List of birds of Kenya

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The lilac-breasted roller and the rooster are Kenya's national birds.

This is a list of the bird species recorded in Kenya. The avifauna of Kenya included a total of 1134 confirmed species as of March 2020. Of them, 10 are endemic, 70 are accidental, and four have been introduced by humans. An additional three species are considered "hypothetical" (see below) and are not included in the count. Unless otherwise noted, the list is that of iGoTerra.[1]

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (English and scientific names) are those of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2019 edition.[2]

The following tags highlight several categories of occurrence other than regular migrants and non-endemic residents. The notes of population status are from the Avibase Bird Checklists of the World.[3]

  • (A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Kenya (also called a vagrant)
  • (E) Endemic - a species endemic to Kenya
  • (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Kenya as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
  • (H) Hypothetical - a species recorded but not confirmed in Kenya


Common ostrich male and females in Etosha National Park, Namibia

Order: Struthioniformes   Family: Struthionidae

The ostriches are flightless birds native to Africa. They are the largest living species of bird and are distinctive in appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at high speeds.

Ducks, geese, and waterfowl[edit]

White-faced whistling-duck

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae



Vulturine guineafowl

Order: Galliformes   Family: Numididae

Guineafowl are a group of African, seed-eating, ground-nesting birds that resemble partridges, but with featherless heads and spangled grey plumage.

New World quail[edit]

Order: Galliformes   Family: Odontophoridae

Despite their family's common name, this species and one other are native to Africa.

Pheasants, grouse, and allies[edit]

The yellow-necked francolin is common in grasslands.

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, snowcocks, francolins, spurfowls, tragopans, monals, pheasants, peafowls, and jungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.


Enormous flocks of lesser flamingos visit the Rift Valley lakes (here Lake Nakuru).

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae



The little grebe is the most frequently sighted grebe in Kenya.

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. Their feet are placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land.

Pigeons and doves[edit]

Mourning collared-dove in Samburu National Reserve.

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae



Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse

Order: Pterocliformes   Family: Pteroclidae



Adult male Hartlaub's bustard in Amboseli National Park.

Order: Otidiformes   Family: Otididae



The white-crested turaco, a forest bird, occurs in Kenya mostly in the west-central region.

Order: Musophagiformes   Family: Musophagidae

The turacos, plantain eaters, and go-away-birds make up the family Musophagidae. They are medium-sized arboreal birds. The turacos and plantain-eaters are brightly colored, usually blue, green, or purple. The go-away-birds are mostly gray and white.


Dideric cuckoo

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae


Nightjars and allies[edit]

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae



The white-rumped swift is widespread in the moister parts of the country in the range of the red-rumped swallow, whose nests it parasitizes.

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. They have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang.


Order: Gruiformes   Family: Sarothruridae

The flufftails are a small family of ground-dwelling birds found only in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa.

Rails, gallinules, and coots[edit]

The spotted crake is a regular winter visitor to Kenya.

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae



African finfoot

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Heliornithidae



The gray crowned-crane occurs in western and central Kenya. Its spectacular looks make it a widely recognized symbol of Africa.

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Cranes are large, long-legged, and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances".


The spotted thick-knee is often heard and seen at night.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Burhinidae

The thick-knees are a group of waders found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes, and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats.

Egyptian plover[edit]

Egyptian plover

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Pluvianidae

The Egyptian plover is found across equatorial Africa and along the Nile River.

Stilts and avocets[edit]

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae



Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae


Plovers and lapwings[edit]

Blacksmith lapwing nesting in Amboseli National Park.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae



A female greater painted-snipe

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Rostratulidae

Painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly colored.


The African jacana is often seen in slow-moving bodies of water.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Jacanidae

The jacanas are a family of waders that are found throughout the tropics. They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat.

Sandpipers and allies[edit]

The sanderling breeds in the far north; it is common on the Kenyan coast from late August to April.
African snipe

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae



Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Turnicidae

The buttonquails are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails. The female is the brighter of the sexes and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young.


Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Dromadidae

The crab-plover is related to the waders. It resembles a plover but with very long grey legs and a strong heavy black bill similar to a tern's. It has black-and-white plumage, a long neck, partially webbed feet, and a bill designed for eating crabs.

