KENYA SPECIALTY BIRDS LIST
Accessible Species
AFRICA
KENYA
| Area (SqMi): | 224,962 |
| # Species: | 1126 |
| # Excl Vagrants: | 1071 |
| # Endemics: | 10 |
| # Near Endemics: | 35 |
| Species/1000 SqMi: | 4.8 |
OTHER COUNTRIES
IN AFRICA
BIRDING LOCALES
DISTRIBUTION CODES
| Code | Description | ## |
| E | Endemic | 5 |
| LC | Local | 27 |
| NE | Near Endemic | 18 |
| RR | Restricted Range | 114 |
STATUS CODES
| Code | Description | ## |
| NT | Near Threatened | 28 |
| V | Vulnerable | 24 |
| EN | Endangered | 14 |
| CR | Critically Endangered | 4 |
Species counts in code tables depend on completeness of the data. For some countries or locales, data may not include all species or information on species presence may be incomplete.
List of all specialty birds in the country occurring in locales typically visited by birding tours. Specialties include endemics and globally threatened, vulnerable or endangered. Table indicates whether each species is globally threatened or endangered according to the IUCN and also whether it is migratory, very rare, or accidental in the country. See sidebar for meaning of location codes and symbols associated with common names.*
| 1 | Somali Ostrich | Struthio molybdophanes | V | |
| 2 | White-backed Duck | Thalassornis leuconotus | LC | |
| 3 | /Ferruginous Duck/ | Aythya nyroca | NT | |
| 4 | Maccoa Duck | Oxyura maccoa | EN | |
| 5 | Eastern Crested Guineafowl | Guttera pucherani | NE | |
| 6 | Red-winged Francolin | Scleroptera levaillantii | LC | |
| 7 | Elgon Francolin | Scleroptera elgonensis | NE | NT |
| 8 | Jackson's Spurfowl | Pternistis jacksoni | NE | |
| 9 | Red-necked Spurfowl | Pternistis afer | RR | |
| 10 | <Lesser Flamingo> | Phoenicoparrus minor | V | |
| 11 | Kori Bustard | Ardeotis kori | NT | |
| 12 | Denham's Bustard | Neotis denhami | NT | |
| 13 | Great Blue Turaco | Corythaeola cristata | RR | |
| 14 | Black-billed Turaco | Tauraco schuettii | RR | |
| 15 | Swamp Nightjar | Caprimulgus natalensis | RR | |
| 16 | #Square-tailed Nightjar# | Caprimulgus fossii | RR | |
| 17 | Gray Crowned-Crane | Balearica regulorum | EN | |
| 18 | Black Crowned-Crane | Balearica pavonina | RR | V |
| 19 | /Eurasian Curlew/ | Numenius arquata | NT | |
| 20 | /Bar-tailed Godwit/ | Limosa lapponica | NT | |
| 21 | /Black-tailed Godwit/ | Limosa limosa | NT | |
| 22 | /Great Snipe/ | Gallinago media | NT | |
| 23 | /Broad-billed Sandpiper/ | Calidris falcinellus | RR | |
| 24 | /Curlew Sandpiper/ | Calidris ferruginea | NT | |
| 25 | Rock Pratincole | Glareola nuchalis | RR | |
| 26 | /Black-winged Pratincole/ | Glareola nordmanni | NT | |
| 27 | #White-capped Albatross# | Thalassarche cauta | NT | |
| 28 | African Woolly-necked Stork | Ciconia microscelis | NT | |
| 29 | Shoebill | Balaeniceps rex | LC | V |
| 30 | Western Reef-Heron | Egretta gularis | RR | |
| 31 | \Malagasy Pond-Heron\ | Ardeola idae | EN | |
| 32 | Secretarybird | Sagittarius serpentarius | EN | |
| 33 | (Scissor-tailed Kite) | Chelictinia riocourii | V | |
| 34 | Bearded Vulture | Gypaetus barbatus | NT | |
| 35 | Egyptian Vulture | Neophron percnopterus | EN | |
| 36 | White-headed Vulture | Trigonoceps occipitalis | CR | |
| 37 | Lappet-faced Vulture | Torgos tracheliotos | EN | |
| 38 | Hooded Vulture | Necrosyrtes monachus | CR | |
| 39 | White-backed Vulture | Gyps africanus | CR | |
| 40 | Rueppell's Griffon | Gyps rueppelli | CR | |
| 41 | Bateleur | Terathopius ecaudatus | EN | |
