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Kenya

This page lists books about birds and birdwatching in Kenya.

The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top.


Africa

For bird books that cover all of Africa see:

- Africa (All)

 

Pocket Guide: Birds of East Africa

Dave Richards

Struik Pocket Guide Series

Random House Struik

2016

"This pocket-sized photographic guide to the birds of East Africa features 296 birds likely to be spotted in the region. Color photos illustrate diagnostic features and plumage differences between male/female and breeding/non-breeding birds, as well as species that are easily confused. Key ID characteristics are highlighted, and distribution maps and Swahili common names are included."

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East Africa Birds: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species in Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda

James Kavanagh and Raymond Leung

Waterford Press

2015

"This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species and includes a map featuring prominent bird-viewing areas. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use on safari."

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Birds of Kenya's Rift Valley

Adam Scott Kennedy

Wildlife Explorer Guides

Princeton University Press

2014

"Kenya's Rift Valley includes four major national parks--Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria, Mount Longonot, and Hell's Gate--as well as many smaller areas that are outstanding for wildlife. Birds of Kenya's Rift Valley features the 320 bird species that are most likely to be encountered on safari in this world-famous region, which runs from Lake Baringo in the north to Lake Magadi in the south. Featuring over 500 stunning color photos, this beautiful guide breaks new ground with its eye-catching layout and easy-to-use format. The book follows a habitat-based approach and provides interesting information about the ecology and behaviors of each species. Birds of Kenya's Rift Valley avoids technical jargon in the species descriptions, which makes the guide easily accessible to anyone."

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Wings Of kenya

Lorenzo Barelli, Jacques Pitteloud and Samuel Mugo

Nature Kenya Publications

2012

A book of photographs covering 750 species.

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Kenya: A Natural History

Stephen Spawls and Glenn Matthews

A & C Black

2013

"For its size, Kenya probably has the most diverse range of habitats of any country in Africa, if not the world. Within its borders there are alpine peaks, montane forests, high plateaux, savannas, lowland forests, coastal woodlands and wetlands, and a string of varied lakes in the Great Rift Valley. The range of wildlife to be found in the region is correspondingly diverse. this book explores the wildlife and habitats in great detail and gives a thorough overview of Kenya's natural history."

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Birds of the Masai Mara

Adam Scott Kennedy

Princeton University Press

2012

"Birds of the Masai Mara is a remarkably beautiful photographic guide featuring the bird species likely to be encountered by visitors to the popular Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. With an eye-catching layout, easy-to-use format, and no-jargon approach, the book contains more than 300 stunning photographs covering over 200 species of birds and is accessible and informative, rather than purely identification-based. A handy, brief introduction provides visitors with background on the habitats of the national park, and the guide's habitat-based approach makes it simple to identify any bird species according to where it is found."

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Nairobi National Park: Bird Check List

Brian W. Finch

Nature Kenya Publications

2012

A 48 page annotated checklist covering just over 490 species.

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Birds of Africa: South of the Sahara

Ian Sinclair and Peter Evans

Struik Nature

2nd edition

2010

"With over 2,500 photographs, the text, by Africa's top birders, this indispensable companion in the field gives identification, call, habitat, status, breeding and diet, with calendar bars showing breeding, and distribution maps. Fully revised, Birds of Africa south of the Sahara provides unrivalled coverage of African birds in a single volume, and is the first book to describe and illustrate all of the birds found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert (the Afrotropic Region), including Socotra, Pemba and islands in the Gulf of Guinea. Despite its exceptional coverage of over 2,100 species described, plus 70 vagrants, this guide is compact enough to use in the field, and follows the standard field guide format, with texts and range maps appearing opposite the color plates. Comprehensively revised to reflect changes in taxonomy. Illustrations show most distinctive plumages, diagnostic flight patterns and major geographic variants."

