KENYA SPECIALTY BIRDS LIST
AFRICA
KENYA
Area (SqMi): | 224,962 |
# Species: | 1128 |
# Excl Vagrants: | 1073 |
# Endemics: | 10 |
# Near Endemics: | 40 |
Species/1000 SqMi: | 4.8 |
List of species that are endemic (E), near endemic (NE), have restricted ranges in the country (RR), or occur only locally (LC) in the country excluding vagrants and accidentals. Table also shows species with globally threatened or endangered status according to the IUCN.*
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 | Ring-necked Francolin | Scleroptera streptophorus | LC | NT |
8 | Elgon Francolin | Scleroptera elgonensis | NE | NT |
9 | Jackson's Spurfowl | Pternistis jacksoni | NE | |
10 | Red-necked Spurfowl | Pternistis afer | RR | |
11 | White-winged Collared-Dove | Streptopelia reichenowi | RR | NT |
12 | Bruce's Green-Pigeon | Treron waalia | RR | |
13 | Arabian Bustard | Ardeotis arabs | NT | |
14 | Kori Bustard | Ardeotis kori | NT | |
15 | Denham's Bustard | Neotis denhami | NT | |
16 | Great Blue Turaco | Corythaeola cristata | RR | |
17 | Purple-crested Turaco | Gallirex porphyreolophus | RR | |
18 | Black-billed Turaco | Tauraco schuettii | RR | |
19 | Fischer's Turaco | Tauraco fischeri | NT | |
20 | Swamp Nightjar | Caprimulgus natalensis | RR | |
21 | #Long-tailed Nightjar# | Caprimulgus climacurus | RR | |
22 | #Square-tailed Nightjar# | Caprimulgus fossii | RR | |
23 | /Forbes-Watson's Swift/ | Apus berliozi | RR | |
24 | Gray Crowned-Crane | Balearica regulorum | EN | |
25 | Black Crowned-Crane | Balearica pavonina | RR | V |
26 | /Eurasian Oystercatcher/ | Haematopus ostralegus | NT | |
27 | /Eurasian Curlew/ | Numenius arquata | NT | |
28 | /Bar-tailed Godwit/ | Limosa lapponica | NT | |
29 | /Black-tailed Godwit/ | Limosa limosa | NT | |
30 | /Great Snipe/ | Gallinago media | NT | |
31 | /Broad-billed Sandpiper/ | Calidris falcinellus | RR | |
32 | /Curlew Sandpiper/ | Calidris ferruginea | NT | |
33 | Black-rumped Buttonquail | Turnix nanus | LC | |
34 | Quail-plover | Ortyxelos meiffrenii | LC | |
35 | Rock Pratincole | Glareola nuchalis | RR | |
36 | /Black-winged Pratincole/ | Glareola nordmanni | NT | |
37 | \Madagascar Pratincole\ | Glareola ocularis | NT | |
38 | &Lesser Flamingol | Phoenicoparrus minor | V | |
39 | #White-capped Albatross# | Thalassarche cauta | NT | |
40 | African Woolly-necked Stork | Ciconia microscelis | NT | |
41 | Western Reef-Heron | Egretta gularis | RR | |
42 | \Malagasy Pond-Heron\ | Ardeola idae | EN | |
43 | Shoebill | Balaeniceps rex | LC | V |
44 | Secretarybird | Sagittarius serpentarius | EN | |
45 | (Scissor-tailed Kite) | Chelictinia riocourii | V | |
46 | Bearded Vulture | Gypaetus barbatus | NT | |
47 | Egyptian Vulture | Neophron percnopterus | EN | |
48 | White-headed Vulture | Trigonoceps occipitalis | CR | |
49 | Lappet-faced Vulture | Torgos tracheliotos | EN | |
50 | Hooded Vulture | Necrosyrtes monachus | CR | |
51 | White-backed Vulture | Gyps africanus | CR | |
52 | Rueppell's Griffon | Gyps rueppelli | CR | |
53 | Bateleur | Terathopius ecaudatus | EN | |
54 | Southern Banded Snake-Eagle | Circaetus fasciolatus | NT | |
55 | Beaudouin's Snake-Eagle | Circaetus beaudouini | V | |
56 | Crowned Eagle | Stephanoaetus coronatus | NT | |
57 | Martial Eagle | Polemaetus bellicosus | EN | |
58 | /Greater Spotted Eagle/ | Clanga clanga | V | |
59 | Ayres's Hawk-Eagle | Hieraaetus ayresii | LC | |
