Birdlife in Tsavo West National Park
Birdlife in Tsavo West National Park is one of the top reasons that thousands of tourists have visited Tsavo West National Park of Kenya. Tsavo West National Park is one of the most visited Kenya national parks, and is one of the Important Birding Areas in Kenya from where travellers can get to see various bird species.
There are over 400 bird species recorded in Tsavo West National Park, including introduced bird species like the House Crow, Rare/accidental bird species like Ortolan Bunting, Savi’s Warbler, among others. The various birdlife in Tsavo West National Park is distributed throughout the park, with spots like the savannah plains, Tsavo River area, the acacia vegetation and the Ngulia hills area being the best places to spot the various bird species in the park.
Below is a list of the birdlife in Tsavo West National Park that travellers on a birding safari in Tsavo West National Park can spot;
Struthioniformes species in Tsavo West National Park include common ostrich and the Somali Ostrich, while anseriformes include White-faced Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Egyptian Goose, Spur-winged Goose, Red-billed Duck, Southern Pochard and the Knob-billed Duck. Galliformes species in Tsavo West National Park include helmeted Guinea fowl, Vulturine Guinea fowl, Blue Quail, Common Quail, Hildebrandt’s Francolin, Yellow-necked Francolin, Crested Francolin, Coqui Francolin, Shelly’s Francolin, and Harlequin Quail.
Other sightings of birdlife in Tsavo West National Park include Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Black-faced Sandgrouse which are Pterocliformes species, Kori Bustards, White-Bellied Bustard, Buff-Crested Bustard, Black-bellied Bustard, and Hartlaund’s Bustard which are species under Otidiformes, Purple-crested Turaco and the White-bellied Go-away-bird which are Musophagiformes species, White-browed coucal, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Pied Cuckoo, Dideric Cuckoo, Klaas’s Cuckoo, African Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo and Levaillant’s Cuckoo which are species under cuculiform, Caprimulgiformes species of birds in Tsavo West National Park include the Sombre Nightjar, Eurasian Nightjar, Plain Nightjar, Freckled Nightjar, Slender-tailed Nightjar, Square-tailed Nightjar, Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar, Mottled Spine tail, Bat-like Spine tail, Alpine Swift, Common Swift, Nyanza Swift, African Swift, Little Swift, White-rumped Swift, Nubian Nightjar and the African Palm-Swift, while Gruifromes species in Tsavo West National Park include Lesser Moorhen, Eurasian Moorhen, Black Crake, African Finfoot and the Gray-Crowned-Crane.
Black-winged Stilt, Long-toed Lapwing, Blacksmith Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, African Jacana, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Small Buttonquail, Somali Courser, White-Winged Tern, White Stork, African Open bill, Black stork, Abdim’s Stork, Woolly-necked stork, Marabou stork, Yellow-billed stork, African Darter, Great Cormorant, Hamerkop, Dwarf Bittern, Gray Heron, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, African Sacred Ibis, African Spoonbill, Secretary bird, Palm-nut Vulture, Bearded Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, European Honey-buzzard, Lappet-faced Vulture, Hooded Vulture, African Hawk-Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, Eastern Chanting-Goshwak, Pallid Harrier, African Fish-eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Pearl-spotted Owlet, African Wood-Owl, Blue-napped mouse bird, Narina Togon, Green Woodhoopoe, Eurasian Hoopoe, Violet Woodhoopoe, African Pygmy-Kingfisher, Striped Kingfisher, Lilac-breasted Roller, Black-throated Barbet, Cardinal Woodpecker, Lesser Kestrel, Sooty Falcon, African Hobby, Red-bellied Parrot, Pygmy Batis, Red-winged Lark, Eastern Nicator, Basra Reed Warbler, Golden Palm Weaver, Red-billed Quelea, Zanzibar Red Bishop, African Fire Finch, Straw-tailed Whydah, Ortolan Bunting, Golden-breasted Bunting, Somali Bunting, Black-faced Sandgrouse, Common Whitethroat, Corncake, Fischer’s Starling, Golden Pipit, Marsh Warbler, Northern brownbul, Pangani Longclaw, River warbler, Taita falcon, Taita Fiscal, Thrush nightingale, White-bellied Canary, Golden Pipit, among so many other bird species can be seen in Tsavo West National Park of Kenya.
Best time for bird watching in Tsavo West National Park
The birdlife in Tsavo West National Park attracts thousands of travellers every year. Knowing the best time to visit Tsavo West National Park for birding safaris is however important. Whereas birding safaris in Tsavo West National Park are available all year through given majority of the bird species in the park rare permanent residents, the best time for bird watching in Tsavo West National Park is during the months of November and April, during the rainy season in the park. this is because the park at this time of the year is not crowded and thus quite enough not to disturb the birds or scare them off, and also it is the breeding season of birds thereby making them easily seen especially in the trees, and migratory birds are as well abundant during this time of the year, thereby making birding safaris in Tsavo West National Park all the more rewarding.
Apart from birding safaris in Tsavo West National Park, other activities like game viewing are particularly amazing and could be incorporated on your birding activity in the park. Reach out to a reputable tour operator to help you put together an amazing birding safari in Tsavo West National Park.