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Birds of Eastern Africa

Ber Van Perlo

Princeton Illustrated Checklist

Princeton University Press

Updated edition

2009

"This is a fully updated edition of the only pocket guide that illustrates and describes all 1,487 bird species of eastern Africa, an area that includes Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Yemen's Socotra Island. This huge region's rich birdlife includes some of the most colorful species anywhere on earth - including ostriches, albatrosses, boobies, lovebirds, parrots, parakeets, kingfishers, and bee-eaters. The 96 color plates group similar species and subspecies, and the text directly opposite the plates describes each bird's habitat and key physical, behavioral, and vocal characteristics. Distribution maps show the range and frequency of each species. This is an indispensable guide for any birder who wants to explore eastern Africa's wealth of birds."

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Birds of Eastern Africa

Ber Van Perlo

Collins

2009

"Eastern Africa is becoming an increasingly popular destination for people who want to see first-hand the abundant widlife of this vast continent. 'Birds of Eastern Africa' is the only field guide to feature over 450 species found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia (including Socotra Island). Including full colour illustrations of each bird, key features on habitat, songs and calls, and distribution maps for each species, this guide contains all the information needed to quickly identify the birds found in this vast region."

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East African Wildlife

Philip Briggs

Bradt Wildlife Guides

Bradt

2008

"The wildlife of east Africa is the major visitor attraction of this region, thanks to the legendary game reserves of Serengeti and the Maasai Mara. This new guide provides a colourful overview of the region's variety of large animals together with information on their habits and habitats. The book also provides an excellent introduction to the region's less heralded variety of smaller creatures including 1,500 bird species and butterflies."

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Wildlife of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

David Hosking and Martin Withers

Collins Traveller's Guide

Harper Collins

2007

"The perfect companion for the safari enthusiast, this complete traveller's guide to the wildlife of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda features 475 species of bird, mammal, snake, lizard, insect and tree. A must-have for all those considering a trip to the game reserves of this highly popular region. This series is designed to give visitors to far-away places a handy identification guide to the wildlife they might see as they travel around. Written and illustrated by wildlife experts who have been leading safaris in the region for over 20 years, each species is illustrated with a full-colour photograph and features a full species description. It includes information on wildlife photography such as the best type of camera, film and lenses to use, information on techniques and codes of conduct."

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Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi

Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe

Princeton Field Guides

Princeton University Press

2006

"Birds of East Africa is the first comprehensive field guide to this spectacular birding region - and one of the best to any region in the world. Covering all resident, migrant, and vagrant birds of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, this small and compact guide describes and illustrates a remarkable 1,388 species in convenient facing-page layout. Featuring 287 new color plates with 3,400 images painstakingly rendered by three experienced artists, the guide illustrates all the plumages and major races likely to be encountered. Set opposite the plates are range maps and concise accounts describing identification, status, range, habits, and voice for each species. Introductory sections provide notes on how to use the species accounts, the nomenclature adopted, conservation issues, where to send records, and maps of protected and other important bird areas. Between them, Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe have more than 40 years' experience leading bird tours and conducting conservation work in East Africa. The region shelters a remarkable diversity of birds, including many seriously threatened species with small and vulnerable ranges."

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Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania

Dale A. Zimmerman, Donald A. Turner and David J. Pearson

Helm Field Guides

Christopher Helm

2005

"This field guide is an abridged edition of the successful Helm Identification Guide, "Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania". It covers all 1089 bird species known from the region, including vagrants. This book combines the format and detailed treatment of the larger version with the convenience of a field guide. All the species are illustrated with full details of all the plumages and major races likely to be encountered. Concise text describes identification, status, range, habits and voice with range maps for nearly every species."

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Field Guide to Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi

Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe

Helm Field Guides

Christopher Helm

2004

"This is the first comprehensive field guide dealing exclusively with the birds of this spetacular region. It covers all resident, migrant and vagrant species found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Over 1300 species are illustrated with full details all the plumages and major races likely to be encountered. Concise text describes identification, status, range, habits and voice with range maps for each species."

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Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania

Dale A. Zimmerman, Donald A. Turner and David J. Pearson

Helm Field Guides

Christopher Helm

2002

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Wildlife of East Africa

David Hosking and Martin Withers

Collins Traveller's Guide

Harper Collins

2002

"This text, a complete guide to the region, features 475 species of bird, mammal, snake, lizard, insect and tree. It should prove a useful companion for all those considering a trip to the game reserves, and for anyone interested in the wildlife of this region. Written and illustrated by wildlife experts who have been leading safaris in the region for over 20 years, each species is illustrated with a full-colour photograph, and there are also full species descriptions. The text includes information on wildlife photography: the best type of camera, film and lenses to use, information on techniques, and also codes of conduct. There is also a map showing the major national parks in the region."

