Sudan
Sudan stretches from the Sahara in the north to the Sahel and savannas farther south, with the Nile system forming its dominant geographical feature. The Blue and White Nile meet at Khartoum before flowing north through increasingly arid landscapes toward Egypt. Much of western Sudan consists of dry plains and desert, interrupted by the volcanic Jebel Marra massif in Darfur, while the east rises toward the Red Sea Hills. Along the Red Sea are coral reefs, islands, mangroves and coastal wetlands. Climate ranges from hyper-arid desert to seasonally wet tropical savanna.
Overview
Sudan sits at the meeting point of African, Saharan and Palearctic bird faunas and is important for migrants following the Nile and Red Sea. The country's savannas historically supported bustards, secretarybirds, vultures and numerous hornbills, bee-eaters and weavers, while the Nile and associated wetlands attract pelicans, storks, herons and wintering waterbirds. The Red Sea coast and islands support seabirds and important migration routes, and arid regions hold larks, sandgrouse and wheatears. Sudan remains ornithologically underexplored and has little established birding infrastructure. Since the outbreak of civil war in 2023, widespread fighting, displacement and severe disruption of transport and services have made birding tourism impractical and extremely dangerous across much of the country; current official travel advice is essential.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Sparrow Passer domesticus | 41.7% | 41.8% | 38.3% | 44.7% | 29.2% | 49.6% | 28.0% | 46.3% | 74.1% | 45.9% | 51.7% | 26.2% | 24.3% |
| Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis | 36.7% | 45.2% | 34.7% | 27.7% | 31.7% | 42.3% | 32.7% | 33.1% | 60.7% | 40.3% | 45.3% | 25.1% | 21.8% |
| Black Kite Milvus migrans | 35.3% | 49.3% | 25.0% | 28.8% | 32.1% | 39.3% | 20.8% | 26.3% | 53.9% | 53.4% | 47.7% | 22.9% | 24.5% |
| Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus | 29.8% | 37.8% | 24.6% | 33.5% | 32.1% | 61.7% | 28.0% | 11.9% | 17.0% | 30.8% | 24.7% | 30.1% | 24.9% |
| Western Cattle-Egret Ardea ibis | 29.2% | 26.4% | 15.3% | 33.7% | 29.2% | 45.6% | 10.7% | 31.9% | 39.9% | 37.4% | 40.1% | 26.2% | 14.7% |
| Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus | 26.7% | 34.7% | 21.6% | 24.1% | 23.8% | 36.4% | 24.4% | 24.4% | 26.5% | 30.0% | 33.7% | 18.4% | 21.9% |
| Mourning Collared-Dove Streptopelia decipiens | 25.9% | 37.7% | 22.6% | 12.4% | 30.4% | 43.1% | 12.5% | 27.1% | 28.0% | 25.5% | 37.9% | 17.6% | 15.5% |
| Little Egret Egretta garzetta | 23.5% | 27.6% | 14.4% | 25.5% | 19.2% | 43.8% | 3.6% | 10.6% | 46.1% | 17.9% | 35.2% | 17.7% | 20.0% |
| Namaqua Dove Oena capensis | 21.9% | 23.8% | 11.1% | 30.8% | 19.2% | 49.9% | 12.5% | 14.4% | 34.8% | 21.2% | 22.1% | 7.7% | 15.7% |
| Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus | 19.8% | 16.1% | 13.0% | 24.4% | 21.3% | 34.3% | 10.7% | 7.5% | 44.0% | 26.2% | 16.6% | 11.2% | 12.1% |