60 | Tawny Eagle | Aquila rapax | V | |
61 | /Steppe Eagle/ | Aquila nipalensis | EN | |
62 | /Imperial Eagle/ | Aquila heliaca | V | |
63 | /Pallid Harrier/ | Circus macrourus | NT | |
64 | Mountain Buzzard | Buteo oreophilus | NT | |
65 | African Grass-Owl | Tyto capensis | LC | |
66 | Sokoke Scops-Owl | Otus ireneae | NE | EN |
67 | Northern White-faced Owl | Ptilopsis leucotis | LC | |
68 | Black-billed Woodhoopoe | Phoeniculus somaliensis | RR | |
69 | Forest Scimitarbill | Rhinopomastus castaneiceps | RR | |
70 | Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill | Bucorvus abyssinicus | RR | V |
71 | Southern Ground-Hornbill | Bucorvus leadbeateri | LC | V |
72 | Hemprich's Hornbill | Lophoceros hemprichii | LC | |
73 | Half-collared Kingfisher | Alcedo semitorquata | RR | |
74 | Blue-breasted Kingfisher | Halcyon malimbica | RR | |
75 | Usambiro Barbet** | Trachyphonus usambiro | NE | |
76 | Green Barbet | Cryptolybia olivacea | RR | |
77 | White-eared Barbet | Stactolaema leucotis | RR | |
78 | Green Tinkerbird | Pogoniulus simplex | RR | |
79 | Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird | Pogoniulus bilineatus | RR | |
80 | Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird | Pogoniulus chrysoconus | RR | |
81 | Double-toothed Barbet | Pogonornis bidentatus | RR | |
82 | Cassin's Honeybird | Prodotiscus insignis | RR | |
83 | Green-backed Honeybird | Prodotiscus zambesiae | LC | |
84 | Brown-eared Woodpecker | Pardipicus caroli | RR | |
85 | Golden-tailed Woodpecker | Campethera abingoni | RR | |
86 | Red-necked Falcon | Falco chicquera | NT | |
87 | |Red-footed Falcon| | Falco vespertinus | V | |
88 | |Sooty Falcon| | Falco concolor | V | |
89 | Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | LC | |
90 | Taita Falcon | Falco fasciinucha | V | |
91 | Red-headed Lovebird | Agapornis pullarius | RR | |
92 | Fischer's Lovebird | Agapornis fischeri | RR | NT |
93 | Gray Parrot | Psittacus erithacus | RR | EN |
94 | Brown-headed Parrot | Poicephalus cryptoxanthus | RR | |
95 | Petit's Cuckooshrike | Campephaga petiti | RR | |
96 | Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike | Campephaga phoenicea | RR | |
97 | Green-headed Oriole | Oriolus chlorocephalus | RR | |
98 | Western Black-headed Oriole | Oriolus brachyrhynchus | RR | |
99 | Chestnut Wattle-eye | Dyaphorophyia castanea | RR | |
100 | Jameson's Wattle-eye | Platysteira jamesoni | RR | |
101 | Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye | Platysteira concreta | RR | |
102 | Short-tailed Batis | Batis mixta | NE | |
103 | Gray-headed Batis | Batis orientalis | RR | |
104 | Western Black-headed Batis | Batis erlangeri | RR | |
105 | Gray-crested Helmetshrike | Prionops poliolophus | NE | NT |
106 | African Shrike-flycatcher | Megabyas flammulatus | RR | |
107 | Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher | Bias musicus | RR | |
108 | Pink-footed Puffback | Dryoscopus angolensis | RR | |
109 | Red-naped Bushshrike | Laniarius ruficeps | NE | |
110 | Zanzibar Boubou | Laniarius sublacteus | NE | |
111 | Black-headed Gonolek | Laniarius erythrogaster | RR | |
112 | Papyrus Gonolek | Laniarius mufumbiri | RR | NT |
113 | Four-colored Bushshrike | Telophorus viridis | RR | |
114 | Doherty's Bushshrike | Telophorus dohertyi | RR | |
115 | Gray-green Bushshrike | Chlorophoneus bocagei | RR | |
116 | Sharpe's Drongo | Dicrurus sharpei | RR | |
