Site Report: Maasai Steppe, Tanzania
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius)
Pin-tailed Whydah (Vidua macroura)
White-headed Mousebird (Colius leucocephalus)
Tips (Colotis)
Tsavo Sunbird (Cinnyris tsavoensis)
Purple Roller (Coracias naevius)
Hunter's Sunbird (Chalcomitra hunteri) - Male
Pearl-spotted Owlet (Glaucidium perlatum)
Hunter's Sunbird (Chalcomitra hunteri) - Female
Red-headed Weaver (Anaplectes rubriceps) - Female
Straw-tailed Whydah (Vidua fischeri)
Yellow-billed Egret (Ardea brachyrhyncha)
Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus) - Female
Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
Dideric Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius)
Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
Pink-breasted Lark (Calendulauda poecilosterna)
Banded Parisoma (Curruca boehmi)
Black Heron (Egretta ardesiaca)
Pied Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)
Blue-spot Pansy (Junonia oenone)
Hunter's Sunbird (Chalcomitra hunteri) - Female
Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush (Monticola saxatilis)
White-browed Scrub-Robin (Cercotrichas leucophrys)
Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)
Scarlet-chested Sunbird (Chalcomitra senegalensis) - Male
Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)
African Yellow Pansy (Junonia hierta)
African Gray Flycatcher (Bradornis microrhynchus)
Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens)
Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava)
Pygmy Batis (Batis perkeo)- Female
Spotted Morning-Thrush (Cichladusa guttata)
Spotted Morning-Thrush (Cichladusa guttata)
Black-throated Barbet (Tricholaema melanocephala)
Northern Crombec (Sylvietta brachyura)
Klaas's Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas)
Brown-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra australis)
Red-billed Firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala)
Variable Sunbird (Cinnyris venustus)
Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens)
Somali Bunting (Emberiza poliopleura)
Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus)
Reichenow's Seedeater (Crithagra reichenowi)
Swahili Sparrow (Passer suahelicus)
Red-bellied Parrot (Poicephalus rufiventris)
Speckle-fronted Weaver (Sporopipes frontalis)
White-throated Robin (Irania gutturalis) - Female
Red-fronted Prinia (Prinia rufifrons)
Rattling Cisticola (Cisticola chiniana)
Rufous Chatterer (Argya rubiginosa)
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird (Anthreptes orientalis)
White-bellied Canary (Crithagra dorsostriata)
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (Iduna pallida)
Purple Grenadier (Granatina ianthinogaster) - Female
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird (Anthreptes orientalis)
Golden-backed Weaver (Ploceus jacksoni)
Pygmy Batis (Batis perkeo)
Hildebrandt's Starling (Lamprotornis hildebrandti)
Lesser Masked-Weaver (Ploceus intermedius) - Female
European Roller (Coracias garrulus)
Black-capped Social-Weaver (Pseudonigrita cabanisi)
Vitelline Masked-Weaver (Ploceus vitellinus) - Female
Eastern Chanting-Goshawk (Melierax poliopterus) - Juvenile
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)
Lesser Masked-Weaver (Ploceus intermedius) - Male
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird (Anthreptes orientalis) - Female
Chestnut Weaver (Ploceus rubiginosus) - Female
Black-chested Snake-Eagle (Circaetus pectoralis)
Steel-blue Whydah (Vidua hypocherina)
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Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius)
Pin-tailed Whydah (Vidua macroura)
White-headed Mousebird (Colius leucocephalus)
Tips (Colotis)
Tsavo Sunbird (Cinnyris tsavoensis)
Purple Roller (Coracias naevius)
Hunter's Sunbird (Chalcomitra hunteri) - Male
Pearl-spotted Owlet (Glaucidium perlatum)
Hunter's Sunbird (Chalcomitra hunteri) - Female
Red-headed Weaver (Anaplectes rubriceps) - Female
Straw-tailed Whydah (Vidua fischeri)
Yellow-billed Egret (Ardea brachyrhyncha)
Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus) - Female
Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
Dideric Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius)
Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
Pink-breasted Lark (Calendulauda poecilosterna)
Banded Parisoma (Curruca boehmi)
Black Heron (Egretta ardesiaca)
Pied Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)
Blue-spot Pansy (Junonia oenone)
Hunter's Sunbird (Chalcomitra hunteri) - Female
Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush (Monticola saxatilis)
White-browed Scrub-Robin (Cercotrichas leucophrys)
Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)
