Birdlife is prolific in Rwanda’s Volcanoes Park! The park has a bird checklist of over 290 species that can be seen in the Virunga Region. There are about 20 bird species that are endemic to the Albertine Rift that can be seen in the park.
BIRD CHECKLIST for Virunga Forest
The official list of the bird species in the Virunga Forest (Rwanda, Congo and Uganda) mentioned 258 species up to 2003 . The Virunga biodiversity Survey carried out by Karisoke Research Centre in 2004 added an additional 36 new species, which brought the official total up to 294 species recorded in the three contiguous protected areas. Not at all species are actually present in the Volcanoes National Park.
Podicipedidae : Bateleur Eagle
Little Grebe African Marsh Harrier
Ardeidae Eurasian Marsh Harrier
Black-headed Heron African Goshawk
Cattle Egret Little Sparrow hawk
Scopidae Rufous sparrow hawk
Hamerkop Great sparrow hawk
Ciconlidae Common buzzard
Abdim’s Stork Mountain buzzard
White Stork Augur buzzard
Threskornithidae Tawny Eagle
Hadada ibis Wahlberg’s Eagle
Anatidae Long-crested Eagle
White-beaked Duck Crowned Eagle
Egyptian Goose Martial Eagle
Spur-winged Goose Falconidae
Yellow-billed Duck Kestrel
African Black Duck Grey Kestrel
PintailAmur Falcon
Red-billed Tail Eurasian Hobby
Hottentot Teal African Hobby
Southern pochard Lanner Falcon
Maccoa Duck Peregrine
Accipitridae Phasianidae
Osprey Quail
Honey buzzard Red-winged Francolin
Bat Hawk Handsome Francolin
Black Kite Scaly Francolin
Hooded Vulture Red-necked Spur fowl
White-headed Vulture Gruidae
Harrier Hawk Grey-crowned Crane
Charadriidae: Didrick’s Cuckoo
Caspian plover
Yellow bill
Wattled plover White-browed coucal
Scolopacidae: Blue-headed coucal
Common snipe Strigidae:
African snipe African Wood owl
Curlew Spotted Eagle owl
Marsh sandpiper Long-eared Ow
Greenshank Caprimulgidae:
Green sandpiper Montane Nightjar
Wood sandpiper Rwenzori Nightjar
Common sandpiper Pennant-winged Nightjar
Ralidae: Apodidae:
Buff-spotted pygmy crake Scarce Swift
Black crake Palm Swift
Red-Knobbed Coot Black Swift
Columbidae: Eurasian Swift
Green pigeon White-rumped Swift
Tambourine Dove Little Swift
Blue-spotted Wood Dove Mottled Swift
Lemon Dove Alpine Swift
Olive pigeonColiidae:
Afep pigeonSpeckled mousebird
Speckled pigeon Trogonidae:
Red-eyed Dove Narina’s Trogon
Dusky Turtle Dove Meropidae:
Psittacidae: Little Bee-eater
Grey parrot Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
Brown-necked parrot Eurasian Bee-eater
Musophagidae: Coraciidae:
Blacked-billed Turaco Lilac-breasted Roller
Rwenzori Turaco Broad-billed roller
Ross’ Turaco Phoeniculidae:
Cuculidae: White-headed Wood Hopoe
Levaillant’s Bucerotidae:
Madagascar Lesser Cuckoo Crowned hornbill
Red-chested Cuckoo White-tighed hornbill
Black Cuckoo Black and white casqued hornbill
Eurasian Cuckoo Indicatoridae:
Olive-long tailed cuckoo Thick-billed Honeyguide
Barred long-tailed cuckoo Dwarf Honeyguide
Emerald cuckoo Capitonidae:
Klaas’ Grey-throated Barbet