SUB-REGION
North-East Africa
SIZE
1,284,000 km² (5th largest country in Africa)
BIRDS AND BIRDING
SPECIES
Diversity
Afrotropical avifauna, but with many Palaearctic migrants
Approximately 580 recorded species
Birds best found in Chad but occurring more widely (BT)
Nubian Bustard
Niam-niam Parrot
Kordofan Sparrow
Birds occurring in only two territories of the ABC region but not near-endemics or BT (1/2)
Chad Firefinch
Birds best found in two territories but occurring in more (B2)
Rusty Bush Lark
Proposed split not yet accepted by IOC
Red-pate Cisticola (B2)
Other taxa of interest
Clapperton’s Francolin
Scissor-tailed Kite | African Swallow-tailed Kite
Beaudouin’s Snake Eagle
Arabian Bustard
Savile’s Bustard
Black Crowned Crane
Golden Nightjar
Quail Plover
Cream-coloured Courser
African Collared Dove
Black-breasted Barbet
African Green Bee-eater (flavoviridis)
Little Grey Woodpecker
Peregrine Falcon (pelegrinoides)
Sennar Penduline Tit
Cricket Warbler
Fulvous Babbler
Chestnut-bellied Starling
Black Scrub Robin
Sudan Golden Sparrow
Sahel Paradise Whydah
Striolated Bunting
MAIN HABITATS
Desert, arid savanna, Guinea woodland
BIRD AREAS
8 Important Bird Areas
BIRDING SITES
Ennedi and Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim for desert species including Nubian Bustard
Zakouma National Park for Black-breasted Barbet
Moundou area for Guinea woodland species and Niam-niam Parrot
TIMING (Sep, Jan–Feb)
Best when it is cooler (Nov–Mar), or immediately after the rains when many desert birds are breeding and passage migrants pass through (Sep–Oct)
Zakouma may be inaccessible Jul–Nov
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
Further reading
Chad by Paul Scholte & Peter Robertson in Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority Sites for Conservation edited by Lincoln D C Fishpool & Michael I Evans (2001)
Waders and Waterbirds in the Floodplains of the Logone, Cameroon and Chad, January/February 1999 by Bert Dijkstra, Wim Ganzevles, Gerrit Gerritsen & Selvino de Kort (2002)
Waders and Waterbirds in the Floodplains of the Logone, Cameroon and Chad, February 2000 edited by Wim Ganzevies & Jeroen Bredenbeek (2005)
Articles in Malimbus, Bull. ABC, etc.
Websites
Lakes of Ounianga – UNESCO World Heritage List
ORGANISATIONS
There is currently no BirdLife Partner in Chad
The West African Bird DataBase (WABDaB) accepts records and images of birds from Chad
Bird or conservation organisations active in Chad include –
Alliance des Défenseurs des Droits Humains et de l’Environnement au Tchad (ADHET)
Association des Amis de la Nature pour la Protection de l ‘Environnement (AANPE)
Instances Locales d’Orientations et de Décision de l’Espace Lacustre de Fianga (ILOD/ELF)
ILOD Dari et Goumadji
Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF)
African Parks: Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve, Siniaka Minia Wildlife Reserve and Zakouma National Park
Parcs de Noé (PDN): Réserve de Faune de Binder Léré