Birds of Central African Republic

List of Common Birds Found in the Central African Republic

Native Birds

• Abyssinian Roller
• African Finfoot
• African Fish-eagle
• African Gray Hornbill
• African Green Pigeon
• African Jacana
• African Paradise Flycatcher
• African Pied Hornbill
• African Pygmy Kingfisher
• African Sacred Ibis
• African Spoonbill
• African Wattled Lapwing
• African Wood Owl
• Bannerman’s Turaco
• Barn Swallow
• Bat Hawk
• Bateleur
• Beautiful Sunbird
• Black Crake
• Black-bellied Bustard
• Black-collared Lovebird
• Black-crowned Tchagra
• Black-headed Heron
• Black-winged Stilt
• Blue-breasted Bee-eater
• Blue-breasted Kingfisher
• Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
• Blue-headed Coucal
• Blue-headed Wood Dove
• Brown Snake Eagle
• Brown-hooded Kingfisher
• Cattle Egret
• Chestnut-bellied Starling
• Collared Sunbird
• Common Bulbul
• Common Fiscal
• Common Greenshank
• Common Ostrich
• Common Waxbill
• Crested Barbet
• Crested Guineafowl
• Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo
• Dzanga Robin
• Eastern Gray Plantain-eater
• Egyptian Goose
• Eurasian Hobby
• Eurasian Hoopoe
• European Bee-eater
• Gabon Woodpecker
• Giant Kingfisher
• Goliath Heron
• Grasshopper Buzzard
• Great Blue Turaco
• Great Cormorant
• Great Egret
• Greater Flamingo
• Gray Crowned Crane
• Gray Go-away-bird
• Gray Heron
• Gray Parrot
• Gray-cheeked Hornbill
• Hadada Ibis
• Hamerkop
• Hartlaub’s Duck
• Helmeted Guineafowl
• Lappet-faced Vulture
• Lizard Buzzard
• Little Bee-eater
• Little Grebe
• Little Sparrowhawk
• Long-crested Eagle
• Malachite Kingfisher
• Marabou Stork
• Northern Carmine Bee-eater
• Northern Red-billed Hornbill
• Northern Red Bishop
• Olive Sunbird
• Osprey
• Palm-nut Vulture
• Pied Crow
• Pied Kingfisher
• Pin-Tailed Whydah
• Pink-backed Pelican
• Purple Heron
• Red-chested Cuckoo
• Red-eyed Dove
• Red-headed Lovebird
• Red-throated Bee-eater
• Red-winged Starling
• Rock Martin
• Ross’s Turaco
• Rüppell’s Vulture
• Saddle-billed Stork
• Sahel Paradise Whydah
• Scarlet-chested Sunbird
• Secretarybird
• Senegal Parrot
• Shikra
• Shoebill
• Silvery-cheeked Hornbill
• Slender-billed Weaver
• Southern Ground Hornbill
• Speckled Pigeon
• Square-tailed Drongo
• Tawny Eagle
• Tawny-flanked Prinia
• Variable Sunbird
• Verreaux’s Eagle-owl
• Village Weaver
• Wahlberg’s Eagle
• Western Cattle Egret
• Western Nictator
• White-backed Night Heron
• White-backed Vulture
• White-bellied Kingfisher
• White-bellied Sunbird
• White-breasted Cuckooshrike
• White-browed Coucal
• White-browed Robin-chat
• White-crowned Robin-chat
• White-headed Lapwing
• White-headed Vulture
• White-throated Bee Eater
• White-winged Black Tern
• Woodland Kingfisher
• Yellow-billed Kite
• Yellow-billed Stork
• Yellow-fronted Canary
• Abdim’s Stork
• Afep Pigeon
• African Crake
• African Cuckoo
• African Cuckoo-hawk
• African Emerald Cuckoo
• African Goshawk
• African Harrier-hawk
• African Hawk-eagle
• African Marsh-harrier
• African Openbill
• African Palm-swift
• African Pygmy-goose
• African Rail
• African Scops-owl
• African Skimmer
• African Swamphen
• African Woolly-necked Stork
• Allen’s Gallinule
• Ayres’s Hawk-eagle
• Banded Snake-eagle
• Bates’s Nightjar
• Beaudouin’s Snake-eagle
• Black-billed Wood-dove
• Black Coucal
• Black Crowned-crane
• Black-crowned Night-heron
• Black Cuckoo
• Black Goshawk
• Black-headed Lapwing
• Black Kite
