Rwanda Important Bird Area
Nyabarongo wetlands
179 bird species recorded; the most in March and in July.
Andr96 · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
83 species in January.0 species in February.115 species in March.81 species in April.0 species in May.100 species in June.124 species in July.94 species in August.84 species in September.105 species in October.27 species in November.69 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
No records for this month.
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No records for this month.
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NT
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- 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
- 63Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 1ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 3,573Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 1,328 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 18Raptors
- 14Waders
- 6Ducks & geese
- 21Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 78Songbirds
- 39Other 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.
Raptors18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- African Marsh HarrierCircus ranivorus
- African Fish EagleHaliaeetus vocifer
- Long-crested EagleLophaetus occipitalis
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Augur BuzzardButeo augur
- African Harrier-hawkPolyboroides typus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Gabar GoshawkMicronisus gabar
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Palm-nut VultureGypohierax angolensis
- BateleurTerathopius ecaudatus
- Martial eaglePolemaetus bellicosus
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Lizard BuzzardKaupifalco monogrammicus
- Grey KestrelFalco ardosiaceus
Waders14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- African JacanaActophilornis africanus
- Long-toed LapwingVanellus crassirostris
- Spur-winged LapwingVanellus spinosus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- African Wattled LapwingVanellus senegallus
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- Lesser JacanaMicroparra capensis
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Water DikkopBurhinus vermiculatus
Ducks & geese6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
- Spur-winged GoosePlectropterus gambensis
- Yellow-billed DuckAnas undulata
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- Blue-billed TealSpatula hottentota
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
Herons, ibises & grebes21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala
- Long-tailed CormorantMicrocarbo africanus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- HamerkopScopus umbretta
- Pink-backed PelicanPelecanus rufescens
- HadadaBostrychia hagedash
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- African SpoonbillPlatalea alba
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Great White PelicanPelecanus onocrotalus
- Rufous-bellied HeronArdeola rufiventris
- Black HeronEgretta ardesiaca
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-billed StorkMycteria ibis
- Openbill StorkAnastomus lamelligerus
- Grey Crowned CraneBalearica regulorum
Songbirds78 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Swamp FlycatcherMuscicapa aquatica
- Papyrus GonolekLaniarius mufumbiriNT
- Winding CisticolaCisticola marginatus
- Black-headed WeaverPloceus melanocephalus
- Red-shouldered WhydahEuplectes axillaris
- Red-chested SunbirdCinnyris erythrocercus
- Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Motacilla aguimpMotacilla aguimp
- Bronze MannikinLonchura cucullata
- Red BishopEuplectes orix
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- Black-headed GonolekLaniarius erythrogaster
- Pentholaea arnottiPentholaea arnotti
- Red-billed QueleaQuelea quelea
- Wire-tailed SwallowHirundo smithii
- Red-billed FirefinchLagonosticta senegala
- Slender-billed WeaverPloceus pelzelni
- Angolan SwallowHirundo angolensis
- Greater Swamp-WarblerAcrocephalus rufescens
- Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilis
- Grey-capped WarblerEminia lepida
- Rüppell's StarlingLamprotornis purpuroptera
- Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Cape WagtailMotacilla capensis
- Yellow-fronted CanaryCrithagra mozambica
- White-winged Swamp WarblerBradypterus carpalis
- African Golden WeaverPloceus xanthops
- Northern Grey-headed SparrowPasser griseus
- Lesser Striped SwallowCecropis abyssinica
- Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava
- Spectacled WeaverPloceus ocularis
- Papyrus CanaryCrithagra koliensis
- Carruthers's CisticolaCisticola carruthersi
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Grey-backed FiscalLanius excubitoroides
- Lesser Swamp WarblerAcrocephalus gracilirostris
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- White-browed Robin-chatCossypha heuglini
- Black-crowned WaxbillEstrilda nonnula
- African FirefinchLagonosticta rubricata
- Highland Rush WarblerBradypterus centralis
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Yellow-throated LeafloveAtimastillas flavicollis
- Stout CisticolaCisticola robustus
- Northern Brown-throated WeaverPloceus castanops
