Swahili animal names
SafariLingo is an iPhone/iPad safari field guide with 300+ Serengeti species and support for 9 languages. On East African game drives, guides often use Swahili animal names. This page is a companion list to help you map what you hear (Swahili) to the animals you look up in SafariLingo (English/Latin).
| English | Swahili | Latin |
|---|---|---|
| Aardvark | Kifaru cha mchwa | Orycteropus afer |
| African Broad-billed Roller | Mkorogo mpana mdomoni | Eurystomus glaucurus |
| African Civet | Mnyau-mnyau | Civettictis civetta |
| African Fish Eagle | Mwewe wa Samaki | Haliaeetus vocifer |
| African Green Pigeon | Kwakwa wa kijani | Treron calvus |
| African Grey Hornbill | Kasuku wa Kijivu | Lophoceros nasutus |
| African Harrier Hawk | Mwewe-mweupe | Polyboroides typus |
| African Hawk Eagle | Mwewe-mweupe | Aquila spilogaster |
| African Hoopoe | Kikuyu: Mchiriku; Swahili: Mchiriku | Upupa africana |
| African Jacana | Actophilornis africanus | |
| African Marsh Owl | Bundi wa Mito | Asio capensis |
| African Openbill | Domo-wazi | Anastomus lamelligerus |
| African Paradise Flycatcher | Mchafuji wa Peponi wa Afrika | Terpsiphone viridis |
| African Pied Wagtail | Mchuchuma mweusi na mweupe | Motacilla aguimp |
| African Pipit | Mchwa wa Afrika | Anthus cinnamomeus |
| African Pitta | Pitta angolensis | |
| African Reed Warbler | Acrocephalus baeticatus | |
| African Sacred Ibis | Mkorogo mweupe | Threskiornis aethiopicus |
| African Savanna Elephant | Tembo | Loxodonta africana |
| African Scops-owl | Bundi wa Afrika | Otus senegalensis |
| African Snipe | Gallinago nigripennis | |
| African Spoonbill | Mchongoma mweupe | Platalea alba |
| African Wild Dog | Mbwa mwitu | Lycaon pictus |
| African Wildcat | Paka mwitu wa Afrika | Felis lybica |
| African Wolf | Mbweha wa Dhahabu | Canis lupaster |
| African Woollyneck | Mkorongo wa shingo laini | Ciconia microscelis |
| Amethyst Sunbird | Chalcomitra amethystina | |
| Arrow-marked Babbler | Turdoides jardineii | |
| Banded Mongoose | Nguchiro | Mungos mungo |
| Barn Swallow | Mchwa | Hirundo rustica |
| Barn-owl | Bundi | Tyto alba |
| Bat-eared Fox | Mbweha | Otocyon megalotis |
| Bateleur | Mkorogo | Terathopius ecaudatus |
| Beisa Oryx | Choroa | Oryx beisa |
| Black Crake | Kikuku mweusi | Zapornia flavirostra |
| Black Mamba | Mamba Mweusi | Dendroaspis polylepis |
| Black Rhinoceros | Kifaru mweusi | Diceros bicornis |
| Black-and-White Colobus | Mbega mweusi-na-mweupe | Colobus guereza |
| Black-backed Jackal | Mbweha | Lupulella mesomelas |
| Black-bellied Bustard | Mkorongo wa tumbo mweusi | Lissotis melanogaster |
| Black-collared Barbet | Kwakwa-mwekundu | Lybius torquatus |
| Black-headed Heron | Mswaki wa kichwa mweusi | Ardea melanocephala |
| Black-shouldered Kite | Elanus caeruleus | |
| Blacksmith Lapwing | Mchongoma wa Chuma | Vanellus armatus |
| Blue Monkey | Kima cha samawi | Cercopithecus mitis |
| Blue Wildebeest | Ngiri | Connochaetes taurinus |