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Wildlife of East Africa

Martin B. Withers and David Hosking

Princeton Illustrated Checklist

Princeton University Press

2002

"Ideal for the nature-loving traveler, Wildlife of Australia is a handy photographic pocket guide to the most widely seen birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and habitats of Australia. The guide features more than 400 stunning color photographs, and coverage includes 350 birds, 70 mammals, 30 reptiles, and 16 frogs likely to be encountered in Australia's major tourist destinations. Accessible species accounts are useful for both general travelers and serious naturalists, and the invaluable habitat section describes the Australian bush and its specific wildlife. Animal species with similar features are placed on the same plates in order to aid identification."

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A Photographic Guide to Birds of East Africa

Dave Richards

New Holland

2nd edition

2000

"The text for each species highlights the diagnostic feature or combination of features that will enable the birdwatcher to most easily identify the bird. Clear colour photographs have been chosen to illustrate the guide. For those species that are sexually dimorphic, have both breeding and non-breeding plumage, or in which the juvenile plumage differs markedly from that of the adult, more than one photograph has been included. Thumbnail silhouettes aid the reader in quickly locating the correct group of birds, and for each species account a map shows the bird's distribution."

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Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania

Dale A. Zimmerman, Donald A. Turner and David J. Pearson

Helm Field Guides

Christopher Helm

1999

"Designed for use in the field, this is a portable version of "Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania" in the "Helm, Identification Guide" series. It depicts every species recorded in the region and each is accompanied by facing text pages highlighting the key identification features."

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Important Bird Areas in Kenya

Leon Bennun and Peter Njoroge

East Africa Natural History Society / RSPB

1999

"This book is an important contribution to identifying Kenya's biodiversity conservation priorities. It describes in detail 60 sites in Kenya that meet the criteria for Important Bird Areas (IBAs) - places of global significance for bird and biodiversity conservation. "Important Bird Areas in Kenya" will interest environmental planners, policy makers, wildlife managers, students and researchers."

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Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania

Dale A. Zimmerman, Donald A. Turner and David J. Pearson

Princeton Field Guides

Princeton University Press

1999

"Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti Plains, tropical beaches, coral reefs, and such wildlife as elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, and rhinos. With all this, Kenya and northern Tanzania are the ultimate destination for safaris, adventure travel, and ecotourism. They also form one of the world's most spectacular regions for birdwatching, with a variety of species unmatched almost anywhere else - from the tiny Amani Sunbird to the eight-foot-tall Somali Ostrich, from the elegant flamingos of the Rift Valley lakes to carcass-eating vultures and snake-hunting eagles. This book is the definitive field guide for the thousands of birdwatchers and travelers who visit this breathtaking area every year. The guide features 124 color plates, depicting all 1,114 species in the area, including variations by subspecies, age, and sex. It contains over 800 range maps and succinct text that covers identification, voice, and distribution. Specially designed for use in the field, it is a compact version of the widely acclaimed Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, hailed on its publication in 1996 as the most comprehensive, accurate, and beautiful guide ever produced for the region. With its modest price, small trim size and sturdy, weather-resistant binding, this field guide is the one volume that every adventurous traveler to Kenya and northern Tanzania must have."

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Common Birds of East Africa

Martin B. Withers & David Hoskings

Collins

1996

"This guide covers all the common birds found in East Africa and the major areas visited by safaris - Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia. Each species is illustrated, with the differences betwen the male and female pointed out."

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Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania

Dale Zimmerman

Helm Identification Guides

Christopher Helm

1996

"A comprehensive field guide to the region. Describes and illustrates over 1,300 species that have been recorded in Kenya and Northern Tanzania. The individual species accounts include full identification notes and a distribution map."

