Amboseli National Park Birding List : Amboseli National Park a UNESCO World Heritage Site and world’s safari destination with high concentration of elephants and due to its diversity in elephants has become world’s elephant research site and the subject of many books and documentaries .More so ,a rewarding destination that gives great view of the highest free standing mountain in the world the snow caped Mountain Kilimanjaro and also home of vast wildlife species because of vegetation ,mammals like African bush elephant ,spotted hyena ,blue wildebeest ,Maasai giraffe ,Grant’s zebra ,elephants ,Cape buffalos ,impala ,lions among others. The park is a paradise of bird list with more than 400 bird species and 47 are raptor species.
However, the park lies in Kajiado country in Nairobi Kenya’s capital on an area covering about 392 square kilometers and was created in 1974 as a national park and is under the governing body of Kenya Wildlife Service and the Maasai Community.
Below is the bird checklist for Amboseli National Park Kenya categorized in different types of bird species as follows;
Anseriformes – Anatidae
The anseriformes bird species found in Amboseli National Park includes; African Black Duck, Northern Shoveled, Fulvous Whistling –Duck, White-faced whistling –Duck, Garganey, Blue-billed Teal ,Spur-winged Goose ,Knob-billed Duck , Maccoa Duck among others.
Galliformes; Numididae and phasianidae
The Galliformes bird species found in the park include; Helmeted Guinea fowl, Red-necked Francolin, Yellow-necked Francolin, Scaly Francolin, Common Quail, Moorland Francolin, Shelley’s Francolin, Crested Francolin, Coqui Francolin, Hildebrandt’s Francolin among others.
Phoenicopteiformes ; Phoenicopteridae
The phoenicopteiformes bird species found in the Amboseli includes; Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Little Grebe, Eared Grebe many more.
Columbiformes; Columbidae
The Columbiformes bird species found in the Amboseli include; Rock pigeon, Speckled pigeon, African Green- pigeon, Tambourine Dove, Laughing Dove ,Ring-necked Dove ,Mourning Collared –Dove , Ring-necked Dove ,Dusky Turtle –Dove among others .
Pterocliformes: Pteroclidae
The pterocliformes bird species includes; Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse , Yellow-throated sandgrouse ,Black-faced sandgrouse .
Otidiformes: Otididae
The Otidiformes bird species includes; Hartlaub’s Bustard, White-bellied Bustard, Kori Bustard, Black-bellied Bustard
Musophagiformes; Musophagidae
The Musophagiformes bird species found in Amboseli include; Bare-faced Go away –bird, White-bellied Go-away bird
Cuculiformes: Cuculidae
The Cuculiformes bird species found in Amboseli National Park includes; Pied Cuckoo, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Great Spotted Cuckoo, White-brown Coucal, Black Coucal, Africa Cuckoo .Red-chested cuckoo , Klaus’s Cuckoo ,Dideric Cuckoo among others.
Caprimulgiformes: Caprimulgidae
The Caprimulgiformes bird species found in Amboseli National Park includes; Slender –tailed Nightjar, Donaldson –Smith’s Nightjar, Eurasian Nightjar, Sombre Nightjar, Square –tailed Nightjar
Caprimulgiformes: Apodidae
The Caprimulgiformes bird species found in Amboseli National Park includes; Mottled swift, Common Swift, Horus Swift, White-rumped swift, African palm-swift, Alpine swift, Little swift among others
Gruiformes: Rallidae
The Gruiformes bird species found in Amboseli includes; Baillon’s Crake, Black crake, African Swamphen, Allen’s Gallinule, African Rail, Corn Crake, African crake, Lesser Moorhen, Eurasian Moorhen among others.
