Close to 600 birds live in Eritrea, a country in the Horn of Africa. Its proximity to the Red Sea means several waterbirds like flamingoes, gulls, and ibises can be seen there.
Some of the most notable avifauna in this small East African country include the African Paradise Flycatcher, the Northern Carmine Bee-eater, and the Sudan Golden Sparrow.
List of Common Birds Found in Eritrea
Native Birds
- Abyssinian Roller
- Abyssinian Scimitarbill
- Abyssinian Waxbill
- African Fish-eagle
- African Gray Hornbill
- African Harrier Hawk
- African Hoopoe
- African Palm Swift
- African Paradise Flycatcher
- African Pied Hornbill
- African Pied Wagtail
- African Pygmy Kingfisher
- African Sacred Ibis
- African Silverbill
- African Stonechat
- African Swamphen
- African White-backed Vulture
- Arabian Bustard
- Banded Barbet
- Bateleur
- Bearded Woodpecker
- Black-billed Woodhoopoe
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark
- Black-crowned Tchagra
- Black-headed Gull
- Black-headed Heron
- Black-throated Barbet
- Black-winged Lapwing
- Brown-necked Raven
- Brown Snake Eagle
- Bruce’s Green Pigeon
- Common Ostrich
- Crested Francolin
- Eastern Chanting Goshawk
- Eastern Grey Woodpecker
- Eurasian Marsh Harrier
- Fischer’s Lovebird
- Great White Pelican
- Green-backed Eremomela
- Grey-headed Kingfisher
- Hamerkop
- Helmeted Guinea Fowl
- Hemprich’s Hornbill
- Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse
- Little Bee-eater
- Little Green Bee-eater
- Little Sparrowhawk
- Montagu’s Harrier
- Northern Carmine Bee-eater
- Northern Red-billed Hornbill
- Nubian Bustard
- Orange-breasted Bushshrike
- Pied Crow
- Purple Grenadier
- Purple Heron
- Red-and-yellow Barbet
- Red-billed Quelea
- Red-fronted Barbet
- Red-naped Bush Lark
- Rufous-crowned Roller
- Rüppell’s Vulture
- Rüppell’s Weaver
- Saddle-billed Stork
- Senegal Thick-knee
- Shining Sunbird
- Singing Bush Lark
- Somali Bunting
- Somali Courser
- Somali Ostrich
- Sooty Falcon
- Speckled Pigeon
- Spotted Eagle-owl
- Sudan Golden Sparrow
- Tawny Eagle
- Verreaux’s Eagle
- Village Weaver
- Von der Decken’s Hornbill
- White-bellied Canary
- White-billed Starling
- White-crowned Starling
- White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher
- White-headed Vulture
- White-winged Cliff Chat
- Yellow-billed Kite
- Yellow-breasted Barbet
- Yellow-necked Spurfowl
- Yellow-rumped Seedeater
Non-native Birds
- House Crow
- House Sparrow
- White-bellied Go-away-bird
- Lesser Spotted Eagle
- Basra Reed Warbler
- Eurasian Hoopoe
Some of the best places to go birdwatching in Eritrea include the capital city Asmara, the coastal city Massawa, and the Southern Red Sea Region. The best time to go birding in Eritrea is during the dry season, generally from October to March. The weather is pleasant during this period, and bird activity is typically high. Migratory birds from Europe and Asia also arrive in Eritrea during winter, adding to the avian species diversity.
