Birds of Ethiopia

There are close to 900 species of birds in Ethiopia. It is a centre of diversity regarding avifauna, with around 20 endemic birds living in the country. Some of these endemic birds include the Blue-winged Goose, the Moorland Francolin, the Harwood’s Francolin, the Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco, and the Spot-breasted Lapwing.

List of Common Birds Found in Ethiopia

Native Birds

• Abyssinian Catbird 
• Abyssinian Longclaw
• Abyssinian Long-eared Owl
• Abyssinian Oriole
• Abyssinian Roller
• Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher
• Abyssinian Woodpecker
• African Fish-eagle 
• African Gray Hornbill
• African Paradise Flycatcher
• African Sacred Ibis 
• Ankobar Serin
• Banded Barbet 
• Beautiful Sunbird 
• Black Headed Forest Oriole 
• Black-headed Siskin
• Black-winged Lovebird
• Blue-winged Goose
• Brown-rumped Seedeater
• Common Hoopoe 
• Common Ostrich
• Degodi Lark 
• Ethiopian Cisticola
• Ethiopian Emerald Cuckoo
• Ethiopian Lark
• Ethiopian Siskin
• Ethiopian Swallow
• Ethiopian Woodhoopoe 
• Golden Backed Woodpecker 
• Hadada Ibis 
• Hamerkop 
• Harwood’s Francolin 
• Helmeted Guinea Fowl 
• Hooded Vulture 
• House Sparrow
• Lammergeier 
• Lappet-faced Vulture
• Lesser Flamingo
• Lilac-Breasted Roller 
• Little Bee-Eater 
• Marabou Stork 
• Moorland Francolin
• Northern Bald Ibis
• Nechisar Nightjar
• Northern Red-Billed Hornbill 
• Nubian Woodpecker
• Pied Crow 
• Pied Kingfisher 
• Pin-Tailed Whydah 
• Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco 
• Red-billed Pytilla
• Red-Throated Bee Eater 
• Rouget’s Rail
• Rüppell’s Vulture
• Rüppell’s Black Chat
• Ruppll’s Chat 
• Salvadori’s Seedeater
• Secretarybird 
• Somali Ostrich
• Speckled Pigeon 
• Spot-breasted Lapwing
• Spot-breasted Plover 
• Stresemann’s Bushcrow
• Tawny Eagle
• Thick-billed Raven
• Village Weaver 
• Wattled Crane
• Wattled Ibis
• White Backed Black Tit 
• White-backed Vulture
• White-bellied Go-away-bird
• White-billed Starling
• White-cheeked Turaco
• White-collared Pigeon
• White-rumped Babbler
• White-tailed Swallow
• White-Throated Bee Eater 
• White-throated Seedeater
• White-winged Cliff Chat
• Woodland Kingfisher 
• Yellow-fronted Parrot 
• Yellow Throat Seed Eater 
• Yellow-throated Serin

Non-native Birds

• African Swift
• Black Tern
• Broad-billed Sandpiper
• Caspian Gull
• Cream-colored Courser
• Demoiselle Crane
• Denham’s Bustard
• Dunlin
• Egyptian Nightjar
• Eurasian Coot
• European golden-plover
• Franklin’s Gull
• Great Bittern
• Great Crested Tern
• Greater sand-plover
• Little Crake
• Long-toed Stint
• Madagascar Pratincole
• Pallid Swift
• Parasitic Jaeger
• Red Phalarope
• Rock Pigeon
• Sanderling
• Slender-billed Gull
• Swamp Nightjar
• White-tailed lapwing

Ethiopia is a fantastic destination for birdwatching, offering a wide range of diverse habitats and endemic bird species. Some notable birding sites include Simien Mountains National Park, Nechisar National Park, and twin Lakes Chamo and Abaya. The best time to observe migratory birds is from October to March, when they arrive in large numbers.