117 | Square-tailed Drongo | Dicrurus ludwigii | RR | |
118 | Velvet-mantled Drongo | Dicrurus modestus | RR | |
119 | Yellow-billed Shrike | Corvinella corvina | RR | |
120 | Magpie Shrike | Urolestes melanoleuca | RR | |
121 | Mackinnon's Shrike | Lanius mackinnoni | RR | |
122 | /Woodchat Shrike/ | Lanius senator | NT | |
123 | Piapiac | Ptilostomus afer | RR | |
124 | House Crow | Corvus splendens | RR | |
125 | Yellow-bellied Hyliota | Hyliota flavigaster | RR | |
126 | Southern Hyliota | Hyliota australis | RR | |
127 | Dusky Crested Flycatcher | Elminia nigromitrata | RR | |
128 | Red-throated Tit | Melaniparus fringillinus | NE | |
129 | Gillett's Lark | Calendulauda gilletti | NE | |
130 | Williams's Lark | Mirafra williamsi | E | |
131 | Friedmann's Lark | Mirafra pulpa | RR | |
132 | Sentinel Lark | Corypha athi | NE | |
133 | Masked Lark | Spizocorys personata | NE | |
134 | Thekla's Lark | Galerida theklae | RR | |
135 | Green Crombec | Sylvietta virens | RR | |
136 | Kretschmer's Longbill | Macrosphenus kretschmeri | RR | |
137 | Green-capped Eremomela | Eremomela scotops | RR | |
138 | Turner's Eremomela | Eremomela turneri | RR | NT |
139 | Olive-green Camaroptera | Camaroptera chloronota | RR | |
140 | Bar-throated Apalis | Apalis thoracica | RR | |
141 | Taita Apalis | Apalis fuscigularis | E | CR |
142 | White-winged Apalis | Apalis chariessa | NT | |
143 | Brown-headed Apalis | Apalis alticola | RR | |
144 | Banded Prinia | Prinia bairdii | RR | |
145 | Red-winged Prinia | Prinia erythroptera | RR | |
146 | Black-faced Rufous-Warbler | Bathmocercus rufus | RR | |
147 | Whistling Cisticola | Cisticola lateralis | LC | |
148 | Rock-loving Cisticola | Cisticola aberrans | LC | |
149 | Boran Cisticola | Cisticola bodessa | LC | |
150 | Red-pate Cisticola | Cisticola ruficeps | RR | |
151 | Lyne's Cisticola | Cisticola distinctus | NE | |
152 | Tana River Cisticola | Cisticola restrictus | E | |
153 | Carruthers's Cisticola | Cisticola carruthersi | RR | |
154 | Levaillant's Cisticola | Cisticola tinniens | RR | |
155 | Aberdare Cisticola | Cisticola aberdare | E | V |
156 | Tabora Cisticola | Cisticola angusticauda | RR | |
157 | Foxy Cisticola | Cisticola troglodytes | RR | |
158 | Black-backed Cisticola | Cisticola eximius | RR | |
159 | Papyrus Yellow-Warbler | Calamonastides gracilirostris | RR | V |
160 | /Basra Reed Warbler/ | Acrocephalus griseldis | EN | |
161 | Evergreen-forest Warbler | Bradypterus lopezi | RR | |
162 | #Montane Blue Swallow# | Hirundo atrocaerulea | V | |
163 | Rufous-chested Swallow | Cecropis semirufa | RR | |
164 | Red-tailed Bristlebill | Bleda syndactylus | RR | |
165 | Pale-throated Greenbul | Atimastillas flavigula | RR | |
166 | Honeyguide Greenbul | Baeopogon indicator | RR | |
167 | Black-headed Mountain Greenbul | Arizelocichla nigriceps | NE | |
168 | Olive-headed Greenbul | Arizelocichla striifacies | NT | |
169 | Little Greenbul | Eurillas virens | RR | |
170 | Gray Greenbul | Eurillas gracilis | RR | |
171 | Ansorge's Greenbul | Eurillas ansorgei | RR | |
172 | Tiny Greenbul | Phyllastrephus debilis | RR | |
173 | Gray-olive Greenbul | Phyllastrephus cerviniventris | RR | |
174 | Fischer's Greenbul | Phyllastrephus fischeri | RR | |
175 | Toro Olive-Greenbul | Phyllastrephus hypochloris | RR | |
176 | Uganda Woodland-Warbler | Phylloscopus budongoensis | RR | |
