There are over 1,290 documented bird species in the East African region. Globally, there are about 10,000 species of birds. Meaning that the region has approximately 13% of the world birds’ for its relatively small area. Birdwatchers find the overwhelming diversity and abundance of bird species in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania irresistible.
But differentiating between the hundreds of the bird species can be daunting to any amateur bird watcher, like myself. It is for this reason that I decided to write a blog article of the birds in East Africa. The blog categorizes the birds into families. It is my hope that this blog will assist you in identifying the birds of East Africa.
Order Passeriformes (The Passerines)
More than half of all birds in the world are in the order Passeriformes. They are also called perching birds or less accurately, Singing birds. Some key characteristics in the order include:
- Three toes pointing forward and one pointing backwards (the hallux), which makes it easy for them to perch
- Developed vocal organs that allows for vocalization
- Unique sperm and bony palate morphology (I guess those are for the serious ornithologists, let’s get into the families under the order in East Africa)
Weavers and Allies (Family: Ploceidae)
The weaver birds get their name from the intricate nests that birds in the species build. Ploceidae mostly inhabit the old world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Sparrows and whydahs are not in the weavers and allies family, although older publications classify the two group of birds in the Ploceidae family. About 60 species of weavers and their allies (bishops, quelea, widowbird) are found in East Africa. They include:
Widowbird
- Fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris)
- Jackson’s widowbird (Euplectes jacksoni)-Near-threatened
- Long-tailed widowbird (Euplectes progne)
- Marsh widowbird (Euplectes hartlaubi)
- Red-collared widowbird (Euplectes ardens)
- White-winged widowbird (Euplectes albonotatus)
- Yellow-mantled widowbird (Euplectes macroura)
Quelea
- Cardinal quelea (Quelea cardinalis)
- Red-billed quelea (Quelea quelea)
- Red-headed quelea (Quelea erythrops)
Weavers
- African golden-weaver (Ploceus subaureus)
- Baglafecht weaver (Ploceus baglafecht)
- Black-billed weaver (Ploceus melanogaster)
- Black-capped social-weaver (Pseudonigrita cabanisi)
- Black-headed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus)
- Black-necked weaver (Ploceus nigricollis)
- Brown-capped weaver (Ploceus insignis)
- Chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser superciliosus)
- Chestnut weaver (Ploceus rubiginosus)
- Clarke’s weaver (Ploceus golandi): Classified as endangered
- Compact weaver (Pachyphantes superciliosus)
- Donaldson-Smith’s sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser donaldsoni)
- Fire-fronted bishop (Euplectes diadematus)
- Forest weaver (Ploceus bicolor)
- Golden-backed weaver (Ploceus jacksoni)
- Golden palm weaver (Ploceus bojeri)
- Gray-headed social-weaver, (Pseudonigrita arnaudi)
- Grosbeak weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons)
- Heuglin’s masked-weaver (Ploceus heuglini)
- Holub’s golden-weaver (Ploceus xanthops)
- Lesser masked-weaver (Ploceus intermedius)
- Little weaver (Ploceus luteolus)
- Northern brown-throated weaver (Ploceus castanops)
- Northern masked-weaver (Ploceus taeniopterus)
- Orange weaver (Ploceus aurantius)
- Red-billed buffalo-weaver (Bubalornis niger)
- Red-headed malimbe (Malimbus rubricollis)
- Red-headed weaver (Anaplectes rubriceps)
- Rufous-tailed weaver, (Histurgops ruficauda) vagrant
- Rüppell’s weaver (Ploceus galbula) vagrant
- Salvadori’s weaver (Ploceus dichrocephalus)
- Slender-billed weaver (Ploceus pelzelni)
- Speckle-fronted weaver (Sporopipes frontalis)
- Spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis)
- Speke’s weaver (Ploceus spekei)
- Taveta golden-weaver (Ploceus castaneiceps)
- Vieillot’s weaver (Ploceus nigerrimus)
- Village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus)
- Vitelline masked-weaver (Ploceus vitellinus)
- White-billed buffalo-weaver (Bubalornis albirostris)
- White-browed sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser mahali)
- White-headed buffalo-weaver (Dinemellia dinemelli)
- Yellow-mantled weaver (Ploceus tricolor) (Probably extinct)
Bishops
- Black bishop (Euplectes gierowii)
- Black-winged bishop (Euplectes hordeaceus)
- Northern red bishop (Euplectes franciscanus)
- Southern red bishop (Euplectes orix)
- Yellow bishop (Euplectes capensis)
- Yellow-crowned bishop (Euplectes afer)
- Zanzibar red bishop (Euplectes nigroventris)
Sparrows (Family: Passeridae)
Sparrows are small birds that mainly eat seeds and sometimes insects. Sparrows are among the most common birds as they are comfortable in cities. In many cases it is challenging to differentiate between sparrows or some weavers. We have listed 10 of the swallows in East Africa
- Chestnut sparrow (Passer eminibey)
- House sparrow (Passer domesticus) – Introduced to East Africa region
- Kenya rufous sparrow (Passer rufocinctus)
- Northern gray-headed sparrow (Passer griseus)
- Parrot-billed sparrow (Passer gongonensis)
- Shelley’s rufous sparrow (Passer shelleyi)
- Somali sparrow (Passer castanopterus)
- Swahili sparrow (Passer suahelicus)
- Swainson’s sparrow (Passer swainsonii)
- Yellow-spotted bush sparrow (Gymnoris pyrgita)
Waxbills and allies (Family: Estrildidae)
They are small seed eating birds. It is not surprising that some sources classify them under the sparrow family, Passeridae. Most of the birds in the family have similar form and size, but different plumage. The largest species of the family is the Java finch which is found in Asia. Common species in East Africa include silverbills, twinspots, and firefinchs.
