Kenya and Tanzania are home to some of the most iconic safari parks on the planet, including Masai Mara, the Serengeti, and Ngorongoro. They host a plethora of wildlife and birdlife between these parks. We have compiled a combined wildlife and birding checklist for both of these countries. The list is not exhaustive but covers most of the animal species, if not all. We have compiled 400+ of the most commonly seen bird species in birds. However, these two countries have recorded over 1000 species. It is important to note that not every park contains all mammal or bird species. And this does not represent a parkwide classification.
ANIMALS CHECKLIST
Bush babies | Hyrax |
Galago, Large-eared greater | Rock Hyrax |
Primates | Aardvark |
Baboon | Aardvark (ant bear) |
Blue Monkey | Pigs |
Red-tailed monkey | Warthog |
Vervet monkey | Hippopotamuses |
Dogs jackals and foxes | Hippopotamus |
Wild dog/Painted dog (rare) | Giraffe |
Bat-eared fox | Masai Giraffe |
Black-backed jackal | Reticulated Giraffe |
Side-striped jackal | Rothschild Giraffe |
Weasels, badgers, and otters (rare) | Horned Ungulates |
Honey Badger (Ratel) | African Cape Buffalo |
African Clawless Otter | Bushbuck |
Civets and Genets | Klipspringer |
East African Civet | Kirks Dik-dik |
Small-spotted Genet | Common Eland |
Mongooses | Grant’s Gazelle |
Banded | Thomson’s Gazelle |
Dwarf | Gerenuk |
White-tailed | Beisa Oryx |
Slender, black-tipped | Kongoni (Coke’s Hartebeest) |
Hyenas | Oribi |
Aardwolf (rare) | Bohor Reedbuck |
Spotted Hyena | Steinbok |
Striped Hyena (rare) | Topi |
Cats | Water Buck (Defassa) |
Caracal (rare) | Wildebeest/Gnu |
Cheetah | Pangolins |
Leopard | Giant Pangolin |
Lion | Black-bellied Pangolin |
Serval | Ground Pangolin |
African WildCat | Rodents |
Elephants | Crested Porcupine |
Savanna or Bush Elephant | Springhare |
Forest Elephant | Hares and rabbits |
Horses and zebras | Cape Hare |
Common or Burchell’s zebra | Reptiles |
Grevy’s zebra | Nile Crocodile |
Rhinoceroses | Monitor Lizard |
Black Rhino | Agama (Rock) Lizard |
White Rhino |
BIRDING CHECKLIST
AVOCET, BLACK-CAPPED | KITE |
BABBLER | Black |
Arrow-marked | Black-shouldered |
Brown | KORHAAN |
BARBET | Black-bellied |
Black-collared | Red-crested |
Crested | LAMMERGEIER (MOUNTAIN VULTURE) |
D’Arnaud’s | LARK |
Double-toothed | Fischer’s Sparrow |
Green | Red-capped |
Red and Yellow | Red-winged Bush |
BATELEUR | Rufous-napped |
BATIS, CHIN-SPOT | LONGCLAW |
BEE-EATER | Rosy-breasted |
Carmine | Yellow-throated |
Cinnamon-chested | LOURIE, GARY |
European | LOVEBIRD |
Little | Fischer’s |
Swallow-tailed | Lilian’s |
White-fronted | MANNIKIN, BRONZE |
White-throated | MARTIN, ROCK |
BISHOP | MOORHEN, COMMON |
Black-winged | MOUSEBIRD |
Red | Blue-naped |
BITTERN | Red-faced |
Boubou | Speckled |
Crimson | NIGHTJAR |
Slate-colored | Fiery-necked |
Tropical | Gabon |
BRUBRU | ORIOLE |
BULBUL | Black-headed |
Black-eyed | Golden |
Cape | OSPREY |
Garden | OSTRICH |
Red-eyed | Masai |
Yellow-vented | Somali |
BUNTING, Golden-Breasted | OWL |
BUSH-SHRIKE | African Scops |
Gray-headed | Spotted Eagle |
Rosy-patched | Verreaux’s Eagle |
BUSTARD | Whited-faced Scops |
Black-bellied | OWLET, PEARL-SPOTTED |
Denham’s | OXPECKER |
Jackson’s | Red-billed |
Kori | Yellow-billed |
Stanley’s | PARROT |
BUZZARD | African Grey |
Augur | Brown |
Jackal | Cape |
Lizard | Gray |
CANARY | PELICAN |
African Citril | Great White |
Streaky | Pink-backed |
Yellow-fronted | PIAPIAC |
CHAT | PIGEON, SPECKLED |
Mocking Cliff | PINTAIL |
Robin | PIPIT |
Stone | Golden |
CISTICOLA | Richard’s |
Hunter’s | PLANTAIN-EATER, GREY |
Rattling | PLOVER |
COOT, Red-knobbed | Blacksmith Lapwing |
CORDON-BLEU, Red-checked | White Crowned |