177 | Mbulu White-eye | Zosterops mbuluensis | NE | |
178 | Kafa White-eye | Zosterops kaffensis | NE | |
179 | Kikuyu White-eye | Zosterops kikuyuensis | E | |
180 | Taita White-eye | Zosterops silvarnus | E | EN |
181 | Brown Illadopsis | Illadopsis fulvescens | RR | |
182 | Pale-breasted Illadopsis | Illadopsis rufipennis | RR | |
183 | Tanzanian Illadopsis | Illadopsis distans | NE | |
184 | Scaly-breasted Illadopsis | Illadopsis albipectus | RR | |
185 | Hinde's Pied-Babbler | Turdoides hindei | E | V |
186 | Arrow-marked Babbler | Turdoides jardineii | RR | |
187 | Northern Pied-Babbler | Turdoides hypoleuca | NE | |
188 | African Spotted Creeper | Salpornis salvadori | RR | |
189 | Bristle-crowned Starling | Onychognathus salvadorii | LC | |
190 | Abbott's Starling | Poeoptera femoralis | NE | EN |
191 | Kenrick's Starling | Poeoptera kenricki | NE | |
192 | Hildebrandt's Starling | Lamprotornis hildebrandti | NE | |
193 | Ashy Starling | Lamprotornis unicolor | NE | |
194 | (Splendid Starling) | Lamprotornis splendidus | RR | |
195 | White-crowned Starling | Lamprotornis albicapillus | RR | |
196 | Lesser Blue-eared Starling | Lamprotornis chloropterus | RR | |
197 | Purple Starling | Lamprotornis purpureus | RR | |
198 | Bronze-tailed Starling | Lamprotornis chalcurus | RR | |
199 | White-tailed Ant-Thrush | Neocossyphus poensis | RR | |
200 | \Spotted Ground-Thrush\ | Geokichla guttata | RR | V |
201 | Orange Ground-Thrush | Geokichla gurneyi | RR | |
202 | Taita Thrush | Turdus helleri | E | EN |
203 | Gambaga Flycatcher | Muscicapa gambagae | LC | |
204 | Swamp Flycatcher | Muscicapa aquatica | RR | |
205 | Gray Tit-Flycatcher | Fraseria plumbeus | LC | |
206 | Chapin's Flycatcher | Fraseria lendu | NE | V |
207 | Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat | Cossypha cyanocampter | RR | |
208 | Collared Palm-Thrush | Cichladusa arquata | RR | |
209 | Gray-winged Robin-Chat | Sheppardia polioptera | LC | |
210 | East Coast Akalat | Sheppardia gunningi | LC | NT |
211 | Moorland Chat | Pinarochroa sordida | RR | |
212 | &Heuglin's Wheatearl | Oenanthe heuglinii | RR | |
213 | Familiar Chat | Oenanthe familiaris | LC | |
214 | Plain-backed Sunbird | Anthreptes reichenowi | RR | NT |
215 | Western Violet-backed Sunbird | Anthreptes longuemarei | RR | |
216 | Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird | Anthreptes neglectus | RR | |
217 | Gray-chinned Sunbird | Anthreptes rectirostris | RR | |
218 | &Pygmy Sunbirdl | Hedydipna platura | RR | |
219 | Amani Sunbird | Hedydipna pallidigaster | NE | EN |
220 | Green-throated Sunbird | Chalcomitra rubescens | RR | |
221 | Red-tufted Sunbird | Nectarinia johnstoni | RR | |
222 | Olive-bellied Sunbird | Cinnyris chloropygius | RR | |
223 | Eastern Double-collared Sunbird | Cinnyris mediocris | NE | |
224 | Usambara Double-collared Sunbird | Cinnyris usambaricus | NE | NT |
225 | Gorgeous Sunbird | Cinnyris melanogastrus | NE | |
226 | Tsavo Sunbird | Cinnyris tsavoensis | NE | |
227 | Violet-breasted Sunbird | Cinnyris chalcomelas | RR | |
228 | Orange-tufted Sunbird | Cinnyris bouvieri | RR | |
229 | Superb Sunbird | Cinnyris superbus | RR | |
230 | Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver | Plocepasser superciliosus | RR | |
231 | Donaldson Smith's Sparrow-Weaver | Plocepasser donaldsoni | LC | |
232 | Red-headed Malimbe | Malimbus rubricollis | RR | |
233 | Red Weaver | Anaplectes jubaensis | NE | |
