Birds in Rwanda

63 species listed · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024

Our list for Rwanda has 63 bird species recorded regularly there: 23 residents, 16 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 15 passage migrants and 7 scarce visitors.

The list comes from 320,000 birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Birds to see in Rwanda in September

40 species on our list are recorded regularly this month. These are the ones birdwatchers record most often.

All 40 birds in September

Arriving in September: European Bee-eater, Willow Warbler, Buzzard, Spotted Flycatcher, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Lanner Falcon and 4 more.

Through the year

Species recorded regularly in Rwanda each month: most in March (49), fewest in June (27). Choose a month to see its birds.

4940
Show as a table
Willow Warbler
Willow WarblerSmallest · 11cm
to
Spur-winged Goose
Spur-winged GooseLargest · 115cm
From the Willow Warbler (11 cm) to the Spur-winged Goose (115 cm)32 families

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All 63 birds on the list

Showing 1–23 of 63 species

ResidentRecorded all yearSummer visitorArrives to breed; scarce or absent in winterWinter visitorPresent outside the breeding seasonPassage migrantSeen mainly in spring and autumn migrationScarceRecorded in some years but not every yearCommonAmong the most-recorded birds in its best monthUncommonRecorded regularly, but on a minority of outingsRareFew records, even in its best month
Pied Crow

Pied Crow

Corvus albusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Fork-tailed Drongo

Fork-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus adsimilisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
European Bee-eater

European Bee-eater

Merops apiasterLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Spur-winged Goose

Spur-winged Goose

Plectropterus gambensisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucosLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Jul–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Ardea cinereaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret

Ardea ibisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Little Egret

Little Egret

Egretta garzettaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rusticaLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Aug–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Lesser Striped Swallow

Lesser Striped Swallow

Cecropis abyssinicaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
African Jacana

African Jacana

Actophilornis africanusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Ardea albaLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Phylloscopus trochilusLC

Summer visitorUncommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great Cormorant

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carboLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Yellow Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla flavaLC

Summer visitorUncommon

Regularly Oct–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Buzzard

Buzzard

Buteo buteoLC

Summer visitorUncommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Moorhen

Moorhen

Gallinula chloropusLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagrisLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

Muscicapa striataLC

Summer visitorUncommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Squacco Heron

Squacco Heron

Ardeola ralloidesLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurioLC

Passage migrantUncommon

Regularly Oct–Nov

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
House Sparrow

House Sparrow

Passer domesticusLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Blue-naped Mousebird

Blue-naped Mousebird

Urocolius macrourusLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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Frequently Asked Questions

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

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