These are all birds we were lucky enough to see and\or learn about during our safaris in Kenya.
Perching Birds
Cape Starling or Cape Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis Nitens) – Found mainly in southern Africa and lives in wooded or bushy shrub areas. In non-breeding season (March – August) they will flock into large groups. They are cavity nesters. They usually forge on the ground for insect larvae, grasshoppers, ants and beetles, but also eat fruit when available.
Hildebrants Starling (Lamprotornis Hildebrandti) – These Hildebrants Starlings can be seen in Kenya and Tanzania. It likes wooded and thornbrush areas. Nesting is March-May and October-December and in Kenya sometimes May-June. There nexts are usually built in crevices and both parents are involved in feeding. They eat a variety of insects and fruit, mainly beetles and grasshoppers.
Lesser Masked Weaver (Ploceus Intermedius) – Found in eastern and southern Africa, the Lesser Masked Weavers build nests in large colonies in trees, woodland or thornbush areas with other weaver species. They breed from September – March.
Lilac-Breasted Roller (Coracias Caudatus) – Also known as the fork-tailed roller or lilac-throated roller . Found only in Africa, and lives in woodland and savanna areas. They nest in natural holes in trees and eggs are cared for by both parents. This is unofficially the national bird of Kenya. They migrate from Kenya to Somalia to breed from late April to mid-September. Nests are built flat built of grass in a variety of dead tree hollowed out holes or possibly in the side of termite mounds.
Shrike (Disambiguation) – Also know as butcherbirds as the males impale their prey (insects and lizards) onto plant spines. They may not eat their prey, or not all of it and will store it for later. They are known to be able to imitate their prey vocally to lure them in. In some cases they eat a toxic type of grasshopper called Lubber grasshopper so they will wait a day or two before eating for the toxins to degrade. Shirkes are found in Europe and Africa. They are territorial by pairs and they tend to be monogamous breeders. This photo was take of shirkes sitting on the back of a rhino.
Superb Starling (Lamprotornis Superbus) – This species can live up to 15 years. Very similar looking to the Hildebrandt’s Starling, differentiated with the creamy-white eyes. They live in savanna, woodland or thornbush areas in Africa. Superb starlings are territorial during breeding season, but will flock with other species the rest of the year. Feeding is on small insects, termites, grasshoppers, ants and fruits.
White Bellied Go Away Bird (Crinifer Leucogaster) – They can be found in eastern Africa. Go Away birds fourth or outer toe can switch back and forth. Diet is mainly bananas or plantains giving them the nickname of banana-eaters. They live in wooded or savanna areas in families of up to 10 and do not migrate. They breed during rainy season and nests are built in acacia trees and both parents taking care of the eggs.
Ground Birds
Common Ostrich (Struthio Camelus) – Also known as the Maasai Ostrich. They are flightless birds but can run for long times at up to 34 mph (55 km/hr) or up to 60 mph (97 km/hr) for short burts. The main diet is plants but they will eat beetles of small lizards as well. They live in groups of 5-50 and during mating males will fight for harems of 2-7 females. If attacked or cornered they will kick with their strong legs. They are farmed across the world for feathers and their skin can be used for leather.
Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida Meleagris) – They are native to Africa but have been introduced to West Indies, North America, Colombia, Brazil, Australia and Europe. They live in flocks of about 25 during non-breeding season and tend to run instead of fly and can run very fast. With their sharp claws like chickens, they scratch and dig in the soil for food. They can also eat a large amount of ticks, if available and will eat beetles or similar during breeding season. Their lifespan is up to 12 years in the wild. There are very beautiful with lovely black and white feathers and colorful blue, red and yellow heads.
Yellow-Necked Spurfowl or Francolin (Pternistis Leucoscepus) – The yellow-necked spurfowl can be found in the Middle East and Africa. They tend to be active at dawn and dusk and can live in agricultural areas and areas until they are heavily populated by humans. Males can be detected by spurs on the back of their legs.
Kori Bustard (Ardeotis Kori) – The are the largest bird of flight in Africa, with the male being the heaviest living animal with the ability to fly. During breeding the makes try to breed with as many females as possible but don’t help with taking care of the eggs or raising the young. Kori Bustards living grassy areas that usually have sandy type soil. Nests are shallow holes in the ground, usually near trees.
Secretary Bird (Sagittarius Serpentarius) – The Secretary Bird is a large bird of prey that has a body similar to an eagle but with much longer legs. They live mainly in open grasslands and savanna regions. Secretary Birds are known for being snake killers, though most of their diet is insects and small vertebrates. They are called the Secretary Bird because when they are eating, they peck and pound their food and it looks like they are typing. Breeding can be any time of the year, but mainly in the dry season and nests are built up in thorny trees.
