Bird life in Ruma national park

Bird life in Ruma national park

Bird life in Ruma national park “Ruma National Park is   important birding area and an excellent area to view a huge population of birds in Kenya, the park habits over 400 bird species and it has been recognized as the only protected area in Kenya hosting the globally threatened blue swallow birds. Global threatened blue swallow birds are migrant bird species found of living in moist grasslands, the birds migrant into Kenya from their breeding grounds in the southern region of Tanzania in the month of April and depart Kenya in the month of September.

Ruma national park is a home to a variety of birds of different species, below is the list of birds habiting in the park though it does not all the birds in the park.

GALLIFORMES

Galliformes in Ruma national park include are of a variety of species that is

  • Phasianidae species such as Harlequin Quail, Scaly Francolin, Red-necked Francolin, Crested Francolin and Coqui Francolin
  • Numididae such as Helmeted Guinea fowl.

COLUMBIFORMES

Columbiformes in Ruma national park include Speckled Pigeon, Mourning Collared-Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Laughing Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Blue-spotted Wood-Dove and African Green-Pigeon.

OTIDIFORMES

Otidiformes species in Ruma national park include Black-bellied Bustard

MUSOPHAGIFORMES

Musophagiformes species in Ruma national park include Bare-faced Go-away-bird

CUCULIFORMES

Cuculiformes in Ruma national park include White-browed Coucal, Black Coucal, Pied Cuckoo, Dideric Cuckoo, Klaas’s Cuckoo and Red-chested Cuckoo

CAPRIMULGIFORMES

Caprimulgiformes species present in Ruma national park are of different species such as

  • Caprimulgidae species such as Swamp Nightjar
  • Apodidae species such as Common Swift, Nyanza Swift, Little Swift, White-rumped Swift and African Palm-Swift

GRUIFORMES

Gruiformes in Ruma national park include Gray Crowned-Crane

CHARADRIIFORMES

Charadriiformes in Ruma national park are of various species such as

  • Charadriidae species such as Crowned Lapwing, Wattled Lapwing and Three-banded Plover
  • Scolopacidae species such as Common Snipe, Green Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper
  • Turnicidae species such as Small Buttonquail

CICONIIFORMES

Ciconiiformes in Ruma national park include Abdim’s Stork, Saddle-billed Stork, Marabou Stork and Yellow-billed Stork

PELECANIFORMES

Pelecaniformes species in Ruma national park are of various kinds and they include

  • Pelecanidae species such as Pink-backed Pelican
  • Scopidae species such as Hamerkop
  • Ardeidae species such as Black-headed Heron, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret and Cattle Egret
  • Threskiornithidae species such as African Sacred Ibis and Hadada Ibis.

ACCIPITRIFORMES

Accipitriformes species in Ruma national park are of different kinds such as

  • Sagittariidae species such as Secretary bird
  • Pandionidae species such as Osprey
  • Accipitridae such as Black-winged Kite, African Harrier-Hawk, Bateleur, Black-chested Snake-Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle, Banded Snake-Eagle, Martial Eagle, Long-crested Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Tawny Eagle, African Hawk-Eagle, Dark Chanting-Goshawk, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, African Goshawk, Shikra, Black Goshawk, Black Kite, African Fish-Eagle, Common Buzzard and Augur Buzzard

STRIGIFORMES

Strigiformes species such as Northern White-faced Owl, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl and African Wood-Owl

COLIIFORMES

Coliiformes species in Ruma national park include speckled mouse bird and Blue-naped Mouse bird

BUCEROTIFORMES

Bucerotiformes species in Ruma national park are two species present in the park such as

  • Bucerotidae species such as African Gray Hornbill
  • Phoeniculidae species such as Abyssinian Scimitar bill, Common Scimitar bill and Green Woodhoopoe

CORACIIFORMES    

Coraciiformes species in Ruma national park are of various species such as

  • Coraciidae species such as European Roller, Lilac-breasted Roller and Broad-billed Roller
  • Alcedinidae species such as Malachite Kingfisher, African Pygmy-Kingfisher, Woodland Kingfisher and Striped Kingfisher
  • Meropidae species such as Little Bee-eater, White-throated Bee-eater, Madagascar Bee-eater and European Bee-eater

PICIFORMES

Piciformes in Runa national park are of different kinds that is

  • Indicatoridae species such as Lesser Honeyguide and Greater Honeyguide
  • Picidae species such as Cardinal Woodpecker, Brown-backed Woodpecker, African Gray Woodpecker and Nubian Woodpecker
  • Lybiidae species such as Black-billed Barbet, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Red-fronted Tinkerbird and Spot-flanked Barbet

FALCONIFORMES

Falconiformes species in Ruma national park Gray Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, African Hobby and Lanner Falcon.