| Blue-breasted Cordon-bleu | Uraeginthus angolensis | |
| Bohor Reedbuck | Redunca redunca | |
| Boomslang | Mamba wa mti | Dispholidus typus |
| Brown Hyena | Parahyaena brunnea | |
| Brown Snake Eagle | Mwewe wa Nyoka wa Kahawia | Circaetus cinereus |
| Brown-headed Parrot | Poicephalus cryptoxanthus | |
| Brown-hooded Kingfisher | Mkundu-mwekundu | Halcyon albiventris |
| Brubru | Nilaus afer | |
| Burchell's Coucal | Kukuu wa Burchell | Centropus burchellii |
| Burchell's Starling | Lamprotornis australis | |
| Burchell's Zebra | Punda Milia | Equus quagga burchellii |
| Bush Duiker | Kudu mdogo | Sylvicapra grimmia |
| Bushpig | Ngiri | Potamochoerus larvatus |
| Cape Buffalo | Nyati | Syncerus caffer |
| Cape Clawless Otter | Fisi wa maji wa Cape | Aonyx capensis |
| Cape Griffon | Gyps coprotheres | |
| Cape Robin-Chat | Cossypha caffra | |
| Cape Starling | Nyekundu wa Cape | Lamprotornis nitens |
| Cape White-eye | Zosterops virens | |
| Caracal | Karakal | Caracal caracal |
| Cardinal Woodpecker | Dendropicos fuscescens | |
| Chacma Baboon | Nyani | Papio ursinus |
| Cheetah | Duma | Acinonyx jubatus |
| Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark | Eremopterix leucotis | |
| Chimpanzee | Sokwe | Pan troglodytes |
| Coke's Hartebeest | Kongoni | Alcelaphus buselaphus cokii |
| Collared Sunbird | Ndege wa jua wa shingo | Hedydipna collaris |
| Comb Duck | Bata ya kifaru | Sarkidiornis melanotos |
| Common Bulbul | Pycnonotus barbatus | |
| Common Buttonquail | Turnix sylvaticus | |
| Common Dwarf Mongoose | Kiboko kidogo | Helogale parvula |
| Common Eland | Eland | Tragelaphus oryx |
| Common Genet | Genetta genetta | |
| Common Hippopotamus | Kiboko | Hippopotamus amphibius |
| Common Myna | Njiwa ya kawaida | Acridotheres tristis |
| Common Ostrich | Njelele | Struthio camelus |
| Common Sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos | |
| Common Slender Mongoose | Nguchiro mwembamba | Herpestes sanguineus |
| Common Warthog | Ngiri | Phacochoerus africanus |
| Common Waxbill | Kipepeo wa kawaida | Estrilda astrild |
| Crested Barbet | Kasuku wa Kofia | Trachyphonus vaillantii |
| Crested Francolin | Kokoto wa kichwa | Ortygornis sephaena |
| Crested Porcupine | Ndege wa njiwa | Hystrix cristata |
| Crowned Hornbill | Kasuku wa taji | Lophoceros alboterminatus |
| Crowned Lapwing | Kikuku cha taji | Vanellus coronatus |
| D'Arnaud's Barbet | Trachyphonus darnaudii | |
| Diederik Cuckoo | Kuku wa Diederik | Chrysococcyx caprius |
| Double-banded Sandgrouse | Pterocles bicinctus | |
| Eastern Black-headed Oriole | Mwewe kichwa mweusi | Oriolus larvatus |
| Eastern Gorilla | Gorila ya Mlima | Gorilla beringei |
| Egyptian Goose | Bata wa Misri | Alopochen aegyptiaca |
| Emerald-spotted Wood Dove | Kibuyu | Turtur chalcospilos |
| Eurasian Buzzard | Buteo buteo | |
| Fiscal Flycatcher | Mwewe wa Fedha | Melaenornis silens |
| Fischer's Lovebird | Agapornis fischeri | |