Pratincoles and coursers[edit]

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Glareolidae


Skuas and jaegers[edit]

Pomarine jaeger

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae


Gulls, terns, and skimmers[edit]

The gray-hooded gull is the only gull that breeds in Kenya in significant numbers.
The sooty tern is common in Kenyan waters beyond the offshore reef.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae



Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae



Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae


Southern storm-petrels[edit]

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae

The storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, relatives of the petrels, feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like. Until 2018, this family's species were included with the other storm-petrels in family Hydrobatidae.

Northern storm-petrels[edit]

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

Though the members of this family are similar in many respects to the southern storm-petrels, including their general appearance and habits, there are enough genetic differences to warrant their placement in a separate family.

Shearwaters and petrels[edit]

Cape petrel

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae



Yellow-billed stork at Lake Baringo.

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae



Lesser frigatebird

Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae


Boobies and gannets[edit]

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae



African darter

Order: Suliformes   Family: Anhingidae


Cormorants and shags[edit]

Long-tailed cormorant

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae



Great white pelicans at Lake Nakuru.

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae



Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Balaenicipididae

The shoebill was formerly thought to be related to storks but is in the same order as pelicans. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.



Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Scopidae

The hamerkop is a medium-sized bird with a long shaggy crest. The shape of its head with a curved bill and crest at the back is reminiscent of a hammer, hence its name. Its plumage is drab-brown all over.

Herons, egrets, and bitterns[edit]

The Goliath heron, the biggest species of heron, is found on many large bodies of water in Kenya, this one at Lake Baringo.

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae


Ibises and spoonbills[edit]

The African sacred ibis, shown here in Nanyuki, is widespread near water and even breeds in Nairobi.

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae



Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Sagittariidae

The secretary-bird is a bird of prey but is easily distinguished from other raptors by its long crane-like legs.


Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae


Hawks, eagles, and kites[edit]

Rüppell's griffon
Eastern chanting-goshawk in Tsavo West National Park
The augur buzzard or jackal buzzard is common in savannah, grassland, and mountain habitats.

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae



Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae



The southern white-faced owl is rare in dry areas of southern Kenya.

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae



The speckled mousebird is common in many habitats, in this case Sweetwaters Tented Camp.

Order: Coliiformes   Family: Coliidae

The mousebirds are slender grayish or brown birds with soft, hairlike body feathers and very long thin tails. They are arboreal and scurry through the leaves like rodents in search of berries, fruit, and buds. They are acrobatic and can feed upside down. All species have strong claws and reversible outer toes. They also have crests and stubby bills.


Bar-tailed trogon near Mountain Lodge

Order: Trogoniformes   Family: Trogonidae



Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Upupidae

Hoopoes have black, white, and orangey-pink coloring with a large erectile crest on their head.

Woodhoopoes and scimitarbills[edit]

Green woodhoopoe

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Phoeniculidae

The woodhoopoes and scimitarbills are related to the hoopoes, ground-hornbills, and hornbills. They most resemble the hoopoes with their long curved bills, used to probe for insects, and short rounded wings. However, they differ in that they have metallic plumage, often blue, green, or purple, and lack an erectile crest.


Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Bucorvidae

The ground-hornbills are terrestrial birds which feed almost entirely on insects, other birds, snakes, and amphibians.


The northern red-billed hornbill inspired the character Zazu in The Lion King. This one was photographed at Lake Baringo.

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Bucerotidae

Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible. Frequently, the bill is brightly colored.


One subspecies of the woodland kingfisher breeds in Kenya; another (shown) breeds in southern Africa and spends the austral winter as far north as the Turkwel River.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae



This cinnamon-chested bee-eater, a highland species, was photographed at Nanyuki.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Meropidae

The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa but others occur in southern Europe, Madagascar, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly colored plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All have long down-turned bills and pointed wings, which give them a swallow-like appearance when seen from afar.


The Abyssinian roller occurs in dry regions in the north of the country, wandering south at times.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Coraciidae

Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colorful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but the outer toe is not.

