10 Mar Trip Report – Wild Ethiopia: Birding Circuit, March 2025
Wild Ethiopia - March 2025 Trip Report
From 12 – 21 March 2025, Wild Birding led a comprehensive birding tour across Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, south-eastern highlands and southern lowlands. Guided by Zelalem Haile Michael, the trip explored an exceptional range of habitats and delivered outstanding results.
Over ten days, we recorded nearly 400 bird species, exceeding expectations and highlighting Ethiopia’s remarkable diversity. From Afro-montane forests and high-altitude plateaus to arid savanna and Rift Valley lakes, the variety of habitats translated into a rich and rewarding birding experience.
Overview
Ethiopia offers one of the most diverse birding experiences in Africa. Its dramatic geography – from highland plateaus to lowland savannas – supports an exceptional range of species, including a large number of endemics and range-restricted birds unique to the Horn of Africa.
March is a particularly interesting time to visit, with Palearctic migrants still present while many resident species remain active. This combination, alongside Ethiopia’s habitat diversity, makes for consistently productive birding.
This itinerary covered Awash National Park, the Rift Valley lakes, Bale Mountains, Yabello, Arero Forest and Wondo Genet, offering a well-balanced overview of the country’s key birding regions.
Awash National Park & Afar Region - Dry Country Birding
Starting from Addis Ababa, early birding around Lake Cheleleka and the Rift Valley already produced strong sightings, including Black-crowned Crane and a range of wetland species.
Awash National Park proved highly productive, with classic dry-country birding throughout acacia woodland and along the Awash River. Highlights included Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Eastern Paradise Whydah (displaying exceptionally well), Somali Bulbul, Nile Valley Sunbird, White-headed Buffalo Weaver and multiple hornbill species including African Grey, Northern Red-billed and Von der Decken’s.
Raptors and ground birds added further depth, with Buff-crested Bustard, Tawny Eagle, and both Pallid and Montagu’s Harriers recorded. A night arrival at Doho Lodge produced a welcome sighting of Slender-tailed Nightjar.
The nearby Hallidague-Assebot area added Arabian Bustard, Somali Fiscal, multiple shrike species and an excellent supporting cast of dry-country birds.
Mammal highlights in this region included African Golden Wolf, Bat-eared Fox and Northern Gerenuk.
Rift Valley Lakes - Lake Zeway & Lake Langano
Moving into the Rift Valley, Lake Zeway and Lake Langano provided excellent waterbirding.
Species recorded included African Darter, Long-tailed Cormorant, Sacred Ibis, Hadada Ibis and Glossy Ibis, alongside the near-endemic Ethiopian Cisticola. Roadside birding added Hamprich’s Hornbill, Bearded Woodpecker and Little Rock Thrush.
Abyatta-Shalla National Park contributed further species, including African Orange-bellied Parrot and Greyish Eagle Owl, while the surrounding woodland held Silvery-cheeked Hornbill and other key species.
Bale Mountains - Highlands and Endemics
The Bale Mountains formed a major highlight of the tour. As we ascended above 3,000 metres, the landscape opened into high-altitude plateau, offering some of Ethiopia’s most sought-after endemic species.
Key sightings included Wattled Ibis, Erlanger’s Lark, White-collared Pigeon, Spot-breasted Lapwing and the iconic Thick-billed Raven. A range of highland thrushes and chats added further depth to the list.
The Sanetti Plateau, one of the highest accessible areas in Africa, provided additional highlights including Abyssinian Catbird and several raptor species adapted to this harsh environment.
Mammals were equally impressive, with sightings of Ethiopian Wolf, Mountain Nyala, Menelik’s Bushbuck and Stark’s Hare.
Lake Hawassa - Lakeside Birding
At Lake Hawassa, birding shifted back to a more relaxed lakeside setting.
African Jacana, Malachite Kingfisher and African Pygmy Goose were all recorded, offering a strong contrast to the highland and savanna environments experienced earlier in the trip.
Despite some disturbance from development in the area, birdlife remained active and rewarding.
Yabello & Arero - Southern Endemics
The southern lowlands around Yabello and Arero provided another key highlight of the tour.
This region is essential for a number of highly localised endemics. Among the most notable were Stresemann’s Bushcrow and White-tailed Swallow, both restricted to this part of Ethiopia. Additional species included Black-fronted Francolin and Bare-faced Go-away-bird.
Arero Forest added further interest, with excellent views of Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco and Salvadori’s Seedeater, both highly sought-after species.
Wondo Genet & Hara Langano - Forest and Final Birding
At Wondo Genet, we searched for forest species including Narina Trogon and African Hill Babbler, alongside a range of woodland birds.
The final nights were spent around Hara Langano Lodge, set within Moraceae woodland. This habitat provided excellent final birding, with species including White-winged Black Tit, Red-capped Robin-Chat and Double-toothed Barbet.
Final Day - Lake Zeway
Our final stop at Lake Zeway provided a fitting conclusion to the tour.
The lake supported a wide range of waterbirds, including Glossy Ibis and Egyptian Goose, while the surrounding wetlands remained active with birdlife. The final species recorded was Bruce’s Green Pigeon, a memorable end to a highly successful trip.
Birding Highlights
Ethiopian Endemics & Range-Restricted Species
Thick-billed Raven
Ethiopian Cisticola
Wattled Ibis
Erlanger’s Lark
White-collared Pigeon
Spot-breasted Lapwing
Abyssinian Catbird
Stresemann’s Bushcrow
White-tailed Swallow
Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco
Salvadori’s Seedeater
Somali Fiscal
Other Notable Species
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill
Eastern Paradise Whydah
Somali Bulbul
Nile Valley Sunbird
Buff-crested Bustard
Arabian Bustard
Lilac-breasted Roller
Malachite Kingfisher
Bruce’s Green Pigeon
Mammal Sightings
Mammals recorded during the tour included:
Ethiopian Wolf
Mountain Nyala
Menelik’s Bushbuck
Bat-eared Fox
African Golden Wolf
Northern Gerenuk
Serval
Sacred Baboon
Grivet Monkey
Vervet Monkey
eBird Checklist
Full trip sightings can be explored here:
https://ebird.org/tripreport/343461
Conclusion
This tour demonstrated the sheer scale of Ethiopia’s birding potential. Recording nearly 400 species across ten days, the combination of endemic-rich highlands, productive Rift Valley lakes and species-rich southern lowlands creates one of Africa’s most compelling birding experiences.
For those seeking both diversity and endemics, Ethiopia remains one of the continent’s standout destinations.
Interested in birding Ethiopia?
We offer both scheduled and tailor-made birding tours across Ethiopia, from focused endemic itineraries to broader birding and wildlife experiences.
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