KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of national parks

Learn the wildlife of Tsavo West National Park

Kenya

713 species have research-grade observations inside Tsavo West National Park on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you know what you're looking at before you go.

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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Eastern Chanting-Goshawk Melierax poliopterus79
  2. Northern Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus74
  3. Superb Starling Lamprotornis superbus66
  4. White-bellied Go-away-bird Crinifer leucogaster63
  5. Von der Decken's Hornbill Tockus deckeni56
  6. Yellow-necked Spurfowl Pternistis leucoscepus52
  7. Vulturine Guineafowl Acryllium vulturinum49
  8. Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudatus44
  9. Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax44
  10. Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris41

Plants

  1. African baobab Adansonia digitata22
  2. East African doum palm Hyphaene compressa8
  3. Common Tree Euphorbia Euphorbia ingens7
  4. Desert rose Adenium obesum6
  5. Yellow Justicia Justicia flava6
  6. Flame lily Gloriosa superba5
  7. Giant milkweed Calotropis procera4
  8. Blue Pea Clitoria ternatea4
  9. White Gulmohar Delonix elata4
  10. Umbrella thorn Vachellia tortilis4

Mammals

  1. Maasai Giraffe Giraffa tippelskirchi155
  2. Plains Zebra Equus quagga129
  3. African Savanna Elephant Loxodonta africana118
  4. East African Oryx Oryx beisa102
  5. Impala Aepyceros melampus101
  6. Hinde's Dik-Dik Madoqua hindei99
  7. Lesser Kudu Tragelaphus imberbis74
  8. Yellow Baboon Papio cynocephalus72
  9. Bush Hyrax Heterohyrax brucei69
  10. African Buffalo Syncerus caffer63

Insects

  1. Calesia zambesita15
  2. Danaid Eggfly Hypolimnas misippus14
  3. Convolvulus Hawkmoth Agrius convolvuli14
  4. Creamstriped Owl Cyligramma latona11
  5. Blue-spot Pansy Junonia oenone9
  6. Wandering Glider Pantala flavescens9
  7. Zebra White Pinacopteryx eriphia9
  8. African Caper Belenois creona9
  9. Yellow Pansy Junonia hierta8
  10. Vine Hawkmoth Hippotion celerio8

Spiders and kin

  1. Pandinoides militaris8
  2. Pallid Thicktail Scorpion Parabuthus pallidus6
  3. Zebra Tick Rhipicephalus pulchellus6
  4. Eastern Ridge-back Scorpion Hottentotta eminii2
  5. Pandinurus gregoryi2

Reptiles

  1. Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus75
  2. Kenyan Rock Agama Agama lionotus66
  3. Leopard Tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis43
  4. Rock Monitor Varanus albigularis21
  5. Flap-necked Chameleon Chamaeleo dilepis18
  6. Rainbow Skink Trachylepis margaritifer17
  7. Nile Monitor Varanus niloticus12
  8. Graceful Chameleon Chamaeleo gracilis5
  9. Spotted Bush Snake Philothamnus semivariegatus4
  10. Flathead Leaf-toed Gecko Hemidactylus platycephalus4

Amphibians

  1. Anchieta's Ridged Frog Ptychadena anchietae12
  2. Garman's Toad Sclerophrys garmani8
  3. Ornate frog Hildebrandtia ornata4
  4. Marbled sand frog Tomopterna marmorata3
  5. Peters' Foam-nest Tree Frog Chiromantis petersii1
  6. Grey Foam-nest Tree Frog Chiromantis xerampelina1

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. Parks outside the U.S. are from the World Database on Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, Protected Planet). KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service or any park's managers. Free, with no ads, no account, and no purchases.