Birds of the Gambia

The Gambia is home to over 600 birds. It is a tiny nation bordered by the Gambia River and has several habitats like forests, mangroves, and savannas.

Some birds seen here include the White-faced Whistling Duck, the most commonly seen duck in the country, the African Finfoot, and the Egyptian Plover.

List of Common Birds Found in the Gambia

Native Birds

Abyssinian Roller
African Finfoot
African Fish Eagle
African Gray Hornbill
African Green Pigeon
African Gray Hornbill
African Harrier-hawk
African Jacana
African Palm Swift
African Pied Hornbill
African Pygmy Kingfisher
African Wattled Lapwing
Beautiful Sunbird
Black-billed Wood Dove
Black-crowned Tchagra
Black-headed Gull
Black-headed Heron
Black Kite
Black-throated Coucal
Blue-bellied Roller
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Blue-spotted Wood Dove
Brown Snake Eagle
Cardinal Woodpecker
Chestnut-backed Sparrow Weaver
Common Bulbul
Common Kestrel
Common Redstart
Common Sandpiper
Copper Sunbird
Crowned Lapwing
Double-spurred Francolin
Egyptian Plover
Eurasian Hoopoe
European Bee-eater
European Roller
Fanti Saw-wing
Fork-tailed Drongo
Giant Kingfisher
Grasshopper Buzzard
Great Blue Turaco
Great Cormorant
Great Egret
Greater Painted-Snipe
Great White Pelican
Gray-headed Gull
Gray Heron
Grayish Eagle Owl
Hadada Ibis
Hammerkop
Hooded Vulture
Intermediate Egret
Klaas’s Cuckoo
Klaas’s Cuckooshrike
Lappet-faced Vulture
Laughing Dove
Levaillant’s Cuckoo
Little Bee-eater
Little Grebe
Little Ringed Plover
Long-crested Eagle
Long-tailed Glossy Starling
Long-tailed Nightjar
Malachite Kingfisher
Marsh Harrier
Martial Eagle
Montagu’s Harrier
Namaqua Dove
Northern Black Flycatcher
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
Northern Crombec
Northern Pintail
Northern Red Bishop
Osprey
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Pied Crow
Pink-backed Pelican
Plain-backed Pipit
Purple Heron
Red-billed Hornbill
Red-billed Quelea
Red-chested Swallow
Red-eyed Dove
Red-necked Falcon
Red-shouldered Cuckoo-Shrike
Red-throated Bee-eater
Rufous-crowned Roller
Sacred Ibis
Senegal Coucal
Shikra
Short-toed Eagle
Singing Cisticola
Slender-billed Gull
Spur-winged Lapwing
Village Weaver
Violet Turaco
Western Bluebill
Western Reef Heron
White-faced Whistling Duck
White-rumped Seedeater
Yellow-billed Stork

Non-native Birds

African Emerald Cuckoo
African Oystercatcher
African Rail
Alpine Swift
American Wigeon
Arabian Bustard
Black Cuckoo
Eared Grebe
House Sparrow
Indian Silverbill
Lesser Yellowlegs
Swamp Nightjar

Some of the best birding sites in the Gambia include the Abuko Nature Reserve, the Brufut Woods Community Nature Reserve, and the Tanji Bird Reserve. The peak season for birdwatching is during the dry season from November to April, as numerous migratory bird species arrive from Europe and other parts of Africa.