Abijata-Shalla Lakes National Park

National Park · Ethiopia

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Photo © Ninaras

Photo © Ninaras — CC BY 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Two crater lakes of contrasting chemistry define this remote corner of Ethiopia's Rift Valley, where soda lakes and freshwater basins create a mosaic of distinct aquatic worlds. The park straddles dramatic terrain: steep volcanic scarps rise from the water's edge, while surrounding highlands give way to scattered acacia woodland and grassland that grade into drier scrub toward the margins. The lakes themselves—one alkaline, one relatively fresh—support radically different ecological communities. Aquatic birds congregate in remarkable numbers, drawn to the abundant invertebrate life and fish populations that thrive in these mineral-rich waters. Raptors patrol the cliffs and open ground, while smaller passerines and ground-feeding birds work the grassland patches and scattered trees. Large grazing mammals and their predators move through the more open terrain, and the transition zones between water and land host specialist species adapted to the harsh chemical and thermal gradients that few other places on Earth present.

For those patient enough to navigate the rough access roads into the Oromia Region, the park rewards with raw, unvarnished wilderness and light that transforms hourly as it rakes across the volcanic ridges. The wet season brings an explosion of waterbird activity—migrants and residents gathering in spectacular concentrations—while the dry months offer clearer skies and better visibility for tracking the movements of grassland fauna across the open expanses. The interplay of alkaline and freshwater systems creates an almost alien landscape, where geology and biology conspire to produce something unlike any other rift-valley park in the region. Few international visitors penetrate this far, and those who do discover a place where the sheer strangeness of the environment—combined with the profusion of wildlife it supports—makes every moment feel like an encounter with a corner of the world that tourism has barely touched.

