Rwanda Important Bird Area
Volcanoes National Park
179 bird species recorded; the most in January, in March, in May and in July.
Dave Proffer · CC BY 2.0
This month here
106 species in January.61 species in February.112 species in March.15 species in April.113 species in May.93 species in June.115 species in July.95 species in August.101 species in September.34 species in October.95 species in November.87 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.
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
179 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).
- 179Speciesrecorded more than once
- 45Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 3ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 4,123Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 3,241 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 19Raptors
- 2Owls
- 2Ducks & geese
- 8Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 115Songbirds
- 30Other 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 179 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Mountain BuzzardButeo oreophilusNT
- Augur BuzzardButeo augur
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- African Harrier-hawkPolyboroides typus
- African hobbyFalco cuvierii
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Long-crested EagleLophaetus occipitalis
- Hooded VultureNecrosyrtes monachusCR
- LannerFalco biarmicus
- Martial eaglePolemaetus bellicosus
- Crowned EagleStephanoaetus coronatusNT
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Rufous-breasted SparrowhawkAccipiter rufiventris
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Tawny EagleAquila rapaxVU
- Lesser spotted eagleAquila pomarina
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Wahlberg's EagleHieraaetus wahlbergi
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Abyssinian OwlAsio abyssinicus
- Spotted Eagle-OwlBubo africanus
Ducks & geese2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- African Black DuckAnas sparsa
- Yellow-billed DuckAnas undulata
Herons, ibises & grebes8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- HadadaBostrychia hagedash
- Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- HamerkopScopus umbretta
- African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Grey Crowned CraneBalearica regulorum
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Yellow-billed StorkMycteria ibis
Songbirds115 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Streaky SeedeaterCrithagra striolata
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Chubb's CisticolaCisticola chubbi
- White-necked RavenCorvus albicollis
- Rwenzori Double-collared SunbirdCinnyris stuhlmanni
- Green White-eyeZosterops stuhlmanni
- Baglafecht WeaverPloceus baglafecht
- Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus
- Cape Robin-ChatDessonornis caffer
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- Abyssinian ThrushTurdus abyssinicus
- Mountain Yellow WarblerIduna similis
- Variable SunbirdCinnyris venustus
- Black Rough-winged Swallow or Black Saw-wingPsalidoprocne pristoptera
- Motacilla aguimpMotacilla aguimp
- Dioptrornis fischeriDioptrornis fischeri
- Bracken WarblerBradypterus cinnamomeus
- Northern Double-collared SunbirdCinnyris reichenowi
- Northern Grey-headed SparrowPasser griseus
- Bronzy SunbirdNectarinia kilimensis
- Starred RobinPogonocichla stellata
- Dusky FlycatcherMuscicapa adusta
- Regal SunbirdCinnyris regius
- Chestnut-throated ApalisApalis porphyrolaema
- Archer's Ground RobinCossypha archeri
- Red-tufted SunbirdNectarinia johnstoni
- Yellow-crowned CanarySerinus flavivertex
- Olive-breasted GreenbulArizelocichla kikuyuensis
- Black-crowned WaxbillEstrilda nonnula
- Mountain Sooty BoubouLaniarius poensis
- Stripe-breasted TitParus fasciiventer
- Yellow-fronted CanaryCrithagra mozambica
- Rock MartinPtyonoprogne fuligula
- African PipitAnthus cinnamomeus
- Yellow-bellied WaxbillCoccopygia quartinia
- African Paradise-FlycatcherTerpsiphone viridis
- Red-faced Woodland-warblerPhylloscopus laetus
- Rwenzori BatisBatis diops
- Kandt's WaxbillEstrilda kandti
- Rwenzori ApalisOreolais ruwenzorii
- White-browed Robin-chatCossypha heuglini
- Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
- Red-billed FirefinchLagonosticta senegala
- Mountain Masked ApalisApalis personata
- Chinspot BatisBatis molitor
- Western CitrilCrithagra frontalis
- Cape WagtailMotacilla capensis
- Yellow BishopEuplectes capensis
- Rwenzori Hill BabblerPseudoalcippe atriceps
- Red-chested SunbirdCinnyris erythrocercus
- Turdus peliosTurdus pelios
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Scarlet-chested SunbirdChalcomitra senegalensis
- Lanius humeralisLanius humeralis
- White-tailed Blue-flycatcherElminia albicauda
- Strange WeaverPloceus alienus
- Greater Double-collared SunbirdCinnyris afer
- Mackinnon's ShrikeLanius mackinnoni
- Tropical BoubouLaniarius major
- Northern PuffbackDryoscopus gambensis
- Angolan SwallowHirundo angolensis
- Golden-breasted BuntingEmberiza flaviventris
- Black-headed WeaverPloceus melanocephalus
- Dusky CrimsonwingCryptospiza jacksoni
- Grey-capped WarblerEminia lepida
- White-tailed Crested-flycatcherElminia albonotata
- Brown Woodland-warblerPhylloscopus umbrovirens
- African FirefinchLagonosticta rubricata
- Malachite SunbirdNectarinia famosa
- Green-backed CamaropteraCamaroptera brachyura
- Doherty's Bush-shrikeTelophorus dohertyi
- Black Cuckoo-shrikeCampephaga flava
