Birds of Masai Mara : Masai Mara national reserve is a bird – watchers with over 470 bird species to spot, birds in Maasai Mara include 47 species of birds of prey. Birds in the reserve include
- Savannah birds that range from the world’s largest bird – the ostrich to teeny tiny sunbirds which are hard to spot most especially with the naked eye.
- Water birds which are easily seen around Mara River, the most commonly seen water birds in Masai Mara include the Giant Kingfisher, tiny pygmy kingfisher, the colorful Ross’s Turace and the Schalow’s Turaco. These birds are easily seen on the forest lining the river.
Below is the list of birds including endemic bird species to Kenya and the near-endemic bird species common to the region of Masai Mara.
| Ostriches | |||||
| Common Ostrich | |||||
| Ducks | |||||
| White-faced Whistling-Duck | |||||
| Fulvous Whistling-Duck | |||||
| Knob-billed Duck | |||||
| Egyptian Goose | |||||
| Spur-winged Goose | |||||
| Garganey | |||||
| Hottentot Teal | |||||
| Northern Shoveler | |||||
| African Black Duck | |||||
| Yellow-billed Duck | |||||
| Red-billed Duck | |||||
| Northern Pintail | |||||
| Eurasian Teal | |||||
| Guineafowl | |||||
| Helmeted Guineafowl | |||||
| Crested Guineafowl | |||||
| Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies | |||||
| Blue Quail | |||||
| Harlequin Quail | |||||
| Scaly Francolin | |||||
| Hildebrandt’s Francolin | |||||
| Yellow-necked Francolin | |||||
| Red-necked Francolin | |||||
| Crested Francolin | |||||
| Coqui Francolin | |||||
| Red-winged Francolin | |||||
| Flamingos | |||||
| Greater Flamingo | |||||
| Lesser Flamingo | |||||
| Grebes | |||||
| Little Grebe | |||||
| Pigeons and Doves | |||||
| Speckled Pigeon | |||||
| Rameron Pigeon | |||||
| Lemon Dove | |||||
| Dusky Turtle-Dove | |||||
| Red-eyed Dove | |||||
| Ring-necked Dove | |||||
| Laughing Dove | |||||
| Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove | |||||
| Blue-spotted Wood-Dove | |||||
| Tambourine Dove | |||||
| Namaqua Dove | |||||
| African Green-Pigeon | |||||
| Sandgrouse | |||||
| Yellow-throated Sandgrouse | |||||
| Black-faced Sandgrouse | |||||
| Bustards | |||||
| Kori Bustard | |||||
| Denham’s Bustard | |||||
| White-bellied Bustard | |||||
| Black-bellied Bustard | |||||
| Turacos | |||||
| Schalow’s Turaco | |||||
| Hartlaub’s Turaco | |||||
| Ross’s Turaco | |||||
| Bare-faced Go-away-bird | |||||
| Eastern Plantain-eater | |||||
| Cuckoos | |||||
| Red-chested Cuckoo | |||||
| Black Cuckoo | |||||
| /Common Cuckoo/ | |||||
| African Cuckoo | |||||
| Black Coucal | |||||
| Blue-headed Coucal | |||||
| White-browed Coucal | |||||
| Green Malkoha | |||||
| Pied Cuckoo | |||||
| Levaillant’s Cuckoo | |||||
| /Great Spotted Cuckoo/ | |||||
| Klaas’s Cuckoo | |||||
| African Emerald Cuckoo | |||||
| Dideric Cuckoo | |||||
| Nightjars and Allies | |||||
| Pennant-winged Nightjar | |||||
| Eurasian Nightjar | |||||
| Sombre Nightjar | |||||
| Swamp Nightjar | |||||
| Plain Nightjar | |||||
| Freckled Nightjar | |||||
| Slender-tailed Nightjar | |||||