| Flapneck Chameleon | Kinyonga | Chamaeleo dilepis |
| Fork-tailed Drongo | Kwakwa-mkia-mbili | Dicrurus adsimilis |
| Fringe-eared Oryx | Choroa Masikio | Oryx callotis |
| Gemsbok | Oryx gazella | |
| Gerenuk | Swala Twiga | Litocranius walleri |
| Giant Kingfisher | Mkoko mkubwa | Megaceryle maxima |
| Golden-breasted Bunting | Emberiza flaviventris | |
| Goliath Heron | Mkorongo Mkubwa | Ardea goliath |
| Grant's Gazelle | Swala Granti | Nanger granti |
| Great Egret | Korongo Mweupe Mkubwa | Ardea alba |
| Great White Pelican | Mkorokoro Mweupe | Pelecanus onocrotalus |
| Greater Blue-eared Starling | Nyekundu ya buluu kubwa ya masikio | Lamprotornis chalybaeus |
| Greater Double-collared Sunbird | Cinnyris afer | |
| Greater Flamingo | Mbalamwezi Mkubwa | Phoenicopterus roseus |
| Greater Kudu | Kudu Mkubwa | Tragelaphus strepsiceros |
| Greater Striped Swallow | Cecropis cucullata | |
| Green-backed Heron | Mkorongo wa kijani | Butorides striata |
| Green-winged Pytilia | Kipepeo wa majani wa Pytilia | Pytilia melba |
| Grevy's Zebra | Punda Milia wa Grevy | Equus grevyi |
| Grey Crowned Crane | Korongo Taji | Balearica regulorum |
| Grey Go-away-bird | Ndege wa Kuondoka Kijivu | Corythaixoides concolor |
| Grey Heron | Mswaki-mweupe | Ardea cinerea |
| Grey-headed Bush-Shrike | Malaconotus blanchoti | |
| Grey-headed Gull | Mwewe Kichwa Mweusi | Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus |
| Grey-headed Kingfisher | Dege-maji kichwa-kijivu | Halcyon leucocephala |
| Ground Pangolin | Sungura wa Ardhi | Smutsia temminckii |
| Groundscraper Thrush | Turdus litsitsirupa | |
| Hadada Ibis | Mabawa mekundu | Bostrychia hagedash |
| Hamerkop | Kongoni wa Msumeno | Scopus umbretta |
| Harlequin Quail | Coturnix delegorguei | |
| Hartlaub's Turaco | Tauraco hartlaubi | |
| Hedgehog | Kifaru mdogo | Erinaceus europaeus |
| Helmeted Guineafowl | Kanga | Numida meleagris |
| Hildebrandt's Starling | Lamprotornis hildebrandti | |
| Honey Badger | Mwewe | Mellivora capensis |
| Hooded Vulture | Ndege mwekundu | Necrosyrtes monachus |
| House Sparrow | Mchwa Nyumbani | Passer domesticus |
| Impala | Swala Mwitu | Aepyceros melampus |
| Jackal Hawk | Buteo rufofuscus | |
| Jackson's Chameleon | Kinyonga wa Jackson | Trioceros jacksonii |
| Jacobin Cuckoo | Kokokuu wa Jacobin | Clamator jacobinus |
| Jameson's Firefinch | Lagonosticta rhodopareia | |
| Kirk's Dik-dik | Dikidiki | Madoqua kirkii |
| Klipspringer | Kudu mdogo | Oreotragus oreotragus |
| Kori Bustard | Mbuni mkubwa | Ardeotis kori |
| Kurrichane Thrush | Turdus libonyana | |
| Lappet-faced Vulture | Ndege mwekundu | Torgos tracheliotos |
| Lark-like Bunting | Emberiza impetuani | |
| Laughing Dove | Nguva-cheka | Spilopelia senegalensis |
| Leopard | Chui | Panthera pardus |
| Leopard Tortoise | Kobe | Stigmochelys pardalis |
| Lesser Flamingo | Heroe Mdogo | Phoeniconaias minor |
| Lesser Kudu | Tandala Mdogo | Tragelaphus imberbis |
