Burundi is one of the smallest nations in Africa, where most of the population is engaged in agricultural work. This has led to widespread deforestation and, consequently, a decrease in wildlife. However, there are still over 500 avian species in the country, which has been helped by the establishment of five Important Bird Areas (IBA) in the country, making up 3.7% of its total area.
The national bird of Burundi is the Great Blue Turaco. Other birds seen here regularly include the African Gray Hornbill, the Great Egret, and the Pin-tailed Whydah.
List of Common Birds Found in Burundi
Native Birds
- African Fish-eagle
- African Gray Hornbill
- African Green Pigeon
- African Harrier-hawk
- African Jacana
- African Openbill Stork
- African Palm Swift
- African Paradise-flycatcher
- African Pied Wagtail
- African Spoonbill
- African Wattled Lapwing
- Black-collared Barbet
- Black-headed Heron
- Black Kite
- Black-shouldered Kite
- Black-winged Bishop
- Black-winged Stilt
- Blue-breasted Bee-eater
- Brown-hooded Kingfisher
- Brown-throated Wattle-eye
- Cattle Egret
- Collared Sunbird
- Common Bulbul
- Common Fiscal
- Common Greenshank
- Common Sandpiper
- Copper Sunbird
- Crowned Crane
- Diederik Cuckoo
- Double-toothed Barbet
- Eastern Gray Plantain-eater
- Egyptian Goose
- Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
- Fan-tailed Widowbird
- Fiery-necked Nightjar
- Golden-breasted Bunting
- Goliath Heron
- Gray Crowned Crane
- Gray Heron
- Great Blue Turaco
- Great Cormorant
- Great Egret
- Hadada Ibis
- Hamerkop
- Hartlaub’s Turaco
- Helmeted Guineafowl
- Intermediate Egret
- Laughing Dove
- Lesser Flamingo
- Little Bee-eater
- Little Grebe
- Little Stint
- Long-crested Eagle
- Long-tailed Fiscal
- Malachite Kingfisher
- Marabou Stork
- Northern Red Bishop
- Nubian Woodpecker
- Olive Sunbird
- Openbill Stork
- Pied Crow
- Pin-tailed Whydah
- Purple Heron
- Red-billed Firefinch
- Red-billed Oxpecker
- Red-chested Cuckoo
- Red-eyed Dove
- Red-knobbed Coot
- Red-throated Wryneck
- Red-winged Starling
- Rock Martin
- Ruppell’s Long-tailed Starling
- Sacred Ibis
- Scarlet-chested Sunbird
- Secretary Bird
- Slender-billed Weaver
- Speckled Mousebird
- Speckled Pigeon
- Spotted Flycatcher
- Spur-winged Goose
- Squacco Heron
- Swamp Flycatcher
- Tawny Eagle
- Temminck’s Courser
- Violet-backed Starling
- Wahlberg’s Eagle
- Whinchat
- White-backed Duck
- White-bellied Canary
- White-bellied Go-away-bird
- White-browed Robin-chat
- White-faced Whistling Duck
- White-fronted Bee-eater
- White-headed Barbet
- White-headed Saw-wing
- White Stork
- White-winged Black Tern
- Willow Warbler
- Woodland Kingfisher
- Wood Sandpiper
- Yellow-bellied Greenbul
- Yellow-billed Duck
- Yellow-billed Stork
- Yellow-crowned Bishop
- Yellow-fronted Canary
- Yellow-necked Spurfowl
- Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
- Yellow-throated Longclaw
- Yellow-vented Bulbul
- African Black Duck
- African Black-headed Oriole
- African Crake
- African Cuckoo
- African Emerald Cuckoo
- African Golden Oriole
- African Goshawk
- African Gray Woodpecker
- African Hawk-eagle
- African Marsh-harrier
- African Pygmy-goose
- African Pygmy Kingfisher
- African Rail
- African Swamphen
- Allen’s Gallinule
- Amur Falcon
- Augur Buzzard
- Ayres’s Hawk-eagle
- Baillon’s Crake
- Banded Snake-eagle
- Bare-faced Go-away-bird
- Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo
- Bateleur
- Bat Hawk
- Bearded Woodpecker
- Beaudouin’s Snake-eagle
