Best Destinations for Birding Tours

Our introduction to Wildlife Tours

Best Destinations for Birding Tours

Ethiopia

Spot-breasted Lapwing, Erlanger’s Lark, Rouget’s Rail, Ruddy Shelduck, Golden Eagle, Red-billed Chough, Blue-winged Goose, Black-headed Siskin, Wattled Ibis, and Abyssinian Longclaw are the species you only find in the the Ethiopia’s Bale Mountain National Park.

Wondo Genet, Lake Langano Dinsho, Harenna Forest in the Bale Mountains, and several sites within short distance of Addis Ababa, including Debre Libanos, Menagesha Forest, and the Entoto Hills are the best places to spot Abyssinian Catbird, Yellow-fronted Parrot, White-cheeked Turaco, Abyssinian Woodpecker, White-backed Tit, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, and Abyssinian Oriole.

The Rift Valley, which is dotted with several large lakes, has few endemics but offers diverse and enjoyable savannah and wetland birding. Lake Langano, Awash National Park, and Nechisar National Park are some of the best birding spots in the Rift Valley, with species like the African Swallow-tailed Kite, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Arabian Bustard, Somali Fiscal, Red-winged, White-winged, and Singing Bush Larks, as well as a slew of migrant waterbirds from the Afrotropics and the Palearctic. High diversity and endemism combine to provide absolutely superb birding in the country’s south.

The endemic Rupoli’s Turaco, White-tailed Swallow, Ethiopian Bush Crow, and Liben Lark are among the sought-after specials of the wonderful region bounded by Yabelo in the west and Negele in the east. Many of these species, particularly the Liben Lark, are severely threatened by agriculture and rangeland degradation, with only a few hundred individuals remaining in a small patch of grassland close to the Negele area.

List of Endemics

Abyssinian Catbird – Parophasma galinieri
Abyssinian Longclaw – Macronyx flavicollis
Ethiopian Siskin – Serinus nigriceps
Blue-winged Goose – Cyanochen cyanoptera
Nechisar Nightjar – Caprimulgus solala
Spot-breasted Lapwing – Vanellus melanocephalus
White-tailed Swallow – Hirundo megaensis
Yellow-throated Serin – Crithagra flavigula
Red-billed Pytilia – Pytilia lineata
Black-winged Lovebird – Agapornis taranta
Yellow-fronted Parrot – Poicephalus flavifrons
Salvadori’s Serin – Crithagra xantholaema
Ankober Serin – Crithagra ankoberensis
Harwood’s Francolin – Pternistis harwoodi
Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco – Tauraco ruspolii
Stresemann’s Bush – Crow Zavattariornis stresemanni

Djibouti

Djibouti’s wildlife is spread over three main regions: from the northern mountain region of the country to the volcanic plateau in its southern & central part, and culminating in the coastal region. The northern part of the country, the Day Forest National Park, is the best place to see most species found in Djibouti. The park covers an area of 3.5 square kilometres of Juniperus procera forest. This forest area is the main habitat of the endangered and the endangered and endemic Djibouti francolin is found in this forest. In the park, Platyceps afarensis (a colubrine snake) is also recently seen.

In Djibouti, Rock Dove, Ring-necked Parakeet, House Crow, Speckled Pigeon, African Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Abdim’s Stork, Western Reef-Heron, White-eyed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Lesser Crested Tern, and so much more common species can easily be seen.

List of Endemic

Ochre-breasted Francolin – Pternistis ochropectus

Kenya

Kenya is one of Africa’s most visited countries, owing to its safari possibilities. A country where you can see all of the most famous Big Game animals while enjoying a relatively pleasant climate. It also has a large bird list and a growing eco-tourism industry geared toward birders. For example, the rift valley lakes are famous for their millions of pink flamingos.

Kenya has several potential places for bird watching. Taita Hills, for instance, is home to the stunning but critically endangered Taita Thrush, Taita Apalis, and Taita White-eye. Kakamega Forest is a small patch of Guineo-Congolian rainforest in western Kenya. Among the many rainforest bird species discovered are the magnificent Turacos, Hornbills, and the endangered tiny Turner’s Eremomela. Sharpe’s Longclaw and Aberdare Cisticola are both endemic to Kenya and endangered species that live in the highland grasslands near the Aberdare mountain range.

List of Endemics

Tana River Cisticola – Cisticola restrictus
Williams’s Lark – Mirafra williamsi
Taita Apalis – Apalis fuscigularis
Clarke’s Weaver – Ploceus golandi
Sharpe’s Longclaw – Hemimacronyx sharpei
Kikuyu White-eye – Zosterops kikuyuensis
Hinde’s Pied-Babbler – Turdoides hindei
Aberdare Cisticola – Cisticola aberdare
Taita Thrush – Turdus helleri
Taita White-eye – Zosterops silvanus