CORMORANT | Gray |
Cape | Kittlitz’s |
Great | Spur-winged |
Long-tailed | Three-banded |
Reed | Wattled |
White-breasted | QUAIL |
COUCAL | Common |
Black | Harlequin |
White-browed | QUELEA |
COURSER | Cardinal |
Temminck’s | Red-billed |
Two-banded | RAVEN, WHITE-NECKED |
CRAKE | ROLLER |
African | Abyssinian |
Black | European |
CRANE | Lilac-breasted |
Black Crowned | Purple |
Blue | Rufous-crowned |
Crowned | ROOK, CAPE |
Wattled | RUFF |
CROW | SANDERLING |
House | SANDGROUSE |
Pied | Black-faced |
CUCKOO | Burchell’s |
African Emerald | Chestnut-bellied |
Diederik | Namaqua |
Jacobin | Yellow-throated |
Red-chested | SANDPIPER, COMMON |
CUCKOO-SHRIKE, BLACK | SECRETARY BIRD |
DARTER, AFRICAN | SEEDEATER, STREAKY |
DOVE | SHOEBILL |
Emerald-spotted | SHRIKE |
Laughing | Fiscal (Tighter) |
Mourning | Gray-backed Fiscal |
Namaqua | Long-tailed Fiscal |
Red-eyed | Magpie |
Ring-necked | Puffback |
DRONGO, FORK TAILED | White-crowned |
DUCK | Yellow-billed |
Knob-billed | SILVER BIRD |
Red-billed | SKIMMER, AFRICAN |
White-faced | SPARROW |
Yellow-billed | Cape |
EAGLE | Gray-headed |
African Fish | Rufous |
African Hawk | SPOONBILL, AFRICAN |
Black-breasted Snake | SPURFOWL |
Booted | Gray-breasted |
Brown Snake | Red-necked |
Crowned | Yellow-necked |
Long-crested | STARLING |
Martial | Ashy |
Steppe | Golden-breasted |
Tawny | Greater blue-eared |
EGRET | Hildebrandt’s |
Black | Purple |
Cattle | Red-winged |
Great White | Ruppell’s Long-tailed |
Little | Superb |
Yellow-billed | Wattled |
FALCON | Western Long-tailed |
African Pygmy | STILT, BLACK-WINGED |
Lanner | STINT, LITTLE |
Peregrine | STONECHAT, COMMON |
FIREFINCH, RED-BILLED | STORK |
FLAMINGO | Abdim’s |
Greater | African Open-billed |
Lesser | Marabou |
FLYCATCHER | Saddle-billed |
Blue | White |
Paradise | Woolly-necked |
Spotted | Yellow-billed |
White-eyed, Slaty | SUGARBIRD, CAPE |
FRANCOLIN | SUNBIRD |
Coqui | SWALLOW |
Crested | European |
Red-billed | Lesser Striped |
GALLINULE, PURPLE | Red-rumped |
GANNET, CAPE | Wire-tailed |
GO-AWAY BIRD | SWAMPHEN, PURPLE |
Bare-faced | SWIFT |
White-bellied | African Palm |
GOOSE | European |
African Pygmy | Little |
Egyptian | TCHAGRA, BLACK-CROWNED |
Spur-Winged | TEAL |
GOSHAWK | Cape |
Dark Chanting | Hottentot |
Pale Chanting | Red-billed |
GREBE | TERN |
Black-necked | White |
Greenshank | White-winged Black |
Little | THICK-KNEE |
GRENADIER, PURPLE | Spotted |
GUINEAFOWL | Water |
Crested | THRUSH |
Helmeted | Groundscraper |
Vulturine | Kurrichane |
HAMMERKOP | Olive |
HARRIER | TROGON, NARINA’S |
African | TURACO |
Montagu’s | VULTURE |
HELMET-SHRIKE | Cape |
White | Egyptian |
White-rumped | Hooded |
HERON | Lappet-faced |
Black | Nubian |
Black-headed | Palm-nut |
Goliath | Ruppell’s griffon |
Gray | White-backed |
Green-backed | White-headed |
Night | WAGTAIL |
Purple | African Pied |
Squacco | Cape |
HONEYGUIDE | Yellow |
Greater | WARBLER |
Lesser | African Sedge |
HOOPOE | Willow |
HORNBILL | WAXBILL |
Abyssinian Ground | Common |
African Grey | Crimson-rumped |
Black and White Casqued | Cut-throat |
Crowned | WEAVER |
Ground | Black-headed |
Red-billed | Buffalo, Red-billed |
Silver-cheeked | Buffalo, White-headed |
Southern Yellow-billed | Chestnut |
Trumpeter | Golden Palm |
Von der Decken’s | Gray-headed Social |
IBIS | Grosbeak |
Glossy | Holub’s Golden |
Hadada | Masked |
Sacred | Reichenow’s |
JACANA, AFRICAN | Rufous-tailed |
KESTREL | Sociable |
Gray | Spectacled |
Lesser | Taveta Golden |
Rock | White-browed Sparrow |
KINGFISHER | Yellow |
Brown-hooded | WHEATEAR, CAPPED |
Giant | WHITE–EYE |
Gray-hooded | African Yellow |
Malachite | Cape |
Pied | WHYDAH |
Striped | WIDOWBIRD |
Woodland | WOOD-HOOPOE, RED-BILLED |