Mali

SUB-REGION
West Africa

SIZE
1,240,190 km² (8th largest country in Africa)

BIRDS AND BIRDING

SPECIES
Diversity

Mostly Afrotropical avifauna, with a significant migratory Palaearctic element
Approximately 550 recorded species

Fox Kestrel (Tasso Leventis)
Mali Firefinch (Arne Møller)
River Prinia (Bram Piot)

Near-endemics (NE)
Mali Firefinch

Other taxa of interest, including endemic subspecies (ESS)
Golden Nightjar
Egyptian Plover
Cream-coloured Courser
Pharaoh Eagle-Owl | Desert Eagle-Owl
Western Red-billed Hornbill
Yellow-breasted Barbet
Little Grey Woodpecker
Fox Kestrel
Sennar Penduline Tit
Rusty Bush Lark
Rock-loving Cisticola
River Prinia
Cricket Warbler
Neumann’s Starling
White-crowned Cliff Chat (ESS cavernicola)
Desert Sparrow
Sudan Golden Sparrow
Lavender Waxbill
House Bunting

Yellow-breasted Barbet (Artur Bujanowicz)
Golden Nightjar (Nik Borrow)
Egyptian Plover (Tasso Leventis)
Black-faced Firefinch (Paul van Giersbergen)

MAIN HABITATS
Arid savanna with rocky hills, desert, lakes and wetlands of the Niger River

BIRD AREAS
Upper Niger valley Secondary Area
18 Important Bird Areas

BIRDING SITES
Bamako area and Dogon country for Mali Firefinch
Timbuktu and Gao for arid-country birds

TIMING (Oct–Nov, Mar)
Being an arid area, breeding activity is stimulated by rain so it is best to visit immediately after the rains (Sep–Dec), or immediately before the rains (Mar–Apr)

RESOURCES
Apps
Birds of Africa (iOS or Android)

Field guides
Birds of Western Africa by Nik Borrow & Ron Demey (2014)
Oiseaux Observables à Teriya Bugu et dans ses Environs Proches by Bourama Coulibaly (2013)

Sounds
African Bird Sounds Vol 2: West and Central Africa by Claude Chappuis

Atlases
Atlas de Répartition des Oiseaux du Mali et de Mauritanie by B Lamarche (1993)

Further reading
Mali by 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)
Articles in Malimbus, Bull. ABC, etc.

Facebook groups
Oiseaux du Mali

ORGANISATIONS

There is currently no BirdLife Partner in Mali

Bird or conservation organisations active in Mali include –
Association Malienne pour la Conservation de la Faune et de l’Environnement (AMCFE)
STOP-SAHEL: Association Malienne pour la Protection de l’Environnement

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