SUB-REGION
West Africa
SIZE
322,460 km²
BIRDS AND BIRDING
SPECIES
Diversity
Strongly Afrotropical avifauna
Approximately 730 recorded species
Birds best found in two territories of the ABC region but occurring in more (B2)
Black-headed Rufous Warbler
Nimba Flycatcher
Other taxa of interest
White-breasted Guineafowl
Congo Serpent Eagle
Red-thighed Sparrowhawk
Fire-bellied Woodpecker
Brown-cheeked Hornbill
Yellow-footed Honeyguide
Melancholy Woodpecker
Timneh Parrot
White-necked Rockfowl | Yellow-headed Picathartes
Western Wattled Cuckooshrike
West African Wattle-eye
Red-cheeked Wattle-eye
Rufous-rumped Lark
Green-tailed Bristlebill
Western Bearded Greenbul
Yellow-bearded Greenbul
Pied-winged Swallow
Emin’s Shrike
Kemp’s Longbill
Sierra Leone Prinia
Sharpe’s Apalis
Rufous-winged Illadopsis
Copper-tailed Glossy Starling
Emerald Starling
White-tailed Alethe
Little Grey Flycatcher
Ussher’s Flycatcher
Red-fronted Antpecker
Exclamatory Paradise Whydah
MAIN HABITATS
Lowland forest, Guinea savanna
BIRD AREAS
Upper Guinea forests Endemic Bird Area
14 Important Bird Areas
BIRDING SITES
Taï National Park (NP), Mount Nimba and Yapo Forest for lowland forest species
Comoé NP for Guinea savanna species
Maraoue on the ecotone of forest and savanna
TIMING (Jan–Mar)
Best in the dry season (Nov–Apr) when access is easy and most forest birds breed
Avoid the main rains (May–Sep)
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 Comoé National Park, Ivory Coast by Volker Salewski (1999)
Further reading
Côte d’Ivoire by Lincoln Fishpool in Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority Sites for Conservation edited by Lincoln D C Fishpool & Michael I Evans (2001)
Forest Birds in Côte d’Ivoire: a Survey of Taï National Park and Other Forests and Forestry Plantations, 1989-1991 by Mary E Gartshore, Philip D Taylor & Ian S Francis (1995)
The Status and Conservation of Threatened Birds in the Upper Guinea Forest by Gary Allport (1991)
L’Inventaire de l’Avifaune du Parc National du Taï, Côte d’Ivoire by Mary E Gartshore (1989)
The Birds of Ivory Coast: Status and Distribution by Jean-Marc Thiollay (1985)
Le Peuplement Animal du Mont Nimba: Guinée, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia edited by Maxime Lamotte & Roger Roy (2003)
Articles in Malimbus, Bull. ABC, etc.
Websites
UNESCO World Heritage List: Comoé National Park, Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve and Taï National Park
Facebook groups
Les Oiseaux de Côte d’Ivoire
ORGANISATIONS
The BirdLife Partner in Côte d’Ivoire is SOS-Forêts
Other bird or conservation organisations active in Côte d’Ivoire include –
Action pour la Conservation de la Biodiversité en Côte d’Ivoire (ACB-CI)
Conservation des Espèces Marines (CEM), formerly SOS Dassioko
Notre Forêt Notre Avenir (NOFNA)
ONG Sauvons l’Environnement
ONG Conservation Taï
NABU