SUB-REGION
West Africa
SIZE
274,220 km²
BIRDS AND BIRDING
SPECIES
Diversity
Strongly Afrotropical avifauna
Approximately 480 recorded species
Taxa of interest
Four-banded Sandgrouse
Scissor-tailed Kite | African Swallow-tailed Kite
Bearded Barbet
Sennar Penduline Tit
Rufous-rumped Lark
Kordofan Lark
Cricket Warbler
Red-chested Swallow
Pied-winged Swallow
Chestnut-bellied Starling
Black Scrub Robin
Heuglin’s Wheatear
Sudan Golden Sparrow
MAIN HABITATS
Arid savanna
BIRD AREAS
10 Important Bird Areas (IBAs)
BIRDING SITES
Nazinga Game Ranch
W National Park (NP)
Kaboré Tambi NP
Sahel Partial Faunal Reserve
TIMING (Oct–Nov, Apr)
Being a dry country, it is best to visit immediately after the main rains (Oct–Dec), or when woodland birds are preparing to breed (Mar–May), although it may be unpleasantly hot then
Avoid the main rains (Jun–Sep) due to access difficulty
RESOURCES
Apps
Birds of Africa (iOS or Android)
Field guides
Birds of Western Africa by Nik Borrow & Ron Demey (2014)
Sounds
African Bird Sounds Vol 2: West and Central Africa by Claude Chappuis
Site guides
Birding in Burkina Faso, more than just birdwatching by Bruno Portier, Clark Lungren & Georges H Ouéda (2002)
Further reading
Burkina Faso by Clark Lungren, Georges Henry Ouéda, Frank Walsh & Urbain Belemsobgo in Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority Sites for Conservation edited by Lincoln D C Fishpool & Michael I Evans (2001)
Zones d’Importances pour la Conservation des Oiseaux (ZICO) du Burkina Faso: Statuts et Tendances 2008 compiled by Youssouf Sanou & Georges Henry Oueda (2009)
Les Oiseaux du Complexe WAP by Gilles Balança, Daniel Cornélis & Roger Wilson (2007)
Articles in Malimbus, Bull. ABC, etc.
Websites
W-Arly-Pendjari Complex – UNESCO World Heritage List
Facebook groups
Birds of Pendjari , W and Arly Parks
ORGANISATIONS
The BirdLife Partner in Burkina Faso is Fondation des Amis de la Nature (NATURAMA)
NATURAMA works with Site Support Groups (SSGs) around IBAs in Burkina Faso, among them Bala SSG, Lake Oursi SSG, Nazinga SSG, Sourou Valley SSG and W-Arly-Singou SSG
The West African Bird DataBase (WABDaB) accepts records and images of birds from Burkina Faso
Other bird or conservation organisations active in Burkina Faso include –
Association Nature et Développement (NATUDEV)
Association Inter–Villageoise de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune de la Comoé-Léraba (AGEREF-CL)
Association Inter-Villageoise de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune de Bala (AGEREF-Bala)
Association Inter-Villageoise de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune des Hauts–Bassins (AGEREF-HB)
Association Fauna et Développement au Burkina (AFAUDEB)
Association pour la Protection de la Nature – Sahel (APN-Sahel)
Association pour la Sauvegarde de l’Environnement (ASE)
Association Goo Bi Yazura (AGBY)
Association Impulsion
ONG Bissakou-Pou
Les Anges Gardiens de la Nature (AGN)
L’Homme et l’Environnement
Association des Campements Touristiques pour l’Appui à la Gestion du Parc Régional W (ACTAG-PRW)
Wildlife Angel
NABU
StopDesert
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