On the 28th of October,2023, The Giraffe Centre held a bird ringing event on its premises in Karen, Hardy along Nyumbi road. 48 bird species were ringed in a 2 day excursion.

1. Bird Ringing Expedition at Giraffe Centre: A Successful Citizen Science Initiative
Highlights
- More than 10 different bird species successfully ringed.
- Color rings were used for ease of identification by birders in the future.
Wherever there are birds, there is hope- Mehmet Murat Ildan
Over a period of two days, Giraffe Centre played host to a very noble excursion- bird ringing.
This took place between the 27th
and 28th
of October, 2023. This excursion was supported and
endorsed by various parties including but not limited to Nature Kenya, the Conservation
Education and Tourism Department under the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife;, Nairobi
Bird Ringing Group. In attendance were enthusiastic students and youth members looking
forward to learn about bird ringing and birds in general.
This exercise was done to help establish a baseline for understanding the rich bird biodiversity in
the various habitats within the 120-acre sanctuary. It also served as a platform to promote citizen
science by facilitating the capacity building of young people in birds, birding, and bird ringing.
It all started in the afternoon of the 27th
October 2023 where the various participants met for
preparations. Being a team of friendly and active people, they quickly became acquainted with
each other and thusly preparations were underway. Special nets (mist nets) were placed in
strategic positions within the sanctuary to catch the various birds in their preffered habitats. It is
important to note that this became apparent later where some nets only caught specific species of
bird, helping the researchers make educated hypotheses on the bird-habitat patterns. There are
two prevailing habitats within the sanctuary; forest and savannah. According to the team leader,
there are bird species that only exist in one of these habitats and despite the forest being a stone
throw away from the scrubs, they would not be found in the opposite side. The nets were left
closed to avoid trapping birds for long periods of time.
After preparations, it was now time for the main event. The team woke up on the dawn of the
28th
October 2023 to open the nets. This is based on expert knowledge that birds are mostly
active in the morning hours. Sure enough, it took less than ten minutes for the first birds to be
caught. Led by the experienced Dr. Titus Imboma, the team carefully extracted birds and
transported them to the Giraffe Centre for measurements and ringing. Moreover, Dr.Titus then
taught on the bird ringing process that's:
● How to handle the birds during ringing
● Measuring the length of the wings and tarsus
● Checking if the bird is in the moulting process
● Checking the weight of the bird

2. (Left to right) Head measuring, Checking the moulting process, the recommended handling grip, measuring the
length of the tarsus.
Two kinds of rings were attached to each bird. The first one was a metallic ring with a unique
identifying number. This would make it easy to identify the bird in case of a recapture. The
second was a set of three colored rings in a special sequence for each bird of every species. This
will help birders observe and identify birds from a distance by reading the color code on any
particular bird and matching it to a corresponding column on a specially developed catalogue.
With reduced bird activity as the day progressed, the bird-ringing expedition was called to an end
at midday .

3. Some of the successfully ringed birds.
All in all, it was a highly successful with a total of 49 birds ringed during the event as listed in
the table below .Having achieved all goals that had been set, the team could finally take a break
and smile at this tremendous achievement.
Table 1: Types of Bird Species Ringed During the Event
Bird species Scientific name
Cabanis’ Greenbul Phyllastrephus cabanisi
White-Starred Robin Ploceus cucullatus
Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus
Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht
Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra
Singing Cisticola Cisticola cantans
Yellow Whiskered Greenbul Eurillas latirostris

4. Kenya Rufous Sparrow Passer rufocinctus
Tawny-Flanked Prinia Prinia subflava
Streaky Seedeater Crithagra striolata
Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala
Abyssinia Thrush Turdus abyssinicus
Speckled mousebird Colius striatus
We hope that this event opens up the doorway to more bird-oriented activities in Kenya.The
opportunities are to assist both students partaking tourism and wildlife courses in the tour
guiding and conservation sector. To stay updated on birds and matters of wildlife in general,
follow Giraffe Centre and AFEW-Kenya on social media and check on their websites for regular
updates.
The details below will be used in the blog to optimize SEO
● Category: Wildlife Conservation, Bird Ringing, Citizen Science
● Tags: Bird Biodiversity, Giraffe Centre, Nairobi Bird Ringing Group, Color Rings, Bird Habitats,
Wildlife Conservation, Bird Identification, Kenya, Bird Species
● Description: Explore the fascinating world of bird ringing at Giraffe Centre, Nairobi, as we delve
into a successful citizen science initiative that uncovers the rich bird biodiversity in the heart of
Kenya.
● Keyword: Bird ringing
● Slug: bird-ringing-expedition-giraffe-centre-nairobi-kenya