| Square-tailed Nightjar | |||||
| Swifts | |||||
| Alpine Swift | |||||
| Common Swift | |||||
| Nyanza Swift | |||||
| Little Swift | |||||
| Horus Swift | |||||
| White-rumped Swift | |||||
| Rails, Gallinules, and Coots | |||||
| African Rail | |||||
| Corn Crake | |||||
| African Crake | |||||
| Spotted Crake | |||||
| Lesser Moorhen | |||||
| Eurasian Moorhen | |||||
| Red-knobbed Coot | |||||
| Allen’s Gallinule | |||||
| Black Crake | |||||
| Baillon’s Crake | |||||
| Flufftails | |||||
| Buff-spotted Flufftail | |||||
| Finfoots | |||||
| African Finfoot | |||||
| Cranes | |||||
| Gray Crowned-Crane | |||||
| Thick-knees | |||||
| Water Thick-knee | |||||
| Spotted Thick-knee | |||||
| Stilts and Avocets | |||||
| Black-winged Stilt | |||||
| Pied Avocet | |||||
| Plovers and Lapwings | |||||
| Black-bellied Plover | |||||
| Long-toed Lapwing | |||||
| Blacksmith Lapwing | |||||
| Spur-winged Lapwing | |||||
| Senegal Lapwing | |||||
| Black-winged Lapwing | |||||
| Crowned Lapwing | |||||
| Wattled Lapwing | |||||
| Lesser Sand-Plover | |||||
| Caspian Plover | |||||
| Kittlitz’s Plover | |||||
| Common Ringed Plover | |||||
| Little Ringed Plover | |||||
| Three-banded Plover | |||||
| Painted-Snipes | |||||
| Greater Painted-Snipe | |||||
| Jacanas | |||||
| African Jacana | |||||
| Sandpipers and Allies | |||||
| Eurasian Curlew | |||||
| Black-tailed Godwit | |||||
| Ruddy Turnstone | |||||
| Ruff | |||||
| Curlew Sandpiper | |||||
| Temminck’s Stint | |||||
| Little Stint | |||||
| Great Snipe | |||||
| Common Snipe | |||||
| African Snipe | |||||
| Common Sandpiper | |||||
| Green Sandpiper | |||||
| Spotted Redshank | |||||
| Common Greenshank | |||||
| Marsh Sandpiper | |||||
| Wood Sandpiper | |||||
| Buttonquail | |||||
| Small Buttonquail | |||||
| Pratincoles and Coursers | |||||
| Temminck’s Courser | |||||
| Double-banded Courser | |||||
| Three-banded Courser | |||||
| Bronze-winged Courser | |||||
| Collared Pratincole | |||||
| Black-winged Pratincole | |||||
| Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers | |||||
| Gray-hooded Gull | |||||
| Gull-billed Tern | |||||
| Whiskered Tern | |||||
| Storks | |||||
| African Openbill | |||||
| Black Stork | |||||
| Abdim’s Stork | |||||
| Woolly-necked Stork | |||||
| White Stork | |||||
| Saddle-billed Stork | |||||
| Marabou Stork | |||||
| Yellow-billed Stork | |||||
| Anhingas | |||||
| African Darter | |||||
| Cormorants and Shags | |||||
| Long-tailed Cormorant | |||||
| Pelicans | |||||
| Great White Pelican | |||||
| Pink-backed Pelican | |||||
| Hamerkop | |||||
| Hamerkop | |||||
| Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns | |||||
| Little Bittern | |||||
| Dwarf Bittern | |||||
| Gray Heron | |||||
| Black-headed Heron | |||||
| Goliath Heron | |||||
| Purple Heron | |||||
| Great Egret | |||||
| Intermediate Egret | |||||
| Little Egret | |||||
| Black Heron | |||||
| Cattle Egret | |||||
| Squacco Heron | |||||
| Madagascar Pond-Heron | |||||
| Rufous-bellied Heron | |||||
| Striated Heron | |||||
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | |||||
