Rwanda
Rwanda is a compact, mountainous country in the African Great Lakes region, characterized by steep hills, high plateaus and numerous lakes. The west rises along the Albertine Rift, where the forested mountains of Nyungwe overlook Lake Kivu, while the northwest contains the volcanic Virunga Mountains, with peaks above 4,000 metres. Eastern Rwanda is lower and drier, with savanna, wetlands and lakes around the Akagera basin. Its high elevation gives much of the country a relatively mild tropical climate despite its proximity to the equator.
Overview
Rwanda is especially important for Albertine Rift forest birds, offering remarkable diversity within a small and easily travelled country. Nyungwe National Park is the premier birding site, supporting specialties such as Red-collared Mountain Babbler, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Batis and Albertine Owlet. The Virunga Mountains add high-elevation forest species, while Akagera National Park provides a contrasting mix of savanna, papyrus wetlands and lakes with Shoebill, papyrus specialists, raptors and waterbirds. Rwanda has well-developed ecotourism infrastructure, good roads and experienced bird guides, and birding can readily be combined with mountain gorilla trekking. Its compact size makes it one of the more convenient destinations for sampling Albertine Rift specialties without the long travel distances required elsewhere in East Africa.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus | 50.2% | 47.7% | 48.7% | 53.5% | 52.8% | 51.1% | 43.3% | 52.3% | 54.6% | 49.5% | 54.0% | 51.0% | 43.9% |
| Black Kite Milvus migrans | 37.2% | 30.1% | 34.5% | 39.3% | 40.1% | 41.2% | 31.0% | 37.1% | 42.3% | 41.0% | 44.9% | 36.6% | 27.9% |
| Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus | 36.1% | 35.3% | 36.0% | 36.9% | 38.0% | 39.1% | 29.9% | 35.4% | 34.7% | 34.2% | 42.6% | 40.3% | 31.3% |
| White-browed Robin-Chat Cossypha heuglini | 33.8% | 31.6% | 32.6% | 39.7% | 40.5% | 37.8% | 26.0% | 27.7% | 32.8% | 33.3% | 39.6% | 36.6% | 27.0% |
| Variable Sunbird Cinnyris venustus | 33.1% | 32.1% | 38.4% | 37.8% | 42.9% | 42.3% | 29.5% | 25.9% | 27.4% | 28.9% | 30.4% | 32.7% | 29.4% |
| Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash | 31.0% | 31.9% | 27.0% | 32.3% | 32.0% | 34.3% | 23.6% | 28.3% | 30.0% | 30.9% | 38.5% | 35.3% | 28.6% |
| Pied Crow Corvus albus | 30.3% | 28.6% | 25.1% | 28.1% | 33.6% | 35.6% | 26.3% | 28.8% | 33.4% | 31.1% | 34.6% | 33.6% | 24.3% |
| African Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis | 28.4% | 23.4% | 24.7% | 27.9% | 30.2% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 31.3% | 31.0% | 29.9% | 35.3% | 29.6% | 22.1% |
| Northern Gray-headed Sparrow Passer griseus | 28.1% | 32.0% | 32.6% | 34.3% | 36.6% | 33.8% | 21.5% | 20.0% | 20.6% | 20.8% | 28.6% | 31.1% | 25.7% |
| Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata | 28.0% | 30.2% | 25.2% | 29.3% | 33.5% | 33.4% | 27.4% | 29.8% | 26.8% | 18.9% | 25.7% | 27.0% | 28.1% |