Common Birds of Maasai Mara

Common Birds of Maasai Mara : Masai Mara National Reserve known for its spectacular Wildebeest migration safaris is also best place for bird watching safaris with over 500 species reported, is still a very good area for ornithological excursions, despite not being the obvious choice of destination for birding in Kenya, which is after all home to some of the top birding hotspots in the world. Many of these species are raptor species.

Abdim’s Stork (Ciconia abdimii)

The smallest stork is the Abdim’s stork, sometimes called the white-bellied stork. It has red knees and feet, long, grey legs, and a grey bill. When reproducing, it develops blue skin near the bill and red skin adjacent to the eye on its face. In some areas of Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve, this species is plainly observable and frequent throughout its extensive range.

African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)

The African fish eagle is a large species of eagle that inhabits sub-Saharan Africa. The adult has a very distinctive appearance with a mostly brown body with a white head and large, powerful, black wings. The head, breast, and tail are snow white, with the exception of the featherless face, which is yellow. In Kenya, you’ll mostly find these birds in Lake Baringo and Masai Mara Game Reserve.

African Harrier Hawk (Polyboroides typus)

The medium-sized African Harrier-Hawk is a raptor. The head, breast, and upper regions are a light grey colour. White with delicate dark barring covers the belly. The broad wings are a light grey colour with a faint white border framing the black trailing edge. Black with a single, wide white stripe, the tail is black. The sexes are similar, but young birds have dark brown feathers in place of black and pale brown instead of grey. It can be found in urban settings, tree plantations, and natural woods. The Masai Mara Game Reserve and Lake Nakuru National Park are the best locations to see this bird.

African Spoonbill (Platalea alba)

A wading bird with long legs is the African Spoonbill. Except for its red legs, face, and bill, its body is mostly white. This bird’s distinctive spoon-shaped bill makes it easy to identify. The appearance of the male and female birds is similar. Fish and aquatic invertebrates like crabs or shellfish, insects, larvae, and mollusks make up the bulk of the African Spoonbill’s diet. These birds are frequently seen in a number of southern African nations and can be seen in Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.

African Openbill Stork (Anastomus lamelligerus)

A stork species in the Ciconiidae family is the African Openbill. It is an 80–94 cm length, 1.1–1.3 kg heavy stork. The mantle, breast, and other glossy parts of its adult plumage are green, brown, and purple in colour. The bill is noticeably big and reddish. The eye is grey, and the legs are black. Juvenile feather tips can be found in patches throughout the duller, more brownish plumage. Aquatic snails and freshwater mussels are the main sources of food for African open bills.

African White Backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)

The most prevalent huge vulture in Africa is the Old World vulture known as the African White-backed vulture. The white-backed vultures’ other feathers are various hues of grey, with a grey neck and a collar of white feathers at the top of their backs. The majority of their food source is animal corpses and broken bones. African white-backed vultures are nocturnal and very gregarious birds. All of East Africa’s national parks and reserves contain them, including the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.

Black Headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala)

Black-headed Herons are huge wading birds in the heron family that measure 85 cm in height and 150 cm in wingspan. The majority of its plumage is grey above and a lighter grey below. It has a strong, slender bill. These birds are ubiquitous and common over most of southern Africa, including Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Black Chested Snake Eagle (Circaetus pectoralis)

The Black Chested Snake Eagle is a sizable African predatory bird of the Accipitridae family. Although it is rarely seen, it is ubiquitous in Kenya’s sparsely forested areas. It consumes bats, lizards, and snakes. It gets its name from its dark brown head and chest, which make it easy to recognise.

Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus)

The medium-sized, short-tailed, and colourful Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) species of Eagle. The snake eagles are its nearest cousins. Africa is home to bateleurs, which can be seen in some areas of Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Black-Winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)

The black-shouldered kite, sometimes known as the black-winged kite, is a tiny, nocturnal predatory bird of the Accipitridae family. You can see Black Winged Kites in the Masai Mara, Samburu, and other parks because they live on open grasslands to thrive while in Kenya Birding Tours.

