Ethiopia holds around 30 endemic bird species — more than almost anywhere else in mainland Africa — concentrated in its highland forests, moorland, and a handful of very restricted-range sites in the south. These are the ones most worth building a trip around.
Most birding routes in Ethiopia run best in the dry season, roughly October to May, when road access to the Bale Mountains, the Rift Valley lakes, and the south is most reliable. Palearctic migrants boost the lists roughly October to April. Endemics are resident and findable year-round — the season mainly changes comfort and driving time, and we plan around it.
Zavattariornis stresemanni
A pale grey, black-masked crow-relative with a striking blue bare-skin patch around the eye, restricted to a small area of acacia savanna near Yabelo in southern Ethiopia. One of the most range-restricted birds in Africa — its entire population lives in an area smaller than many national parks.
View live sightings on eBird →Tauraco ruspolii
A spectacular turaco with a fluffy whitish crest shading to rose-pink at the base, crimson wing patches visible in flight, and moss-green body plumage. Endemic to a narrow range of juniper woodland in southern Ethiopia around Arero and Negele.
View live sightings on eBird →Cyanochen cyanoptera
A pale grey-brown goose with a distinctive pale blue patch on the wing, found only in Ethiopia's highland grasslands and moorland — including the Sanetti Plateau in the Bale Mountains, well above 3,000m.
View live sightings on eBird →Bostrychia carunculata
A dark, iridescent ibis endemic to Ethiopia's highlands, with a small red throat wattle and a loud, harsh call often heard before the bird is seen. Common on highland farmland and moorland, including around Addis Ababa and the Bale Mountains.
View live sightings on eBird →Tauraco leucotis
A green turaco with a white patch below the eye and a shaggy dark crest, found in highland forest and forest edge across Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. Distinguished from Prince Ruspoli's Turaco by its white facial markings and darker crest.
View live sightings on eBird →Agapornis taranta
Also called the Ethiopian Lovebird: mostly green with black underwings visible in flight, and males showing a red patch above the bill. Endemic to Ethiopia and Eritrea's highland forests, often seen in fast, direct flocks overhead.
View live sightings on eBird →_female.jpg?width=1200)
Bucorvus abyssinicus
A huge, mostly black, ground-dwelling hornbill — males show a mix of blue and red bare facial skin, females entirely blue. Walks in small groups across open savanna and grassland, hunting on foot rather than flying to find food.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
View live sightings on eBird →Data: eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Field marks and range notes checked against eBird species accounts and Birds of the World before publishing.
Ask us about birding-focused itineraries in Ethiopia.