| Lesser Pied Kingfisher | Mbutu mweupe na mweusi | Ceryle rudis |
| Lesser Striped Swallow | Kibuyu kidogo chenye mistari | Cecropis abyssinica |
| Levaillant's Cisticola | Cisticola tinniens | |
| Lichtenstein's Hartebeest | Kongoni wa Lichtenstein | Alcelaphus lichtensteinii |
| Lilac-breasted Roller | Churawani wa lilac | Coracias caudatus |
| Lion | Simba | Panthera leo |
| Little Bee Eater | Mchawi mdogo | Merops pusillus |
| Little Egret | Mwewe Mdogo | Egretta garzetta |
| Little Grebe | Tachybaptus ruficollis | |
| Long-billed Crombec | Sylvietta rufescens | |
| Long-crested Eagle | Mwewe wa Manyoya Marefu | Lophaetus occipitalis |
| Long-tailed Cormorant | Mkoko wa nyasi | Microcarbo africanus |
| Long-tailed Paradise Whydah | Vidua paradisaea | |
| Magpie Shrike | Lanius melanoleucus | |
| Malachite Kingfisher | Msumari wa samaki wa malachite | Corythornis cristatus |
| Mandrill | Mandrill | Mandrillus sphinx |
| Marabou | Mkorogo | Leptoptilos crumenifer |
| Marico Sunbird | Cinnyris mariquensis | |
| Martial Eagle | Mwewe Mkali | Polemaetus bellicosus |
| Masai Giraffe | Twiga wa Maasai | Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchii |
| Mocking Cliff Chat | Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris | |
| Mountain Gorilla | Ngagi | Gorilla beringei beringei |
| Mountain Reedbuck | Pofu wa Mlima | Redunca fulvorufula |
| Mountain Zebra | Equus zebra | |
| Mourning Collared Dove | Nguu wa maombolezo | Streptopelia decipiens |
| Mozambique Spitting Cobra | Mamba wa mto | Naja mossambica |
| Mute Swan | Cygnus olor | |
| Namaqua Dove | Kijiji cha Namaqua | Oena capensis |
| Natal Francolin | Pternistis natalensis | |
| Nile Crocodile | Mamba Maji | Crocodylus niloticus |
| Nile Monitor | Mamba wa Mto | Varanus niloticus |
| Northern Bushbuck | Kifaru mdogo | Tragelaphus scriptus |
| Northern Giraffe | Twiga | Giraffa camelopardalis |
| Northern Grey-headed Sparrow | Kochwa wa kichwa kijivu wa kusini | Passer griseus |
| Northern Lesser Galago | Kima mdogo wa msitu | Galago senegalensis |
| Nyala | Nyala | Tragelaphus angasii |
| Olive Baboon | Nyani | Papio anubis |
| Orange-breasted Bush-shrike | Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus | |
| Oribi | Kongoni mdogo | Ourebia ourebi |
| Pan-hinged Terrapin | Pelusios subniger | |
| Patas Monkey | Erythrocebus patas | |
| Pearl-spotted Owlet | Kiboko wa Mvua | Glaucidium perlatum |
| Pel's Fishing-owl | Scotopelia peli | |
| Peregrine Falcon | Mwewe wa mbinguni | Falco peregrinus |
| Pied Kingfisher | Mzamiaji | Ceryle rudis |
| Plains Zebra | Punda milia | Equus quagga |
| Puff Adder | Mbuzi wa mto | Bitis arietans |
| Puku | Puku | Kobus vardonii |
| Rattling Cisticola | Cisticola chiniana | |
| Red Hartebeest | Kongoni mwekundu | Alcelaphus buselaphus caama |
| Red-and-yellow Barbet | Trachyphonus erythrocephalus | |
| Red-billed Buffalo Weaver | Bubalornis niger | |
| Red-billed Firefinch | Mchwa mwekundu | Lagonosticta senegala |