| 42 | Crowned Eagle | Stephanoaetus coronatus | NT | |
| 43 | Martial Eagle | Polemaetus bellicosus | EN | |
| 44 | /Greater Spotted Eagle/ | Clanga clanga | V | |
| 45 | Ayres's Hawk-Eagle | Hieraaetus ayresii | LC | |
| 46 | Tawny Eagle | Aquila rapax | V | |
| 47 | /Steppe Eagle/ | Aquila nipalensis | EN | |
| 48 | /Imperial Eagle/ | Aquila heliaca | V | |
| 49 | /Pallid Harrier/ | Circus macrourus | NT | |
| 50 | Mountain Buzzard | Buteo oreophilus | NT | |
| 51 | African Grass-Owl | Tyto capensis | LC | |
| 52 | Northern White-faced Owl | Ptilopsis leucotis | LC | |
| 53 | Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill | Bucorvus abyssinicus | RR | V |
| 54 | Southern Ground-Hornbill | Bucorvus leadbeateri | LC | V |
| 55 | Hemprich's Hornbill | Lophoceros hemprichii | LC | |
| 56 | Usambiro Barbet** | Trachyphonus usambiro | NE | |
| 57 | Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird | Pogoniulus bilineatus | RR | |
| 58 | Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird | Pogoniulus chrysoconus | RR | |
| 59 | Double-toothed Barbet | Pogonornis bidentatus | RR | |
| 60 | Cassin's Honeyguide | Prodotiscus insignis | RR | |
| 61 | Green-backed Honeyguide | Prodotiscus zambesiae | LC | |
| 62 | Brown-eared Woodpecker | Pardipicus caroli | RR | |
| 63 | Golden-tailed Woodpecker | Campethera abingoni | RR | |
| 64 | Red-necked Falcon | Falco chicquera | NT | |
| 65 | |Red-footed Falcon| | Falco vespertinus | V | |
| 66 | |Sooty Falcon| | Falco concolor | V | |
| 67 | Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | LC | |
| 68 | Taita Falcon | Falco fasciinucha | V | |
| 69 | Red-headed Lovebird | Agapornis pullarius | RR | |
| 70 | Fischer's Lovebird | Agapornis fischeri | RR | NT |
| 71 | Gray Parrot | Psittacus erithacus | RR | EN |
| 72 | Petit's Cuckooshrike | Campephaga petiti | RR | |
| 73 | Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike | Campephaga phoenicea | RR | |
| 74 | Western Black-headed Oriole | Oriolus brachyrhynchus | RR | |
| 75 | Chestnut Wattle-eye | Platysteira castanea | RR | |
| 76 | Jameson's Wattle-eye | Platysteira jamesoni | RR | |
| 77 | Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye | Platysteira concreta | RR | |
| 78 | Gray-headed Batis | Batis orientalis | RR | |
| 79 | Western Black-headed Batis | Batis erlangeri | RR | |
| 80 | Gray-crested Helmetshrike | Prionops poliolophus | NE | NT |
| 81 | African Shrike-flycatcher | Megabyas flammulatus | RR | |
| 82 | Pink-footed Puffback | Dryoscopus angolensis | RR | |
| 83 | Black-headed Gonolek | Laniarius erythrogaster | RR | |
| 84 | Papyrus Gonolek | Laniarius mufumbiri | RR | NT |
| 85 | Gray-green Bushshrike | Telophorus bocagei | RR | |
| 86 | Doherty's Bushshrike | Telophorus dohertyi | RR | |
| 87 | Sharpe's Drongo | Dicrurus sharpei | RR | |
| 88 | Square-tailed Drongo | Dicrurus ludwigii | RR | |
| 89 | Velvet-mantled Drongo | Dicrurus modestus | RR | |
| 90 | Yellow-billed Shrike | Lanius corvina | RR | |
| 91 | Magpie Shrike | Lanius melanoleuca | RR | |
| 92 | Mackinnon's Shrike | Lanius mackinnoni | RR | |
| 93 | /Woodchat Shrike/ | Lanius senator | NT | |
| 94 | Piapiac | Ptilostomus afer | RR | |
| 95 | Yellow-bellied Hyliota | Hyliota flavigaster | RR | |
| 96 | Southern Hyliota | Hyliota australis | RR | |
| 97 | Dusky Crested Flycatcher | Elminia nigromitrata | RR | |
| 98 | Red-throated Tit | Melaniparus fringillinus | NE | |
