Small bird, big surprise: a 140-km range extension of the River Prinia Prinia fluviatilis in northwestern Kenya, with the first record from the Elemi Triangle

Yvonne de Jong August 31, 2026 Blogs

Thomas M. Butynski and Yvonne A. de Jong

Eastern Africa Primate Diversity and Conservation Program, Nanyuki, Kenya

The River Prinia Prinia fluviatilis Chappuis, 1974, is a small passerine of the family Cisticolidae, restricted to waterside and water-logged, sometimes seasonally dry, vegetation in otherwise arid landscapes. Its distribution consists of a series of isolated wetland “islands” along the Sahelian belt, from northern Senegal in the west to northwestern Kenya (Urban et al. 1997; BirdLife International 2018; eBird 2026). The eastern-most record was obtained by Finch (2005) in 2001 near Nanam (520 m asl), 20 km southeast of Lokichokio, Turkana County, extreme northwestern Kenya. This was an eastward range extension of about 2,500 km from southwestern Chad, and the first record for Kenya and East Africa.

Kenya’s least known National Park, Malka Mari — Home to the Hamadryas Baboon Papio hamadryas (and much more)

Yvonne de Jong July 17, 2026 Blogs

Thomas M. Butynski and Yvonne A. de Jong

Along the border with Ethiopia, on the Mandera Plateau, lies Kenya’s Malka Mari National Park. This national park (hereafter ‘Malka Mari’) was gazetted in 1989 and is situated southwest of the Daua (= Dawa) River in Mandera County. Rugged outcrops on both sides of the Daua River Valley are part of a limestone series known as the ‘Daua Limestone’ (Weir 1929; Ayers 1952). Erosion gullies deeply dissect the lower Daua Valley in northern and eastern Malka Mari, while part of the Awara Plains occur in southern Malka Mari. Contiguous with Malka Mari, across the Daua River in Ethiopia, lies Geraille (= Gerale) National Park (386 km²) which was gazetted in 2006.

The Primates of East Africa: Country Lists and Conservation Priorities.

Yvonne de Jong September 5, 2014 Publications

Author(s): De Jong, Y.A. & Butynski, T.M.
Date: 2012
Registered: African Primates 7 (2): 135-155.