How Many Bird Species Are In Volcanoes National Park In Rwanda? Volcanoes national park is located in the Northwestern part of Rwanda covering a total surface area of about 160 square kilometers. This national park is dominated by a rainforest and it encompasses around five volcanoes within the Virunga Mountains such as; karasumi, muhabura, bisoke, Gahinga, sabyinyo and many others. This national park is well renowned for its unique features, its rich history and it hosts endangered mountain gorillas. More so, this national park is part of Virunga Massif and it extends to other countries like; Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Volcanoes national park is surrounded with beautiful landscapes, bamboo forests, open grasslands, swamps and heath, lush forests and it holds remarkable conservation efforts which aim at protecting all the endangered inhabitants within the park for example; the parks management works together with the local communities to implement innovative strategies and balance all the needs of conservation and the wellbeing of the nearby residents. More so, the community-based tourism initiates and empowers local people by providing them with economic opportunities in order to reduce too much reliance on activities, which may cause harm to the parks ecosystems.
Volcanoes national park is also ranked to be among the best birding destinations in East Africa because it hosts over 200 bird species including the 17 Albertine Endemics. Therefore, it is noted that Birdwatching is a top tourist activity that one should engage in while on a safari in Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park and below is the list of birds that one is likely to spot while exploring around different areas in the park.
ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae
Blue-billed Teal
African Black Duck
Yellow-billed Duck
GALLIFORMES: Phasianidae
Handsome Spurfowl
PODICIPEDIFORMES: Podicipedidae
Little Grebe
COLUMBIFORMES: Columbidae
Speckled Pigeon
Rameron Pigeon
Dusky Turtle-Dove
Mourning Collared-Dove
Red-eyed Dove
Ring-necked Dove
Tambourine Dove
MUSOPHAGIFORMES: Musophagidae
Black-billed Turaco
Rwenzori Turaco
CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae
Blue-headed Coucal
Dideric Cuckoo
Klaas’s Cuckoo
African Emerald Cuckoo
Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo
Red-chested Cuckoo
CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Apodidae
Alpine Swift
Little Swift
White-rumped Swift
African Palm Swift
GRUIFORMES: Rallidae
Red-knobbed Coot
Black Crake
GRUIFORMES: Gruidae
Gray Crowned-Crane
CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae
Three-banded Plover
CHARADRIIFORMES: Scolopacidae
African Snipe
CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae
Gray-hooded Gull
White-winged Tern
CICONIIFORMES: Ciconiidae
White Stork
Marabou Stork
Yellow-billed Stork
SULIFORMES: Phalacrocoracidae
Great Cormorant
PELECANIFORMES: Pelecanidae
Pink-backed Pelican
PELECANIFORMES: Scopidae
Hamerkop
PELECANIFORMES: Ardeidae
Gray Heron
Black-headed Heron
Goliath Heron
Purple Heron
Little Egret
Cattle Egret
PELECANIFORMES: Threskiornithidae
African Sacred Ibis
Hadada Ibis
ACCIPITRIFORMES: Accipitridae
Black-winged Kite
African Harrier-Hawk
White-headed Vulture
Hooded Vulture
Crowned Eagle
Martial Eagle
Long-crested Eagle
Tawny Eagle
Little Sparrowhawk
Ovambo Sparrowhawk
Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk
Black Goshawk
Black Kite
Common Buzzard
Mountain Buzzard
Augur Buzzard
STRIGIFORMES: Tytonidae
Barn Owl
STRIGIFORMES: Strigidae
Abyssinian Owl
COLIIFORMES: Coliidae
Speckled Mousebird
BUCEROTIFORMES: Bucerotidae
Crowned Hornbill
CORACIIFORMES: Alcedinidae
African Pygmy Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
CORACIIFORMES: Meropidae
Little Bee-eater
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
PICIFORMES: Lybiidae
Western Tinkerbird
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
Spot-flanked Barbet
Double-toothed Barbet
PICIFORMES: Picidae
Cardinal Woodpecker
Olive Woodpecker
FALCONIFORMES: Falconidae
Eurasian Kestrel
African Hobby
