kalenjin birds
1. Chep-Orkoiyoot, a playful bird in the evening. as the name suggests, it could have been a member of the queen's family
2. Chepisweet, Kipisweet-the Rare Bird that can fly for 6 months without touching down.
Chebisweet, Chepkisweet or Kipisweet( Swift) one of the rarest birds in our locality whose blood could be of extraterrestrial origin. Chebisweet which the Kalenjin of olden times used to their blood for boosting their “running gene” by cutting their skins and splashing the blood of this bird
3.Sororiet bird in Kipsigis or Swarariet in Sabaot/Sebei a word that is not found in the other Kalenjin groups. They will wrongly refer this bird as cheptugeet.
4. Pang’ang’et or Ang’ang’eet (The Hornbill) is one of the few birds that the male has the responsibility of feeding the female ones in the nest till the young ones are strong to leave the nest. During the time to leave the nest, the horn-bills hold special graduation ceremony where many hornbills come to inspect the young ones ready to see the outside world. If the female is found emaciated the male ataona maat ab araap Belaat. It is beaten and chased away but if the female is well-fed, the other hornbills sing and praise the male.How I wish human beings were like them!
5. Masheleldet or masheleleet or namaqua dove in the pigeon family.as a youth I trapped all the birds,sometimes using gum from rerendeet plant but I never caught this little bird which likes shuttling along paths hence saying- igerte or kou masheleleet or chepkelembuut