PSITTACIFORMES

Psittaciformes species in Ruma national park include Meyer’s Parrot.

PASSERIFORMES

Passeriformes species in Ruma national park are various species that is

  • Fringillidae species such as Yellow-fronted Canary, Reichenow’s Seedeater, White-bellied Canary and Brimstone Canary.
  • Emberizidae species such as Golden-breasted Bunting
  • Motacillidae species such as Western Yellow Wagtail, African Pied Wagtail, Plain-backed Pipit, Tree Pipit and Yellow-throated Longclaw.
  • Passeridae species such as Kenya Rufous Sparrow, Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow, Northern Gray-headed Sparrow and Yellow-spotted Bush Sparrow
  • Viduidae species such as Pin-tailed Whydah, Steel-blue Whydah, Village Indigo bird and Parasitic Weaver
  • Estrildidae species such as Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Black-rumped Waxbill, Common Waxbill, Black-faced Waxbill, Red-cheeked Cordonbleu, Blue-capped Cordonbleu, Purple Grenadier, Green-winged Pytilia and Red-billed Fire finch, African Fire finch, Cut-throat, Quail finch, Bronze Mannikin and Black-and-white Mannikin.
  • Ploceidae species such as Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, Red-headed Weaver, Baglafecht Weaver, Little Weaver, Slender-billed Weaver, Spectacled Weaver, Holub’s Golden-Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Lesser Masked-Weaver, Heuglin’s Masked-Weaver, Village Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Golden-backed Weaver, Cardinal Quelea, Red-headed Quelea, Red-billed Quelea, Southern Red Bishop, Black-winged Bishop, White-winged Widowbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird and Grosbeak Weaver
  • Nectariniidae species such as Collared Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Bronze Sunbird, Beautiful Sunbird, Mariqua Sunbird, Red-chested Sunbird, Purple-banded Sunbird, Variable Sunbird and Copper Sunbird.
  • Muscicapidae species such as Silver bird, Northern Black-Flycatcher, White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher, Red-backed Scrub-Robin, White-browed Robin-Chat, Red-capped Robin-Chat, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear and Isabelline Wheatear.
  • Turdidae species such as African Thrush
  • Sturnidae species such as Wattled Starling, Violet-backed Starling, Rüppell’s Starling, Superb Starling and Greater Blue-eared Starling.
  • Buphagidae such as Red-billed Oxpecker
  • Pycnonotidae species such as Yellow-throated Greenbul and Common Bulbul
  • Phylloscopidae species such as Willow Warbler
  • Leiothrichidae species such as Black-lored Babbler and Arrow-marked Babbler
  • Campephagidae species such as Black Cuckoo shrike
  • Oriolidae species such as Eurasian Golden Oriole and African Golden Oriole
  • Platysteiridaespecies such as Brown-throated Wattle-eye and Chinspot Batis
  • Malaconotidae species such as Brubru, Black-backed Puffback, Marsh Tchagra, Black-crowned Tchagra, Tropical Boubou, Black-headed Gonolek, Slate-colored Boubou and Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike.
  • Dicruridae species such as Fork-tailed Drongo
  • Monarchidae species such as African Paradise-Flycatcher
  • Laniidae species such as Isabelline Shrike, Gray-backed Fiscal, Northern Fiscal and White-rumped Shrike
  • Corvidae species such as Pied Crow
  • Paridae species such as White-bellied Tit
  • Remizidae species such as African Penduline-Tit
  • Alaudidae species such as Rufous-naped Lark and Flappet Lark
  • Macrosphenidae species such as Red-faced Crombec and Moustached Grass-Warbler
  • Cisticolidae species such as White-chinned Prinia, Green-backed Camaroptera, Buff-bellied Warbler, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Red-faced Cisticola, Trilling Cisticola, Croaking Cisticola, Rattling Cisticola, Tabora Cisticola, Zitting Cisticola and Black-backed Cisticola.
  • Acrocephalidae species such as Lesser Swamp Warbler
  • Locustellidae species such as Fan-tailed Grass bird
  • Hirundinidae species such as Bank Swallow, Banded Martin, Barn Swallow, Montane Blue Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Lesser Striped Swallow, Rufous-chested Swallow, Common House-Martin and White-headed Sawwing

These birds are easily spotted in the plains of Ruma national park while on bird watching safari.

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