Birds of Lake Naivasha national park
Birds of Lake Naivasha national park
Birds of Lake Naivasha national park: Lake Naivasha National Park is hoven for birders destination on Kenya safaris that supports abundant birdlife such as the striking African Fish Eagle. The park is dominated by papyrus swamps which are habitant to several specialty birds like Greater Swamp Warbler, acacia woodland is home to various bird’s species and Black and white colobus monkeys. It is the same location to Ellesmere center which was the former home of joy and George Adamson who wrote the bestselling book. This Ellesmere center is located nearby the park which provides wonderful birding habitant. Lake Naivasha national park is located 13 kilometers away from Hell’s Gate National Park where birds like Bearded Vulture and Verreaux’s Eagle can be viewed around the towering cliffs.
The park was gazette in 1995, on an area covering over 140 kilometers squared. It is managed by Kenya Wildlife Service. Lake Naivasha can be easily accessed by the Naivasha –Nairobi Road covering about 1:30 hours’ drive to reach the main destination.
Lake Naivasha national park is a truly humbling destination for birding on Kenya safaris. That hosts more than 400 bird species and are composed of endemic species, near threatened species, forested species and savannah species and for easy identification of these birds have been specified as listed below;
Ducks
Ducks species in Lake naivasha national park include Fulvous Whistling-Duck, white-backed Duck, Egyptian goose, Garganey, Yellow-billed duck, Hottentot teal, Red-billed duck, Southern pochard, Northern pintail, Tufted duck and Maccoa duck.
Guinea fowl
Guinea fowl species in Lake naivasha national park include Helmeted Guinea fowl.
Pheasants, Grouse and Allies
Pheasants, Grouse and Allies species in Lake naivasha national park include Coqui francolin and common quail.
Flamingo
Flamingo species in Lake naivasha national park include greater flamingo and lesser flamingo.
Grebes
Grebes species in Lake naivasha national park include little grebe
Pigeons and Doves
Pigeons and Doves species in Lake naivasha national park include speckled pigeon, mourning collared-dove, red-eyed-dove, ring-necked –dove, laughing-dove, emerald-spotted wood-dove, Namaqua-dove among others.
Cuckoos
Cuckoos species in Lake naivasha national park include Red-chested cuckoos, black cuckoos, common cuckoo, white-browed caudal, great spotted cuckoos, klaas’s cuckoo, dideric cuckoo.
Nightjars and Allies
Nightjars and Allies species in Lake naivasha national park include Eurasian nightjar.
Swifts
Swifts species in Lake Naivasha national park include Common swift, Nyanza swift, horas swift.
Rails, Gallinules and Coots
Rails, Gallinules and Coots in Lake naivasha national park include African Rail, African crake, lesser moorhen, Eurasian moorhen, Red-knobbed coot, African swamp hen, striped crake and black crake.
Cranes
Cranes species in Lake naivasha national park include gray crowned-crane.
Thick-knees
Thick-knees species in Lake naivasha national park include Eurasian thick-knee many others.
Stilts and Avocets
Stilts and Avocets in Lake naivasha national park include black-winged stilt and pied avocet.
Plovers and Lapwings
Plovers and lapwing’s species in Lake naivasha national park include black-bellied plover, long-toed lapwing, blacksmith lapwing, spur-winged lapwing, seneral lapwing, crowned lapwing, lesser sand –plovers, Caspian plover, kittlitz’s plover, common ringed plover, little ringed plover and three-banded plover.
Jacanas
Jacanas species in Lake naivasha national park include African jacana.
Sandpipers and Allies
Sandpipers and Allies species in Lake naivasha national park include Whimbrel, bar-tailed Godwit, Black-Tailed-God wit, ruddy turnstone, ruff, curlew sandpiper, temminck’s stint, sanderling, little stint, Terek sandpiper, great snipe, common snipe, African snipe, common sandpiper, green sandpiper, spotted redshank, common greenshank, marsh sandpiper, wood sandpiper and common redshank.
Gulls, Terns and Skimmers
Gulls, Terns and Skimmers in Lake naivasha national park include Gray-hooded Gull, black-headed Gull, lesser black-backed Gull, gull-billed tern, whiskered tern, white- winged tern and African skimmer.
Storks
Storks species in Lake naivasha national park include African open bill, black stork, white stork, saddle-billed stork, marabou stork, yellow-billed stork.
