République du Congo | Republic of the Congo

SUB-REGION
Central Africa

SIZE
342,000 km²

BIRDS AND BIRDING

SPECIES
Diversity
Strongly Afrotropical avifauna
Approximately 680 recorded species

Congo Moor Chat (Paul van Giersergen)
Grey-throated Rail (Nik Borrow)
Zenker’s Honeyguide (Gareth Knass)

Birds best found in Congo but occurring more widely (BT)
Bob-tailed Weaver

Birds occurring in only two territories of the ABC region but not near-endemics or BT (1/2)
Congo Martin
Olive-backed Forest Robin
Congo Sunbird

Proposed new species or splits not yet accepted by IOC
Cranch’s Spurfowl
Verreaux’s Turaco
Barrow’s Bustard
White-breasted Cormorant
Red-chested Goshawk
African Hoopoe
Eastern Piping Hornbill
Eastern Yellow-spotted Barbet
Streaky-throated Barbet
Brown-faced Barbet
Thick-billed Honeyguide
West African Pitta
Perrin’s Bushshrike
Clancey’s Drongo
Dark-capped Bulbul
Petit’s Saw-wing
Rufous-crowned Cisticola
“Teke” Cisticola
Western Buff-throated Apalis
Salvadori’s Eremomela
Black-chinned Quailfinch
Three-streaked Bunting