Lanner Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
PSITTACIFORMES: Psittacidae
Brown-necked Parrot
PASSERIFORMES: Campephagidae
Black Cuckooshrike
PASSERIFORMES: Platysteiridae
Rwenzori Batis
Chinspot Batis
PASSERIFORMES: Malaconotidae
Northern Puffback
Brown-crowned Tchagra
Lühder’s Bushshrike
Tropical Boubou
Willard’s Sooty Boubou
Albertine Boubou
Doherty’s Bushshrike
Lagden’s Bushshrike
PASSERIFORMES: Monarchidae
African Paradise-Flycatcher
PASSERIFORMES: Laniidae
Mackinnon’s Shrike
Northern Fiscal
PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae
Pied Crow
White-necked Raven
PASSERIFORMES: Stenostiridae
White-tailed Blue Flycatcher
White-tailed Crested-Flycatcher
PASSERIFORMES: Paridae
Stripe-breasted Tit
PASSERIFORMES: Macrosphenidae
White-browed Crombec
PASSERIFORMES: Cisticolidae
White-chinned Prinia
Rwenzori Apalis
Green-backed Camaroptera
Black-throated Apalis
Black-faced Apalis
Chestnut-throated Apalis
Tawny-flanked Prinia
Gray-capped Warbler
Chubb’s Cisticola
Winding Cisticola
Carruthers’s Cisticola
PASSERIFORMES: Acrocephalidae
African Yellow-Warbler
Mountain Yellow-Warbler
PASSERIFORMES: Locustellidae
Cinnamon Bracken-Warbler
Grauer’s Swamp Warbler
PASSERIFORMES: Hirundinidae
Plain Martin
Rock Martin
Barn Swallow
Angola Swallow
Wire-tailed Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Lesser Striped Swallow
Mosque Swallow
White-headed Sawwing
Black Sawwing
PASSERIFORMES: Pycnonotidae
Eastern Mountain Greenbul
Yellow-whiskered Greenbul
Common Bulbul
PASSERIFORMES: Phylloscopidae
Willow Warbler
Brown Woodland-Warbler
Red-faced Woodland-Warbler
PASSERIFORMES: Sylviidae
Eurasian Blackcap
Rwenzori Hill Babbler
PASSERIFORMES: Zosteropidae
Green White-eye
PASSERIFORMES: Pellorneidae
Mountain Illadopsis
PASSERIFORMES: Leiothrichidae
Arrow-marked Babbler
PASSERIFORMES: Sturnidae
Violet-backed Starling
PASSERIFORMES: Turdidae
Abyssinian Ground-Thrush
Abyssinian Thrush
African Thrush
PASSERIFORMES: Muscicapidae
African Dusky Flycatcher
Swamp Flycatcher
Ashy Flycatcher
White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher
Archer’s Robin-Chat
Cape Robin-Chat
White-browed Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
White-starred Robin
Whinchat
African Stonechat
PASSERIFORMES: Nectariniidae
Collared Sunbird
Green-headed Sunbird
Blue-headed Sunbird
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Bronze Sunbird
Malachite Sunbird
Red-tufted Sunbird
Olive-bellied Sunbird
Stuhlmann’s Sunbird
Northern Double-collared Sunbird
Regal Sunbird
Red-chested Sunbird
Variable Sunbird
Copper Sunbird
PASSERIFORMES: Ploceidae
Baglafecht Weaver
Slender-billed Weaver
Black-necked Weaver
Spectacled Weaver
Strange Weaver
Holub’s Golden-Weaver
Village Weaver
Black-headed Weaver
Forest Weaver
Brown-capped Weaver
Yellow Bishop
PASSERIFORMES: Estrildidae
Bronze Mannikin
Yellow-bellied Waxbill
Shelley’s Crimsonwing
Dusky Crimsonwing
Red-faced Crimsonwing
Black-crowned Waxbill
Kandt’s Waxbill
Fawn-breasted Waxbill
Common Waxbill
Zebra Waxbill
Red-billed Firefinch
African Firefinch
PASSERIFORMES: Viduidae
Pin-tailed Whydah
PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae
House Sparrow
Northern Gray-headed Sparrow
PASSERIFORMES: Motacillidae
Cape Wagtail
Mountain Wagtail
African Pied Wagtail
African Pipit
PASSERIFORMES: Fringillidae
Oriole Finch
Yellow-fronted Canary
Western Citril
Papyrus Canary
Streaky Seedeater
Yellow-crowned Canary
PASSERIFORMES: Emberizidae
Golden-breasted Bunting
Best Time for Bird Watching in Volcanoes National Park
Bird watching in Volcanoes National Park can be done anytime throughout the year, however the best time is during the dry season months of June to August and December to February.
This is a great time for bird watching because there is less rainfall in the park therefore bird watching trails will be dry and passable.
Contact our trusted tour operators for more information about what birds are there to see in Volcanoes national park and then book with our tours and travel companies such as; Explore tours Rwanda who offer the best tour packages while on a safari in Rwanda.