African barbets[edit]

Double-toothed barbet

Order: Piciformes   Family: Lybiidae

The barbets are plump birds, with short necks and large heads. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. Most species are brightly colored.


Order: Piciformes   Family: Indicatoridae

Honeyguides are among the few birds that feed on wax. They are named for the greater honeyguide which leads traditional honey-hunters to bees' nests and, after the hunters have harvested the honey, feeds on the remaining contents of the hive.


This Nubian woodpecker was photographed at Samburu National Reserve.

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae


Falcons and caracaras[edit]

The lesser kestrel is a locally common winter visitor from Europe and Asia.

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons.

Old World parrots[edit]

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittaculidae


African and New World parrots[edit]

Meyer's parrot

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. Many parrots are vividly colored, and some are multi-colored. In size they range from 8 cm (3.1 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length. Most of the more than 150 species in this family are found in the New World.

African and green broadbills[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calyptomenidae

The broadbills are small, brightly colored birds which feed on fruit and also take insects in flycatcher fashion, snapping their broad bills. Their habitat is canopies of wet forests.


Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pittidae

Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards and are stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails, and stout bills. Many are brightly colored. They spend the majority of their time on wet forest floors, eating snails, insects, and similar invertebrates.


Gray cuckooshrike

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Campephagidae

The cuckooshrikes are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are predominantly grayish with white and black, although some species are brightly colored.

Old World orioles[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Oriolidae

The Old World orioles are colorful passerine birds which are not related to the similar-looking New World orioles.

Wattle-eyes and batises[edit]

A female brown-throated wattle-eye

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Platysteiridae

The wattle-eyes, or puffback flycatchers, are small stout passerine birds of the African tropics. They get their name from the brightly colored fleshy eye decorations found in most species in this group.

Vangas, helmetshrikes, and allies[edit]

White helmetshrike

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vangidae

The helmetshrikes are similar in build to the shrikes, but tend to be colorful species with distinctive crests or other head ornaments, such as wattles, from which they get their name.

Bushshrikes and allies[edit]

The tropical boubou is named for the call given in duet by a pair. This one is at the Masai Mara.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Malaconotidae

Bushshrikes are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush. Although similar in build to the shrikes, these tend to be either colorful species or largely black; some species are quite secretive.


This fork-tailed drongo was photographed in Samburu National Reserve.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Dicruridae

The drongos are mostly black or dark gray in color, sometimes with metallic tints. They have long forked tails, and some Asian species have elaborate tail decorations. They have short legs and sit very upright when perched, like a shrike. They flycatch or take prey from the ground.

Monarch flycatchers[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Monarchidae



The gray-backed fiscal is found in relatively moist regions of southwestern Kenya.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like that of a typical bird of prey.

Crows, jays, and ravens[edit]

The pied crow is widespread, especially in cities and towns.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae



Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hyliotidae

The members of this small family, all of genus Hyliota, are birds of the forest canopy. They tend to feed in mixed-species flocks.

Fairy flycatchers[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Stenostiridae

Most of the species of this small family are found in Africa, though a few inhabit tropical Asia. They are not closely related to other birds called "flycatchers".

Tit, chickadees, and titmice[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae



Order: Passeriformes   Family: Remizidae



The rufous-naped lark is one of several similar-looking birds of the genus Mirafra that are found in Kenya. This one is at Sweetwaters Game Reserve.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae



Order: Passeriformes   Family: Nicatoridae

The nicators are shrike-like, with hooked bills. They are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa.

African warblers[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Macrosphenidae

African warblers are small to medium-sized insectivores which are found in a wide variety of habitats south of the Sahara.

Cisticolas and allies[edit]

Chestnut-throated apalis
Chubb's cisticola

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cisticolidae

The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or gray appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub.

Reed warblers and allies[edit]

The great reed-warbler is a regular winter visitor to Kenya.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Acrocephalidae


Grassbirds and allies[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Locustellidae



Wintering barn swallows from Europe and Asia are widespread in Kenya.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae



Yellow-bellied greenbul

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colorful with yellow, red, or orange vents, cheeks, throats, or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests.

