Birdlife in Rwanda

A tragic history masks the fact that Rwanda is actually a top birding destination. It may be a small, landlocked country of a modest 26 338 square kilometres (less than half the size of Scotland) but it has 25 of the 37 Albertine Rift endemics in its montane forests and an impressive bird count of around 670 of which 475 are resident.

It's a hilly, green country and much of the country is taken up by the fertile Lake Victoria basin. The Virunga Mountains - mostly covered in rainforest - in the far north-west form a barrier with Congo and Uganda.

There are no species endemic to Rwanda but the montane forests of the country are home to 25 of the 37 species of the Albertine Rift Endemic Bird Area (EBA). In addition, there are half a dozen or so near-endemics.

The country has 7 Important Bird Areas and also contains parts of bird-rich biomes including the Guinea-Congo forests biome at lower altitudes in forests in the west, the Lake Victoria basin biome, and the montane forests of the Afrotropical Highlands biome.

Birds are everywhere in Rwanda - from your lodge's gardens to the deepest rainforest, but head for the Nyungwe Forest National Park for excellent forest species and 26 Albertine Rift endemics (those birds found only on the western branch of the Rift Valley.

At the Akagera National Park you'll find the East African savannah birds, including a wealth of raptors and the legendary Shoebill - the region's 'mega-tick'.

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