Bluebill
- Red-headed bluebill (Spermophaga ruficapilla)
Cordonbleu
- Red-cheeked cordonbleu (Uraeginthus bengalus)
- Blue-capped cordonbleu (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus)
Crimsonwing
- Abyssinian crimsonwing (Cryptospiza salvadorii)
Grenadier
- Purple grenadier (Granatina ianthinogaster)
Firefinch and other finches
- African firefinch (Lagonosticta rubricate)
- Bar-breasted firefinch (Lagonosticta rufopicta)
- Black-bellied firefinch (Lagonosticta rara)
- Jameson’s firefinch (Lagonosticta rhodopareia)
- Locustfinch (Paludipasser locustella) a Vagrant species
- Quailfinch (Ortygospiza fuscocrissa)
- Red-billed firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala)
Mannikin
- Bronze mannikin (Spermestes cucullate)
- Black-and-white mannikin (Spermestes bicolor)
- Magpie mannikin (Spermestes fringilloides)
Nigrita
- Gray-headed nigrita (Nigrita canicapillus)
- White-breasted nigrita (Nigrita fusconotus)
Ptylia
- Green-winged pytilia (Pytilia melba)
- Orange-winged pytilia (Pytilia afra)
Seedcracker
- Black-bellied seedcracker (Pyrenestes ostrinus)
Silverbills
- African silverbill (Euodice cantans)
- Gray-headed silverbill (Odontospiza griseicapilla)
- Indian Silverbill (Euodice malabarica)- introduced
Twinspots
- Brown twinspot (Clytospiza monteiri)
- Green-backed twinspot (Mandingoa nitidula)
- Peters’s twinspot (Hypargos niveoguttatus)
Waxbills
- Black-cheeked waxbill (Estrilda charmosyna)
- Black-crowned waxbill (Estrilda nonnula)
- Black-faced waxbill (Estrilda erythronotos)
- Black-rumped waxbill (Estrilda troglodytes)
- Common waxbill (Estrilda astrild)
- Crimson-rumped waxbill (Estrilda rhodopyga)
- Cut-throat (Amadina fasciata)- not a waxbill technically
- Fawn-breasted waxbill (Estrilda paludicola)
- Kandt’s Waxbill (Estrilda kandti)
- Yellow-bellied waxbill (Coccopygia quartinia)
- Zebra waxbill (Sporaeginthus subflavus)
Indigobirds and Whydahs (Family: Viduidae)
Indigobirds are group of birds that have a predominant indigo or black plumage. All the species are brood parasites. Meaning that they rely on other birds to raise their young. The estrildid finches often raise the chicks of birds in viduidae family. There are at least 9 representatives of viduidae in East Africa (Including the recently added Cuckoo Finch)
- Broad-tailed paradise-whydah (Vidua obtuse)
- Cuckoo Finch/Cuckoo weaver/Parasitic weaver (Anomalospiza imberbis)
- Eastern paradise-whydah (Vidua paradisaea)
- Pin-tailed whydah (Vidua macroura)
- Purple indigobird (Vidua purpurascens)
- Steel-blue whydah (Vidua hypocherina)
- Straw-tailed whydah (Vidua fischeri)
- Variable indigobird (Vidua funereal)
- Village indigobird (Vidua chalybeate)
Cisticolas and Allies Family: Cisticolidae
Cisticolas and allies resemble warblers. Worldwide there are over 150 species in the family, and their songs are sometimes best used to identify them. Although they are small birds, they are differentiated from weavers and allies because they are purely insectivorous. The family is ubiquitous in the grasslands and scrublands of East Africa.
