Birding in Lake Nakuru National Park

Birding in Lake Nakuru National Park

Birding in Lake Nakuru National Park

Birding in Lake Nakuru National Park: Lake Nakuru National Park is known as one of the top destinations for bird lovers, with more than 400 bird species making their life on the park’s soda lake, Lake Nakuru you will not be disappoint when you visit the park for bird watching. In fact for anyone who is interested in seeing or interacting with a variety of birds in one place, Lake Nakuru National Park should be your top destination. 

Lake Nakuru National Park was originally established as bird sanctuary to protect the numerous bird species in the park. Lake Nakuru National Park hosts over 400 bird species including some endangered bird species.  Lake Nakuru is famous for the pink flamingos that are so often in pictures of the park because they are always on the lake in large numbers covering the water with their pink colour; however the park has many more bird species that are as interesting as the flamingos.

So in this article we want to highlight some of the common birds we are sure you will find on your visit to Lake Nakuru National Park. These birds are the most common bird species in the park but they are not all the bird species in the park or on the lake so be sure to find many more species on your visit to the park. The common birds in Lake Nakuru National Park include but not limited to:-

  • Greater and Lesser Flamingos 

Flamingos both the greater and lesser are warding birds that are pink in colour and stay on shores of alkaline lakes. Greater Flamingos are taller and have a darker pink compared to the lesser flamingos that are smaller with a paler pink. They both feed on blue- green algae from the lake, shrimp and insects. 

Flamingos are the most famous birds in Lake Nakuru National Park and year Lake Nakuru hosts over a million flamingos on its shores.

  • The great white pelican 

Also known as the Eastern white pelican is one of the several birds from the Pelican family. The bird breeds in shallow lakes and swamps that’s why Lake Nakuru is a perfect habitat for it. The bird has black feathers with white shafts at the bases and a white plumage; the males have a downward bend in the neck well as their female counterparts have a straight bend in their necks. 

The great white pelican mainly feeds on fish and can be found throughout the year on Lake Nakuru.

  • The greater blue-eared starling 

Sometimes referred to as the greater blue-eared glossy-starling; is a blue- green bird that has blue ear patches and a purple-blue belly; the birds are also known to have musical abilities like the nasal squee-ar. they live in tree holes where they make their nests and they feed on majorly insects and berries. You’re sure to find these birds in Lake Nakuru National Park throughout the year.

  • The African fish eagle 

The African fish eagle is one of the large species of eagles found on water bodies across the sub-sahara. This bird has brown body and white head which is very similar with the bald eagle that is found in North America. The bird feeds mainly on fish and a few other water life; you can find all through the year on lake Nakuru in Lake Nakuru National Park.

  • The Hottentot teal

The Hottentot teal bird nests above water in trees and it breeds in places depending on the amount of rainfall in the area. The bird makes life on shallow waters as they spend the nights dabbling in the shallow waters and it feeds mainly on grass seeds though it’s know to also eat water insects and molluscs. Lake Nakuru is a shallow lake so it’s a perfect habitat for this bird. 

The Hottentot teal
The Hottentot teal

Other common bird species you will find in lake Nakuru National Park are:- the long-tailed widowbird, verreaux’s and long-crested eagle, yellow-billed Pelicans, Hammerkops, Marabou Storks, pied kingfisher, Goliath heron, African-Eurasian Migratory Flyway etc. 

Plan to visit Lake Nakuru National Park for a spectacular bird watching experience.

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