Other taxa of interest (see also under Birding Sites)
Hartlaub’s Duck
African Pygmy Goose
Black Guineafowl
Plumed Guineafowl
Latham’s Francolin
Scaly Spurfowl
Bates’s Nightjar
Long-tailed Nightjar
Pennant-winged Nightjar
Mottled Spinetail
Sabine’s Spinetail
Cassin’s Spinetail
Horus Swift
Great Blue Turaco
Western Plantain-eater
Guinea Turaco
Gabon Coucal
Blue Malkoha
Thick-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-throated Cuckoo
African Emerald Cuckoo
Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo
Black Cuckoo
Red-chested Cuckoo
Afep Pigeon
Western Bronze-naped Pigeon
Tambourine Dove
Blue-headed Wood Dove
African Green Pigeon
African Finfoot
White-spotted Flufftail
Red-chested Flufftail
Grey-throated Rail
Nkulengu Rail
Senegal Lapwing
White-fronted Plover
Forbes’s Plover
Egyptian Plover
Greater Painted-snipe
Rock Pratincole
Grey Pratincole
Marabou Stork
Spot-breasted Ibis
White-crested Tiger Heron
Dwarf Bittern
White-backed Night Heron
African Harrier-Hawk
Palm-nut Vulture
African Cuckoo-Hawk
Congo Serpent Eagle
Bat Hawk
Crowned Eagle
Long-crested Eagle
Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle
Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle
Long-tailed Hawk
Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk
Shikra
Red-thighed Sparrowhawk
Black Sparrowhawk
Red-chested Owlet
Sjöstedt’s Barred Owlet
Sandy Scops Owl
Maned Owl
Fraser’s Eagle-Owl
Akun Eagle-Owl
Shelley’s Eagle-Owl
Pel’s Fishing Owl
Vermiculated Fishing Owl
African Wood Owl
Narina Trogon
Bare-cheeked Trogon
Congo Pied Hornbill
Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill
White-thighed Hornbill
Black-casqued Hornbill
Western Dwarf Hornbill
Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill
Blue-throated Roller
Broad-billed Roller
Chocolate-backed Kingfisher
Grey-headed Kingfisher
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Striped Kingfisher
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
African Dwarf Kingfisher
African Pygmy Kingfisher
White-bellied Kingfisher
Giant Kingfisher
Black-headed Bee-eater
Black Bee-eater
White-fronted Bee-eater
White-throated Bee-eater
Eastern Yellow-billed Barbet
Bristle-nosed Barbet
Naked-faced Barbet
Red-rumped Tinkerbird
Yellow-throated Tinkerbird
Double-toothed Barbet
Cassin’s Honeybird
Least Honeyguide
Spotted Honeyguide
Lyre-tailed Honeyguide
Red-throated Wryneck
Buff-spotted Woodpecker
Brown-eared Woodpecker
Little Green Woodpecker
Yellow-crested Woodpecker
Gabon Woodpecker
African Hobby
Red-fronted Parrot
Rufous-sided Broadbill
Gabon Batis
Chestnut Wattle-eye
Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye
Fiery-breasted Bushshrike
Many-colored Bushshrike
Bocage’s Bushshrike
Brown-crowned Tchagra
Sabine’s Puffback
Red-eyed Puffback
Northern Puffback
Lowland Sooty Boubou
Rufous-bellied Helmetshrike
African Shrike-flycatcher
Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher
Petit’s Cuckooshrike
Purple-throated Cuckooshrike
Blue Cuckooshrike
Western Oriole
Black-winged Oriole
Shining Drongo
Velvet-mantled Drongo
Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher
Bates’s Paradise Flycatcher
Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher
African Paradise Flycatcher
African Blue Flycatcher
Dusky Crested Flycatcher
Forest Penduline Tit
Western Nicator
Yellow-throated Nicator
Slender-billed Greenbul
Golden Greenbul
Black-collared Bulbul
Red-tailed Bristlebill
Yellow-lored Bristlebill
Pale-throated Greenbul
Spotted Greenbul
Swamp Palm Bulbul
Falkenstein’s Greenbul
Honeyguide Greenbul
Eastern Bearded Greenbul
Red-tailed Greenbul
White-bearded Greenbul
Yellow-whiskered Greenbul
Plain Greenbul
Little Grey Greenbul
Ansorge’s Greenbul
White-throated Greenbul
Icterine Greenbul
Leaf-love
Square-tailed Saw-wing
White-bibbed Swallow
Mosque Swallow
Red-throated Cliff Swallow
Yellow Longbill
Grey Longbill
Green Crombec
Lemon-bellied Crombec
Chestnut-capped Flycatcher
Green Hylia
Tit Hylia
Red-faced Cisticola
Whistling Cisticola
Chattering Cisticola
Croaking Cisticola
Short-winged Cisticola
Pectoral-patch Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola
Banded Prinia
White-chinned Prinia
Grey-backed Camaroptera
Yellow-browed Camaroptera
Olive-green Camaroptera
Rufous-crowned Eremomela
Brown Illadopsis
Pale-breasted Illadopsis
Blackcap Illadopsis
Arrow-marked Babbler
Violet-backed Hyliota
Purple-headed Starling
Splendid Starling
Chestnut-winged Starling
Narrow-tailed Starling
Yellow-billed Oxpecker
Fraser’s Rufous Thrush
White-tailed Ant Thrush
Red-tailed Ant Thrush
Fire-crested Alethe
Pale Flycatcher
White-browed Forest Flycatcher
Fraser’s Forest Flycatcher
Grey Tit-Flycatcher
Olivaceous Flycatcher
Ashy Flycatcher
Dusky-blue Flycatcher
Sooty Flycatcher
Yellow-footed Flycatcher
Little Grey Flycatcher
Cassin’s Flycatcher
White-browed Robin-Chat
Lowland Akalat
African Stonechat
Sooty Chat
Fraser’s Sunbird
Violet-tailed Sunbird
Little Green Sunbird
Grey-chinned Sunbird
Collared Sunbird
Reichenbach’s Sunbird
Blue-throated Brown Sunbird
Olive Sunbird
Green-throated Sunbird
Tiny Sunbird
Purple-banded Sunbird
Johanna’s Sunbird
Superb Sunbird
Spectacled Weaver
Orange Weaver
Yellow-mantled Weaver
Compact Weaver
Cassin’s Malimbe
Blue-billed Malimbe
Red-headed Malimbe
Red-bellied Malimbe
Crested Malimbe
Green Twinspot
Woodhouse’s Antpecker
White-breasted Nigrita
Chestnut-breasted Nigrita
Grey-headed Nigrita
Pale-fronted Nigrita
Grey Waxbill
Black-headed Waxbill
Brown Twinspot
Black-bellied Seedcracker
African Firefinch
Cameroon Indigobird
Mountain Wagtail
Yellow-throated Longclaw
Long-legged Pipit
Yellow-fronted Canary
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

Black-headed Bee-eater (Nik Borrow)
African River Martin (Lionel Sineux)