Phone +251 {09} 12-15-21-71

Email abijatashallanp@yahoo.com

Birding TourModerate

Finot Tour and Safari Ethiopia

Ethiopian Bird Watching

Finot Tour and Safari Ethiopia·Ethiopia

14 Days 13 EN · ES · FR · DE · IT · PT Abyssinian Ground Hornbill · Moorland Chat +6

Bostrychia carunculata

Thick-billed Raven

Corvus crassirostris

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

Plocepasser mahali

Leptoptilos crumenifer

Great White Pelican

Pelecanus onocrotalus

Superb Starling

Lamprotornis superbus

African Fish Eagle

Icthyophaga vocifer

Rüppell's Starling

Lamprotornis purpuroptera

Spur-winged Lapwing

Vanellus spinosus

African Sacred Ibis

Threskiornis aethiopicus

Scopus umbretta

Black-winged Lovebird

Agapornis taranta

White-bellied Go-away-bird

Crinifer leucogaster

Rüppell's Weaver

Ploceus galbula

Speckled Mousebird

Colius striatus

Ploceus cucullatus

Streptopelia semitorquata

Beautiful Sunbird

Cinnyris pulchellus

Pied Kingfisher

Necrosyrtes monachus

Grey-backed Fiscal

Lanius excubitoroides

Struthio molybdophanes

Speckled Pigeon

Northern Black Flycatcher

Melaenornis edolioides

Western Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla flava

Actophilornis africanus

Swainson's Sparrow

Passer swainsonii

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

Northern Red-billed Hornbill

Tockus erythrorhynchus

African Paradise Flycatcher

Terpsiphone viridis

Hemprich's Hornbill

Lophoceros hemprichii

Woodland Kingfisher

Halcyon senegalensis

Red-billed Firefinch

Lagonosticta senegala

Alopochen aegyptiaca

Grey-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

Senegal Thick-knee

Burhinus senegalensis

Silvery-cheeked Hornbill

Bycanistes brevis

Malachite Kingfisher

Corythornis cristatus

Bostrychia hagedash

Eastern Grey Woodpecker

Dendropicos spodocephalus

Egretta ardesiaca

Mourning Collared Dove

Streptopelia decipiens

Black-billed Wood Hoopoe

Phoeniculus somaliensis

White-headed Buffalo Weaver

Dinemellia dinemelli

Nubian Woodpecker

Campethera nubica

Yellow-billed Stork

Rattling Cisticola

Cisticola chiniana

Egretta garzetta

Ardeola ralloides

Pycnonotus barbatus

White-rumped Babbler

Turdoides leucopygia

White-faced Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna viduata

Slender-tailed Nightjar

Caprimulgus clarus

Red-throated Wryneck

Jynx ruficollis

Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

Greyish Eagle-Owl

Bubo cinerascens

African Grey Flycatcher

Bradornis microrhynchus

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Chalcomitra senegalensis

Crithagra citrinelloides

Lesser Flamingo

Phoeniconaias minor

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill

Bucorvus abyssinicus

Von der Decken's Hornbill

Buff-bellied Warbler

Phyllolais pulchella

Cinnyris mariquensis

White-cheeked Turaco

Menelikornis leucotis

Bearded Woodpecker

Chloropicus namaquus

White-winged Black Tit

Melaniparus leucomelas

Village Indigobird

Vidua chalybeata

Bruce's Green Pigeon

Kittlitz's Plover

Anarhynchus pecuarius

African Spoonbill

Black-billed Barbet

Lybius guifsobalito

Western Black-headed Batis

Batis erlangeri

Spur-winged Goose

Plectropterus gambensis

Crested Francolin

Ortygornis sephaena

Bare-faced Go-away-bird

Crinifer personatus

Red-fronted Barbet

Tricholaema diademata

Fork-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus adsimilis

Green-backed Camaroptera

Camaroptera brachyura

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl

Double-toothed Barbet

Pogonornis bidentatus

Rufous Chatterer

Argya rubiginosa

Microcarbo africanus

Yellow-fronted Parrot

Poicephalus flavifrons

Red-bellied Parrot

Poicephalus rufiventris

Northern White-crowned Shrike

Eurocephalus ruppelli

Red-billed Oxpecker

Buphagus erythroryncha

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

Abyssinian White-eye

Zosterops abyssinicus

Wattled Starling

Creatophora cinerea

Spectacled Weaver

Ploceus ocularis

Red-headed Weaver

Anaplectes rubriceps

Crowned Lapwing

Vanellus coronatus

Blue-naped Mousebird

Urocolius macrourus

Cardinal Woodpecker

Dendropicos fuscescens

Fan-tailed Raven

Corvus rhipidurus

Ethiopian Boubou

Laniarius aethiopicus

Tawny-flanked Prinia

Prinia subflava

Reichenow's Seedeater

Crithagra reichenowi

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

Ploceus luteolus

Black Scimitarbill

Rhinopomastus aterrimus

Ethiopian Bee-eater

Merops lafresnayii

Hirundo rustica

Calidris minuta

Calidris pugnax

Tringa glareola

Little Rock Thrush

Monticola rufocinereus

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Isabelline Wheatear

Oenanthe isabellina

White-winged Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus

African Dusky Flycatcher

Muscicapa adusta

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

Brown-throated Martin

Riparia paludicola

Abyssinian Wheatear

Oenanthe lugubris

Northern Carmine Bee-eater

Black-tailed Godwit

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Northern Pintail

Levaillant's Cuckoo

Clamator levaillantii

Cuculus gularis

Tambourine Dove

Turtur tympanistria

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Recurvirostra avosetta

Common Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticula

Anarhynchus asiaticus

Anarhynchus alexandrinus

Three-banded Courser

Rhinoptilus cinctus

Temminck's Courser

Cursorius temminckii

