Birds of Benin

Benin is home to around 600 species of birds. It is a nation covered with marshes surrounded by lakes and lagoons connected to the ocean, with plenty of waterbirds like ducks, gulls, geese, and terns visiting. However, these habitats are at risk of climate change, so the species living in them require protection to avoid losing them.

Birds of Benin

List of Birds Found in Benin

Native Birds

African and New World Parrots

  • Senegal Parrot

African Barbets

  • Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird

Bee-eaters

  • European Bee-eater
  • Little Bee-eater
  • Red-throated Bee-eater
  • White-throated Bee-eater

Bulbuls

  • Common Bulbul

Bushshrikes and Allies

  • Yellow-crowned Gonolek

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Cuckoos

  • Red-chested Cuckoo

Cuckooshrikes

  • Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

  • White-faced Whistling Duck

Falcons and Caracaras

  • Lanner Falcon
  • Red-necked Falcon

Grebes

  • Little Grebe

Guineafowl

  • Helmeted Guineafowl

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

  • White-winged Tern

Hammerkop

  • Hamerkop

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

  • African Fish-eagle
  • Black Kite
  • Black-winged Kite
  • Brown Snake-eagle
  • Eurasian Marsh-harrier
  • Hooded Vulture
  • Long-crested Eagle
  • Shikra
  • Tawny Eagle
  • Wahlberg’s Eagle
  • White-backed Vulture

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

  • Black-headed Heron
  • Cattle Egret
  • Gray Heron
  • Great Egret
  • Purple Heron
  • Squacco Heron
  • Western Reef-heron

Honeyguides

  • Greater Honeyguide

Hoopoes

  • Eurasian Hoopoe

Hornbills

  • African Gray Hornbill
  • African Pied Hornbill
  • Northern Red-billed Hornbill

Ibises and Spoonbills

  • African Sacred Ibis
  • Hadada Ibis

Indigobirds

  • Pin-tailed Whydah

Jacanas

  • African Jacana

Kingfishers

  • African Pygmy Kingfisher
  • Blue-breasted Kingfisher
  • Gray-headed Kingfisher
  • Pied Kingfisher
  • Woodland Kingfisher

Monarch Flycatchers

  • Black-headed Paradise-flycatcher

Osprey

  • Osprey

Owls

  • African Wood-owl

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

  • Double-spurred Francolin
  • White-throated Francolin

Pigeons and Doves

  • Laughing Dove
  • Red-eyed Dove
  • Speckled Pigeon

Plovers and Lapwings

  • White-headed Lapwing

Rollers

  • Abyssinian Roller
  • Rufous-crowned Roller

Sandgrouse

  • Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Sandpipers and Allies

  • Black-tailed Godwit
  • Common Greenshank
  • Common Sandpiper
  • Little Stint

Secretarybird

  • Secretarybird

Shrikes

  • Northern Fiscal
  • Yellow-billed Shrike

Starlings

  • Chestnut-winged Starling
  • Long-tailed Glossy Starling
  • Violet-backed Starling

Storks

Sunbirds and Spiderhunters

  • Collared Sunbird
  • Olive Sunbird

Swifts

  • African Palm-swift

Thick-knees

  • Spotted Thick-knee

Thrushes and Allies

  • African Thrush

Turacos

  • Violet Turaco

Wagtails and Pipits

  • African Pied Wagtail
  • Western Yellow Wagtail

Waxbills and Allies

  • Black-rumped Waxbill
  • Red-winged Pytilia

Wattle-eyes and Batises

  • Chestnut Wattle-eye

Weavers and Allies

  • Village Weaver
  • Yellow-mantled Widowbird

Non-native Birds

There are several places to go birdwatching in Benin, especially in the rainy season, as most birds are active. Some popular sites include Pendjari National Park, W National Park, and Lake Nokoué.

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