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A Photographic Guide to Birds of East Africa

Dave Richards

New Holland

1996

"This photographic guide deals with the basics of bird identification in East Africa by presenting those species that are most likely to be seen in accessible habitats throughout the region. The book is aimed directly at field identification. For those species that are sexually dimorphic, have both breeding and non-breeding plumages, or in which the juvenile plumage differs markedly from that of the adult, more than one photograph has been included. Thumbnail silhouettes aid the reader in quickly locating the correct group of birds, and for each species account a map shows the bird's distribution."

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Birds of Eastern Africa

Ber Van Perlo

Collins

1995

"East Africa is one of the only places in the world where it is possible to see over 200 species of bird in one day. This richness has attracted bird watchers from the four corners of the world and has made Kenya and Tanzania the most popular wildlife tourist spots in the world. This book illustrates and describes every species of bird found in the area. The text details what kind of habitat the birds are found in, key identification features and notes on the calls and songs of each species. Maps are also included for every species to show where the species occurs in the area."

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A Birders Checklist of the Birds of Kenya

Dave Sargeant

1994

23 page checklist.

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Birds of Kenya: A Celebration

Dave Richards

Hamish Hamilton

1991

"A celebration of the birds of East Africa. The text explores the wildlife parks, with details of the bird's appearance, habitat and behaviour. Kenya has one of the richest and most exotic bird populations of Africa. The author describes the call, the plumage and the habits of the birds."

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A Bird Atlas of Kenya

A. Lewis and D. Pomeroy

CRC Press

1989

"This atlas is an explanatory overview of Kenya's 1065 species, useful both to the birdwatcher as a means of finding birds and interpreting the significance of field observations, and to the ornithologist as a standard reference work."

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Beautiful Birds of Kenya

John Karmali

Camerapix Publishers

1989

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Birds of East Africa, Volume 2

C. A. W. Guggisberg

Illustrations: Malcolm Ellis

Mount Kenya

1988

(There are earlier editions)

Covers passerines.

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Birds of East Africa, Volume 1

C. A. W. Guggisberg

Illustrations: Malcolm Ellis

Mount Kenya

1988

(There are earlier editions)

Covers non-passerines.

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A Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa

J.G. Williams and N. Arlott

Collins

1980

48 colour plates with over 650 illustrations.

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Birds of East Africa

P.L. Britton

East Africa Natural History Society

1980

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A Field Guide to the Birds of East And Central Africa

J.G. Williams

Collins

1963

459 species described and illustrated, 179 in colour.

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A Bird Watcher In Kenya

Vernon D. van Someren

Oliver & Boyd

1958

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Birds Of Eastern and North Eastern Africa

African Handbook Of Birds: Series 1

C. W Mackworth-Praed, C.H.B. Grant

Includes plates by Roland Green, H. Gronvold, D.M. Reid Henry, C.E. Talbot Kelly, N.C.K. Lighton, and others

Longmans

1952-1955?

This series was published in two volumes, Volume 1 covers non-passerines, volume 2 covers passerines. This series is part of the 6 volume African Handbook Of Birds.

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The Birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate

Sir Frederick Jackson

Editor: W.L. Sclater

Illustrations: G. E. Lodge, H. Gronwold

Gurney & Jackson

1938

A three volume work based on notes and specimens put together by Jackson during 30 years in Eastern Africa. The notes were edited by W.L. Sclater.

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Catalogue Of A Collection Of Birds From British East Africa

Ned Dearborn

Ornithological Series, Vol 1, No. 4

Field Columbian Museum

1909

Opening lines:

The collection of birds here treated was brought home by the Museum's last expedition to East Africa, 1905-7, made under the direction of Mr. C. E. Akeley. Most of these specimens were collected and prepared by Mrs. Akeley. Colors have been designated according to Ridgway's "Nomenclature of Colors." Specimens without sex marks on labels have been indicated by a ?. Occasional notes concerning habits were made by the collector, and are included in quotation marks. One new species is described. The type locality, if known, follows the original citation of each name. The map indicates the location of the different camps at which specimens were obtained. The sequence of families is that adopted by Dr. Sharpe in his Handbook.
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Last updated July 2014