| White-backed Night-Heron | |||||
| Ibises and Spoonbills | |||||
| Glossy Ibis | |||||
| African Sacred Ibis | |||||
| Hadada Ibis | |||||
| African Spoonbill | |||||
| Secretary-bird | |||||
| Secretarybird | |||||
| Hawks, Eagles, and Kites | |||||
| Black-winged Kite | |||||
| African Harrier-Hawk | |||||
| Palm-nut Vulture | |||||
| Egyptian Vulture | |||||
| European Honey-buzzard | |||||
| African Cuckoo-Hawk | |||||
| White-headed Vulture | |||||
| Lappet-faced Vulture | |||||
| Hooded Vulture | |||||
| White-backed Vulture | |||||
| Rueppell’s Griffon | |||||
| Bateleur | |||||
| Black-chested Snake-Eagle | |||||
| Brown Snake-Eagle | |||||
| Banded Snake-Eagle | |||||
| Bat Hawk | |||||
| Crowned Eagle | |||||
| Martial Eagle | |||||
| Long-crested Eagle | |||||
| Lesser Spotted Eagle | |||||
| Greater Spotted Eagle | |||||
| Wahlberg’s Eagle | |||||
| Booted Eagle | |||||
| Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle | |||||
| Tawny Eagle | |||||
| Steppe Eagle | |||||
| Imperial Eagle | |||||
| Verreaux’s Eagle | |||||
| African Hawk-Eagle | |||||
| Lizard Buzzard | |||||
| Dark Chanting-Goshawk | |||||
| Eastern Chanting-Goshawk | |||||
| Gabar Goshawk | |||||
| Grasshopper Buzzard | |||||
| African Marsh-Harrier | |||||
| Pallid Harrier | |||||
| Montagu’s Harrier | |||||
| African Goshawk | |||||
| Shikra | |||||
| Little Sparrowhawk | |||||
| Ovambo Sparrowhawk | |||||
| Black Goshawk | |||||
| Black Kite | |||||
| African Fish-Eagle | |||||
| Common Buzzar | |||||
| Long-legged Buzzard | |||||
| Augur Buzzard | |||||
| Barn-Owls | |||||
| African Grass-Owl | |||||
| Barn Owl | |||||
| Owls | |||||
| African Scops-Owl | |||||
| Spotted Eagle-Owl | |||||
| Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl | |||||
| Pel’s Fishing-Owl | |||||
| Pearl-spotted Owlet | |||||
| African Wood-Owl | |||||
| Marsh Owl | |||||
| Mousebirds | |||||
| Speckled Mousebird | |||||
| Blue-naped Mousebird | |||||
| Trogons | |||||
| Narina Trogon | |||||
| Hoopoes | |||||
| African Hoopoe | |||||
| Woodhoopoes and Scimitarbills | |||||
| Green Woodhoopoe | |||||
| White-headed Woodhoopoe | |||||
| Common Scimitarbill | |||||
| Abyssinian Scimitarbill | |||||
| Hornbills | |||||
| Southern Ground-Hornbill | |||||
| Crowned Hornbill | |||||
| African Gray Hornbill | |||||
| Von der Decken’s Hornbill | |||||
| Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill | |||||
| Trumpeter Hornbill | |||||
| Kingfishers | |||||
| Malachite Kingfisher | |||||
| African Pygmy-Kingfisher | |||||
| Gray-headed Kingfisher | |||||
| Woodland Kingfisher | |||||
| Striped Kingfisher | |||||
| Giant Kingfisher | |||||
| Pied Kingfisher | |||||
| Bee-eaters | |||||
| White-fronted Bee-eater | |||||
| Little Bee-eater | |||||
| Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater | |||||
| White-throated Bee-eater | |||||
| Blue-cheeked Bee-eater | |||||
| Madagascar Bee-eater | |||||
| European Bee-eater | |||||
| Northern Carmine Bee-eater | |||||
| Rollers | |||||
| European Roller | |||||
| Abyssinian Roller | |||||
| Lilac-breasted Roller | |||||
