Karura Forest Animals: Complete List of Wildlife & Bird Species

By the end of this section you will have learnt

0.)Are there snakes in Karura Forest?

1.)Karura Forest Snake List

2.)Friends of Karura Forest Warning

3.)Invertebrates at Karura Forest

4.)List of Karura Forest Butterflies

5.)Reptiles and Amphibians at Karura Forest

6.)Birds at Karura Forest

7.)List of Karura Forest Birds

8.)Mammals at Karura Forest

Are there snakes in Karura Forest?

Yes,according to Karura Forest Visitors Guide snakes of seven species occur in the forest. The largest being the African Rock Python,scientifically known as Python natalensis. Images of the Python taken in the forest back in 2019 elicited a viral following on social media

Karura Forest most common snake is Battersby's Green snake,scientifically known as Philothamnus battersbyi which is a hararmless diurnal tree snake that preys on frogs .Other Karura forest snake are of nocturnal species that are rarely seen for example the White-lipped snake,scientifically known as Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia also preys on frogs

Karura Forest Snake List

African Rock Python	Python natalensis
Battersby's Green snake	Philothamnus battersbyi
White Lipped Snake	Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia
Brown House snake	Lamprophis Fuliginosus
Red -brown Forest Wolf Snake	L ornatum
Peter's Worm Snake	Leptotypholps scutifrons
Cape Wolf Snake	Lycophidion capense

Friends Of Karura Forest Warning

WARNING from FKF science department! Increased tool use by juvenile Sykes' monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis) has been observed in Karura Forest. Lately there has been a rise in cases of those primates appropriating unattended children's bicycles, possibly mimicking observed behaviour of higher primates. Close supervision of bikes or locking mechanisms are recommended to promote wildlife/human co-existence within the forest.

Invertebrates at Karura Forest

Image of Belenois aurota, the African Caper White or brown-veined by Friend of Karura on Instagram

Most of Invertebrates in Karura Forest are Insects,Other arthropods include spiders, crustaceans (fresh water crabs and wood-lice) and milipedes,Terrestrial molluscs such as snails and slugs ,and annelids such as earthworms .The inverterbrates recycle nutrients and enrich soil by eating and digesting plants or breaking down deadwood certain insects pollinate flowersso enabling plants to produce seeds and fruits .Most of Karura forest invertebrates are butterflies this colorful insects are most active on warm, sunny afternoons . Caterpillars of the Noble swallowtails feed on the leaves of the Muthiga (East African Green heart) trees from which Muthaiga Estate gets its name . With the Kenya's smallest butterfly the clover Blue ,Actizera stellata with a wing span of just 18 mm frequents grassy area where the caterpillar food plant clover grows

List of Karura Forest Butterflies

Noble Swallowtails	Papilio Nobilis
Green Banded Swallowtail	Papilio Phorcas
Narrow Blue banded Swallowtail	P.Nireus
African Mocker SwallowTail	P.Dardanus
African Monarch	Danaus Chrysippus
Regal Swallowtail	P. rex
Green Veined Charaxes	Charaxes Candiope
Pearl Charaxes	C .varanes
Blue spotted Charaxes	C . Cithaeron
Forest Mother of Pearl	Salamis Parhassus
Eastern Blotched Leopard	Lachnoptera ayresii
Common Leopard Fritillary	Phalanta Phalantha
Layman	Amauris Albimaculata
Banded Evening Browns	Gnophodes Betsimena
Ermine Tent Moth	Yponomeuta sp

The principal agents of pollination at Karura forest are the Bees other than the Honey Bees scientifically known as Apis mellifera are the Carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp) and the Leaf-cutter bees (Family Megachilidae) as well as the stingless Bees of several species

Reptiles and Amphibians at Karura Forest

Amphibians's moist and permeable skins are sensitive to pollution and to environmental degradation making them good bio indicators of habitat quality .Karura forest most noticeable reptiles are diurnal lizards such as Jackson's forest Lizard (Adolfus jacksoni) while Karura forest most common striking reptile is the Jackson's chameleon (Chameleon jacksoni) often seen in ow shrubsat the forest edge.The males of the Jackson's chameleon have three long horns .Amphibians found at the forest reserve include the Reed Frogs (Hyperolius spp) , Northern Clawed Frogs(Xenopus borealis, Angolan River Frogs (Amietia angolensis, Guttural Toad(Bufo gutturalis)

Birds at Karura Forest

Image of a majestic crowned eagles by Friends of Karura Forest on Instagram

Karura Forest has 228 bird species. Most of birds in Karura Forest are resident species implying they breed in the reserve and can be seen all year round . Some birds are highlnd species that visit Karura Forest off and on times .Other species are Palaerctic migrants from Europe and Asia seen on Ocober and April while a few are intra -African migrant species from as far as southern africa or Madagascar . Crowned eagles are the most powerful of African bird prey in Karura Forest mostly preying on Monkeys and other forest mammals .

Also common prey is the Ayres's Hawk Eagle . Available ruit eating birds include Hartlab's Turacos other present birds include the Yellow-whiskered Greenbul usually seen in the canopy,Cabanis's Greenbul,Slender -billed Greenbul , Narina Trogon

List of Karura Forest Birds

Red Chested Cuckoo

Cardinal Woodpecker

African Grey Woodpecker

Brown-backed Woodpecker

Isabelline Shrikes

Red backed Shrikes

Willow Warblers

Great Sparrowhawks

African Goshawks

Yellow -rumped Tinkerbird

White-headed Barbet

African Paradise Flycatcher

Montane White eye

Red Faced Crombec

White Eyed Slaty Flycatcher

Rippell's Robin Chat

Cinnamon -Chested Bee eaters

Eurasian Bee eaters

Black Cuckoo Shrikes

Variable Sunbird

Collared Sunbird

Brown-chested Alethe

White Starred Robin

African Bluck Duck

Mountain Wagtails

Tropical Boubou

Grey Capped Warbler

Black Backed Puffback

Chin Spot Batis

White Bellied Tit

Green-backed Honeybird

Northern Double collared Sunbird

Red chested flufftail