Collared Pratincole

Glareola pratincola

Slender-billed Gull

Chroicocephalus genei

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus

African Hawk-Eagle

Aquila spilogaster

Micronisus gabar

Dark Chanting Goshawk

Melierax metabates

Eastern Chanting Goshawk

Melierax poliopterus

Western Barn Owl

Northern White-faced Owl

Ptilopsis leucotis

Abyssinian Scimitarbill

Rhinopomastus minor

African Grey Hornbill

Lophoceros nasutus

Coracias naevius

Lilac-breasted Roller

Coracias caudatus

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Merops persicus

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Orange-breasted Bushshrike

Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus

Ethiopian Oriole

Oriolus monacha

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Oriolus oriolus

Mouse-colored Penduline Tit

Anthoscopus musculus

Fawn-colored Lark

Calendulauda africanoides

Riparia riparia

Yellow-bellied Eremomela

Eremomela icteropygialis

White-throated Robin

Irania gutturalis

Common Rock Thrush

Monticola saxatilis

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Oenanthe pleschanka

Yellow-spotted Bush Sparrow

Gymnoris pyrgita

Chestnut Sparrow

Passer eminibey

Chestnut Weaver

Ploceus rubiginosus

Red-billed Quelea

Northern Red Bishop

Euplectes franciscanus

Fawn-breasted Waxbill

Estrilda paludicola

Cut-throat Finch

Amadina fasciata

Anthus cinnamomeus

Anthus trivialis

White-bellied Canary

Crithagra dorsostriata

Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

Emberiza tahapisi

African Harrier-Hawk

Polyboroides typus

Struthio camelus

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna bicolor

Knob-billed Duck

Sarkidiornis melanotos

Blue-winged Goose

Cyanochen cyanoptera

African Pygmy Goose

Nettapus auritus

Spatula querquedula

Blue-billed Teal

Spatula hottentota

Eurasian Wigeon

Mareca penelope

African Black Duck

Yellow-billed Duck

Red-billed Teal

Anas erythrorhyncha

Southern Pochard

Netta erythrophthalma

Coturnix coturnix

Chestnut-naped Spurfowl

Pternistis castaneicollis

Pternistis squamatus

Clapperton's Spurfowl

Pternistis clappertoni

Yellow-necked Spurfowl

Pternistis leucoscepus

Freckled Nightjar

Caprimulgus tristigma

African Palm Swift

Cypsiurus parvus

Tachymarptis melba

White-rumped Swift

Eastern Plantain-eater

Crinifer zonurus

Black-bellied Bustard

Lissotis melanogaster

Centropus senegalensis

Blue-headed Coucal

Centropus monachus

Ceuthmochares australis

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Clamator glandarius

Clamator jacobinus

Diederik Cuckoo

Chrysococcyx caprius

Chrysococcyx klaas

Red-chested Cuckoo

Cuculus solitarius

Cuculus canorus

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Pterocles exustus

Four-banded Sandgrouse

Pterocles quadricinctus

White-collared Pigeon

Columba albitorques

African Olive Pigeon

Columba arquatrix

Aplopelia larvata

Dusky Turtle Dove

Streptopelia lugens

African Collared Dove

Streptopelia roseogrisea

Ring-necked Dove

Streptopelia capicola

Emerald-spotted Wood Dove

Turtur chalcospilos

Blue-spotted Wood Dove

Gallinula chloropus

Red-knobbed Coot

Fulica cristata

Allen's Gallinule

Porphyrio alleni

Black Crowned Crane

Balearica pavonina

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Pluvialis squatarola

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

Black-headed Lapwing

Vanellus tectus

Black-winged Lapwing

Vanellus melanopterus

African Wattled Lapwing

Vanellus senegallus

Greater Sand Plover

Anarhynchus leschenaultii

Microparra capensis

Eurasian Curlew

Numenius arquata

Gallinago gallinago

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

Green Sandpiper

Tringa ochropus

Common Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropus

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Temminck's Stint

Calidris temminckii

Calidris alpina

Double-banded Courser

Smutsornis africanus

Black-winged Pratincole

Glareola nordmanni

Hydroprogne caspia

Chlidonias hybrida

Saddle-billed Stork

Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

Ciconia abdimii

African Woolly-necked Stork

Ciconia microscelis

Ciconia ciconia

Plegadis falcinellus

Eurasian Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia

Western Reef Heron

Egretta gularis

Yellow-billed Egret

Ardea brachyrhyncha

Black-headed Heron

Ardea melanocephala

Pink-backed Pelican

Pelecanus rufescens

Scissor-tailed Kite

Chelictinia riocourii

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

Egyptian Vulture

Neophron percnopterus

European Honey Buzzard

Pernis apivorus

White-headed Vulture

Trigonoceps occipitalis

Lappet-faced Vulture

Torgos tracheliotos

White-backed Vulture

Terathopius ecaudatus

Western Banded Snake Eagle

Circaetus cinerascens

Black-chested Snake Eagle

Circaetus pectoralis

Short-toed Snake Eagle

Circaetus gallicus

Brown Snake Eagle

Circaetus cinereus

Stephanoaetus coronatus

Long-crested Eagle

Lophaetus occipitalis

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Clanga pomarina

Greater Spotted Eagle

Wahlberg's Eagle

Hieraaetus wahlbergi

Hieraaetus pennatus

Aquila nipalensis

Eastern Imperial Eagle

Verreaux's Eagle

Aquila verreauxii

Ovambo Sparrowhawk

Accipiter ovampensis

Circus macrourus

Montagu's Harrier

Circus pygargus

Western Marsh Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