MAIN HABITATS
Lowland forest, grasslands, coastal savanna

BIRD AREAS
9 Important Bird Areas

BIRDING SITES
Brazzaville area (Congo River and Patte d’Oie Forest Reserve) for Congo Martin and Bob-tailed Weaver, also African Skimmer, Rufous-vented Paradise Flycatcher, Rufous-tailed Palm Thrush, Carmelite Sunbird and Slender-billed Weaver, as well as more widespread and common birds including African Palm Swift, Little Swift, White-rumped Swift, Senegal Coucal, Blue-headed Coucal, Diederik Cuckoo, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Red-eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Common Moorhen, Black Crake, Water Thick-knee, White-crowned Lapwing, African Jacana, African Openbill, African Darter, Reed Cormorant, Little Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret, Striated Heron, Squacco Heron, Great Egret, Yellow-billed Egret, Western Cattle Egret, Purple Heron, Hamerkop, Lizard Buzzard, Yellow-billed Kite, Western Barn Owl, Speckled Mousebird, Eurasian Hoopoe (africana), Woodland Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Speckled Tinkerbird, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Cardinal Woodpecker, African Grey Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Grey Parrot, Red-headed Lovebird, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Lühder’s Bushshrike, Northern Fiscal, Pied Crow, Simple Greenbul, Little Greenbul, Common Bulbul (tricolor), Red-chested Swallow, Angola Swallow, Lesser Striped Swallow, Winding Cisticola, Tawny-flanked Prinia, African Thrush, Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, Green-headed Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Olive-bellied Sunbird, Copper Sunbird, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, Black-necked Weaver, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Village Weaver, Vieillot’s Black Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Red-headed Quelea, Yellow-crowned Bishop, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Bronze Mannikin, Black-and-white Mannikin, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Common Waxbill, Orange-breasted Waxbill, Blue Waxbill, Western Bluebill, Pin-tailed Whydah, African Pied Wagtail and Black-faced Canary
Conkouati-Douli National Park (NP), Tchimpounga Nature Reserve and Pointe-Noire area for Olive-backed Forest Robin among many other taxa of interest listed above, also Rosy Bee-eater, Swamp Boubou, African River Martin, Mangrove Sunbird and Loango Weaver, as well as Square-tailed Nightjar, White-browed Coucal, Laughing Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Namaqua Dove, Pale-olive Greenbul, Common Bulbul (gabonensis), Greater Swamp Warbler, African Yellow Warbler, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Red-capped Robin-Chat, Variable Sunbird, Thick-billed Weaver, Lesser Masked Weaver and waterbirds including Kittlitz’s Plover, Damara Tern, West African Crested Tern, African Woolly-necked Stork, Great Cormorant (lucidus), Hadada Ibis, African Spoonbill, Grey Heron and Pink-backed Pelican
Dimonika Biosphere Reserve for Pink-footed Puffback, Crossley’s Ground Thrush and White-collared Oliveback, as well as Olive-backed Forest Robin and other taxa of interest listed above
Lésio-Louna Wildlife Sanctuary, Léfini Wildlife Reserve and Ogooué-Lékéti NP for Finsch’s Francolin, Sladen’s Barbet, Brazza’s Martin, Teke Cisticola (undescribed form), Congo Moor Chat and Black-chinned Weaver, as well as Helmeted Guineafowl, Coqui Francolin, Harlequin Quail, Red-necked Spurfowl (cranchii), Denham’s Bustard, White-bellied Bustard (mackenziei), Black-bellied Bustard, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, African Cuckoo, Common Buttonquail, Temminck’s Courser, Black-winged Kite, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Bateleur, Martial Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Dark Chanting Goshawk, African Marsh Harrier, Red-necked Buzzard, Southern White-faced Owl, Spotted Eagle-Owl, Black Scimitarbill, Lilac-breasted Roller, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Greater Honeyguide, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Miombo Pied Barbet, African Broadbill, Chinspot Batis, Western Black-headed Batis, Black-crowned Tchagra, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Souza’s Shrike, White-winged Black Tit, Rufous-bellied Tit, Grey Penduline Tit, Flappet Lark, Plains Lark (malbranti), Red-throated Rock Martin, Moustached Grass Warbler, Red-capped Crombec, Fan-tailed Grassbird, Rattling Cisticola, Tinkling Cisticola, Neddicky, Pale-crowned Cisticola, Yellow-bellied Eremomela (salvadorii), Green-capped Eremomela, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Violet-backed Starling, White-browed Scrub Robin, Western Violet-backed Sunbird, Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow, Red-billed Quelea, Black-winged Red Bishop, White-winged Widowbird, Marsh Widowbird, Red-collared Widowbird, Orange-winged Pytilia, Wood Pipit, Plain-backed Pipit, Short-tailed Pipit and Black-throated Canary
Lac Télé Community Reserve for Congo Sunbird and Weyns’s Weaver among other taxa of interest listed above, also Swamp Nightjar, Black Coucal, Black-rumped Buttonquail, African Fish Eagle, African Grass Owl, Marsh Tchagra, Grey-rumped Swallow, Wing-snapping Cisticola, Orange-tufted Sunbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Cuckoo-finch and African Pipit, as well as waterbirds including White-faced Whistling Duck, Spur-winged Goose, Knob-billed Duck, African Crake, African Swamphen, Little Grebe, Collared Pratincole, Grey-headed Gull, Yellow-billed Stork, Black Heron, Black-headed Heron and Goliath Heron
Odzala-Kokoua NP, Ntokou-Pikounda NP and Nouabalé-Ndoki NP for Western Crested Guineafowl, Brown Nightjar, Black Spinetail, Bates’s Swift, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Olive Ibis, Forest Wood Hoopoe, Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Eastern Dwarf Hornbill, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Grey-throated Barbet, Zenker’s Honeyguide, Willcocks’s Honeyguide, African Piculet, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Grey Kestrel, Black-collared Lovebird, Grey-headed Broadbill, Green-breasted Pitta, Angola Batis, West African Batis, White-spotted Wattle-eye, Black-necked Wattle-eye, Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike, Eastern Wattled Cuckooshrike, Sharpe’s Drongo, Dusky Tit, Yellow-eyed Bristlebill, Sjöstedt’s Greenbul, Xavier’s Greenbul, Ethiopian Swallow, Forest Swallow, Preuss’s Cliff Swallow, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Black-backed Cisticola, Black-throated Apalis, Black-capped Apalis, Gosling’s Apalis, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Forest White-eye, Grey-throated Tit-Flycatcher, Tessmann’s Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Forest Robin, Brown-chested Alethe, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Bates’s Sunbird, Maxwell’s Black Weaver, Dark-backed Weaver, Preuss’s Weaver, Yellow-capped Weaver, Red-crowned Malimbe, Black-crowned Waxbill, Locust Finch and Grant’s Bluebill, as well as many other taxa of interest listed above