Hunting Birds
Augur Buzzard (Buteo Augur) – This photo is of a younger Augur as they are more brown in color when young, and much more black and white in adulthood. They are found in central, eastern and southern Africa and enjoy living around mountain, grasslands and savannah areas. Most of its prey is caught on the ground such as insects, reptiles, snakes, etc. Pairs usually mate for life and build large stick nests in trees and they often reuse their nests by just adding to them in the next season.
African Fish Eagle (Icthyophaga Vocifer) – Also known as an African Sea Eagle that is found the sub-saharan areas of Africa near large bodies of open water with grasslands, swamps, marshes near. Pairs breed during the dry season and are thought to mate for life. They maintain two or more nests and tend to reuse them and build them up over years. They nest are built of sticks and pieces of wood.
African Kite or Black Shouldered Kite – The African Kite is a small raptor type bird. Unlike other Kites, the African Kite is likely to scavenge for its food. The Kite can be found throughout Africa. It looked more like the Black Shouldered Kite but they appear to live in Australia.
Lappet-Faced Vulture (Torgos Tracheliotos) – Also known as the Nubian Vulture which is more closely related to eagles, buzzards and hawks and other vultures as it doesn’t have the great sense of smell of the other families. They live throughout Africa in dry savannah, deserts, and plains with scattered tree areas. As with most vultures, they are scavenger birds feeding on animal carcasses they fine left from an animal kill.
Tawny Eagle (Aguila Rapax) – Tawny Eagles can be found throughout Africa in dry savannas or desert areas but require some trees in the area. The Tawny Eagles often scavenge on other animals kills. They can live up to 16 years. They may hunt in pairs as we found this pair together on our journey and often pair for life. Breeding season ranges depending on the area of Africa. Nests are large platform style nests made of sticks and even sometimes animal bones and tend to be open to the sky.
Verreaux’s Eagle Owl (Ketupa Lactea) – Also known as an African Owl, Milky Eagle Owl or Giant Eagle Owl and is the largest owl found in Africa. It is a strong predator eats birds, insects, mammals or anything else it can find. They live in areas with scattered trees or thorny vegetation in savanna areas. Breeding can take place at any time during the year, but mainly from February to September. They are very territorial and the pair will defend their area. Normally they will use old nests built by other birds.
Cranes and Storks
Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica Regulorum) – Also known as the African Crowned Crane or Golden Crested Crane. The Grey Crowned Crane is found only in Africa and is the national bird of Uganda. The Grey and also Black Crowned Crane are the only crane species that can roost in trees. They live in dry savannah or Sub-Saharan areas but will nest closer to water. These Crowned Cranes are omnivores that eat anything from plants and seeds to insects, frogs, small fish, etc. Evenings are spent in trees resting and they hunt for food all day.
Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos Crumenifer) – Also called the Undertaker bird. This wading bird is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Breading is in wet and arid areas, usually near human habitation or landfills. Has the largest wingspan of any land bird. They breed in colonies during the dry season when food is more available and nest in trees They can live up to 25 years in the wild. They feed similar to vultures by scavenging for leftover corpses of other animal kills.
Saddlebill Stork (Ephippiorhynchus Senegalensis) – This is also a large wading bird that lives in Sub-Saharan Africa. Like most storks they fly with their neck stretched. They prefer protects open water areas. They build massive nest platforms that are used season to season and are solitary nesters, but are seen in pairs during the non-breeding season. They look for prey by stabbing their bill into the water, mud or vegetation.
White Stork (Ciconia Ciconia) – They eat a variety of insects, fish, reptiles, small mammals or small birds. The pair mate for life and any time of the year, with both of them building a large stick nest which is reused many times.
Yellow-Billed Stork (Mycteria Ibis) – We were not able to get a photo of the one. They live south of the Sahara and into Madagascar. They don’t really migrate but may move slightly due to rain. Wetlands like shallow lakes and mudflats. These storks like to follow crocodiles or hippos through the water and feed behind them on organisms they churn up. Breeding seems to be stimulated by peaks of heavy rainfall. For breeding, males select a nest site in trees and wait for females to approach them.
Water and Wading Birds
African Darter (Anhinga Rufa) – Also called the snakebird from swimming with only its head above water as they are don’t have oil in their feathers like most water birds so are not buoyant. Since their feathers are not waterproof like most birds, they are often seen with their wings out drying off (like the photo we got). They live in sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq in open water areas. They build stick nests in trees.
