ABSTRACT
Kenya has one of the richest avifaunas in Africa. 1089 bird species are currently listed (Fanshawe and Bennun, 1991; East Africa Natural History Society, 1996), of which at least 9 are national endemics. The avifauna includes regular migrants within the African tropics, while others are from subtropical and temperate lands, particularly West Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia. About 170 species of Palaearctic migrants use Kenya as a flight path, with some going as far south as South Africa, while Afrotropical migrants, including those from Madagascar, constitute about 60 species. About 9 species are national endemics, including Williams’s Lark (Mirafra williamsi), Sharpe’s Longclaw (Macronyx sharpei), Hinde’s Babbler (Turdoides hindei), Clarke’s Weaver (Ploceus golandi), Aberdare Cisticola (Cisticola aberdare), Tana River Cisticola (Cisticola restrictus), Taita Thrush (Turdus olivaceus helleri), Forest Batis (Batis mixta ultima) and Montane White-Eye (Zosterops poliogastor) (Fishpool, 1996; Bennun and Njoroge, 1999).