- African Golden WeaverPloceus xanthops
- Bronze MannikinLonchura cucullata
- African Sand MartinRiparia paludicola
- Olive-bellied SunbirdCinnyris chloropygius
- Mountain WagtailMotacilla clara
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- White-chinned PriniaSchistolais leucopogon
- Green-headed SunbirdCyanomitra verticalis
- Collared SunbirdHedydipna collaris
- Scarlet-spectacled Wattle-eyePlatysteira cyanea
- Red-capped RobinCossypha natalensis
- White-browed CrombecSylvietta leucophrys
- Spectacled WeaverPloceus ocularis
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Willard's Sooty BoubouLaniarius willardi
- Brimstone CanaryCrithagra sulphurata
- Lagden's Bush-shrikeMalaconotus lagdeniNT
- White-headed SawwingPsalidoprocne albiceps
- Ashy FlycatcherMuscicapa caerulescens
- Grey-backed FiscalLanius excubitoroides
- Illadopsis pyrrhopteraIlladopsis pyrrhoptera
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Arrow-marked BabblerTurdoides jardineii
- Red-collared BabblerKupeornis rufocinctus
- Black-and-white MuniaLonchura bicolor
- Orange-breasted WaxbillAmandava subflava
- Cameroon Scrub-warblerBradypterus lopezi
- Pentholaea arnottiPentholaea arnotti
- Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinica
- African Yellow WarblerIduna natalensis
- Blue-headed SunbirdCyanomitra alinae
- Estrilda paludicolaEstrilda paludicola
- Brown-crowned TchagraTchagra australis
- African PittaPitta angolensis
- Black-throated ApalisApalis jacksoni
- Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava
- Black-necked WeaverPloceus nigricollis
- Slender-billed WeaverPloceus pelzelni
- Red-shouldered WhydahEuplectes axillaris
- Yellow-whiskered GreenbulEurillas latirostris
- Mosque SwallowCecropis senegalensis
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
Other birds30 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red-eyed DoveStreptopelia semitorquata
- Speckled MousebirdColius striatus
- Ruwenzori TuracoRuwenzorornis johnstoni
- Dusky Turtle DoveStreptopelia lugens
- Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaterMerops oreobates
- Red-knobbed CootFulica cristata
- Olive WoodpeckerDendropicos griseocephalus
- African Olive PigeonColumba arquatrix
- Klaas's CuckooChrysococcyx klaas
- Red-chested CuckooCuculus solitarius
- Speckled PigeonColumba guinea
- Handsome SpurfowlPternistis nobilis
- Cape ParrotPoicephalus robustusVU
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens
- Ring-necked DoveStreptopelia capicola
- Mountain NightjarCaprimulgus poliocephalus
- African SwiftApus barbatus
- Scarce SwiftSchoutedenapus myoptilus
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- African Green-pigeonTreron calvus
- Diederik CuckooChrysococcyx caprius
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Blue-headed CoucalCentropus monachus
- Black CrakeAmaurornis flavirostra
- Black-billed TuracoTauraco schuettii
- Yellow-rumped TinkerbirdPogoniulus bilineatus
- Tambourine DoveTurtur tympanistria
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in January, in March, in May and in July.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan22°/13°126 mm
- Feb22°/14°127 mm
- Mar22°/14°206 mm
- Apr22°/13°183 mm
- May21°/13°142 mm
- Jun21°/12°74 mm
- Jul21°/12°45 mm
- Aug22°/13°92 mm
- Sep22°/14°139 mm
- Oct22°/13°190 mm
- Nov21°/13°218 mm
- Dec21°/13°154 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Volcanoes National Park.
National park in Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park is an Important Bird Area (BirdLife) in Rwanda, 3,241 m above the sea.
179 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 4,123 open records.
The most recorded are the Streaky Seedeater, the African Stonechat and the Chubb's Cisticola.
15 species come for the summer, 29 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
3 are threatened worldwide, including Hooded Vulture, Cape Parrot and Tawny Eagle.
The most species are recorded in January, in March, in May and in July.
Get there and watch
- Camp before karisimbicampsite · 4.4 km · 2 within 10 km
- Wilderness Bisateplace to stay · 4.5 km · 5 within 10 km
- Mukingonearest town · 11 km in a straight line
- Goma International Airport (GOM)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 36 km in a straight lineCar hire in KigaliDiscover 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
- 1car parks within 3 km
- 2campsites within 10 kmCamp before karisimbi, Bukima Patrol Post
- 5places to stay within 10 kmWilderness Bisate, Mountain Gorilla View lodge, Mountain Gorilla Nest and 2 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 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 Volcanoes National Park.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas22 mountains within 25 kmMount Karisimbi4,507 m · volcano · 6.1 km↗Mount Bisoke3,711 m · volcano · 6.6 km↗Mount Mikeno4,437 m · volcano · 8.1 kmMount Sabyinyo3,645 m · volcano · 14 km↗Mount Gahinga3,474 m · volcano · 19 km↗Kilimbogo2,736 m · 21 kmMount Muhabura4,127 m · 22 km↗Ibere rya Bigogwe · 23 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda
- 60Birdyas Score
- 179Species
- 45Migrants
- 3Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q932736) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 4,123 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 | Peakyas, Darkskyas |
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.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit