Bird Watching

Ankober, which was once known as Ankobar, is a central Ethiopian town. It is 40 km. east of Debre Birhan and approximately 140 km northwest of Addis Ababa. Ankober has a height of 8,100 feet. Ankober is known to be a friendly birding tour area in Ethiopia. The Ankober serin, a finch, originated from the Fringillidae family also found here.

 

This park forms part of the heritage and cultural background of Ethiopia. It is popularly regarded as one of Ethiopia’s beautiful state parks. Founded in 1966, this park is situated east of Addis Ababa and it contains approximately 759 sq. km. of grassland. In this park, one can find almost 460 species. Some of these species include the Somber chat, Imperial Eagle, Lesser Kestrel and the Yellow Throat Serin.

 

In the Ethiopian Highlands, this grand terrestrial plateau is about 10,000 feet above sea level. The Bale Mountains surrounds a great portion of the plateau. A vast amount of volcanic cones measures 4000 meters there. remains home to 16 Somali-Masai species. Other endemic mammals like the White Winged Dove, Jubaland Weavers, Ovambo Sparrowhawk and the Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco reside there. With its exotic landscape and diverse birdlife, the Bale Mountains National Park is situated in south eastern Ethiopia.

 

With a resounding height of 1708 meters above sea level, Awasa, commonly called Hawassa, is a beautiful city in Ethiopia. It is 30 km east of Sodo and 75 km on the northern side of Dilla. This scenic landform caters to the needs of all who want to experience the beauty of birding. The Grey Kestrel, the white breasted Cormorant, the Brown Snake Eagle and the Blue Headed Coucal form part of the many species in Awasa.

 

The Abijatta Shalla is found in the Great Rift Valley. This national park is separated by two lakes named Abijatta and Shalla. In the midst of these 2 lakes, Mount Fike, is the highest peak of the park. The Abijatta Lake is 46 meters deep and the Shalla Lake is 260 meters deep. More than 400 species of birds including the Grant’s gazelle, kudu, flamingos, ostriches, white-necked cormorant and African fish eagle are among the many to be spotted in this location.

 

The Sululta plain is located south, near the city of Addis Ababa. It is 2500 meters above sea level and is a very shallow valley. Much of Sululta is occupied by mountains with many small rivers. The Great Snipe, the Rouget’s Rail and the White-winged Flufftail can be spotted there.

 

Over 180 species of birds have been found in the Simien Mountains National Park. Of these, five are endemic to Ethiopia and a further 12 to Ethiopia and Eritrea. The park is particularly rich in raptors and vultures. The near threatened species: Pallid Harrier, Lammergeier and Augur Buzzard are generally common throughout the park. Other interesting species recorded are the Wahlberg’s, Verreaux, and Martial Eagle, African Hawk Eagle, Rufous-Breasted Sparrow-hawk, Fox Kestrel, Cape Eagle Owl, Abyssinian Owl and Black stork recorded.