| 99 | Williams's Lark | Mirafra williamsi | E | |
| 100 | Friedmann's Lark | Mirafra pulpa | RR | |
| 101 | Green Crombec | Sylvietta virens | RR | |
| 102 | Greencap Eremomela | Eremomela scotops | RR | |
| 103 | Turner's Eremomela | Eremomela turneri | RR | NT |
| 104 | Olive-green Camaroptera | Camaroptera chloronota | RR | |
| 105 | Banded Prinia | Prinia bairdii | RR | |
| 106 | Red-winged Prinia | Prinia erythroptera | RR | |
| 107 | Black-faced Rufous-Warbler | Bathmocercus rufus | RR | |
| 108 | Whistling Cisticola | Cisticola lateralis | LC | |
| 109 | Rock-loving Cisticola | Cisticola aberrans | LC | |
| 110 | Boran Cisticola | Cisticola bodessa | LC | |
| 111 | Carruthers's Cisticola | Cisticola carruthersi | RR | |
| 112 | Levaillant's Cisticola | Cisticola tinniens | RR | |
| 113 | Aberdare Cisticola | Cisticola aberdare | E | V |
| 114 | Tabora Cisticola | Cisticola angusticauda | RR | |
| 115 | Foxy Cisticola | Cisticola troglodytes | RR | |
| 116 | Black-backed Cisticola | Cisticola eximius | RR | |
| 117 | Papyrus Yellow-Warbler | Calamonastides gracilirostris | RR | V |
| 118 | /Basra Reed Warbler/ | Acrocephalus griseldis | EN | |
| 119 | Evergreen-forest Warbler | Bradypterus lopezi | RR | |
| 120 | #Montane Blue Swallow# | Hirundo atrocaerulea | V | |
| 121 | Rufous-chested Swallow | Cecropis semirufa | RR | |
| 122 | Red-tailed Bristlebill | Bleda syndactylus | RR | |
| 123 | Yellow-throated Greenbul | Atimastillas flavicollis | RR | |
| 124 | Honeyguide Greenbul | Baeopogon indicator | RR | |
| 125 | Little Greenbul | Eurillas virens | RR | |
| 126 | Gray Greenbul | Eurillas gracilis | RR | |
| 127 | Ansorge's Greenbul | Eurillas ansorgei | RR | |
| 128 | Gray-olive Greenbul | Phyllastrephus cerviniventris | RR | |
| 129 | Toro Olive-Greenbul | Phyllastrephus hypochloris | RR | |
| 130 | Uganda Woodland-Warbler | Phylloscopus budongoensis | RR | |
| 131 | Heuglin's White-eye | Zosterops poliogastrus | NE | |
| 132 | Kikuyu White-eye | Zosterops kikuyuensis | E | |
| 133 | Brown Illadopsis | Illadopsis fulvescens | RR | |
| 134 | Pale-breasted Illadopsis | Illadopsis rufipennis | RR | |
| 135 | Scaly-breasted Illadopsis | Illadopsis albipectus | RR | |
| 136 | Hinde's Pied-Babbler | Turdoides hindei | E | V |
| 137 | Arrow-marked Babbler | Turdoides jardineii | RR | |
| 138 | Northern Pied-Babbler | Turdoides hypoleuca | NE | |
| 139 | African Spotted Creeper | Salpornis salvadori | RR | |
| 140 | Bristle-crowned Starling | Onychognathus salvadorii | LC | |
| 141 | Abbott's Starling | Poeoptera femoralis | NE | EN |
| 142 | Hildebrandt's Starling | Lamprotornis hildebrandti | NE | |
| 143 | Ashy Starling | Lamprotornis unicolor | NE | |
| 144 | (Splendid Starling) | Lamprotornis splendidus | RR | |
| 145 | Lesser Blue-eared Starling | Lamprotornis chloropterus | RR | |
| 146 | Purple Starling | Lamprotornis purpureus | RR | |
| 147 | White-tailed Ant-Thrush | Neocossyphus poensis | RR | |
| 148 | Orange Ground-Thrush | Geokichla gurneyi | RR | |
| 149 | Gambaga Flycatcher | Muscicapa gambagae | LC | |
| 150 | Swamp Flycatcher | Muscicapa aquatica | RR | |
| 151 | Gray Tit-Flycatcher | Fraseria plumbeus | LC | |
| 152 | Chapin's Flycatcher | Fraseria lendu | NE | V |
| 153 | Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat | Cossypha cyanocampter | RR | |
| 154 | Gray-winged Robin-Chat | Sheppardia polioptera | LC | |
