Ethiopia offers some of the most interesting bird wildlife in Africa. Due to the enormous variety of landscapes in the country, the diverse bird habitats are found in close proximity to one another. Within just a few days of travel many different regions can be covered featuring many different bird species. Keen ornithologists are drawn to the land for it’s large number of endemic birds, found only inEthiopia.
A total of 850 bird species are found in Ethiopia, whereas over 20 are endemic to the land. Another two to three dozen birds are nearly endemic and are found only in Ethiopia and Eritrea or in the triangle of land between southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya and Somalia. It is also highly probably that many more bird species are still undiscovered in this region. Most recently in 1992 the wing of a previously undiscovered bird (the Nechisar Nightjar) was found in theNechisarNational Park.
Please find below a brief summary of the best places for bird watching. We are also happy to work together to build a travel route according to your interests and time frame.
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Addis Ababa:
Entoto Natural Park * highland forest endemics
Menagesha Forest * highland forest endemics
Gefersa Reservoir * water-associated and grassland endemics
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Rift Valley:
Lake Ziway * water and marsh birds
Lake Abiata and Lake Shala * shorebirds
Awassa * water birds and acacia woodland birds
Wondogenet * forest birds including endemics
Nechisar National Park * forest birds
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Bale Highlands:
Dinsho * abundance of forest birds including several localized and endemic species
Sanetti Plateau * best place for endemics associated with grassland
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Sof Omar Caves:
The best place to see the rare and very localized Salvadori’s serin.
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Negele Borena and surrounds:
Genale * the best place to see the rare endemic Prince Ruspoli’s turaco
In the vicinity of Negele Borena * the only known site for the endemic Sidamo lark and the endemic Degodi lark; the area is also home to the endemic Salvadori’s serin
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Yabello and surrounds:
Yabello * dry-country birds including birds associated with the arid country shared with northern Kenia and Somalia e.g. white-winged turtle dove, the very localized Juba weaver, Streseman’s bush crow and the white-tailed swallow, whose restricted range is centered on Yabello.
Forests around Arero * the rare endemic Prince Ruspoli’s turaco and Salvadori’s serin
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Awash National Park
One of the best places for birding inEthiopia and home to the yellow-throated serin (MountFantelle), sombre rock chat (MountFantelle) and Ethiopian cliff swallow (Awash Gorge).
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Ankober
Ankober * highland birds and the endemic Ankober serin, which was discovered as recently as in 1976
Aliyu Amba * yellow-throated serin
Mehal Meda * species similar to the Sanetti Plateau
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Jemma Valley
Harwood’s spurfowl, whose range is restricted to the JemmaValley
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