Gruiformes: Gruidae
The Gruiformes bird species found in the park includes; Gray crowned –crane
Chardriiformes: Burhinidae
The Chardriiformes bird species found in the park includes; Water thick –knee, Spotted thick-knee
Charadriiformes; Recurvirostridae and Charadriidae
The Charadriiformes bird species found in the Amboseli National Park includes; Black-winged stilt, pied Avocet, Common Ringed plover, Lesser sand- plover, wattled Lapwing, Black-headed Lapwing, Blacksmith lapwing, Long-toed lapwing, Black-bellied plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Caspian plover among others
Charadriiformes: Rostratulidae, Jacanidae and Scolopacidae
The charadriiformes bird species found in Amboseli includes; Greater Painted –snipe, Lesser Jacana, Africa Jacana, Scolopacidae bird species includes; Common Snipe ,Dunlin ,Little stint ,Curlew sandpiper ,Black-tailed Godwit ,Bar-tailed Godwit ,Temminck’s stint ,Ruff ,Wood sandpiper ,Spotted Redshank ,Green Sandpiper ,Red-necked phalarope ,Terek Sandpiper ,African Snipe , Amboseli National Park Birding List
Charadriiformes: Turnicidae, Glareolidae and Laridae
The turnicidae bird species in Amboseli includes ; Small Buttonquail :Glareolidae bird species includes Madagascar pratincole ,Double-banded Courser ,Temminck’s Courser ,Three-banded courser :Laridae includes African Skimmer ,Common tern ,White-winged tern ,Gull- billed tern ,lesser black backed Gull ,Black-headed Gull ,Gray-hooded Gull among others.
Ciconiiformes: Ciconiidae
The Coconiiformes bird species includes Marabou stork, Yellow-billed stork, white stork, Black stork, African open bill, Abdim’s stork among others.
Suliformes: Anhingidae and phalacrocoradae
These bird species found in Amboseli includes African Darter, Long-tailed Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Amboseli National Park Birding List
Pelecaniformes: Pelecanidae and Balaenicitidae, Ardeidae
These bird species includes; Great White Pelican, Pink-backed Pelican, Hamerkop, Shoebill ;Ardeidae includes ;Little Egret ,intermediate Egret ,Black-headed Heron ,Gray Heron ,Dwarf Bittern ,Little bittern ,Goliath Heron ,Black-crowned Night-heron ,cattle egret ,African sacred Ibis ,Glossy Ibis ,African spoonbill .
Accipitriformes; Sagittariidae, Pandionidae, Accipitridae
The bird species includes Secretary bird, Osprey: Accipitridae includes; Ruppell’s Griffon ,White-backed Vulture ,Lappet-faced Vulture ,White-headed vulture ,European Honey-buzzard ,Egyptian vulture ,Palm-nut vulture ,African Harrier-Hawk , Black-winged kite ,Hooded vulture ,Bateleur ,Tawny Eagle ,Booted Eagle ,Long-crested Eagle ,Martial Eagle ,Bat Hawk ,brown snake-eagle ,Black-chested snake-eagle many more.
Strigiformes: Strigidae
The strigiformes bird species found in Amboseli includes; African Scoops –owl ,Spotted Eagle-owl ,Marsh Owl ,Pearl-spotted Owlet ,Verreaux’s Eagle-owl.
Coliiformes: Coliidae
These are the bird species which includes; Blue-napped Mouse bird, White-headed Mouse bird, Speckled Mouse bird, Amboseli National Park Birding List
Bucerotiformes: Upupidae
These bird species includes; Eurasian Hoopoe, Green Wood hoopoe, Abyssinian scrimitarbill, green wood hoopoe, Southern Ground-Hornbill, Trumpeter Hornbill, Northern Red-billed Hornbill, Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill, African Gray Hornbill
Coraciiformes: Alcedinidae and Meropidae
They includes; Malachite kingfisher, pied kingfisher, Striped kingfisher, Brown-hooded kingfisher, Gray-headed kingfisher, African pygmy kingfisher: Meropidae bird species include; Northern Carmine Bee-eater, European Bee-eater, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Cinnamon-chested Bee eater ,Little Bee-eater ,White-fronted Bee-eater ,Madagascar Bee-eater: Coradiidae bird species includes ;European Roller ,Lilac-breasted Roller ,Broad-billed Roller ,Rufous-crowned Roller among others.
