Laikipia Plateau is a great birding destination with more than 350 recorded species, including many north Kenya specials, such as the stately Somali ostrich. Across the plateau, varied habitats mark the intersection between the arid north and the more fertile south. This means that you might see arid-zone ground-dwelling birds such as sandgrouse not far from colorful forest species such as turacos, and grassland birds that include bustards. Raptors are well represented too.
Birding Specials Treats for Avid Birders
- Abyssinian nightjar
- African finfoot
- Black-faced sandgrouse
- Buff-crested bustard
- Common ostrich
- Crowned eagle
- Donaldson Smith’s nightjar
- Egyptian vulture
- Four-banded sandgrouse
- Hartlaub’s bustard
- Hartlaub’s turaco
- Lesser kestrel
- Lichtenstein’s sandgrouse
- Martial eagle
- Pallid harrier
- Red-footed falcon
- Silvery-cheeked hornbill
- Slate-coloured boubou
- Somali ostrich
- Sooty falcon
- Southern white-faced owl
- Spotted palm-thrush
- Verreaux’s eagle
- Von der Decken’s hornbill
- Vulturine guineafowl
Best Time for Bird Watching
Laikipia Plateau offers good bird watching year-round, but the best months are December to March. Migratory species arrive from Europe and North Africa from November to April and this partly coincides with the Wet season (October to May) when many species appear in breeding plumage. Some lodges close in April, May and November. The best time for general wildlife viewing is during the dry months from July to September, with January to March also good.