Birds of the Masai Mara

About this book 11
The habitats 14
Plains 15
Marsh and water 16
Woodland, scrub & garden 18
Acacia scrub 19
Village 20
Forest 21
Up in the air 22
Nightbirds 23
Map of the Masai Mara 24
BIRDS OF THE PLAINS
Ostrich 26
Secretarybird 28
Grey Crowned Crane 29
Kori Bustard 30
Black-bellied Bustard 31
White-bellied Bustard 31
Temminck's Courser 32
Crowned Plover 33
Black-winged Plover 33
White Stork 34
Abdim's Stork 35
Southern Ground Hornbill 35
Marabou Stork 36
Ruppell's Vulture 37
White-backed Vulture 37
Hooded Vulture 38
White-headed Vulture 38
Lappet-faced Vulture 39
Vultures in flight 40
Martial Eagle 42
Bateleur 43
Black-chested Snake Eagle 43
Black Kite 44
Augur Buzzard 44
Tawny Eagle 45
Flying raptors 46
African Harrier Hawk 48
Montagu's Harrier 49
African Black-shouldered Kite 49
Grey Kestrel 50
Lanner Falcon 50
Common Kestrel 51
Yellow-throated Sandgrouse 52
Lilac-breasted Roller 53
Eurasian Roller 53
Red-billed Oxpecker 54
Yellow-billed Oxpecker 54
Wattled Starling 55
Rufous-naped Lark 56
Pectoral-patch Cisticola 56
Red-capped Lark 56
Buffy Pipit 58
Rosy-breasted Longclaw 58
Yellow-throated Longclaw 59
Capped Wheatear 60
Northern Anteater Chat 60
Sooty Chat 61
Yellow Bishop 62
Jackson's Widowbird 62
Yellow-mantled Widowbird 63
BIRDS OF MARSH AND WATER
African Open-billed Stork 64
Woolly-necked Stork 64
Yellow-billed Stork 65
Saddle-billed Stork 66
Sacred Ibis 67
Hadada Ibis 67
Squacco Heron 68
Striated Heron 68
Rufous-bellied Heron 69
Great White Egret 70
Cattle Egret 71
Little Egret 71
Grey Heron 72
Goliath Heron 72
Black-headed Heron 73
Grey Heron 73
African Fish Eagle 74
Hamerkop 76
Water Thick-knee 77
Spur-winged Goose 78
Egyptian Goose 78
White-faced Whistling Duck . 79
African Jacana 80
Black-winged Stilt 80
Black Crake 81
Long-toed Plover . 82
Spur-winged Plover 82
Blacksmith Plover 83
Three-banded Plover 84
Common Greenshank 85
African Wattled Plover 85
Green Sandpiper 87
Wood Sandpiper 87
Common Sandpiper 87
Giant Kingfisher 88
Malachite Kingfisher 89
Pied Kingfisher 89
African Pied Wagtail 90
Moustached Grass Warbler 90
Common Waxbill 91
BIRDS OF WOODLAND, SCRUB & GARDEN
Long-crested Eagle 92
Brown Snake Eagle 92
African Hawk Eagle 93
Scaly Francolin 94
Red-necked Spurfowl 94
Hildebrandt's Francolin 95
Coqui Francolin 96
Helmeted Guineafowl 96
Crested Francolin 97
Laughing Dove 98
Red-eyed Dove 98
Ring-necked Dove 99
Speckled Pigeon 100
African Green Pigeon 101
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove 101
Speckled Mousebird 102
African Grey Hornbill 102
Meyer's Parrot 103
White-browed Coucal 104
Bare-faced Go-away-bird 104
Red-chested Cuckoo 105
Diederik Cuckoo 107
Klaas's Cuckoo 107
Little Bee-eater 107
Striped Kingfisher 108
Woodland Kingfisher 108
Grey-headed Kingfisher 109
Common Scimitarbill 110
Green Wood-hoopoe 111
Hoopoe 111
Greater Honeyguide 112
D'Arnaud's Barbet 113
Lesser Honeyguide 113
Nubian Woodpecker 114
Cardinal Woodpecker 114
Green-backed Woodpecker 115
Black-headed Oriole 116
Tropical Boubou 116
Grey-headed Bushshrike 117
Brown-throated Wattle-eye 118
Chin-spot Batis 118
Black-backed Puffback 119
Grey-backed Fiscal 120
Northern White-crowned Shrike 121
Common Fiscal 121
Common Drongo 122
Northern Black Flycatcher 123
Slate-coloured Boubou 123
Common Bulbul 124
Arrow-marked Babbler 125
Brown-crowned Tchagra 125
African Paradise Flycatcher 126
White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher 127
African Blue Flycatcher 127
Rattling Cisticola 128
Red-faced Crombec 129
Tawny-flanked Prinia 129
Grey-capped Warbler 130
Grey-backed Camaroptera 131
Yellow-breasted Apalis 131
Scarlet-chested Sunbird 132
Collared Sunbird 133
Variable Sunbird 133
White-browed Robin Chat . 134
Ruppell's Starling 134
Greater Blue-eared Starling 135
Hildebrandt's Starling 136
Violet-backed Starling 137
Superb Starling 137
Baglafecht Weaver 138
Village Weaver 138
Spectacled Weaver 138
Purple Grenadier 140
Bronze Mannikin 141
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu 141
Golden-breasted Bunting 142
Yellow-fronted Canary 142
Pin-tailed Whydah 143
BIRDS OF ACACIA SCRUB
Blue-naped Mousebird 144
Abyssinian Scimitarbill 144
Von der Decken's Hornbill 145
African Grey Flycatcher 146
Silverbird 147
White-bellied Canary 147
Grey-capped Social Weaver 148
Speckle-fronted Weaver 148
Vitelline Masked Weaver 149
VILLAGE BIRDS
Grey-headed Sparrow 150
Kenya Rufous Sparrow 150
House Sparrow 151
Red-billed Firefinch 152
Village Indigobird 152
Pied Crow 153

FOREST BIRDS
Schalow's Turaco 154
Narina Trogon 155
Ross's Turaco 155
Grey-throated Barbet 156
Double-toothed Barbet 156
Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill 157
BIRDS OF THE AIR
White-headed Saw-wing 158
Black Saw-wing 158
Eurasian Bee-eater 159
Barn Swallow 160
Wire-tailed Swallow 160
Plain Martin 161
Lesser Striped Swallow 161
Little Swift 162
White-rumped Swift 162
Nyanza Swift 163
Common Swift 163
African Palm Swift 163
NIGHT BIRDS
Pearl-spotted Owlet 164
Slender-tailed Nightjar 164
Verreaux's Eagle Owl 165
References and useful resources 166
Acknowledgements and photographic credits 167
List of scientific names 168
Index 171
Short Index inside back cover