| Rufous-crowned Roller | |||||
| Broad-billed Roller | |||||
| African Barbets | |||||
| D’Arnaud’s Barbet | |||||
| Usambiro Barbet | |||||
| Gray-throated Barbet | |||||
| Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird | |||||
| Red-fronted Tinkerbird | |||||
| Red-fronted Barbet | |||||
| Spot-flanked Barbet | |||||
| White-headed Barbet | |||||
| Double-toothed Barbet | |||||
| Honeyguides | |||||
| Wahlberg’s Honeyguide | |||||
| Pallid Honeyguide | |||||
| Lesser Honeyguide | |||||
| Scaly-throated Honeyguide | |||||
| Greater Honeyguide | |||||
| Woodpeckers | |||||
| Rufous-necked Wryneck | |||||
| Cardinal Woodpecker | |||||
| Bearded Woodpecker | |||||
| Brown-backed Woodpecker | |||||
| African Gray Woodpecker | |||||
| Tullberg’s Woodpecker | |||||
| Green-backed Woodpecker | |||||
| Nubian Woodpecker | |||||
| Golden-tailed Woodpecker | |||||
| Falcons and Caracaras | |||||
| Pygmy Falcon | |||||
| Lesser Kestrel | |||||
| Eurasian Kestrel | |||||
| Greater Kestrel | |||||
| Gray Kestrel | |||||
| Amur Falcon | |||||
| Eleonora’s Falcon | |||||
| Sooty Falcon | |||||
| Eurasian Hobby | |||||
| African Hobby | |||||
| Lanner Falcon | |||||
| Saker Falcon | |||||
| Peregrine Falcon | |||||
| Parrots | |||||
| Meyer’s Parrot | |||||
| Pittas | |||||
| African Pitta | |||||
| Cuckooshrikes | |||||
| Gray Cuckooshrike | |||||
| Black Cuckooshrike | |||||
| Purple-throated Cuckooshrike | |||||
| Old World Orioles | |||||
| Eurasian Golden Oriole | |||||
| African Golden Oriole | |||||
| Wattle-eyes and Batises | |||||
| Brown-throated Wattle-eye | |||||
| Chinspot Batis | |||||
| Vangas, Helmetshrikes and Allies | |||||
| Gray-crested Helmetshrike | |||||
| Bushshrikes | |||||
| Brubru | |||||
| Black-backed Puffback | |||||
| Marsh Tchagra | |||||
| Black-crowned Tchagra | |||||
| Brown-crowned Tchagra | |||||
| Tropical Boubou | |||||
| Black-headed Gonolek | |||||
| Slate-colored Boubou | |||||
| Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike | |||||
| Black-fronted Bushshrike | |||||
| Gray-headed Bushshrike | |||||
| Drongos | |||||
| Fork-tailed Drongo | |||||
| Monarch Flycatchers | |||||
| African Paradise-Flycatcher | |||||
| Shrikes | |||||
| Red-backed Shrike | |||||
| Isabelline Shrike | |||||
| Lesser Gray Shrike | |||||
| Gray-backed Fiscal | |||||
| Taita Fiscal | |||||
| Northern Fiscal | |||||
| Woodchat Shrike | |||||
| Magpie Shrike | |||||
| White-rumped Shrike | |||||
| Crows, Jays, and Magpies | |||||
| Pied Crow | |||||
| White-necked Raven | |||||
| Hyliotas | |||||
| Yellow-bellied Hyliota | |||||
| Fairy Flycatchers | |||||
| African Blue Flycatcher | |||||
| Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice | |||||
| White-bellied Tit | |||||
| Red-throated Tit | |||||
| Penduline-Tits | |||||
| African Penduline-Tit | |||||
| Larks | |||||
| Fischer’s Sparrow-Lark | |||||
| Foxy Lark | |||||
| Singing Bushlark | |||||
| White-tailed Lark | |||||
| Rufous-naped Lark | |||||
| Flappet Lark | |||||
| Red-capped Lark | |||||
| Somali Short-toed Lark | |||||
| African Warblers | |||||
