Birds of Ghana

There are close to 800 species of birds in Ghana. The country’s tropical climate is perhaps responsible for the high density of avifauna that can be seen here.

Some of the notable avian species that can be found in this nation include the African Fish-eagle, the Gray-headed Kingfisher, and the Violet Turaco.

List of Common Birds Found in Ghana

Native Birds

Abyssinian Roller
Afep Pigeon
African Emerald Cuckoo
African Fish-eagle
African Gray Hornbill
African Green Pigeon
African Harrier-hawk
African Jacana
African Piculet
African Pied Hornbill
African Pygmy Kingfisher
African Sacred Ibis
Bearded Barbet
Beautiful Sunbird
Black-and-white Mannikin
Black Bee-eater
Black-casqued Hornbill
Black-crowned Tchagra
Black Dwarf Hornbill
Blue-bellied Roller
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
Blue-headed Coucal
Blue-throated Roller
Brown-cheeked Hornbill
Chocolate-backed Kingfisher
Denham’s Bustard
Egyptian Plover
Forbes’s Plover
Grasshopper Buzzard
Great Blue Turaco
Grey-headed Kingfisher
Hadada Ibis
Hamerkop
Helmeted Guinea Fowl
Hooded Vulture
Latham’s Francolin
Little Bee-eater
Little Grebe
Marabou Stork
Namaqua Dove
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
Northern Pintail
Northern Red-billed Hornbill
Orange-Cheeked Waxbill
Pied Crow
Pied Kingfisher
Pin-tailed Whydah
Piping Hornbill
Purple Starling
Red-Billed Dwarf Hornbill
Red-billed Quelea
Red-headed Weaver
Red-throated Bee Eater
Senegal Coucal
Senegal Parrot
Senegal Thick-Knee
Speckled Pigeon
Speckled Tinkerbird
Standard-winged Nightjar
Stone Partridge
Tambourine Dove
Tawny Eagle
Village Weaver
Violet Turaco
Western Plantain-eater
Western-wattled Cuckoo Shrike
White-backed Vulture
White-bibbed Swallow
White-breasted Guineafowl
White-crested Tiger Heron
White-headed Vulture
White-necked Picathartes
White-necked Rockfowl
White-spotted Flufftail
White-throated Bee Eater
White-throated Blue Swallow
Woodland Kingfisher
Yellow-billed Hornbill
Yellow-billed Turaco
Yellow-casqued Hornbill
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
Yellow-throated Cuckoo
Yellow-throated Leaflove

Non-native Birds

Baird’s Sandpiper
Common Myna
Common Shelduck
Corn Crake
Egyptian Goose
Eurasian Nightjar
Eurasian Wigeon
Harlequin Quail
Heuglin’s Wheatear
House Sparrow
Jack Snipe
Lesser Flamingo
Lesser Jacana
Little Crake
Nimba Flycatcher
Northern Shoveler
Ortolan Bunting
Pallid Swift
Red Phalarope
Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin
South Polar Skua
Spotted Crake

Ghana has several places to go birdwatching, including Kakum National Park, Mole National Park, and Shai Hills Resource Reserve. The best time to see birds in Ghana is during the dry season, from November to March. This period coincides with the arrival of migratory bird species from Europe and northern Africa, as well as the breeding season for many resident birds.