Coqui Francolin (Francolinus coqui)

A species of bird belonging to the Phasianidae family is the Coqui francolin (Peliperdix coqui). Mainly found in the southern half of Africa, while it is also sporadic in Ethiopia and the western Sahel. It is thought to be Africa’s most common francolin. It is primarily a resident species throughout its range, and it may be found in Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.

The Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya is home to a lot of Egyptian Geese. It consumes seeds, leaves, and grasses. It will occasionally consume worms, locusts, or other tiny animals. It truly belongs to the family of shelducks and pairs up for life.

Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)

Fischer’s Sparrow Lark (Eremopterix leucopareia)

A species of passerine bird belonging to the Alaudidae family is the Fischer’s sparrow-lark. This unremarkable dull-coloured bird can be found on short grass plains and prefers a subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland as its natural environment. Kenya’s Northern Masai Mara Game Reserve and Nairobi National Park are the best venues to see this bird.

Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)

The powerful three- to four-note sounds made by the Hadada ibis, also known as Hadada, when in flight, particularly in the mornings and nights when they fly out or return to their roost trees, are what gave the bird its name. They have robust legs, a characteristic down-curved bill, and a medium size. The wing coverts are iridescent and have a shine that is either green or purple. Hadadas are widespread over open grasslands, savannah, and wetlands in many African nations, as well as in city parks, athletic fields, walking paths, and expansive gardens.

Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori)

The largest flying African native bird is the kori bustard (Ardeotis kori). Like the majority of bustard species, this one is a ground-dwelling opportunistic omnivore. These birds are widespread across most of Africa in open, semi-arid, or seasonally dry habitats, especially in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. They typically live in residential areas within their range, moving erratically and nomadically when it rains.

Lappet Faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotus)

Lappet-faced vultures, also known as Nubian vultures, are enormous species that, after the closely related cinereous vulture, are the longest and largest winged vultures in their range. This vulture tends to live in open mountain slopes, dry savannah, thorn bush, arid plains, and deserts with sporadic trees. Most of Kenya’s national parks and reserves, including the Masai Mara National Reserve, are home to laplet-faced vultures.

Marabou Stork (Leptopilos crumeniferus)

The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is a sizable wading bird with odd features including hollow legs and toe bones. Marabou storks from Africa are naked, drab birds with long, black legs and a reddish head. The majority of them are white underneath and dark grey above. Carrion and scraps are primarily what they eat. Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus)

The Martial Eagle, which can spread its wings up to 2.75 metres, is the largest eagle in Africa. They have a mesmerising set of bright yellow eyes, a slate-grey back and crest, a white belly with black speckles, and gigantic feet with striking 6 cm hind talons. They are nothing short of stunning. The Masai Mara Game Reserve is home to these inhabitants of Africa’s savannah grasslands.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus)

The largest living bird is the extremely distinctive and readily recognisable ostrich. It is extensively dispersed across Kenya’s savannah plains and is frequently spotted in Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Tsavo, three southern parks and reserves. Ostriches belong to the ratite group of birds, all of which have extinct species and lack the ability to fly, including kiwis, emus, and rheas.

Rufous Naped Lark (Mirafra africana)

The rufous-naped lark (Mirafra africana), sometimes known as the rufous-naped bush lark, is a common and noticeable species of lark in the Afrotropical light-wooded grasslands, open savannah, and farmlands. Their short erectile crest and outer wings are always rufous, while the remainder of their plumage has a wide range of regional and individual tints. They can be seen in the Masai Mara Game Reserve and the Kenyan highlands.

Ruppell’s Vulture (Gyps rueppellii)

The Sahel region of central Africa is home to the big vulture known as the Ruppell’s Vulture. With an 8-foot wingspan, it holds the record for being the world’s tallest flying bird. They can consume a carcass’s bones as well as its hide.