| Red-faced Crombec | |||||
| Moustached Grass-Warbler | |||||
| Cisticolas and Allies | |||||
| Yellow-bellied Eremomela | |||||
| White-chinned Prinia | |||||
| Miombo Wren-Warbler | |||||
| Gray-backed Camaroptera** | |||||
| Buff-bellied Warbler | |||||
| Black-throated Apalis | |||||
| Yellow-breasted Apalis | |||||
| Gray Apalis | |||||
| Karamoja Apalis | |||||
| Tawny-flanked Prinia | |||||
| Gray-capped Warbler | |||||
| Red-faced Cisticola | |||||
| Trilling Cisticola | |||||
| Rock-loving Cisticola | |||||
| Rattling Cisticola | |||||
| Winding Cisticola** | |||||
| Stout Cisticola | |||||
| Croaking Cisticola | |||||
| Tabora Cisticola | |||||
| Siffling Cisticola | |||||
| Zitting Cisticola | |||||
| Desert Cisticola | |||||
| Black-backed Cisticola | |||||
| Pectoral-patch Cisticola | |||||
| Reed Warblers and Allies | |||||
| Eastern Olivaceous Warbler | |||||
| African Yellow-Warbler | |||||
| Olive-tree Warbler | |||||
| Icterine Warbler | |||||
| Sedge Warbler | |||||
| Marsh Warbler | |||||
| Eurasian Reed Warbler | |||||
| African Reed Warbler | |||||
| Lesser Swamp Warbler | |||||
| Great Reed Warbler | |||||
| Grassbirds and Allies | |||||
| Fan-tailed Grassbird | |||||
| Little Rush-Warbler | |||||
| Bulbuls | |||||
| Slender-billed Greenbul | |||||
| Yellow-whiskered Greenbul | |||||
| Cabanis’s Greenbul | |||||
| Common Bulbul | |||||
| Leaf Warblers | |||||
| Wood Warbler | |||||
| Willow Warbler | |||||
| Common Chiffchaff | |||||
| Sylviid Warblers, Parrotbills, and Allies | |||||
| African Hill Babbler | |||||
| Eurasian Blackcap | |||||
| Garden Warbler | |||||
| Barred Warbler | |||||
| Banded Parisoma | |||||
| Brown Parisoma | |||||
| Greater Whitethroat | |||||
| White-eyes, Yuhinas, and Allies | |||||
| African Yellow White-eye | |||||
| Laughingthrushes and Allies | |||||
| Black-lored Babbler | |||||
| Arrow-marked Babbler | |||||
| Oxpeckers | |||||
| Red-billed Oxpecker | |||||
| Yellow-billed Oxpecker | |||||
| Starlings | |||||
| Wattled Starling | |||||
| Violet-backed Starling | |||||
| Red-winged Starling | |||||
| Sharpe’s Starling | |||||
| Hildebrandt’s Starling | |||||
| Rueppell’s Starling | |||||
| Superb Starling | |||||
| Greater Blue-eared Starling | |||||
| Thrushes and Allies | |||||
| Abyssinian Thrush | |||||
| African Thrush | |||||
| Old World Flycatchers | |||||
| African Dusky Flycatcher | |||||
| Spotted Flycatcher | |||||
| African Gray Flycatcher | |||||
| Pale Flycatcher | |||||
| Ashy Flycatcher | |||||
| Silverbird | |||||
| Northern Black-Flycatcher | |||||
| Brown-backed Scrub-Robin | |||||
| Red-backed Scrub-Robin | |||||
| Cape Robin-Chat | |||||
| White-browed Robin-Chat | |||||
| Red-capped Robin-Chat | |||||
| White-throated Robin | |||||
| Thrush Nightingale | |||||
| Common Nightingale | |||||
| Semicollared Flycatcher | |||||
| Common Redstart | |||||
| Little Rock-Thrush | |||||
| /Whinchat/ | |||||
| African Stonechat | |||||
| Mocking Cliff-Chat | |||||
| Sooty Chat | |||||
| Northern Anteater-Chat | |||||
| Northern Wheatear | |||||
| Capped Wheatear | |||||
