About 400 birds live in Djibouti, a nation in the Horn of Africa, which is remarkable considering the harsh landscape of the country, where forests account for less than 1% of the country’s total area. However, these avifauna persevere, most of them living in the northern part of the country.
While Djibouti doesn’t have an official national bird, the Djibouti Francolin is a “Critically Endangered” endemic species that has significance among the country’s indigenous people.
List of Common Birds Found in Djibouti
Native Birds
- Abyssinian Ground Hornbill
- Abyssinian Ground Thrush
- Abyssinian Roller
- Abyssinian Scimitarbill
- African Collared Dove
- African Fish-eagle
- African Gray Hornbill
- African Marsh Harrier
- African Palm Swift
- African Pied Wagtail
- African Sacred Ibis
- African Skimmer
- African Spoonbill
- African Stonechat
- Arabian Bustard
- Arabian Warbler
- Audouin’s Gull
- Barn Swallow
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Black-crowned Tchagra
- Black-headed Gull
- Black-headed Heron
- Black-shouldered Kite
- Blackstart
- Black-winged Stilt
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
- Blue-naped Mousebird
- Brown-tailed Rock Chat
- Bruce’s Green Pigeon
- Caspian Tern
- Cattle Egret
- Common Bulbul
- Common House Martin
- Common Teal
- Dalmatian Pelican
- Desert Wheatear
- Djibouti Francolin
- Egyptian Goose
- Egyptian Vulture
- Eurasian Hoopoe
- Eurasian Marsh Harrier
- Eurasian Thick-knee
- Eurasian Wryneck
- European Bee-eater
- European Honey Buzzard
- European Roller
- European Turtle Dove
- Familiar Chat
- Garganey
- Glossy Ibis
- Great Egret
- Greater Flamingo
- Greater Honeyguide
- Great White Pelican
- Gray-headed Gull
- Gray Heron
- Greater Hoopoe-lark
- Griffon Vulture
- Hadada Ibis
- Intermediate Egret
- Isabelline Wheatear
- Kori Bustard
- Lappet-faced Vulture
- Laughing Dove
- Lesser Crested Tern
- Lesser Flamingo
- Lesser Striped Swallow
- Lilac-breasted Roller
- Little Bee-eater
- Little Green Bee-eater
- Little Egret
- Little Swift
- Marbled Duck
- Montagu’s Harrier
- Mourning Wheatear
- Namaqua Dove
- Northern Black Flycatcher
- Northern Pintail
- Northern Wheatear
- Common Ostrich
- Pallas’s Gull
- Pallid Harrier
- Pied Avocet
- Pink-backed Pelican
- Purple Heron
- Red-chested Swallow
- Red-necked Phalarope
- Red-rumped Swallow
- Rock Dove
- Royal Tern
- Rüppell’s Weaver
- Senegal Thick-knee
- Slender-billed Gull
- Somali Bee-eater
- Somali Bulbul
- Somali Ostrich
- Somali Starling
- Speckled Pigeon
- Spotted Thick-knee
- Squacco Heron
- Western Marsh Harrier
- Western Osprey
- Western Reef Heron
- White-bellied Bustard
- White-browed Scrub Robin
- White-crowned Black Wheatear
- White-eyed Gull
- White-headed Duck
- White-rumped Swift
- White-throated Bee-eater
- Wire-tailed Swallow
- Yellow-billed Duck
- Yellow-billed Hornbill
- Yellow-billed Stork
- Yellow-necked Francolin
Non-native Birds
- African Cuckoo
- Alpine Swift
- Baillon’s Crake
- Eurasian Wigeon
- Great Spotted Cuckoo
- House Crow
- House Sparrow
- Plain Nightjar
- Rock Pigeon
- Southern Pochard
Djibouti offers unique birding opportunities due to its diverse habitats, including coastal areas, wetlands, and desert regions. While it may not be as well-known as other birding destinations, it offers rich avian diversity. Some of the best birding sites in Djibouti include Lake Assal, the Gulf of Tadjoura, and the Godoria Desert. The best time to see birds in Djibouti is during winter, particularly from November to February, as this period coincides with the migratory season of numerous bird species visiting Djibouti from Europe and Asia.
