With almost 450 species recorded, Meru National Park is an excellent birding destination. Northern Kenya specials include the impressive Somali ostrich, boldly marked rosy-patched bush-shrike and vivid vulturine guineafowl. Meru is possibly the only place where vulturine guineafowl occurs alongside both crested and helmeted guineafowl. The noisy yellow-necked spurfowl is very common, and the sought-after Hinde’s pied babbler can sometimes be spotted as well. The park’s larger rivers offer the right habitat for Pel’s fishing-owl, African finfoot and golden palm weaver.
Birding Specials Treats for Avid Birders
(E) endemic = only lives in Kenya- African finfoot
- Bat hawk
- Black-faced sandgrouse
- Boran cisticola
- Buff-crested bustard
- Crested guineafowl
- Eastern chanting goshawk
- Golden palm weaver (E)
- Golden-breasted starling
- Hartlaub’s bustard
- Hinde’s pied babbler (E)
- Lilac-breasted roller
- Martial eagle
- Namaqua dove
- Northern pied babbler
- Northern red-billed hornbill
- Palm-nut vulture
- Pel’s fishing-owl
- Rosy-patched bush-shrike
- Rufous chatterer
- Saddle-billed stork
- Somali bee-eater
- Somali ostrich
- Taita fiscal
- Vulturine guineafowl
- White-bellied go-away-bird
- White-browed coucal
- Yellow-necked spurfowl
Best Time for Bird Watching
Meru offers good bird watching throughout the year, but the best time is from November to April when the migrants from Europe and North Africa are present. This coincides with the breeding season when many species are nesting. Although good for birding, November and April tend to be very wet and are less productive times for general wildlife viewing, so December to March can be a better time.