| Red-billed Oxpecker | Mwangwi mwekundu | Buphagus erythrorynchus |
| Red-capped Robin-chat | Mchongoma mwekundu | Cossypha natalensis |
| Red-collared Widowbird | Euplectes ardens | |
| Red-eyed Dove | Njiwa ya macho mekundu | Streptopelia semitorquata |
| Red-faced Mousebird | Urocolius indicus | |
| Red-headed Rock Agama | Agama lionotus | |
| Red-knobbed Coot | Kokoto Mwekundu | Fulica cristata |
| Red-throated Francolin | Pternistis afer | |
| Red-winged Starling | Njiwa mwekundu | Onychognathus morio |
| Reticulated Giraffe | Twiga wa Somali | Giraffa reticulata |
| Ring-necked Dove | Streptopelia capicola | |
| Roan Antelope | Swala Mkubwa | Hippotragus equinus |
| Rock Hyrax | Kudu wa mwamba | Procavia capensis |
| Rufous-crowned Roller | Kwakwa wa buluu | Coracias naevius |
| Rufous-naped Lark | Kipepeo wa shingo ya rangi ya chungwa | Mirafra africana |
| Rufous-tailed Weaver | Histurgops ruficaudus | |
| Rüppell's Griffon | Tumbusi wa Rüppell | Gyps rueppelli |
| Sable Antelope | Pofu | Hippotragus niger |
| Sabota Lark | Calendulauda sabota | |
| Saddlebill | Mkorongo wa Kifaru | Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis |
| Samango Monkey | Kima Samango | Cercopithecus mitis |
| Scarlet-chested Sunbird | Mchwa wa jua wa kifua chemchemi | Chalcomitra senegalensis |
| Scrub Hare | Sungura wa msitu | Lepus saxatilis |
| Secretarybird | Mwewe wa maandishi | Sagittarius serpentarius |
| Sengi | Ndege wa panya | Elephantulus brachyrhynchus |
| Serrated Hinged Terrapin | Pelusios sinuatus | |
| Serval | Chui Mdogo | Leptailurus serval |
| Sharpe's Grysbok | Raphicerus sharpei | |
| Side-striped Jackal | Mbweha wa mistari | Lupulella adustus |
| Sitatunga | Tragelaphus spekii | |
| Snouted Cobra | Naja annulifera | |
| Southern Aardwolf | Mbweha wa nchi kavu | Proteles cristata |
| Southern African Python | Python natalensis | |
| Southern African Springhare | Kifaru mdogo | Pedetes capensis |
| Southern Boubou | Laniarius ferrugineus | |
| Southern Carmine Bee Eater | Mchawi mwekundu | Merops nubicoides |
| Southern Ground Hornbill | Kasuku wa Ardhi wa Kusini | Bucorvus leadbeateri |
| Southern Masked Weaver | Mchongoma wa Kusini | Ploceus velatus |
| Southern Pied Babbler | Turdoides bicolor | |
| Southern Red-billed Hornbill | Kilikili mwekundu wa kusini | Tockus rufirostris |
| Southern Reedbuck | Mbuzi wa nyasi | Redunca arundinum |
| Southern Tree Agama | Kobe wa mti wa kusini | Acanthocercus atricollis |
| Southern White-crowned Shrike | Eurocephalus anguitimens | |
| Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill | Kwakwa wa mdomo wa njano wa kusini | Tockus leucomelas |
| Speckled Mousebird | Kweha Mwekundu | Colius striatus |
| Speckled Pigeon | Columba guinea | |
| Speke's Hinged-back Tortoise | Kinixys spekii | |
| Spotted Bush Snake | Nyoka wa mbuga wenye madoa | Philothamnus semivariegatus |
| Spotted Eagle Owl | Bundi mweusi | Bubo africanus |
| Spotted Hyena | Fisi | Crocuta crocuta |