Apalis
- Bar-throated apalis, Apalis thoracica
- Black-collared apalis, Oreolais pulcher
- Black-headed apalis, Apalis melanocephala
- Black-throated apalis, Apalis jacksoni
- Brown-headed apalis, Apalis alticola
- Buff-throated apalis, Apalis rufogularis
- Chestnut-throated apalis, Apalis porphyrolaema
- Gray apalis, Apalis cinereal
- Karamoja apalis, Apalis karamojae (Vulnerable)
- Taita apalis, Apalis fuscigularis (Criticallty endangered and endemic to Taita in Kenya)
- White-winged apalis, Apalis chariessa (Probably extinct)
- Yellow-breasted apalis, Apalis flavida
Camaroptera
- Green-backed camaroptera, Camaroptera brachyura
- Olive-green camaroptera, Camaroptera chloronota
Cisticolas
- Aberdare cisticola (Cisticola aberdare) (Vulnerable)- Endemic in Kenya
- Ashy cisticola (Cisticola cinereolus)
- Black-backed cisticola, (Cisticola eximius)
- Boran cisticola (Cisticola bodessa)
- Carruthers’s cisticola, Cisticola carruthersi
- Chubb’s cisticola, Cisticola chubbi
- Coastal cisticola, Cisticola haematocephalus
- Croaking cisticola, Cisticola natalensis
- Desert cisticola, Cisticola aridulus
- Foxy cisticola, Cisticola troglodytes
- Hunter’s cisticola, Cisticola hunter
- Levaillant’s cisticola, Cisticola tinniens
- Pectoral-patch cisticola, Cisticola brunnescens
- Rattling cisticola, Cisticola chiniana
- Red-faced cisticola, Cisticola erythrops
- Red-pate cisticola, Cisticola ruficeps
- Rock-loving cisticola, Cisticola aberrans
- Siffling cisticola, Cisticola brachypterus
- Singing cisticola, Cisticola cantans
- Stout cisticola, Cisticola robustus
- Tabora cisticola, Cisticola angusticaudus
- Tana River cisticola, Cisticola restrictus Endemic to Kenya, probably threatened
- Tiny cisticola, Cisticola nana
- Trilling cisticola, Cisticola woosnami
- Wailing cisticola, Cisticola lais
- Winding cisticola, Cisticola marginatus
- Wing-snapping cisticola, Cisticola ayresii
- Whistling cisticola, Cisticola lateralis
- Zitting cisticola, Cisticola juncidis
Eremomela
- Green-backed eremomela, Eremomela canescens
- Greencap eremomela, Eremomela scotops
- Turner’s eremomela, Eremomela turneri (Endangered)
- Yellow-bellied eremomela, Eremomela icteropygialis
- Yellow-vented eremomela, Eremomela flavicrissalis
Prinia
- Banded prinia, Prinia bairdii
- Pale prinia, Prinia somalica
- Red-fronted prinia, Prinia rufifrons
- Red-winged prinia, Prinia erythroptera
- River prinia, Prinia fluviatilis (vagrant)
- Tawny-flanked prinia, Prinia subflava
- White-chinned prinia, Schistolais leucopogon
Warbler
- Black-faced rufous warbler, Bathmocercus rufus
- Buff-bellied warbler, Phyllolais pulchella
- Gray-capped warbler, Eminia lepida
- Gray wren-warbler, Calamonastes simplex
- Miombo wren-warbler, Calamonastes undosus
African warblers (Family: Macrosphenidae)
Like cisticolas, the african warblers are insectivorous. Their size ranges from small to medium. The family is relatively new as most of the species were previously placed in the Sylviidae family. Some of the African warblers in the East Africa region include:
- Green crombec (Sylvietta virens)
- Green hylia (Hylia prasina)
- Moustached grass-warbler (Melocichla mentalis)
- Northern crombec (Sylvietta brachyura)
- Red-faced crombec, (Sylvietta whytii)
- Somali crombec (Sylvietta isabelline)
- White-browed crombec (Sylvietta leucophrys)
We are still populating the list. check out the Wikipedia page below for a complete list. We should be done with our listing by April 1st 2022
David Okul is an environmental management professional with over 10 years experience on donor projects, conservation, forestry, ecotourism, and community-based natural resources management. When not working on active environmental management projects, I spend my time writing for Silvica on a variety of topics.