TIMING (Jun–Jul, Dec)
Best in the dry season when access is easier, although this varies between the north (Dec–Feb) and south (Jun–Aug, Dec)
Avoid the main rains (Sep–Oct, Apr–May)

RESOURCES
Apps
Birds of Africa (iOS or Android)

Field guides
Birds of Western Africa by Nik Borrow & Ron Demey (2014)
Guide de Poche des Oiseaux de Pointe-Noire et du Kouilou, République du Congo by Christine Gonzalez-Dunia, Vincent Delhaye-Prat & Jérôme Mokoko Ikonga (2014)

Sounds
African Bird Sounds Vol 2: West and Central Africa by Claude Chappuis
Une Journée dans la Forêt Équatoriale/One Day in the Equatorial Forest by Pierre Huguet

Further reading
Les Oiseaux du Kouilou: de la Côte Atlantique aux Contreforts du Mayombe by Vincent Delhaye-Prat, Christine Gonzalez-Dunia, Xavier Rufray & Teva Kami (2018)
The Birds of the Lesio-Louna and Lefini Reserves, Congo by Tony King (2008)
Congo by Françoise Dowsett-Lemaire in Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority Sites for Conservation edited by Lincoln D C Fishpool & Michael I Evans (2001)
Les Oiseaux d’Afrique Centrale: Liste Faunistique by Patrice Christy & Jean Pierre Vande weghe (1999)
Parc National d’Odzala: Carnet de Voyage by Patrice Christy (1999)
Flora and Fauna of Odzala National Park, Congo/Flore et Faune du Parc National d’Odzala, Congo edited by Robert J Dowsett & Françoise Dowsett-Lemaire (1997)
Flora and Fauna of the Kouilou Basin (Congo) and Their Exploitation/Flore et Faune du Bassin du Kouilou (Congo) et Leur Exploitation edited by Robert J Dowsett & Françoise Dowsett-Lemaire (1991)
Enquête Faunistique dans la Forêt du Mayombe et Check-liste des Oiseaux et des Mammifères du Congo edited by Françoise Dowsett-Lemaire & Robert J Dowsett (1989)
Articles in Malimbus, Bull. ABC, etc.

Websites
Sangha Trinational – UNESCO World Heritage List

Blogs
Congo Birds

ORGANISATIONS

There is currently no BirdLife Partner in Congo

Bird or conservation organisations active in Congo include –
Conservation de la Faune Congolaise (CFC)
Alliance Nationale pour la Nature (ANN)
Congo Environnement et Développement (CEDEV)
Réseau International Arbres Congo (RIAT-Congo)
Association pour la Conservation de la Nature de la Likouala (ACNL)
Association pour la Protection des Éco-systèmes Tropicaux et de Développement de la Sangha (APETDS)
Plateforme pour la Gestion Durable des Forêts (PGDF)
Endangered Species International (ESI Congo)
Renatura
African Parks: Odzala-Kokoua
Parcs de Noé: Parc National de Conkouati-Douli
WCS Congo
WWF

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