| Isabelline Wheatear | |||||
| Pied Wheatear | |||||
| Familiar Chat | |||||
| Sunbirds and Spiderhunters | |||||
| Collared Sunbird | |||||
| Green-headed Sunbird | |||||
| Olive Sunbird | |||||
| Amethyst Sunbird | |||||
| Scarlet-chested Sunbird | |||||
| Bronze Sunbird | |||||
| Malachite Sunbird | |||||
| Golden-winged Sunbird | |||||
| Northern Double-collared Sunbird | |||||
| Beautiful Sunbird | |||||
| Mariqua Sunbird | |||||
| Red-chested Sunbird | |||||
| Purple-banded Sunbird | |||||
| Variable Sunbird | |||||
| Weavers and Allies | |||||
| Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver | |||||
| White-headed Buffalo-Weaver | |||||
| Speckle-fronted Weaver | |||||
| White-browed Sparrow-Weaver | |||||
| Rufous-tailed Weaver | |||||
| Gray-headed Social-Weaver | |||||
| Red-headed Weaver | |||||
| Baglafecht Weaver | |||||
| Little Weaver | |||||
| Black-necked Weaver | |||||
| Spectacled Weaver | |||||
| Holub’s Golden-Weaver | |||||
| Lesser Masked-Weaver | |||||
| Vitelline Masked-Weaver | |||||
| Speke’s Weaver | |||||
| Village Weaver | |||||
| Brown-capped Weaver | |||||
| Cardinal Quelea | |||||
| Red-billed Quelea | |||||
| Southern Red Bishop | |||||
| Yellow Bishop | |||||
| White-winged Widowbird | |||||
| Yellow-mantled Widowbird | |||||
| Red-collared Widowbird | |||||
| Fan-tailed Widowbird | |||||
| Jackson’s Widowbird | |||||
| Grosbeak Weaver | |||||
| Waxbills and Allies | |||||
| Gray-headed Negrita | |||||
| Yellow-bellied Waxbill | |||||
| Green-backed Twinspot | |||||
| Crimson-rumped Waxbill | |||||
| Common Waxbill | |||||
| Black-faced Waxbill | |||||
| Red-cheeked Cordonbleu | |||||
| Purple Grenadier | |||||
| Green-winged Pytilia | |||||
| Red-billed Firefinch | |||||
| African Firefinch | |||||
| Zebra Waxbill | |||||
| Quailfinch | |||||
| Gray-headed Silverbill | |||||
| Bronze Mannikin | |||||
| Black-and-white Mannikin | |||||
| Indigobirds | |||||
| Pin-tailed Whydah | |||||
| Straw-tailed Whydah | |||||
| Village Indigobird | |||||
| Parasitic Weaver | |||||
| Old World Sparrows, Birds of Maasai Mara | |||||
| House Sparrow | |||||
| Kenya Rufous Sparrow | |||||
| Northern Gray-headed Sparrow | |||||
| Swahili Sparrow | |||||
| Chestnut Sparrow | |||||
| Yellow-spotted Bush Sparrow | |||||
| Wagtails and Pipits | |||||
| Cape Wagtail | |||||
| Mountain Wagtail | |||||
| Gray Wagtail | |||||
| Western Yellow Wagtail | |||||
| African Pied Wagtail | |||||
| African Pipit | |||||
| Long-billed Pipit | |||||
| Plain-backed Pipit | |||||
| Red-throated Pipit/ | |||||
| Bush Pipit | |||||
| Yellow-throated Longclaw | |||||
| Pangani Longclaw | |||||
| Rosy-throated Longclaw | |||||
| Finches, Euphonias, and Allies: Fringillidae | |||||
| Yellow-fronted Canary | |||||
| African Citril | |||||
| Reichenow’s Seedeater | |||||
| White-bellied Canary | |||||
| Southern Grosbeak-Canary | |||||
| Brimstone Canary | |||||
| Streaky Seedeater | |||||
| Thick-billed Seedeater | |||||
| Old World Buntings , Birds of Masai Mara | |||||
| Cinnamon-breasted Bunting | |||||
| Golden-breasted Bunting | |||||