- Bennett’s Woodpecker
- Black-backed Barbet
- Black-billed Turaco
- Black-chested Snake-eagle
- Black Coucal
- Black Crake
- Black Cuckoo
- Black Goshawk
- Black-tailed Oriole
- Black-winged Kite
- Blue-billed Teal
- Blue-breasted Kingfisher
- Blue-headed Coucal
- Blue Malkoha
- Blue Quail
- Booted Eagle
- Brown-eared Woodpecker
- Brown Snake-eagle
- Cape Teal
- Cardinal Woodpecker
- Cassin’s Hawk-eagle
- Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk
- Common Buzzard
- Common Cuckoo
- Common Pochard
- Coqui Francolin
- Corn Crake
- Crested Barbet
- Crowned Eagle
- Dark Chanting-goshawk
- Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo
- Dwarf Honeyguide
- Eleonora’s Falcon
- Elliot’s Woodpecker
- Eurasian Golden Oriole
- Eurasian Hobby
- Eurasian Kestrel
- Eurasian Marsh-harrier
- Eurasian Moorhen
- Eurasian Nightjar
- Eurasian Wigeon
- European Honey-buzzard
- Freckled Nightjar
- Fulvous Whistling-duck
- Gabar Goshawk
- Garganey
- Giant Kingfisher
- Golden-tailed Woodpecker
- Grasshopper Buzzard
- Gray Kestrel
- Gray-throated Barbet
- Greater Honeyguide
- Green-backed Woodpecker
- Green-winged Teal
- Handsome Francolin
- Harlequin Quail
- Hildebrandt’s Francolin
- Hooded Vulture
- Klaas’s Cuckoo
- Knob-billed Duck
- Lanner Falcon
- Lappet-faced Vulture
- Least Honeyguide
- Lesser Honeyguide
- Lesser Kestrel
- Lesser Moorhen
- Lesser Spotted Eagle
- Levaillant’s Cuckoo
- Little Crake
- Little Sparrowhawk
- Livingstone’s Turaco
- Lizard Buzzard
- Long-tailed Hawk
- Long-tailed Nightjar
- Maccoa Duck
- Martial Eagle
- Montagu’s Harrier
- Montane Nightjar
- Mountain Buzzard
- Northern Pintail
- Northern Shoveler
- Olive Woodpecker
- Ovambo Sparrowhawk
- Pallid Harrier
- Palm-nut Vulture
- Pennant-winged Nightjar
- Peregrine Falcon
- Pied Cuckoo
- Pied Kingfisher
- Plain Nightjar
- Purple-crested Turaco
- Red-billed Duck
- Red-faced Barbet
- Red-footed Falcon
- Red-fronted Tinkerbird
- Red-necked Falcon
- Red-winged Francolin
- Ross’s Turaco
- Rufous-cheeked Nightjar
- Rufous-necked Wryneck
- Rwenzori Turaco
- Scaly Francolin
- Scaly-throated Honeyguide
- Schalow’s Turaco
- Scissor-tailed Kite
- Senegal Coucal
- Shikra
- Shining-blue Kingfisher
- Sombre Nightjar
- Southern Pochard
- Spot-flanked Barbet
- Spotted Crake
- Square-tailed Nightjar
- Star-spotted Nightjar
- Steppe Eagle
- Striped Crake
- Striped Kingfisher
- Swamp Nightjar
- Thick-billed Cuckoo
- Tullberg’s Woodpecker
- Verreaux’s Eagle
- Wahlberg’s Honeyguide
- White-backed Vulture
- White-browed Coucal
- White-headed Vulture
- Yellow-billed Barbet
- Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
Non-native Birds
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Common Myna
- Common Waxbill
- Eurasian Collared Dove
- Eurasian Magpie
- Eurasian Moorhen
- European Starling
- Great Crested Grebe
- Herring Gull
- House Crow
- House Sparrow
- Indian House Crow
- Little Egret
- Long-tailed Glossy Starling
- Purple Swamphen
- Red-vented Bulbul
- Ring-necked Parakeet
- Rock Pigeon
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
Some of the best places to go birding in Burundi include Rusizi National Park, Kibira National Park, and Ruvubu National Park. While the dry season from June to September is a great time to see birds as the lack of vegetation increases the visibility of the birds, during the wet season, not only do a lot of birds build nests, but several migratory birds also make their way to the country during this time.