Cormorants and Shags
Cormorants and Shags in Lake naivasha national park include long-tailed cormorant and great cormorant.
Pelicans
Pelicans species in Lake naivasha national park include Great white pelican and pink-backed pelican.
Hamerkop
Hermerkop species in Lake naivasha national park include Hamerkop.
Herons, Egrets and Bitterns
Herons, Egret and Bitterns in Lake naivasha national park include Gray heron, black-headed heron, goliath heron, purple heron, great egrets, intermediate egret, little egret, black heron, cattle egret, squacco heron, striated heron, black-crowned night-heron.
Ibises and Spoonbills
Ibises and spoonbills in Lake Naivasha national park include Glossy Ibis, African sacred Ibis, Hadada Ibis, Eurasian spoonbill and African spoonbill.
Secretary-bird
Secretary bird species in Lake Naivasha national park include secretary bird.
Hawks, Eagles and Kites
Hawks, Eagles and Kites in Lake Naivasha national park include black-winged kite, European honey-buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, lesser spotted Eagle, greater spotted eagle, Wahlberg’s eagle, booted eagle, steppe eagle, imperial eagle, verreaux’s eagle, Grasshopper-Buzzards, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier, African Marsh-Harrier, little sparrow hawk, black kite, African fish –Eagle, Augur Buzzard, Pallid Harrier.
Owls
Owls species in Lake Naivasha national park include Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl.
Moose birds
Mouse bird species in Lake Naivasha national park include speckled moosebirds.
Hoopoes
Hoopoes species in Lake Naivasha national park include African Hoopoes.
Wood hoopoes and Scimitar bills
Wood hoopoes and Scrimitarbills species in Lake Naivasha national park include Green wood hoopoes, violet wood hoopoe and Common scimitar bill.
Hornbills
Hornbills species in Lake Naivasha national park include Crowned Hornbill, African gray hornbill.
Kingfishers
Kingfisher species in Lake Naivasha national park include Malachite kingfisher, African pygmy-kingfisher, Gray-headed kingfisher, giant king fisher, pied kingfisher.
Bee-eaters
Bee-eater’s species in Lake Naivasha national park include White-fronted bee-eater, white-throated bee-eater, Madagascar bee-eater, European bee-eater.
Roller species in Lake Naivasha national park include European Roller and Lilac-breasted Roller.
African Barbets
African Barbets species in Lake Naivasha national park include White-headed Barbet.
Honeyguides
Honeyguides species in Lake Naivasha national park include Green-backed Honeyguide, Wahlberg’s Honeyguide, lesser Honeyguide, greater Honeyguide.
Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers species in Lake Naivasha national park include African gray woodpecker and Nubian woodpecker.
Falcons and Caracaras
Falcons and Caracaras species in Lake Naivasha national park include lesser kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, greater kestrel, Amur falcon, Eleonora’s falcon, Sooty falcon, Eurasian Hobby, Saker falcon.
Parrots
Parrots species in Lake Naivasha national park include Fischer’s lovebird and yellow-collared lovebird.
Old World Orioles
Old World Orioles in Lake Naivasha national park include Eurasian Golden Orioles and African black-headed Orioles.
Wattle-eyes and Batises
Wattle-eyes and Batises in Lake Naivasha national park include Chin spot batis.
Bush shrikes
Bush shrike’s species in Lake Naivasha national park include Brubru, tropical boubou, Sulphur-breasted bush shrikes.
Drongos
Drongos species in Lake Naivasha national park include fork-tailed Drongo.
Monarch Flycatchers
Monarch Flycatchers species in Lake Naivasha national park include African Paradise –Flycatcher.
Shrikes
Shrikes species in Lake Naivasha national park include Red-backed shrikes, Isabel line shrike, Lesser gray shrike, gray-backed fiscal and Northern fiscal.
Crows, Jays and Magpies
Crows, jays and Magpies species in Lake Naivasha national park include Cape Crow and Pied crow.
Tits, Chickadees and Titmice
Tits, Chickadees and Titmice species in Lake Naivasha national park include White-bellied Tit.
Penduline-Tits
Penduline-Tits species in Lake Naivasha national park include Mouse-colored penduline Tit and African penduline-Tit.
Larks
Larks species in Lake Naivasha national park include Rufous-napped Lark, Red-capped Lark.
Nicator
Nicator species in Lake Naivasha national park include Eastern Nicator.