234 | Little Weaver | Ploceus luteolus | LC | |
235 | Slender-billed Weaver | Ploceus pelzelni | RR | |
236 | African Golden-Weaver | Ploceus subaureus | RR | |
237 | Orange Weaver | Ploceus aurantius | RR | |
238 | Taveta Golden-Weaver | Ploceus castaneiceps | NE | |
239 | Northern Brown-throated Weaver | Ploceus castanops | RR | |
240 | Northern Masked-Weaver | Ploceus taeniopterus | LC | |
241 | Heuglin's Masked-Weaver | Ploceus heuglini | LC | |
242 | &Rueppell's Weaverl | Ploceus galbula | RR | |
243 | Vieillot's Black Weaver | Ploceus nigerrimus | RR | |
244 | Kilifi Weaver | Ploceus golandi | E | EN |
245 | Juba Weaver | Ploceus dichrocephalus | NE | |
246 | Dark-backed Weaver | Ploceus bicolor | RR | |
247 | Compact Weaver | Pachyphantes superciliosus | RR | |
248 | Red-headed Quelea | Quelea erythrops | RR | |
249 | Northern Red Bishop | Euplectes franciscanus | RR | |
250 | Zanzibar Red Bishop | Euplectes nigroventris | RR | |
251 | Black Bishop | Euplectes gierowii | LC | |
252 | Marsh Widowbird | Euplectes hartlaubi | RR | |
253 | Long-tailed Widowbird | Euplectes progne | RR | |
254 | Jackson's Widowbird | Euplectes jacksoni | NE | NT |
255 | Magpie Mannikin | Spermestes fringilloides | LC | |
256 | White-breasted Nigrita | Nigrita fusconotus | RR | |
257 | Black-crowned Waxbill | Estrilda nonnula | RR | |
258 | Kandt's Waxbill | Estrilda kandti | RR | |
259 | Black-rumped Waxbill | Estrilda troglodytes | RR | |
260 | Locustfinch | Paludipasser locustella | RR | |
261 | Red-headed Bluebill | Spermophaga ruficapilla | RR | |
262 | Black-bellied Seedcracker | Pyrenestes ostrinus | LC | |
263 | Orange-winged Pytilia | Pytilia afra | LC | |
264 | Brown Twinspot | Clytospiza monteiri | LC | |
265 | Black-bellied Firefinch | Lagonosticta rara | RR | |
266 | Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah | Vidua obtusa | LC | |
267 | Dusky Indigobird | Vidua funerea | RR | |
268 | Purple Indigobird | Vidua purpurascens | RR | |
269 | Somali Sparrow | Passer castanopterus | LC | |
270 | Kenya Rufous Sparrow | Passer rufocinctus | NE | |
271 | Shelley's Rufous Sparrow | Passer shelleyi | RR | |
272 | Swainson's Sparrow | Passer swainsonii | RR | |
273 | Swahili Sparrow | Passer suahelicus | NE | |
274 | Cape Wagtail | Motacilla capensis | LC | |
275 | Malindi Pipit | Anthus melindae | NE | |
276 | Striped Pipit | Anthus lineiventris | RR | |
277 | Bush Pipit | Anthus caffer | LC | |
278 | Sokoke Pipit | Anthus sokokensis | NE | EN |
279 | Sharpe's Longclaw | Macronyx sharpei | E | EN |
280 | Oriole Finch | Linurgus olivaceus | RR | |
281 | Papyrus Canary | Crithagra koliensis | RR | |
282 | Black-throated Canary | Crithagra atrogularis | RR | |
283 | Southern Grosbeak-Canary | Crithagra buchanani | NE | |
284 | West African Seedeater | Crithagra canicapilla | RR | |
285 | Stripe-breasted Seedeater | Crithagra striatipectus | RR | |
286 | Gray-chested Babbler | Kakamega poliothorax | RR | |
287 | 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.
OTHER COUNTRIESIN AFRICA
BIRDING LOCALES
DISTRIBUTION CODES
Code | Description | ## |
E | Endemic | 10 |
LC | Local | 35 |
NE | Near Endemic | 40 |
RR | Restricted Range | 155 |
STATUS CODES
Code | Description | ## |
NT | Near Threatened | 11 |
V | Vulnerable | 10 |
EN | Endangered | 9 |
CR | Critically Endangered | 1 |
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.