Scarlet-chested Sunbird (Chalcomitra senegalensis) - Male
Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)
African Yellow Pansy (Junonia hierta)
African Gray Flycatcher (Bradornis microrhynchus)
Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens)
Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava)
Pygmy Batis (Batis perkeo)- Female
Spotted Morning-Thrush (Cichladusa guttata)
Spotted Morning-Thrush (Cichladusa guttata)
Black-throated Barbet (Tricholaema melanocephala)
Northern Crombec (Sylvietta brachyura)
Klaas's Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas)
Brown-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra australis)
Red-billed Firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala)
Variable Sunbird (Cinnyris venustus)
Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens)
Somali Bunting (Emberiza poliopleura)
Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus)
Reichenow's Seedeater (Crithagra reichenowi)
Swahili Sparrow (Passer suahelicus)
Red-bellied Parrot (Poicephalus rufiventris)
Speckle-fronted Weaver (Sporopipes frontalis)
White-throated Robin (Irania gutturalis) - Female
Red-fronted Prinia (Prinia rufifrons)
Rattling Cisticola (Cisticola chiniana)
Rufous Chatterer (Argya rubiginosa)
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird (Anthreptes orientalis)
White-bellied Canary (Crithagra dorsostriata)
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (Iduna pallida)
Purple Grenadier (Granatina ianthinogaster) - Female
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird (Anthreptes orientalis)
Golden-backed Weaver (Ploceus jacksoni)
Pygmy Batis (Batis perkeo)
Hildebrandt's Starling (Lamprotornis hildebrandti)
Lesser Masked-Weaver (Ploceus intermedius) - Female
European Roller (Coracias garrulus)
Black-capped Social-Weaver (Pseudonigrita cabanisi)
Vitelline Masked-Weaver (Ploceus vitellinus) - Female
Eastern Chanting-Goshawk (Melierax poliopterus) - Juvenile
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)
Lesser Masked-Weaver (Ploceus intermedius) - Male
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird (Anthreptes orientalis) - Female
Chestnut Weaver (Ploceus rubiginosus) - Female
Black-chested Snake-Eagle (Circaetus pectoralis)
Steel-blue Whydah (Vidua hypocherina)
Scrub
Visits
- 2025-01-30: We woke up early to go back to the area of the airport to explore the Maasai Plains. This is an area of thorny scrub which is heavily used for grazing goats. We stopped at several places along the road and also took a short detour to a marshy area.
Species Seen
Kingdom: Animals (127 records)
Phylum: Arthropods
(3 records)
Class: Insects
(3 records)
- Order: Butterflies and Moths
(3 records)
- Family: Brush-footed Butterflies
- African Yellow Pansy (Junonia hierta)
- Blue-spot Pansy (Junonia Oenone)
- Family: Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs
- Tips (Colotis sp)
Phylum: Chordates
(124 records)
Class: Birds
(124 records)
- Order: Anseriformes
(2 records)
- Family: Swans, Geese, and Ducks
- Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)
- White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)
- Order: Bucerotiformes (3 records)
- Order: Coliiformes (2 records)
- Order: Cranes, Rails, and Allies
(1 record)
- Family: Bustards
- Buff-crested Bustard (Lophotis gindiana)
- Order: Cuckoos (5 records)
- Order: Doves and Pigeons (6 records)
- Order: Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies (5 records)
- Order: Hummingbirds and Swifts
(1 record)
- Family: Swifts
- Little Swift (Apus affinis)
- Order: Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Motmots (7 records)
- Family: Kingfishers
- Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus)
- Family: Rollers
- European Roller (Coracias garrulus)
- Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus)
- Purple Roller (Coracias naevius)
- Order: Musophagiformes
(1 record)
- Family: Turacos
- White-bellied Go-away-bird (Crinifer leucogaster)
- Order: Owls And Nightjars
(1 record)
- Family: Typical Owls
- Pearl-spotted Owlet (Glaucidium perlatum)
- Order: Parrots
(1 record)
- Family: New World Parrots
- Red-bellied Parrot (Poicephalus rufiventris)
- Order: Pelicans (14 records)
- Family: Ibises and Spoonbills
- African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
- Family: Jacanas
- African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
- Family: Sandgrouse
- Black-faced Sandgrouse (Pterocles decoratus)
- Family: Sandpipers and Allies
- Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
- Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
- Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
