Togo
Togo is a narrow country stretching from the Gulf of Guinea north into the West African savanna belt. Its landscapes change rapidly from coastal lagoons and lowlands through the forested Togo Mountains to increasingly dry woodland and savanna in the north. The mountain chain creates some of the country’s most important remaining forest habitats, while the far north includes rocky hills and broad plains with a strongly seasonal climate.
Overview
Togo’s position between the Upper Guinea forests and Guinea savannas gives it varied birdlife within a compact area. The Togo Mountains, particularly around Klouto and Missahoe, are the main focus for forest birding, with turacos, hornbills, greenbuls, sunbirds and other West African forest species. Northern areas such as Kéran National Park add savanna birds including bee-eaters, rollers, bustards and raptors. Togo has relatively little specialist birding tourism compared with neighbouring Ghana, but its small size makes several habitat zones accessible within a short trip. Local guiding is available around some sites, while infrastructure and habitat quality can be more variable away from the main routes.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus | 54.4% | 42.8% | 53.5% | 61.0% | 51.6% | 53.7% | 60.1% | 57.0% | 56.0% | 50.2% | 55.6% | 54.8% | 55.9% |
| Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis | 41.2% | 36.4% | 34.3% | 32.0% | 32.8% | 46.8% | 30.0% | 43.6% | 45.4% | 47.3% | 43.6% | 49.9% | 51.8% |
| Black Kite Milvus migrans | 34.9% | 49.5% | 48.2% | 47.7% | 40.6% | 41.3% | 17.5% | 2.3% | 1.9% | 13.4% | 45.1% | 47.1% | 63.8% |
| Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis | 29.1% | 26.0% | 31.9% | 24.5% | 18.0% | 26.3% | 46.4% | 36.3% | 22.0% | 24.4% | 34.3% | 30.2% | 28.9% |
| Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullata | 28.0% | 28.7% | 24.5% | 26.0% | 13.8% | 23.9% | 18.6% | 43.5% | 25.8% | 33.5% | 39.1% | 25.2% | 33.4% |
| Western Plantain-eater Crinifer piscator | 25.9% | 24.8% | 28.3% | 22.9% | 28.4% | 28.3% | 31.2% | 27.7% | 25.3% | 17.6% | 32.9% | 20.9% | 22.2% |
| Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata | 25.6% | 28.3% | 21.1% | 13.4% | 23.0% | 23.6% | 38.6% | 38.3% | 22.3% | 18.0% | 29.0% | 22.1% | 29.4% |
| African Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus | 25.6% | 26.4% | 25.6% | 38.0% | 21.8% | 20.5% | 13.9% | 27.5% | 29.4% | 13.7% | 25.6% | 28.9% | 35.5% |
| Pied Crow Corvus albus | 24.4% | 31.0% | 14.5% | 22.3% | 12.4% | 26.0% | 18.6% | 32.5% | 23.4% | 30.8% | 25.0% | 29.6% | 27.1% |
| Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus | 24.4% | 12.9% | 33.3% | 22.8% | 20.0% | 26.8% | 30.6% | 25.4% | 30.1% | 24.1% | 24.9% | 14.9% | 27.4% |