Piciformes: Lybiidae
They include; White –headed Barbet, Red and yellow Barbet, D’Arnaud’s Barbet, Red-fronted Tinker bird, Red-fronted Barbet, Spot-flanked Barbet, Black-throated Barbet among others.
Piciformes: Indicatoridae and picidae
Bird species includes; Wahlberg’s Honeyguide, Pallid Honeyguide, Lesser Honeyguide, Greater Honeyguide, Lanner falcon, African Hobby, Eurasian Hobby, peregrine falcon, Amboseli National Park Birding List
Psittaciformes: Psittacidae
The psittaciformes bird species includes; Red bellied parrot
Passeriformes: Campephaguide, oriolidae
The Passeriformes birds in Amboseli National park includes ;Black Cuckoo shrike ,Eurasian Golden Oriole ,African Black-headed Oriole .Chin spot Batis .White Helmet shrike ,Gray-headed Bush shrike ,Sulphur-breasted Bush shrike ,Slate-colored Boubou ,Tropical Boubou ,Fork-tailed Drago ,African Paradise –Flycatcher ,Long-tailed Fiscal ,Magpie shrike ,Isabelline shrike ,Red-backed shrike ,Pied Crow ,White-necked Raven ,woodchat shrike ,Northern Fiscal ,Taita Fiscal ,Somali Tit ,White-bellied tit ,African penduline-tit ,Mouse-colored penduline ,Pink breasted Lark, Foxy lark ,Red-caped lark ,short-tailed lark ,Somali short-toed lark Singing Bush lark ,Flappet lark ,Northern Crombec ,Red-faced Crombec ,Winding Cisticola ,Ashy cisticola ,Rattling ,Tawny-flanked prinia ,Buff-bellied warbler ,Green-backed camaroptera ,Gray wren-warbler ,Yellow-bellied Eremomela ,Sedge warbler ,Olive-tree warbler ,Upcher’s warbler ,Eastern Olivaceous Warbler ,Highland Rush warbler ,Little Rush warbler ,Fan-tailed Grass bird ,white-headed sawing ,Common House-Martin ,Mosque swallow ,Common bulbul ,Northern brownbul ,willow warbler ,Garden warbler ,Greater whitethroat ,Pale white-eye ,Yellow –billed Oxpecker ,Red-billed Oxpecker ,Red-winged starling ,Wattled starling ,Violet-backed Starling ,Greater Blue-eared Starling ,Fischer’s starling ,Superb starling ,African Bara-eyed Thrush ,Abyssinian Thrush ,Southern Black-flycatcher ,Silver bird ,Ashy Flycatcher ,Pale Flycatcher ,Spotted Flycatcher ,Spotted flycatcher ,Pied Wheatear ,Isabelline wheatear ,Northern Anteater-chat ,Whinchat ,Rufous-tailed Tock-thrush Spotted Morning-Thrush ,Common Nightingale ,Mariqua Sunbird ,Beautiful Sunbird ,Golden-winged sunbird ,Hunter sunbirds ,Collared sunbird ,Eastern Violet-backed sunbird , White-browed Sparrow weaver ,White-headed Buffalo-weaver ,White-billed Buffalo-Weaver ,Lesser Masked-weaver ,African Golden-weaver, Taveta Golden –weaver ,Holub’s Golden-weaver ,Spectacled weaver ,African Golden-weaver ,Little weaver ,Grosbeak weaver ,Fan-tailed widowbird ,Red-collared Widowbird ,Yellow Bishop ,Black-faced Waxbill ,Gray-headed silver bill ,Bronze Mannikin ,African silver bill ,Jameson’s Fire finch ,African Fire finch ,Red-billed Fire finch ,Red –cheeked Cordon bleu ,Zebra Waxbill ,Cut-throat ,Quail finch ,Crimson-rumped Waxbill ,Kenya Rufous Sparrow ,House Sparrow ,Straw-tailed whydah ,Steel-blue whydah ,Eastern paradise-why day ,pin-tailed whydah mentioned by few.
Kenya birding can be done all year round but the best rewarding season is wet season when food is in plenty from months of March to May and October to November. November best to watch migratory bird species.
