Birds of Gabon

Gabon is home to over 700 species of avifauna. There aren’t any endemic avian species, but several birds restricted to Central Africa can be found here. These include birds like the Gabon Batis, the Black-chinned Weaver, and the African River Martin. 

List of Common Birds Found in Gabon

Native Birds

• African Blue Flycatcher
• African Finfoot
• African Fish-eagle 
• African Gray Parrot
• African Green Pigeon
• African Harrier-hawk
• African Openbill
• African Palm Swift
• African Paradise Flycatcher
• African Pied Hornbill
• African Pied Wagtail
• African Pygmy Goose
• African Pygmy Kingfisher
• African River Martin
• African Scops Owl
• African Skimmer
• African Swamphen
• African Thrush
• African Wattled Lapwing
• Allen’s Gallinule
• Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle
• Bannerman’s Turaco
• Bar-breasted Firefinch
• Bates’s Nightjar
• Black-backed Barbet
• Black Bee-eater
• Black-billed Turaco
• Black-billed Wood Dove
• Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill
• Black-chinned Weaver
• Black-collared Barbet
• Black-collared Lovebird
• Black Coucal
• Black-crowned Waxbill
• Black Egret
• Black-faced Quailfinch
• Black Guineafowl
• Black-headed Bee-eater
• Black-headed Lapwing
• Black-headed Rufous Warbler
• Black-necked Wattle-eye
• Black-necked Weaver
• Black Spinetail
• Black-winged Bishop
• Blue-breasted Cordon-bleu
• Blue-breasted Kingfisher
• Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher
• Blue-headed Wood Dove
• Blue Malkoha
• Blue-moustached Bee-eater
• Blue Swallow
• Blue-throated Brown Sunbird
• Blue-throated Roller
• Bohm’s Bee-eater
• Bonelli’s Eagle
• Brown Snake Eagle
• Brown-throated Wattle-eye
• Buff-spotted Flufftail
• Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle
• Chestnut-capped Flycatcher
• Chestnut-crowned Eremomela
• Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike
• Chestnut-winged Starling
• Collared Sunbird
• Copper Sunbird
• Crowned Eagle
• Dja River Warbler
• Dusky-billed Hornbill
• Dusky-blue Flycatcher
• Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo
• Dwarf Ibis
• Eastern Chanting Goshawk
• Egyptian Plover
• Eurasian Hoopoe
• Fiery-breasted Bushshrike
• Fischer’s Turaco
• Four-banded Sandgrouse
• Gabon Batis
• Gabon Nightjar
• Gabon Woodpecker
• Giant Kingfisher
• Golden-tailed Woodpecker
• Gray-headed Broadbill
• Gray-necked Picathartes
• Gray Parrot
• Gray-rumped Swallow
• Great Blue Turaco
• Green-backed Heron
• Green-backed Twinspot
• Green-breasted Bushshrike
• Green-throated Sunbird
• Hadada Ibis 
• Hamerkop 
• Hartlaub’s Duck
• Hartlaub’s Marsh Widowbird
• Hartlaub’s Turaco
• Helmeted Guinea Fowl 
• Hildebrandt’s Francolin
• Honeyguide Greenbul
• Ivory-billed Woodpecker
• Latham’s Francolin
• Little Bee-eater 
• Little Sparrowhawk
• Long-crested Eagle
• Long-legged Pipit
• Long-tailed Hawk
• Marabou Stork 
• Marsh Tchagra
• Olive-backed Forest Robin
• Olive-bellied Sunbird
• Olive-breasted Greenbul
• Oriole Warbler
• Palm-nut Vulture
• Pel’s Fishing Owl
• Pied Crow 
• Pied Kingfisher 
• Pink-backed Pelican
• Pin-tailed Whydah 
• Preuss’s Cliff Swallow
• Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill
• Red-billed Firefinch
• Red-billed Helmetshrike
• Red-billed Hornbill
• Red-faced Cisticola
• Red-headed Bluebill
• Red-headed Picathartes
• Red-necked Buzzard
• Sao Tome Green-pigeon
• Sao Tome Olive-pigeon
• Sao Tome Scops-owl
• Sao Tome Spinetail
• Verreaux’s Eagle-owl
• Village Weaver 
• Western Nicator
• White-bellied Kingfisher
• White-crested Hornbill
• White-throated Bee Eater 
• Woodland Kingfisher 
• Yellow-throated Cuckoo

Non-native Birds

• African Penguin
• African Swift
• Caspian Plover
• Corn Crake
• Denham’s Bustard
• Great Spotted Cuckoo
• Lesser Crested Tern
• Northern Pintail
• Plain Nightjar

Some of the best birding sites in Gabon include Lopé National Park, Loango National Park, and Wonga Wongué Presidential Reserve. The peak season for birdwatching is the dry season from June to September, as the weather is generally more favorable, with reduced rainfall and clearer skies.