Birdlife Highlights
Aberdare forests and moorlands host over 250 recorded bird species, making it one of Kenya’s top avian hotspots. Some of the park’s endemic and specialty species include:
- Jackson’s Spurfowl – frequently seen feeding along trails.
- Aberdare Cisticola – shy and distinctive, often heard singing in the high-altitude grasslands.
- Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird – a dazzling montane jewel, rarely encountered elsewhere in Kenya.
- Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle – an uncommon forest raptor, occasionally sighted here.
- Abbott’s Starling – scarce and localized.
- African Green Ibis – a special and often imperceptible sighting.
Other elegant sunbirds such as Malachite, Green-headed, and Golden Sunbird add to the colorful mix.
Notable Species List
Key species that make Aberdare a must-visit birding destination include:
- Raptors: Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Mountain Buzzard, African Crowned Eagle, Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, African Hobby.
- Francolins : Scaly Francolin, Elgon Francolin, Jackson’s Francolin (endemic), Red-chested Flufftail.
- Pigeons & Parrots: Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Olive Pigeon, Red-fronted Parrot.
- Turacos & Cuckoos: Hartlaub’s Turaco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Blue-headed Coucal.
- Owls & Night Birds: African Wood Owl, Cape Eagle Owl, Red-chested Owlet, Scarce Swift.
- Forest Specialists: Mustached Green Tinkerbird, Red-throated Wryneck, Abyssinian Ground-Thrush, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Brown Woodland Warbler.
- Endemics & Specials: Aberdare Cisticola, Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Montane Oriole, Abbott’s Starling, Brown-capped Weaver, Sharpe’s Longclaw.
