Birding in Rwanda and Birdwatching Safaris in Rwanda

Birding in Rwanda and birdwatching safaris in Rwanda still stand out as the best addition for all gorilla safaris or wildlife tours/big game safari holidays in the Land of a Thousand Hills. Visiting Rwanda, the Land of a Thousand Hills for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, or chimpanzee trekking/canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park?

Birding in Rwanda is a rewarding guided nature safari experience introducing birders to the diverse habitats, each with an enormous bird population. In Rwanda alone, over 703 bird species can be spotted and these include more than 29 endemic Albertine rift endemic species. Rwanda offers the best of montane African birding experiences, birders’ experience incorporates navigating through the wetlands, forests, savanna, and other habitats.

Visit Rwanda for birdwatching, enjoy sights of the Albertine rift endemic species, Lake Victoria basin species, and more. The birding areas of interest in Rwanda: are Nyungwe Forest National Park, Akagera National Park, Gishwati-Mukura National Park, and Volcanoes National Park; Lake Kivu, Kigali, and wetlands.

Nyungwe Forest National Park

Located in the Southern Province, Rwanda lies a splendid Nyungwe Forest National Park a home to 310 bird species, and 13 primate species. This is an extensive tropical forest park with interesting birds such as the red collared babblers, Grauer’s warblers, purple-breasted sunbirds, Rwenzori nightjars, Kivu ground thrush, Sooty boubou, Congo Bay owl, Shelley’s crimson wings, Kungwe Apalis, handsome francolins, Rockefeller’s sunbird, Albertine owlet, purple breasted sunbirds, regal sunbirds, Rwenzori turacos, Grauer’s swamp warblers.

Other birds of Nyungwe National Park for birders to identify; are white-eyed slaty flycatchers, Stulman’s double-collared sunbird, slender-billed starling, white starred robin, thick-billed seedeaters, yellow-eyed black flycatchers, etc.

Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park is more than a big five game destination. It also gets nature lovers exposed to a variety of birds; 500 species exist in this park alone. They include white-winged swamp warblers, papyrus gonoleks, Northern brown throated weavers, grey crowned cranes, Carruthers’s cisticolas, Viollet’s black weavers, pied crow, hadada ibis, cattle egrets, giant kingfishers, Senegal lapwings, African wattled plovers, shoebill stork, fan-tailed widowbird, Augur buzzard, grey-backed fiscals, African darters, long-toe and water thick-knee, etc.

Game drives and boat cruises on Lake Ihema offer remarkable sights of birds at Akagera National Park. Nightjar birds are mostly identified while on night drives.

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is found in the Virunga Region, Northwestern Rwanda, 2-3 hours from Kigali. This is Rwanda’s premier gorilla trekking destination, and also home to 200 bird species. Volcanoes National Park birds: Kivu ground thrush, cinnamon-chested bee-eaters, bateleur, red-backed shrike, Baglafetch, scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird, lagden’s bush-shrike, Doherty’s bush shrike, Rwenzori batis, Dusky crimson wing, brown woodland warblers, African long-eared owl, handsome francolins, dusky turtle dove, black cuckoo shrike, African goshawk, to mention but a few.

Gishwati-Mukura National Park

Lying on the Western side of Rwanda is Gishwati-Mukura National Park, home to about 232 bird species. Gishwati-Mukura National Park bird species; Grauer’s swamp warblers, woodhoopoe, regal sunbird, mountain yellow warblers, Rwenzori batis, red-throated alethe, dusky crimson wing, strange weavers, and more. Different activities at the park get visitors exposed to a diversity of birds including birding, nature walks, primate walking/chimpanzee trekking, etc.

Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu is one of the best places worth visiting for relaxation. At the lake shores, there are countless birds to identify including the spotted yellow-throated greenbul, common kestrel, chin-spot batis, bronzed sunbirds, African pied wagtail, African pied wagtail, tropical boubou, white-tailed blue flycatchers, the red chested sunbirds, red bishop, scarlet chested, yellow-bellied waxbill, etc.

Along the Gisenyi region, the birds to see include the speckled mousebird, white-browed robin-chat, bronze sunbird, African fish eagle, pin-tailed whydahs, mosque swallow, grassland pipit, Angola swallow, and more.

Birds to sight while on a boat trip to Akeza Island: common fiscal, water thick-knees, bronze sunbird, grey capped warblers, Baglafetch weavers, red chested sunbird, to mention but a few.

Wetlands

Over 10% of Rwanda is composed of wetlands and marshes. The popular wetlands in Rwanda and ideal birding sites: Rugezi wetlands, Nyabarongo, and Akanyaru wetlands- are officially recognized as important bird areas as per Birdlife International. The Rugezi marsh lies along Northwestern Rwanda close to Gicumbi, and it is a Ramsar site and also an ideal site to find the Grauer’s swamps warblers, papyrus canary, papyrus yellow warblers, grey crowned cranes, etc.

For great sights of the white-backed duck, and lesser jacanas, visit Lake Nyagafunzo. Kigali is the ideal birding site for urban dwellers. The common birds to look out for while at Kigali also often spotted at hotel gardens or Lake Nyarutarama include grey-crowned cranes, brown-backed honeybird, white collared olive back, grey-headed bush shrike, bronze sunbird, black cuckoo-shrike, Narina trogon, crested barbet, African swamphen, grey-backed fiscal, starling, palm nut vultures, red chested sunbird, etc.

Best time to visit Rwanda -birding tours

Birding tours in Rwanda are open to birders all year-round and you can combine birdwatching safaris with game drives, boat excursions, and nature walks. But, the most ideal time for birdwatching is from October to November/March to April when migratory birds confine to different sites for breeding reasons.

Packing for birding tours in Rwanda

Here is the list of the birding packing list for Rwanda:

1. A good camera
2. Pair of binoculars
3. Portable voice recorder
4. Birdwatching book for Rwanda
5. Bottled water plus some snacks
6. Insect repellent
7. Rain jacket
8. First aid kit or medical kit
9. Sweater
10. Environmentally friendly clothes