Important Bird Areas

Rock Firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis Nigerian endemic species
Photo: Tasso Leventis

Nigeria has only 4 endemic species, 2 of which occur only on the Jos Plateau, Rock Firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis and Plateau Indigobird Vidua maryae. Of the other 2, Ibadan Malimbe Malimbus ibadanensis is restricted to a small area in the degraded forest belt of the south-west and the Anambra Waxbill Estrilda poliopareia is only found in the southern part of the Niger Delta. The only area protecting any of these is the small Amurum Reserve which surrounds the Ornithological Institute on the Jos Plateau.

Two endemic bird areas partly occur in Nigeria, the Cameroon Highlands and the Cameroon and Gabon lowlands. About 21 species of restricted range are found in them of which 8 are species of global conservation concern. These are Forest Swallow Hirundo fuliginosa, Cameroon Montane Greenbul Andropadus montanus, Grey-headed Greenbul Phyllastrephus poliocephalus, Bangwa Forest Warbler Bradypterus bangwaensis, Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas, White-throated Mountain Babbler Kupeornis gilberti, Green-breasted Bush-Shrike Malaconotus gladiator and Bannerman’s Weaver Ploceus bannermani.

Nigeria Yankari National Park
Photo: Tasso Leventis

30 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) have been identified in Nigeria covering an area of 31,014 km2, equivalent to 3.4% of the land surface area of the country. 15 of these are legally protected, 2 are privately owned, 6 are partially protected and 7 have no form of protection. The list of IBAs NG001 - NG030 is as follows:

NG001 Obudu Plateau
NG002 Gashaka-Gumti National Park
NG003 Ngel-Nyaki Forest Reserve
NG004 Chad Basin National Park
NG005 Afi River Forest Reserve
NG006 Okomu National Park
NG007 Cross River National Park (Oban Division)
NG008 Omo Forest Reserve
NG009 Pandam Wildlife Park
NG010 Cross River National Park (Okwango Division)
NG011 IITA Forest Reserve, Ibadan
NG012 Lower Kaduna - Middle Niger Floodplain
NG013 Kagoro-Nindam Forest Reserves
NG014 Donga River Basin Forests
NG015 Upper Orashi Forests
NG016 Biseni Forests
NG017 Akassa Forests
NG018 Yankari National Park
NG019 Kainji Lake National Park
NG020 Amurum Woodlands (Taboru)
NG021 Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands
NG022 Kamuku National Park
NG023 Assop Falls and Hills
NG024 Sambisa Game Reserve
NG025 Falgore and Lame Burra Game Reserves
NG026 Sunvit Farm
NG027 Ebok-Kabaken
NG028 Old Oyo National Park
NG029 Mouth of the Yobe River
NG030 Itu Wetlands and Swallow Roost

Click on the map to the right to see the geographic location of these IBAs.

Further information on Nigeria’s IBAs can be found in the publication edited by Augustine U. Ezealor 2002 entitled "Critical sites for Biological Conservation in Nigeria" published by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation. Details can be obtained from the Foundation at ncf@hyperia.com.

Last page update 28th December 2011