- Variable SunbirdCinnyris venustus
- Turdus peliosTurdus pelios
- Arrow-marked BabblerTurdoides jardineii
- Red-cheeked Cordon-bleuUraeginthus bengalus
- Baglafecht WeaverPloceus baglafecht
- Banded MartinRiparia cincta
- Yellow-throated LongclawMacronyx croceus
- Western CitrilCrithagra frontalis
- Estrilda paludicolaEstrilda paludicola
- Southern Black-FlycatcherMelaenornis pammelaina
- Red-faced CisticolaCisticola erythrops
- Sharpe's Pied-BabblerTurdoides sharpei
- Grosbeak WeaverAmblyospiza albifrons
- Lesser Masked WeaverPloceus intermedius
- Yellow BishopEuplectes capensis
- Brimstone CanaryCrithagra sulphurata
- Scarlet-chested SunbirdChalcomitra senegalensis
- African PipitAnthus cinnamomeus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Yellow-breasted ApalisApalis flavida
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Red-headed WeaverAnaplectes rubriceps
- Papyrus Yellow WarblerCalamonastides gracilirostrisVU
- African Yellow WarblerIduna natalensis
- Lanius humeralisLanius humeralis
- African Paradise-FlycatcherTerpsiphone viridis
- Golden-breasted BuntingEmberiza flaviventris
- Buff-bellied WarblerPhyllolais pulchella
- Green-winged PytiliaPytilia melba
Other birds39 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Malachite KingfisherCorythornis cristatus
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Black CrakeAmaurornis flavirostra
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Red-eyed DoveStreptopelia semitorquata
- Blue-headed CoucalCentropus monachus
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Woodland KingfisherHalcyon senegalensis
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Speckled MousebirdColius striatus
- Diederik CuckooChrysococcyx caprius
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Speckled PigeonColumba guinea
- Mourning Collared DoveStreptopelia decipiens
- Lilac-breasted RollerCoracias caudatus
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eaterMerops persicus
- Little Bee-eaterMerops pusillus
- Giant KingfisherMegaceryle maxima
- Ring-necked DoveStreptopelia capicola
- Blue-spotted Wood-doveTurtur afer
- White-browed CoucalCentropus superciliosus
- Meyer's ParrotPoicephalus meyeri
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
- Lesser MoorhenGallinula angulata
- White-rumped SwiftApus caffer
- Tambourine DoveTurtur tympanistria
- Emerald-spotted DoveTurtur chalcospilos
- Red-chested CuckooCuculus solitarius
- Bearded WoodpeckerChloropicus namaquus
- Red-knobbed CootFulica cristata
- Blue-breasted Bee-eaterMerops variegatus
- African Pygmy KingfisherIspidina picta
- Striped CuckooClamator levaillantii
- Allen's GallinulePorphyrio alleni
- Lady Ross's TuracoMusophaga rossae
- Bare-faced Go-away BirdCorythaixoides personatus
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens
- Klaas's CuckooChrysococcyx klaas
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 March and in July.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan26°/16°93 mm
- Feb27°/16°89 mm
- Mar26°/16°145 mm
- Apr25°/16°167 mm
- May25°/15°127 mm
- Jun26°/14°42 mm
- Jul27°/13°26 mm
- Aug27°/15°47 mm
- Sep27°/16°86 mm
- Oct26°/16°125 mm
- Nov25°/16°157 mm
- Dec26°/16°103 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Nyabarongo wetlands.
Wetlands along Nyabarongo River in the Eastern Province of Rwanda
Nyabarongo wetlands is an Important Bird Area (BirdLife) in Rwanda, 1,328 m above the sea.
179 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 3,573 open records.
The most recorded are the African Jacana, the Swamp Flycatcher and the Malachite Kingfisher.
24 species come for the summer, 36 for the winter and 3 only pass through.
1 are threatened worldwide, including Papyrus Yellow Warbler.
The most species are recorded in March and in July.
Get there and watch
- Sake Beach Bar and Guest Houseplace to stay · 5.7 km · 2 within 10 km
- Nyamatanearest town · 19 km in a straight line
- Kigali International Airport (KGL)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 34 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
- 2places to stay within 10 kmSake Beach Bar and Guest House, Guest House and Bar
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 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 Nyabarongo wetlands.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas12 mountains within 25 kmSholi1,459 m · 7.0 kmNshili · 12 kmMpira · 17 kmMount Juru · 17 kmKarama · 23 kmMaranyundo · 23 kmLeberu · 24 kmMibuba · 24 km
Lakeyas10 lakes within 15 kmLake Sake16 km² · 4.0 kmLake Birira5.5 km² · 5.0 kmLake Gaharwa3.4 km² · 6.0 kmLake Kilimbi2.5 km² · 6.7 kmLake Rumira3.8 km² · 9.3 kmLake Kidogo1.0 km² · 10 kmLake Mugesera43 km² · 12 kmLake Gashanga1.7 km² · 12 km
Riveryasthe river nearbyNyabarongo River300 km↗Nyamabuno River
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.
Nyabarongo wetlands
Rwanda
- 59Birdyas Score
- 179Species
- 63Migrants
- 1Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q127513691) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 3,573 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, Lakeyas, Darkskyas, Riveryas |
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