| 155 | Moorland Chat | Pinarochroa sordida | RR | |
| 156 | Familiar Chat | Oenanthe familiaris | LC | |
| 157 | Western Violet-backed Sunbird | Anthreptes longuemarei | RR | |
| 158 | Green Sunbird | Anthreptes rectirostris | RR | |
| 159 | <Pygmy Sunbird> | Hedydipna platura | RR | |
| 160 | Green-throated Sunbird | Chalcomitra rubescens | RR | |
| 161 | Red-tufted Sunbird | Nectarinia johnstoni | RR | |
| 162 | Olive-bellied Sunbird | Cinnyris chloropygius | RR | |
| 163 | Eastern Double-collared Sunbird | Cinnyris mediocris | NE | |
| 164 | Orange-tufted Sunbird | Cinnyris bouvieri | RR | |
| 165 | Superb Sunbird | Cinnyris superbus | RR | |
| 166 | Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver | Plocepasser superciliosus | RR | |
| 167 | Donaldson Smith's Sparrow-Weaver | Plocepasser donaldsoni | LC | |
| 168 | Red-headed Malimbe | Malimbus rubricollis | RR | |
| 169 | Little Weaver | Ploceus luteolus | LC | |
| 170 | Slender-billed Weaver | Ploceus pelzelni | RR | |
| 171 | Northern Brown-throated Weaver | Ploceus castanops | RR | |
| 172 | Northern Masked-Weaver | Ploceus taeniopterus | LC | |
| 173 | Vieillot's Black Weaver | Ploceus nigerrimus | RR | |
| 174 | Forest Weaver | Ploceus bicolor | RR | |
| 175 | Compact Weaver | Pachyphantes superciliosus | RR | |
| 176 | Red-headed Quelea | Quelea erythrops | RR | |
| 177 | Northern Red Bishop | Euplectes franciscanus | RR | |
| 178 | Black Bishop | Euplectes gierowii | LC | |
| 179 | Marsh Widowbird | Euplectes hartlaubi | RR | |
| 180 | Long-tailed Widowbird | Euplectes progne | RR | |
| 181 | Jackson's Widowbird | Euplectes jacksoni | NE | NT |
| 182 | White-breasted Nigrita | Nigrita fusconotus | RR | |
| 183 | Black-crowned Waxbill | Estrilda nonnula | RR | |
| 184 | Kandt's Waxbill | Estrilda kandti | RR | |
| 185 | Black-rumped Waxbill | Estrilda troglodytes | RR | |
| 186 | Red-headed Bluebill | Spermophaga ruficapilla | RR | |
| 187 | Orange-winged Pytilia | Pytilia afra | LC | |
| 188 | Brown Twinspot | Clytospiza monteiri | LC | |
| 189 | Black-bellied Firefinch | Lagonosticta rara | RR | |
| 190 | Purple Indigobird | Vidua purpurascens | RR | |
| 191 | Somali Sparrow | Passer castanopterus | LC | |
| 192 | Kenya Rufous Sparrow | Passer rufocinctus | NE | |
| 193 | Swahili Sparrow | Passer suahelicus | NE | |
| 194 | Cape Wagtail | Motacilla capensis | LC | |
| 195 | Bush Pipit | Anthus caffer | LC | |
| 196 | Sharpe's Longclaw | Macronyx sharpei | E | EN |
| 197 | Oriole Finch | Linurgus olivaceus | RR | |
| 198 | Papyrus Canary | Crithagra koliensis | RR | |
| 199 | Black-throated Canary | Crithagra atrogularis | RR | |
| 200 | Southern Grosbeak-Canary | Crithagra buchanani | NE | |
| 201 | Reichard's Seedeater | Crithagra reichardi | RR | |
| 202 | Gray-chested Babbler | Kakamega poliothorax | RR | |
| 203 | Brown-rumped Bunting | Emberiza affinis | RR |
*Nomenclature and taxonomic affinities are based on Clements 6th Edition published 2007 with updates through 2021 maintained by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, which relies largely on the AOU and SACC nomenclature committees. IUCN status may reflect splits not currently recognized by Clements.
**Species not accepted by Clements, AOU, or SACC that we recognize based on the IOC, field observations along with geographical separation, consensus opinions of field guide authors, and other sources. These species are potential splits in future Clements updates.