Grasshopper Buzzard

Butastur rufipennis

Mountain Buzzard

Buteo oreophilus

Pearl-spotted Owlet

Glaucidium perlatum

Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Tockus flavirostris

Abyssinian Roller

Coracias abyssinicus

European Roller

Coracias garrulus

Broad-billed Roller

Eurystomus glaucurus

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Halcyon leucocephala

Striped Kingfisher

Halcyon chelicuti

Half-collared Kingfisher

Alcedo semitorquata

Giant Kingfisher

Megaceryle maxima

White-throated Bee-eater

Merops albicollis

European Bee-eater

Merops apiaster

Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird

Pogoniulus chrysoconus

Green-backed Honeybird

Prodotiscus zambesiae

Brown-backed Honeybird

Prodotiscus regulus

Lesser Honeyguide

Indicator minor

Scaly-throated Honeyguide

Indicator variegatus

Greater Honeyguide

Indicator indicator

Eurasian Wryneck

African Grey Woodpecker

Dendropicos goertae

Polihierax semitorquatus

Falco tinnunculus

Falco ardosiaceus

Falco biarmicus

Grey-headed Batis

Batis orientalis

Brown-throated Wattle-eye

Platysteira cyanea

Grey-headed Bushshrike

Malaconotus blanchoti

Northern Puffback

Dryoscopus gambensis

Pringle's Puffback

Dryoscopus pringlii

Slate-colored Boubou

Laniarius funebris

White-crested Helmetshrike

Prionops plumatus

Grey Cuckooshrike

Ceblepyris caesius

Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike

Campephaga phoenicea

Black-headed Oriole

Oriolus larvatus

Great Grey Shrike

Lanius excubitor

Northern Fiscal

Lanius humeralis

Woodchat Shrike

Isabelline Shrike

Lanius isabellinus

Red-tailed Shrike

Lanius phoenicuroides

Corvus capensis

White-shouldered Black Tit

Melaniparus guineensis

White-backed Black Tit

Melaniparus leuconotus

Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark

Eremopterix leucotis

Calendulauda gilletti

Psalidoprocne pristoptera

Neophedina cincta

Eurasian Crag Martin

Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Pale Crag Martin

Ptyonoprogne obsoleta

Red-throated Rock Martin

Ptyonoprogne rufigula

Ethiopian Swallow

Hirundo aethiopica

Wire-tailed Swallow

Hirundo smithii

Western House Martin

Delichon urbicum

Lesser Striped Swallow

Cecropis abyssinica

Cecropis senegalensis

Northern Crombec

Sylvietta brachyura

Phylloscopus trochilus

Common Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus collybita

Brown Woodland Warbler

Phylloscopus umbrovirens

Great Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

Common Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

African Yellow Warbler

Iduna natalensis

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Upcher's Warbler

Hippolais languida

Red-faced Cisticola

Cisticola erythrops

Singing Cisticola

Cisticola cantans

Stout Cisticola

Cisticola robustus

Eurasian Blackcap

Sylvia atricapilla

Abyssinian Catbird

Sylvia galinieri

Ethiopian White-eye

Zosterops poliogastrus

African Spotted Creeper

Salpornis salvadori

Violet-backed Starling

Cinnyricinclus leucogaster

Red-winged Starling

Onychognathus morio

Sharpe's Starling

Ethiopian Thrush

Turdus simensis

Abyssinian Thrush

Turdus abyssinicus

Pale Flycatcher

Agricola pallidus

Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher

Melaenornis chocolatinus

Spotted Flycatcher

Muscicapa striata

Rüppell's Robin-Chat

Cossypha semirufa

Red-capped Robin-Chat

Cossypha natalensis

Thrush Nightingale

Luscinia luscinia

Common Nightingale

Luscinia megarhynchos

Blue Rock Thrush

Monticola solitarius

Saxicola rubetra

African Stonechat

Saxicola torquatus

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Oenanthe melanoleuca

Collared Sunbird

Hedydipna collaris

Tacazze Sunbird

Nectarinia tacazze

Abyssinian Sunbird

Cinnyris habessinicus

Variable Sunbird

Cinnyris venustus

Sahel Bush Sparrow

Gymnoris dentata

White-billed Buffalo Weaver

Bubalornis albirostris

Thick-billed Weaver

Amblyospiza albifrons

Baglafecht Weaver

Ploceus baglafecht

Northern Masked Weaver

Ploceus taeniopterus

Lesser Masked Weaver

Ploceus intermedius

Vitelline Masked Weaver

Ploceus vitellinus

Black-winged Red Bishop

Euplectes hordeaceus

Euplectes capensis

White-winged Widowbird

Euplectes albonotatus

Red-cowled Widowbird

Euplectes laticauda

Bronze Mannikin

Spermestes cucullata

Black-and-white Mannikin

Spermestes bicolor

African Silverbill

Euodice cantans

Black-cheeked Waxbill

Brunhilda charmosyna

Estrilda astrild

Purple Grenadier

Granatina ianthinogaster

Blue-capped Cordon-bleu

Uraeginthus cyanocephalus

Pin-tailed Whydah

Steel-blue Whydah

Vidua hypocherina

Motacilla cinerea

African Pied Wagtail

Motacilla aguimp

Abyssinian Longclaw

Macronyx flavicollis

Anthus campestris

Long-billed Pipit

Plain-backed Pipit

Anthus leucophrys

Red-throated Pipit

Anthus cervinus

Yellow-rumped Seedeater

Crithagra xanthopygia

Brown-rumped Seedeater

Crithagra tristriata

Streaky Seedeater

Crithagra striolata

Yellow-crowned Canary

Serinus flavivertex

Sombre Nightjar

Caprimulgus fraenatus

Butorides striata

Pandion haliaetus

Large Rock Martin

Ptyonoprogne fuligula

Grant's Gazelle

Common Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibius

Chlorocebus aethiops

Phacochoerus africanus

Abyssinian Hare

Lepus habessinicus

African Golden Wolf

Redunca redunca

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