshrikes, Grey-headed, Sulphur-breasted and Four-coloured Bushshrikes, Black-headed Gonolek, shrikes, African Paradise-flycatcher, larks, greenbuls, apalises including Black-throated, flycatchers, robin-chats, White-starred Robin, scrub-robins, starlings including Superb, Red-billed and Yellow-billed Oxpeckers, sunbirds, Rosy-breasted and Yellow-throated Longclaws, Golden-breasted Bunting, weavers, widowbirds, bishops, waxbills and whydahs. Also a chance of Rufous-bellied Heron, African Finfoot, Rock Pratincole, African Skimmer, Grey Parrot, African Broadbill and Silverbird.

    Photograph of Pygmy Kingfisher

    A stunning photograph of a stunning Pygmy Kingfsher by Martin Goodey.

    Mammals
    Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, African Elephant, (Maasai, Reticulated and Rothschild’s) Giraffes, Hippopotamus, White (reintroduced) and Black Rhinoceroses, Spotted and Striped Hyaenas, Burchell's and Grevy's Zebras, Beisa Oryx, Gerenuk, Blue Wildebeest, African Buffalo, (Angola/Eastern) Black-and-white Colobus Monkey, Olive and Yellow Baboons, Bat-eared Fox, African Wild Cat, Spring Hare, Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew, Blotched and Small-spotted Genets, Bushbaby (Greater Galago), Southern Tree Hyrax, Eland, Greater and Lesser Kudus, Waterbuck, Topi, Hartebeest, Impala, Grant's and Thomson's Gazelles, Sitatunga, Klipspringer and Yellow-winged Bat. Also a chance of Caracal, Serval, Aardvark, Aardwolf, Sable, Suni, Giant Forest Hog, Crested Porcupine, Harvey's Duiker and African Civet, and an outside chance of Dugong and Ground Pangolin.

    Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish
    Nile Crocodile, Whale Shark (mostly Nov-Jan) and many coral reef fish including angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, groupers and wrasses.

    Invertebrates
    Nearly a thousand species of butterfly.

    Other Natural Wonders of Kenya

    Masai Mara-Serengeti The ultimate African plains, covering about 25,000 sq km (9650 sq miles), of which about 1500 sq km (580 sq miles) are in the Masai Mara in Kenya.

    Kilimanjaro The 'mountain that glitters', the translation from Swahili to English, is the highest peak in Africa, rising imposingly over 4600 m (15,000 ft) from the surrounding plains to 5892 m (19,330 ft) above sea level. This huge inactive volcano covers an area of about 100 km (60 miles) by 65 km (40 miles) and dominates the landscape over a huge area. Massive, isolated and snow-capped it looks especially awesome from Amboseli NP in Kenya.

    Best Sites for Birds and other wildlife in Kenya

    Best Times for Birds and other wildlife in Kenya

    The best time to visit in search of mammals is from June to November. The Blue Wildebeest migration depends on the rains but the largest gathering of ungulates (hoofed mammals) in the world takes place in the Serengeti in Northern Tanzania during the wet season which usually lasts from November to May. There are usually one to two million large mammals, mostly wildebeest, in the southeast Serengeti by January and they stay until April, usually calving in February-March when they attract numerous predators. In May-June there is a general movement of animals northwest through the central Serengeti, a time when herds of wildebeest up to 40 km (25 miles) long have been seen from the air. They are heading west toward Lake Victoria and north to the Masai Mara, and about half a million wildebeest as well as numerous Burchell's Zebras and Thomson's Gazelles usually reach the Mara and Talek Rivers in June and July (though sometimes as late as August when they may move back and forth across the Mara several times). Then, at several places along these rivers, they may be seen struggling across, desperately trying to avoid the crocodiles. The wildebeest, zebras and gazelles which make it usually remain in the Mara until October-November when they begin their return to the Serengeti.

    Birding is so good almost any time of the year is worth considering but the peak times are April and November. April is usually the start of the main wet season (which usually lasts until July), a time when many resident birds nest and are therefore at their most active and attractive, whereas November is usually the start of the short wet season (which usually lasts until December), a time when many other resident birds nest, many migrant species are present and flamingo numbers usually peak.

    Recommended Bird Books etc. for Kenya

    Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa by T Stevenson and J Fanshawe. Helm, due 2020 (Second Edition).

    Field Guide to the Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by D Pearson et al. Helm, 2005.

    Birds of Africa south of the Sahara by I Sinclair and P Ryan. C Struik, 2011 (Second Edition).

    The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals by J Kingdon. Bloomsbury, 2015 (Second Revised Edition).

    The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals by J Kingdon. Bloomsbury, 2016 (Second Edition).

    Bradt Travel Guides: East African Wildlife by P Briggs. Bradt, 2015 (Second Edition).

    Watching Wildlife: East Africa by M D Firestone et al. Lonely Planet, 2009 (Second Edition).


    Apps etc.

    The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals.

    Audubon African Wildlife.

    eGuide to Birds of East Africa.

    Where to watch birds in Africa by N Wheatley. Helm, 1995.

    Don’t know which country/countries to visit in Africa? Then it may be worth considering taking a look at this book, written by this website’s author. It is many years old of course but it still provides a starting point, an overview and a guiding light to the best birds and the best places to look for them on the continent, and could save hours of searching for similar information on the internet. However, it is important to check more up-to-date sources for sites which have been opened up, sites and species which have been discovered, lodges that have been built etc. since the book was published.

    Birding and Wildlife Trip Reports for Kenya

    Many trip reports, some for Kenya, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to Kenya. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Kenya' below.

    Local bird and wildlife guides in Kenya

    The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.

    Accommodation for birders in Kenya

    Some Organized Tours for birds and other wildlife to Kenya

    There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.

    While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.

    Tour companies who run organized tours or can arrange custom tours to Kenya include the following.