African Warblers
African Warblers species in Lake Naivasha national park include Northern Crombec and Red-faced crombec.
Cisticolas and Allies
Cisticolas and Allies species in Lake Naivasha national park Gray-backed camaroptera, buff-bellied warbler, yellow-breasted Apalis, gray apalis, tawny-flanked prinia, gray-capped warbler, rattling cisticola, stout cisticola, winding cisticola, zitting cisticola.
Reed Warblers and Allies
Reed Warbler and Allies species in Lake Naivasha national park include Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, African yellow-warbler, Olive-tree warbler, Sedge warbler, Marsh warbler, Eurasian Reed warbler, Basra Reed warbler, lesser swamp warbler, greater swamp warbler and great reed warbler.
Swallows
Swallows species in Lake Naivasha national park include Plain martin, bank swallow, banded martin, barn swallow, Angola swallow, red-rumped swallow, lesser striped swallow and Common House-Martin.
Bulbuls
Bulbuls species in Lake Naivasha national park include Cabanis’s Greenbul and Common bulbul.
Leaf Warblers
Leaf Warblers species in Lake Naivasha national park include Willow warbler and brown woodland-warbler.
Silvia Warbler, Parrotbills and Allies
Silvis warbler, Parrotbills and Allies species in Lake Naivasha national park include African hill babbler, Eurasian blackcap, Garden warbler and Greater whitethroat.
White-eyes, Yuhinas and Allies
White-eyes, Yuhinas and Allies species in Lake Naivasha national park include Kikuyu white-eye and African yellow white-eye.
Laughing thrushes and Allies
Laughing thrushes and Allies species in Lake Naivasha national park include Black-lored babbler and Arrow-marked babbler.
Oxpeckers
Oxpeckers species in Lake Naivasha national park include Red-billed Oxpecker.
Starlings
Starlings species in Lake Naivasha national park include Wattled starling, Red-winged starling, Waller’s starling, Hildebrandt’s starling, Rueppell’s starling, Superb starling, Lesser blue-eared starling and Greater blue-eared starling.
Thrushes and Allies
Thrushes and Allies species in Lake Naivasha national park include Abyssinian Thrush.
Sunbirds and Spider hunters
Sunbirds and Spider hunter’s species in Lake Naivasha national park include Collared Sunbird, Amethyst sunbird, Scarlet-chested sunbird, bronze sunbird, golden-winged sunbird, red-chested sunbird and Variable sunbird.
Waxbills and Allies
Waxbills and Allies species in Lake Naivasha national park include Common Waxbill, purple grenadier, red-billed fire finch and African fire finch.
Indigo bird’s species in Lake Naivasha national park include Pin-tailed Whydah and village indigo bird.
Old World Sparrows
Old World Sparrows species in Lake Naivasha national park include House Sparrow, Kenya Rufous sparrow, Chestnut sparrow.
Wagtails and Pipits
Wagtails and Pipits species in Lake Naivasha national park include Cape wagtail, western yellow wagtail, African pied wagtail, white wagtail, African pipit, Tree pipit, Red-throated pipits, Sharpe’s Long claw, Yellow-throated long claw.
Finches, Euphonias and Allies
Finches, Euphonias and Allies species in Lake Naivasha national park include African Citril, white-billied Canary, Brimstone canary, streaky seedeater, Thick illed seedeater.
Old World Flycatchers
Old World Flycatcher species in Lake Naivasha national park include Spotted Flycatcher, African gray flycatcher, white-eyed slaty-flycatcher, cape robin-chat, Rueppelli’s robin-chat, white-browed robin-chat, white-starred robin, brown-chested Alethe, thrush nightingale, common nightingale, common redstart, rufous-tailed rock-thrush, whinchat, African stonechat, northern anteater-chat, northern wheatear, capped wheatear, Isabel line wheatear, pied wheatear.
Weaver and Allies
Weaver and Allies species in Lake Naivasha national park include White-browed Sparrow-weaver, red-headed weaver, baglafecht weaver, spectacled weaver, holub’s golden-weaver, lesser masked-weaver, speke’s weaver, white-winged widowbird.
Best Time for birdwatching
Bird watching safari in Lake Naivasha national park is all year around but the perfect time for bird watching in the park is from November to April when migratory bird species are present in the park and June to October can be the best time for game viewing when the grassland is short due to much sunshine and during this period you can get interrupted with sighting of the colorful birds.