• Black-rumped Buttonquail
• Black Spinetail
• Black Stork
• Black-winged Kite
• Blue Malkoha
• Blue Quail
• Blue-spotted Wood-dove
• Booted Eagle
• Bronze-naped Pigeon
• Bronze-winged Courser
• Brown-chested Lapwing
• Brown Nightjar
• Bruce’s Green-pigeon
• Buff-spotted Flufftail
• Caspian Tern
• Cassin’s Hawk-eagle
• Cassin’s Spinetail
• Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk
• Clapperton’s Francolin
• Collared Pratincole
• Common Buzzard
• Common Cuckoo
• Common Quail
• Common Redshank
• Common Ringed Plover
• Common Swift
• Congo Serpent-eagle
• Crowned Eagle
• Curlew Sandpiper
• Dark Chanting-goshawk
• Dideric Cuckoo
• Dwarf Bittern
• Egyptian Plover
• Eurasian Marsh-harrier
• Eurasian Moorhen
• Eurasian Thick-knee
• European Honey-buzzard
• Ferruginous Duck
• Fiery-necked Nightjar
• Forbes’s Plover
• Fraser’s Eagle-owl
• Freckled Nightjar
• Fulvous Whistling-duck
• Gabar Goshawk
• Gabon Coucal
• Garganey
• Glossy Ibis
• Grayish Eagle-owl
• Gray Pratincole
• Great Bittern
• Greater Painted-snipe
• Great Spotted Cuckoo
• Green-winged Teal
• Harlequin Quail
• Heuglin’s Francolin
• Hooded Vulture
• Intermediate Egret
• Kentish Plover
• Kittlitz’s Plover
• Klaas’s Cuckoo
• Knob-billed Duck
• Latham’s Francolin
• Laughing Dove
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Lesser Jacana
• Lesser Moorhen
• Levaillant’s Cuckoo
• Little Bittern
• Little Egret
• Little Ringed Plover
• Little Stint
• Little Swift
• Long-tailed Hawk
• Long-tailed Nightjar
• Marsh Owl
• Marsh Sandpiper
• Martial Eagle
• Montagu’s Harrier
• Mottled Spinetail
• Mourning Collared-dove
• Namaqua Dove
• Nkulengu Rail
• Northern Pintail
• Northern Shoveler
• Northern White-faced Owl
• Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo
• Pallid Harrier
• Pearl-spotted Owlet
• Pel’s Fishing-owl
• Pennant-winged Nightjar
• Pied Cuckoo
• Plain Nightjar
• Red-chested Flufftail
• Red-necked Buzzard
• Red-thighed Sparrowhawk
• Rock Pratincole
• Ruff
• Rüppell’s Griffon
• Sabine’s Spinetail
• Sanderling
• Scaly Francolin
• Schlegel’s Francolin
• Scissor-tailed Kite
• Senegal Coucal
• Senegal Thick-knee
• Small Buttonquail
• Spot-breasted Ibis
• Spotted Thick-knee
• Spur-winged Goose
• Spur-winged Lapwing
• Squacco Heron
• Standard-winged Nightjar
• Striated Heron
• Swamp Nightjar
• Tambourine Dove
• Temminck’s Courser
• Temminck’s Stint
• Thick-billed Cuckoo
• Vermiculated Fishing-owl
• Vinaceous Dove
• Water Thick-knee
• Wattled Lapwing
• Whiskered Tern
• White-backed Duck
• White-crested Bittern
• White-faced Whistling-duck
• White-fronted Plover
• White-rumped Swift
• White-spotted Flufftail
• White Stork
• White-winged Tern
• Wood Sandpiper
• Yellow-throated Cuckoo

Non-native Birds

• Alpine Swift
• Arabian Bustard
• Common Quail
• Northern Shoveler
• Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo
• Pallid Swift
• Pied Avocet
• White-backed Duck

Despite the country’s infrastructure issues, there are several spots to go birdwatching in the Central African Republic. Some popular ones include Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve, Bamingui-Bangoran National Park, and Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park. The last one is notable as it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Most birds can be seen crowding around water sources in the dry season from December to February, making it the best time to see them.