Avocet (Disambiguation) – Avocets have upcurved bills that they run side-to-side when feeding in the wetland waters they prefer. They nest in colonies on the ground with the nests lined with grass. Since they are usually in large colonies, they are fairly aggressive and chase off other species of birds that try to nest near them.
Black and White Stilt (Himantopus Himantopus) – Found in Africa, Asia and Europe and is part of the Avocet family. They breed in marshes, ponds and shallow lakes. They pick their food from the sand and water eating mainly insects and crustaceans. Nests are build in bare spots on the ground near the water and they usually nest in small groups.
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen Aegyptiaca) – They can be found in sub-Saharan Africa and along the Nile River Valley naturally, but they have been introduced in Europe and the United States. These geese tend to eat seeds, grass leaves and plant stems, but will also eat worms, locust or similar. The pair can be aggressive in their territory when breeding. They nests are built of reed, leaves and grass and the parir take turns sitting on the eggs. They usually mate for life. Egyptian Geese can live up to 15 years.
Great Egret (Ardea Alba) – They are also called the Common Egret, Great White Egret or Great White Heron and they considered part of the Heron family. Breeding is in colonies in trees near lakes with reed beds or wetlands. Males choose the nest area, start the nest which they do to attract a female. They gather food in shallow water or sometimes drier areas and eat mostly fish, frogs, amphibians, snakes or small animals like mice.
Great White Pelican (Pelecanus Onocrotalus) – Also known as Eastern White Pelican, Rosy Pelican or White Peleican. It breeds in swamps or shallow lakes in April or May. They are found in Europe to Asia and in Africa. This species of pelican is very social and form large flocks. Their diet is mainly fish.
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus Roseus) – Found in Africa, Middle Ease, Europe, in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. They live in mudflats and shallow coastal areas that contain salt water. They use their feet to stir up mud and blue-greenalgae, then suck the water through its beak to filter out shrimp, crustaceans, seeds algae and larve. One egg is laid on a mound they build of mud. They can live up to 40 years.
African Jacana (Actophilornis Africanus) – Also known as Jesus Bird or Lily Trotter due to being able to “walk on water” due to their long toes and nails that allow them to spread their weight to be able to walk on floating vegetation. With the Jacana’s the females are larger than males which is unusual, and the males are responsible for incubating the eggs and taking care of the chicks. They eat mainly insects and invertebrates plucked from floating vegetation or on the surface of the water and some seeds.
Kittlitz’s Plovers (Anarhynchus Pecuarius) – These small shorebirds breed near saltmarshes, river banks or alkaline grasslands. It lives in sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Delta and Madagascar, they will migrate based on rainfall. They are social birds in non-breeding season and live in small flocks of around 20 in general but sometimes can be found in much larger flocks. Parents are very territorial and defensive until the eggs hatch and both parents look after the chicks.
Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias Minor) – The Lesser Flamingo is the smallest of the Flamingos. Found in sub-Saharan African and western India. They feed mostly on algae in alkaline lakes but will also eat small invertebrates. The more blue-green algae they are able to eat, the more pink in color they are. Thousands used to migrate to Lake Nakuru for breeding, but with the changes in weather over the past few years, the water has become too high so many have moved to Amboseli and other areas of Kenya. As with most flamingos, they lay one egg on a mound built of mud.
Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle Rudis) – The Pied Kingfishers usually live in pairs or small groups. They are found in Africa and Asia. Their diet is made up mainly of fish but will also eat crustaceans and large aquatic insects. Nests are holes excavated in a vertical bud bank and about five feet above water with a chamber at the end. They are not territorial so several birds may nest in the same area. They sometimes reproduce “cooperatively” with young ones from the previous chicks helping or even unrelated older birds.
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis Aethiopicus) – The African Sacred Ibis is found in Africa and part of the Middle East. They may migrate due to rainfall. They dwell in marshy wetlands and mudflats. It will nest in trees or near water. Diet is mainly insects, worms, crustaceans, mollusks or other invertebrates and some fish. They breed once per year during the wet season from March to August. The nest is built of sticks in trees and they next in colonies with other wading birds. Once hatched one parent is always with the next for the first seven days and then will leave the nest to find food.
Spoonbill (Disambiguation) – These birds are found on every continent excluding Antarctica. They prefer fresh water to salt water, but can be found in either. To forge for food they move their bill side-to-side with their bill partially open and snap it close when insects, crustaceans or tiny fish are felt. They do pair for a season and nest in trees or reed beds. Males gather the sticks and reed to build the nest and the female makes it into a large, shallow next and both parents feed the chicks.
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Wikipedia was referenced for some of the detailed information in this post. Other supplied by our tour guides. All photos were taken by DaisyChianFun.
Other posts related to Kenya include:
Sarari in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