- Order: Perching Birds
(68 records)
- Family: African Warblers
- Northern Crombec (Sylvietta brachyura)
- Red-faced Crombec (Sylvietta whytii)
- Family: Bulbuls
- Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
- Yellow-bellied Greenbul (Chlorocichla flaviventris)
- Family: Cardueline Finches and Allies
- Reichenow's Seedeater (Crithagra reichenowi)
- White-bellied Canary (Crithagra dorsostriata)
- Family: Drongos
- Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)
- Family: Gonoleks
- Brubru (Nilaus afer)
- Slate-colored Boubou (Laniarius funebris)
- Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike (Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus)
- Family: Indigobirds
- Pin-tailed Whydah (Vidua macroura)
- Steel-blue Whydah (Vidua hypocherina)
- Straw-tailed Whydah (Vidua fischeri)
- Family: Jays and Crows
- Brown-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra australis)
- Family: Larks
- Pink-breasted Lark (Calendulauda poecilosterna)
- Family: Laughingthrushes
- Rufous Chatterer (Argya rubiginosa)
- Family: Old World Buntings
- Somali Bunting (Emberiza poliopleura)
- Family: Old World Flycatchers
- African Gray Flycatcher (Bradornis microrhynchus)
- Family: Old World Sparrows
- Black-capped Social-Weaver (Pseudonigrita cabanisi)
- Black-necked Weaver (Ploceus nigricollis)
- Blue-capped Cordonbleu (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus)
- Chestnut Weaver (Ploceus rubiginosus)
- Crimson-rumped Waxbill (Estrilda rhodopyga)
- Golden-backed Weaver (Ploceus jacksoni)
- Green-winged Pytilia (Pytilia melba)
- House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
- Lesser Masked-Weaver (Ploceus intermedius)
- Purple Grenadier (Granatina ianthinogaster)
- Red-billed Firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala)
- Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea)
- Red-headed Weaver (Anaplectes rubriceps)
- Speckle-fronted Weaver (Sporopipes frontalis)
- Swahili Sparrow (Passer suahelicus)
- Vitelline Masked-Weaver (Ploceus vitellinus)
- Yellow-spotted Bush Sparrow (Gymnoris pyrgita)
- Family: Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers
- Banded Parisoma (Curruca boehmi)
- Yellow-bellied Eremomela (Eremomela icteropygialis)
- Family: Prinias and Apalis
- Gray Wren-Warbler (Calamonastes simplex)
- Rattling Cisticola (Cisticola chiniana)
- Red-fronted Prinia (Prinia rufifrons)
- Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava)
- Family: Reed Warblers and Allies
- Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (Iduna pallida)
- Family: Shrike-flycatchers
- Pygmy Batis (Batis perkeo)
- Family: Shrikes
- Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus)
- Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio)
- White-rumped Shrike (Eurocephalus ruppelli)
- Family: Starlings and Mynas
- Hildebrandt's Starling (Lamprotornis hildebrandti)
- Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus)
- Wattled Starling (Creatophora cinerea)
- Family: Sunbirds
- Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird (Anthreptes orientalis)
- Gorgeous Sunbird (Cinnyris melanogastrus)
- Hunter's Sunbird (Chalcomitra hunteri)
- Scarlet-chested Sunbird (Chalcomitra senegalensis)
- Tsavo Sunbird (Cinnyris tsavoensis)
- Variable Sunbird (Cinnyris venustus)
- Family: Swallows
- Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
- Lesser Striped Swallow (Cecropis abyssinica)
- Plain Martin (Riparia paludicola)
- Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)
- Family: Thrushes and Allies
- African Bare-eyed Thrush (Turdus tephronotus)
- Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush (Monticola saxatilis)
- Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
- Spotted Morning-Thrush (Cichladusa guttata)
- White-browed Scrub-Robin (Cercotrichas leucophrys)
- White-throated Robin (Irania gutturalis)
- Family: Wagtails and Pipits
- African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp)
- Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
- Family: White-eyes
- Pale White-eye (Zosterops flavilateralis)
- Order: Shorebirds and Allies
(2 records)
- Family: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida)
- Family: Plovers
- Crowned Lapwing (Vanellus coronatus)
- Order: Turkey-like birds
(1 record)
- Family: Guineafowl
- Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
- Order: Woodpeckers, Barbets, Toucans, and Honeyguides
(4 records)
- Family: African Barbets
- Black-throated Barbet (Tricholaema melanocephala)
- Red-fronted Barbet (Tricholaema diademata)
- Family: Piculets and Woodpeckers
- Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens)
- Golden-tailed Woodpecker (Campethera abingoni)