Mauritania Ramsar wetland
Diawling National Park
186 bird species recorded; the most from December to January.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
159 species in January.89 species in February.61 species in March.77 species in April.74 species in May.11 species in June.0 species in July.1 species in August.0 species in September.7 species in October.103 species in November.148 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.























































































VU






































No records for this month.

No records for this month.



















































NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
186 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 186Speciesrecorded more than once
- 93Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 3ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 3,340Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 9Raptors
- 1Owls
- 29Waders
- 14Gulls & seabirds
- 12Ducks & geese
- 23Herons, ibises & grebes
- 4Storks & cranes
- 2Flamingos
- 58Songbirds
- 34Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 186 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors9 species
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- African Fish EagleHaliaeetus vocifer
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- LannerFalco biarmicus
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Owls1 species
- Pearl-spotted OwletGlaucidium perlatum
Waders29 species
- African JacanaActophilornis africanus
- Spur-winged LapwingVanellus spinosus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- RedshankTringa totanus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Senegal Thick-kneeBurhinus senegalensis
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Cream-coloured CourserCursorius cursor
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- African Wattled LapwingVanellus senegallus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Black-headed LapwingVanellus tectus
Gulls & seabirds14 species
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Grey-headed GullChroicocephalus cirrocephalus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- African SkimmerRynchops flavirostris
- West African Crested TernThalasseus albididorsalis
Ducks & geese12 species
- White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensis
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
- Pygmy GooseNettapus auritus
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Marbled TealMarmaronetta angustirostrisNT
Herons, ibises & grebes23 species
- Great White PelicanPelecanus onocrotalus
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- DarterAnhinga rufa
- Long-tailed CormorantMicrocarbo africanus
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Black HeronEgretta ardesiaca
- African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- African SpoonbillPlatalea alba
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Western Reef HeronEgretta gularis
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Pink-backed PelicanPelecanus rufescens
- Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala
- HamerkopScopus umbretta
Storks & cranes4 species
- Yellow-billed StorkMycteria ibis
- Black Crowned CraneBalearica pavoninaVU
- Black storkCiconia nigra
- Leptoptilos crumeniferLeptoptilos crumenifer
Flamingos2 species
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
- Lesser FlamingoPhoeniconaias minorNT
Songbirds58 species
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Winding CisticolaCisticola marginatus
- Black-headed WeaverPloceus melanocephalus
- Western Subalpine WarblerCurruca iberiae
- River PriniaPrinia fluviatilis
- Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- Sudan Golden SparrowPasser luteus
- Little WeaverPloceus luteolus
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Greater Blue-eared StarlingLamprotornis chalybaeus
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Senegal BatisBatis senegalensis
- Western Olivaceous WarblerIduna opaca
- Yellow-crowned GonolekLaniarius barbarus
- Chestnut-bellied StarlingLamprotornis pulcher
- Black Scrub-robinCercotrichas podobe
- Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava
- Orange-breasted WaxbillAmandava subflava
- Red-billed QueleaQuelea quelea
- Vitelline Masked WeaverPloceus vitellinus
- Red-chested SwallowHirundo lucida
- Greater Swamp-WarblerAcrocephalus rufescens
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Green-backed CamaropteraCamaroptera brachyura
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- Yellow-billed OxpeckerBuphagus africanus
- Long-tailed Glossy-StarlingLamprotornis caudatus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Yellow-crowned BishopEuplectes afer
- Black-crowned TchagraTchagra senegalus
- Western Orphean WarblerSylvia hortensis
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- African Reed WarblerAcrocephalus baeticatus
- Rufous-tailed Scrub RobinErythropygia galactotes
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
- Brown-necked RavenCorvus ruficollis
- BrubruNilaus afer
- Rufous-winged CisticolaCisticola galactotes
- Spectacled WarblerSylvia conspicillata
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- White-rumped SeedeaterCrithagra leucopygia
- Beautiful SunbirdCinnyris pulchellus
- Spiloptila clamansSpiloptila clamans
Other birds34 species
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Black CrakeAmaurornis flavirostra
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eaterMerops persicus
- Mourning Collared DoveStreptopelia decipiens
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Little Bee-eaterMerops pusillus
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Namaqua DoveOena capensis
- Senegal CoucalCentropus senegalensis
- Malachite KingfisherCorythornis cristatus
- Blue-naped MousebirdUrocolius macrourus
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
- African Grey WoodpeckerDendropicos goertae
- Allen's GallinulePorphyrio alleni
- Abyssinian RollerCoracias abyssinicus
- African Collared DoveStreptopelia roseogrisea
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Lesser MoorhenGallinula angulata
- Woodland KingfisherHalcyon senegalensis
- Western Red-billed HornbillTockus kempi
- African Green Bee-eaterMerops viridissimus
- Striped KingfisherHalcyon chelicuti
- Black-billed Wood DoveTurtur abyssinicus
- Speckled PigeonColumba guinea
- Vinaceous DoveStreptopelia vinacea
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- African Palm SwiftCypsiurus parvus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Long-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus climacurus
- African Grey HornbillLophoceros nasutus
- CootFulica atra
- Egyptian NightjarCaprimulgus aegyptius
- WryneckJynx torquilla
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from December to January.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan28°/16°2 mm
- Feb28°/16°9 mm
- Mar30°/17°24 mm
- Apr30°/18°1 mm
- May31°/19°0 mm
- Jun32°/22°8 mm
- Jul32°/25°45 mm
- Aug32°/26°102 mm
- Sep32°/26°91 mm
- Oct33°/24°15 mm
- Nov32°/21°1 mm
- Dec29°/18°0 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Diawling National Park.
National park
Diawling National Park is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Mauritania.
186 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 3,340 open records.
The most recorded are the Sand Martin, the Great White Pelican and the Eurasian Reed Warbler.
13 species come for the summer, 79 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
3 are threatened worldwide, including Black Crowned Crane, Curlew Sandpiper and Grey Plover.
The most species are recorded from December to January.

Get there and watch
- Campement Njagabaarplace to stay · 10 km · 3 within 10 km
- KeurMassènenearest town · 20 km in a straight line
- Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 209 km in a straight lineCar hire at DSS airport (Dakar)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.

Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 3places to stay within 10 kmCampement Njagabaar, Hôtel du Djoudj, Campement Bidiel
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Diawling National Park.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q1209241) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 3,340 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Lakeyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.



