Birds of Maasai Mara National Reserve
Birds of Maasai Mara National Reserve are one of the top reasons that travellers do visit this amazing Kenya national park. Maasai Mara National Reserve is one of the best destinations in the world from where travellers can enjoy the African wilderness to the maximum. Masai Mara National Reserve is a true epitome of beauty, with loads of wildlife species in the park including the African big five like lions and leopards, amazing birdlife, stunning scenery and breath-taking landscape views. Maasai Mara National Reserve is also best known for being home of an amazing world spectacle the annual wildebeest migration which sees over a million of wildebeests and other wildlife crossing the Mara River to neighbouring Serengeti National Park of Tanzania. Maasai Mara National Reserve is composed of richly forested areas, swampy areas, rivers including the Mara River and Talek River, as well as open savannah grassland all of which are a good habitant for the birds .
Maasai Mara National Reserve has over 500 bird species recorded to inhabit the park, all of which travellers have an opportunity to encounter with a birding safari in Maasai Mara National Reserve all throughout the year. Maasai Mara National Reserve bird species that are endemic to the reserve include the Tara River Cisticola, Aberdare cisticola, Hinde’s pied-babbler, William’s lark, Clarke’s weaver and Sharpe’s pipit. Maasai Mara National Reserve is however best known to be the best birding area to spot the rosy-throated long claw and the Magpie Shrike.
Other common sightings and the various birds include the Rosy-breasted Long claw, secretary bird, Kori bustard, Southern Ground Hornbill, Schawlow’s Turaco, Grey-creasted Helmet shrike, Red-Necked spur fowl, Red-winged Francolin, white-headed vulture, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, pelicans, Long-tailed cormorant, African Darter, Grey herons, cattle egrets, Little Bittern, Abdim’s Stork, Saddle-billed stork, Marabou stork, African Open bill Stork, Sacred Ibis, Hadeda Ibis, Glossy Ibis, African Spoonbill, Spur-winged Goose, Egyptian Goose, Hottentot Teal, African white-backed Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, Hooded Vulture, African fish eagle, booted eagle, martial Eagle, African jacana, three-banded plover, Crowned Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, White-winged tern, emerald-spotted wood-dove, Ring-necked dove, Laughing Dove, Meyer’s Parrot, Black Cuckoo, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Marsh Owl, Nyanza swift, Blue-napped Mouse bird, Woodland Kingfisher, Stripped Kingfisher, Greater Honey guide, Common House Martin, Grey-rumped Swallow, among so many other birds .
Best time to see birds of Maasai Mara National Reserve
Birds of Maasai Mara National Reserve can be seen all throughout the year, irrespective of the season, for as long as one is available to enjoy birding safaris in Maasai Mara National Reserve. Whereas the dry season is the best time to enjoy wildlife safaris in Maasai Mara National Reserve, the best time to see birds is during the wet or rainy season, which also doubles as the low tourism season world over. The wet season which falls in the months of November through April is the best time to see birds given it is the breeding time, and with plenty fruits and foliage for birds to eat.
Also, it is the time of the year in which migratory birds do visit the reserve, thereby giving travellers a more diverse array of bird species to spot while on a birding safari in Maasai Mara National Reserve. The less people in the reserve due to the rainy season makes it quiet enough that birds are not scared off with the noises, making it much easy to spot them. It is therefore safe to say that the best time to see birds of Maasai Mara National Reserve is during the wet season, be sure to book your birding safari then.
Apart from birds , other attractions that attract travellers to Maasai Mara National Reserve include the abundant wildlife like the over 1.5 million wildebeests, buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, jackals, duikers, Masai giraffe, hippos, crocodiles, impalas, among so many others. With Maasai Mara National Reserve having all this array of wildlife, activities like game drives to see the over 1000 animals in Maasai Mara National Reserve should not be missed while on a birding safari in the park.
Other activities in Maasai Mara National Reserve that travellers can enjoy in the reserve include walking safaris in the presence ranger guides, horseback safaris, balloon safaris to have an aerial view of the Maasai land, as well as cultural encounters all blended together leave travellers awestruck by the magnificence of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Get in touch with a reputable tour operator to pitch your dream Africa safari experience and get to see the birds and so much more that the reserve has to offer.
