10 Beautiful Birds To See In Kenya : Kenya is well-known for its “Big Five” in Amboseli National Park and the annual great wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, but it is also a hidden and unexplored bird watcher’s paradise with over 1,100 recorded species, 12 endemics, and numerous sought-after rarities. The nation is home to a remarkable variety of habitats, including wetlands, rainforests, lagoons, saltpans, savannahs, and woodlands. These habitats support more bird species as well as larger and smaller mammals.
Without visiting Kenya and staying there for more than five days, as it is a prime location for bird watching throughout the year, your African birding safari will fall short of your expectations. Long-distance migrants from Europe, such as waders, swallows, and terns, arrive in Kenya between October and February to spend the winter there. Additionally, during the summer, birds from southern Africa travel here to breed. Here are our top ten favorite birds to see during your safari in Kenya:
- Superb Starling
The superb starling is arguably everyone’s favorite among the colorful and exquisite starlings in the world. Throughout much of Kenya, these fascinating birds are frequently spotted in open woodland, savannahs, some towns, and gardens. They typically congregate in small family flocks of up to 15 birds.
- Lesser Flamingo
The amazing rift valley lakes of Kenya are home to thousands of these long-legged beauties. The majority of the lakes in the Rift Valley are alkaline and have blue-green algae blooms, which the flamingos feed on. With their amazing, curved beaks, they feed on algae, which also gives them their gorgeous pink color.
- Sokoke Scops Owl
The smallest owls in Africa are these tiny little things! They are nocturnal, like the majority of owls, and primarily eat insects like locusts, beetles, and crickets. These adorable birds are sadly in danger of extinction because they are restricted to a small number of forest patches.
- Grey-crowned Crane
This has to be one of the most beautiful cranes in the entire world. As they move about grasslands in pairs or flocks, these graceful and attractive birds—which are also very photogenic—feed on grass seed and insects. They have lots of personality and make for particularly entertaining viewing when they engage in courtship rituals.
- Secretary Bird
There are no other tall raptors like these! Don’t be fooled by their appearance—they don’t actually look like pretty storks. The grasslands are patrolled by these cunning hunters as they look for snakes, lizards, and rodents. They pursued their prey after that, stomping on them with their powerful feet to kill them. They are referred to as “serpent killers” in the local tongue.
- Malachite Sunbird
Malachite sunbirds are diminutive nectar-feeders with vivid colors and iridescent feathers, and they certainly live up to their name. In Kenya’s lush alpine grasslands, their bright green iridescent feathers provide good camouflage, but they are easily seen when they visit the giant Lobelia’s white flowers in the highlands.
- Lilac-breasted Roller
The lilac-breasted roller is a stunningly colorful bird, and many people think it may even be the one that gets photographed the most in Kenya. These birds are referred to as rollers because of their extraordinary ability to flip around in midair.
- Vulturine Guineafowl
They are the world’s biggest and unquestionably most stunning Guineafowl. These gregarious birds are very sociable and occasionally form flocks of up to 50 birds. They seek out wild seeds and insects to eat in arid and semi-arid bush and savannah.
- Northern Carmine Bee-eater
The largest of their kind in Africa, carmine bee-eaters are incredibly beautiful. These bee-eaters are migrants from the Afro-tropics, and some of them live in Kenya. They typically build horizontal tunnels on steep river banks to protect their nesting colonies from predators.
- African Fish Eagle
A true African icon, the presence of an African fish eagle nearby completes any body of water. The unmistakable call of these ferocious raptors serves as a territorial marker, and adults will fiercely defend their homes from intruders. This species’ females are bigger than the males and can catch fish that are roughly their own weight.
CONCLUSION
For Kenya birding safari please contact us at Focus East Africa Tours as we have Kenya Birding Tour available that will take you through Kenya’s stunning wilderness and give you the chance to see some amazing birds. The tour’s earnings will go toward conservationists who work to stop poaching and protect vulture species. There has been a sharp decline in the number of vultures. Vulture poisoning is primarily caused by livestock owners accidentally poisoning their animals.
