Masai Mara Bird Spotter
The Masai Mara is one of Africa's great birding theatres — over 500 recorded species. Here are the ones worth turning the vehicle around for, and how to find them.
© Mark Bolnik · CC BY
Martial Eagle
Polemaetus bellicosus- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Group
- Eagles
Zone
Mara Triangle
Hunts
Mammals · Lizards
Spot from
Open game drive
Best time
Jun – Sep
In the Mara
Uncommon
Photography
Moderate
Africa's most powerful eagle — it brings down impala, monitor lizards, and young baboons without breaking a thermal. Despite the name, the crest is rarely raised. What you'll notice first is the effortless circling on broad dark wings, those amber eyes scanning 4,000 hectares from a single updraft above the escarpment.
Based on recent sightings near the Maasai Mara
Every bird, ranked by how hard it is to find
Loading…Spotter's Corner
Sightings from travellers and guides in the Mara. Share what you found — every entry is reviewed before it appears.
Priya R.
"The Saddle-billed Stork pair near the crossing point stood dead still for twenty minutes, then both struck at once. Our guide said he sees it maybe twice a season."
Share a sighting
Full Masai Mara bird checklist — 57 species
Every species in the spotter above, with its scientific name, group and the best months to see it in the Maasai Mara.
- Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus
- Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudatus
- African Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer
- Bateleur Eagle Terathopius ecaudatus
- Saddle-billed Stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis
- Verreaux's Eagle-Owl Ketupa lactea
- Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum
- Secretary Bird Sagittarius serpentarius
- Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax
- African Hawk-Eagle Aquila spilogaster
- Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis
- Black-chested Snake-Eagle Circaetus pectoralis
- Augur Buzzard Buteo augur
- Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos
- White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus
- Rüppell's Griffon Vulture Gyps rueppelli
- African Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus
- Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
- Goliath Heron Ardea goliath
- Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis
- Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer
- African Spoonbill Platalea alba
- African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus
- Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash
- Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
- Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
- African Jacana Actophilornis africanus
- Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus
- Superb Starling Lamprotornis superbus
- Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri
- Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori
- Common Ostrich Struthio camelus
- Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris
- Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorynchus
- Yellow-throated Longclaw Macronyx croceus
- Von der Decken's Hornbill Tockus deckeni
- Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus
- White-bellied Bustard Eupodotis senegalensis
- Northern Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus
- Magpie Shrike Urolestes melanoleucus
- Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africanus
- African Scops-Owl Otus senegalensis
- Pearl-spotted Owlet Glaucidium perlatum
- Slender-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus clarus
- Southern White-faced Owl Ptilopsis granti
- European Roller Coracias garrulus
- European Bee-eater Merops apiaster
- White Stork Ciconia ciconia
- Abdim's Stork Ciconia abdimii
- Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis
- Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina
- Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus
- Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus
- Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus
- Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
- Amur Falcon Falco amurensis
- European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus
James K.
Nairobi wildlife photographer · Mara Triangle · Jun 2025
"Two hours watching a Martial Eagle pair circling the escarpment at first light. One stooped on a hare and missed — still the best 120 seconds of the trip."