| Spotted Thick-knee | Burhinus capensis | |
| Springbok | Swala-mwitu | Antidorcas marsupialis |
| Spur-winged Goose | Bata | Plectropterus gambensis |
| Steenbok | Kudu mdogo | Raphicerus campestris |
| Striped Hyena | Hyaena hyaena | |
| Suni | Suni | Nesotragus moschatus |
| Superb Starling | Kwesi mrembo | Lamprotornis superbus |
| Swainson’s Francolin | Kokoto wa Swainson | Pternistis swainsonii |
| Tawny Eagle | Mwewe wa Rangi ya Kahawia | Aquila rapax |
| Thick-tailed Greater Galago | Kima-mkubwa-mkundu | Otolemur crassicaudatus |
| Thomson's Gazelle | Swala Thomson | Eudorcas thomsonii |
| Topi | Nyamera | Damaliscus lunatus jimela |
| Tree Squirrel | Kibokoboko wa mti | Paraxerus cepapi |
| Trumpeter Hornbill | Kasuku Kenge | Bycanistes bucinator |
| Twig Snake | Thelotornis capensis | |
| Verreaux's Eagle Owl | Bundi mkubwa wa Verreaux | Bubo lacteus |
| Vervet Monkey | Kima wa kijani | Chlorocebus pygerythrus |
| Violet-backed Starling | Cinnyricinclus leucogaster | |
| Violet-crested Turaco | Gallirex porphyreolophus | |
| Von der Decken's Hornbill | Hondohondo | Tockus deckeni |
| Waterbuck | Kongoni | Kobus ellipsiprymnus |
| Wattled Starling | Creatophora cinerea | |
| Western Cattle Egret | Mwewe wa Ng'ombe | Bubulcus ibis |
| White Rhinoceros | Kifaru mweupe | Ceratotherium simum |
| White-backed Vulture | Kiboko mweupe | Gyps africanus |
| White-bellied Go-away-bird | Corythaixoides leucogaster | |
| White-bellied Sunbird | Cinnyris talatala | |
| White-breasted Cormorant | Mkorongo mweupe wa kifua | Phalacrocorax lucidus |
| White-browed Robin-Chat | Mswaki mweupe wa kozi | Cossypha heuglini |
| White-browed Scrub Robin | Cercotrichas leucophrys | |
| White-faced Whistling Duck | Dendrocygna viduata | |
| White-fronted Bee Eater | Mchwa mweupe wa mbele | Merops bullockoides |
| White-headed Lapwing | Mchwa Mweupe wa Kofia | Vanellus albiceps |
| White-headed Vulture | Mkorogo wa kichwa-cheupe | Trigonoceps occipitalis |
| White-tailed Mongoose | Mwewe mweupe | Ichneumia albicauda |
| Wild Boar | Nguruwe mwitu | Sus scrofa |
| Willow Warbler | Phylloscopus trochilus | |
| Wire-tailed Swallow | Hirundo smithii | |
| Wood Sandpiper | Mchongoma wa msitu | Tringa glareola |
| Woodland Kingfisher | Msumari wa msitu | Halcyon senegalensis |
| Yellow Baboon | Nyani wa Njano | Papio cynocephalus |
| Yellow-billed Kite | Mkorogo mweupe | Milvus aegyptius |
| Yellow-billed Oxpecker | Kichwa-Huruma | Buphagus africanus |
| Yellow-billed Stork | Mkoroboi wa mdomo wa njano | Mycteria ibis |
| Yellow-collared Lovebird | Agapornis personatus | |
| Yellow-crowned Bishop | Mkorongo wa Kijani | Euplectes afer |
| Yellow-fronted Canary | Mbulula wa manjano | Crithagra mozambica |
| Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax | Heterohyrax brucei | |
| Yellow-throated Francolin | Pternistis leucoscepus | |
| Yellow-throated Longclaw | Macronyx croceus | |
| Zorilla | Ictonyx striatus |