Leaf warblers[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Phylloscopidae

Leaf warblers are a family of small insectivorous birds found mostly in Eurasia and ranging into Wallacea and Africa. The species are of various sizes, often green-plumaged above and yellow below, or more subdued with grayish-green to grayish-brown colors.

Bush warblers and allies[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Scotocercidae

The members of this family are found throughout Africa, Asia, and Polynesia. Their taxonomy is in flux, and some authorities place genus Erythrocerus in another family.[4]

Sylviid warblers, parrotbills, and allies[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sylviidae

The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. They mainly occur as breeding species, as the common name implies, in Europe, Asia, and, to a lesser extent, Africa. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs.

White-eyes, yuhinas, and allies[edit]

These Kikuyu white-eyes were formerly considered a subspecies of Heuglin's white-eye.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Zosteropidae

The white-eyes are small and mostly undistinguished, their plumage above being generally some dull color like greenish-olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast, or lower parts, and several have buff flanks. As their name suggests, many species have a white ring around each eye.

Ground babblers and allies[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pellorneidae

These small to medium-sized songbirds have soft fluffy plumage but are otherwise rather diverse. Members of the genus Illadopsis are found in forests, but some other genera are birds of scrublands.

Laughingthrushes and allies[edit]

The black-lored babbler is a noisy and gregarious bird, like many other laughingthrushes in Kenya. This one is at Sweetwaters Tented Camp.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Leiothrichidae

The members of this family are diverse in size and coloration, though those of genus Turdoides tend to be brown or grayish. The family is found in Africa, India, and southeast Asia.


Order: Passeriformes   Family: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin pointed down-curved bills which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees.


Order: Passeriformes   Family: Buphagidae

As both the English and scientific names of these birds imply, they feed on ectoparasites, primarily ticks, found on large mammals.


Rüppell's starling
The superb starling is one of Kenya's most conspicuous birds.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae


Thrushes and allies[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae


Old World flycatchers[edit]

The white-eyed slaty-flycatcher is active at twilight and often allows a close approach, as this one at Thomson's Falls did.
Adult male sooty chat at Masai Mara National Reserve
White-starred robin

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae


Dapple-throat and allies[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Modulatricidae

This species and two others, all of different genera, were formerly placed in family Promeropidae, the sugarbirds, but were accorded their own family in 2017.

Sunbirds and spiderhunters[edit]

Scarlet-chested sunbird
Northern double-collared sunbird

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Nectariniidae


Weavers and allies[edit]

White-headed buffalo-weaver
White-browed sparrow-weaver
These baglafecht weavers (black and yellow) and village weaver (pale) gathered at a feeder at the Masai Mara.
The red-billed quelea frequently occurs in swarming, wandering flocks in Kenya.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Ploceidae

The weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches. They are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. The males of many species are brightly colored, usually in red or yellow and black, though some species show variation in color only in the breeding season.

Waxbills and allies[edit]

Red-cheeked cordon-bleu
Common waxbill

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Estrildidae

The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short, thick but pointed bills. They are similar in structure and habits, but have wide variation in plumage colors and patterns.


The breeding male pin-tailed whydah is one of Kenya's most spectacular birds.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Viduidae

The indigobirds are finch-like species which usually have black or indigo predominating in their plumage. All are brood parasites, which lay their eggs in the nests of estrildid finches.

Old World sparrows[edit]

Swahili sparrow

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae


Wagtails and pipits[edit]

The yellow-throated longclaw, this one photographed in Sweetwaters Game Reserve, occurs in southwestern and south-central Kenya and on the coast.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae


Finches, euphonias, and allies[edit]

The brimstone canary stands out even in its grassland habitat.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae


Old World buntings[edit]

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Emberizidae



  1. ^ Erling Jirle (March 15, 2020). "Kenya Bird Checklist". iGoTerra. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  2. ^ Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from Retrieved August 15, 2019
  3. ^ Lepage, Denis (June 15, 2019). "Checklist of birds of Kenya". Avibase bird checklists of the world. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  4. ^ Gill, F. and D. Donsker (Eds). 2019. IOC World Bird List (v 9.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.9.2. retrieved June 22, 2019

See also[edit]

External links[edit]