Bird watching in Kahuzi Biega national park
Bird watching in Kahuzi Biega national park- Located on the eastern side of DR Congo near Bukavu town, Kahuzi Biega national park is a birder’s parasite for bird lovers with 342 bird species so far recorded of which 42 are endemic to the national park. The tropical rainforest and bamboo forest in this park support the survival of over 342 bird species as well as eastern lowland gorillas, monkeys, and mammals.
Bird watching in Kahuzi Biega national park is an exciting recreational activity that tourists like to experience in addition to trekking eastern lowland gorillas. The national park is one of the most popular birding destinations in DR Congo. The benefit of doing bird watching in Kahuzi Biega national park is that you might end up encountering eastern lowland gorillas and this will make your adventure amazing.
Bird watching activities in Kahuzi Biega national park are usually done with a help of a guide along different birding trails. The activity usually starts with a briefing from the park offices where birders get to learn about the rules and regulations of this activity. The activity starts in the morning and the birders are able3 to spot as many birds as they can with a help of a birder guide and armed ranger guides.
List of Birds in Kahuzi Biega national park
Some of the bird species for tourists to see in Kahuzi Biega national park include Handsome Francolin, long-crested eagle, African Olive Pigeon, White-naped Pigeon, lemon dove, red-eyed dove, African green pigeon, tambourine dove, Rwenzori turaco, scarce swift, mottled swift, great cormorant, ayres’ eagle, African black swift, Senegal coucal, black kite, black-winged kite, African goshawk, tawny eagle, African harrier hawk, wahlberg’s eagle, Eurasian buzzard, hadada ibis, western banded snake eagle, ross’s turaco, mackinnon’s shrike, cinnamon-chested bee-eater, black-billed turaco, rockefeller’s sunbird, variable sunbird, baglafecht weaver, blue-headed coucal, African golden oriole, petit’s cuckoo shrike, equatorial akalat, mountain thrush babbler, red-throated alethe, cattle egret, black-headed heron, white-backed vulture, crowned eagle, martial eagle, and narina’s trogon.
Other notable bird species in Kahuzi Biega national park are yellowbill, levaillant’s cuckoo, tullberg’s woodpecker, green wood-hoopoe, olive long-tailed cuckoo, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, mountain buzzard, grey woodpecker, barred long-tailed cuckoo, grey crowned crane, grey-headed bush-shrike, common cuckoo, common barn owl, speckled mousebird, bar-tailed trogon, common kestrel, Albertine sooty boubou, black-headed waxbill, double-toothed barbet, crowned hornbill, yellow-billed barbet, northern fiscal, western green tinkerbird, African emerald cuckoo, common waxbill, African firefinch, white-necked raven, African paradise-flycatcher, black-casqued hornbill, diederrik cuckoo, golden-winged sunbird, rufous-vented paradise-flycatcher, strange weaver, regal sunbird, red-faced crimson-wing, cassin’s honeybird, and black cuckoo.
More of bird species in Kahuzi Biega national park are grey-cheeked hornbill, yellow-whiskered greenbul, white-tipped crested-flycatcher, northern house martin, white-headed wood-hoopoe, bronzy sunbird, common bulbul, eastern nicator, chubb’s cisticola, cape wagtail, green-backed woodpecker, olive-bellied sunbird, green-headed sunbird, cardinal woodpecker, brown-capped weaver, mountain yellow warbler, elliot’s woodpecker, mountain apalis, evergreen-forest warbler, purple-breasted sunbird, olive woodpecker, black-collared apalis, luhder’s bush-shrike, chestnut-throated apalis, western citril, northern grey-headed sparrow, brown chested alethe, white-starred robin, bracken warbler, golden-breasted bunting, bronze mannikin, yellow-throated longclaw, grey-backed camaroptera, blue-and-white crested-flycatcher, eastern mountain greenbul, black-faced rufous warbler, northern double-collared sunbird, pied kingfisher, white-browed crombec, African hobby, grauer’s broadbill, black saw-wing, red-faced woodland warbler grey cuckoo shrike, masked apalis, black cuckoo shrike, and mountain oriole.
The last species of birds in Kahuzi Biega national park are black-winded oriole, nueman’s bush warbler, African yellow white-eye, grauer’s warbler, sharpe’s starling, African hill babbler, black-and-white mannikin, Rwenzori batis, chinspot batis, brown-throated wattle-eye, white-bellied robin chat, lagden’s bush-shrike, black-backed puffback, stripe-breasted tit, northern puffback, African thrush, Doherty’s bush-shrike, barn swallow, pied cow, thrush-babbler, grauer’s swamp warbler, collared sunbird, blue-headed sunbird, dark-backed weaver, cassin’s flycatcher, Rwenzori double-collard sunbird, preuss’ weaver, black crowned waxbill, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, African stonechat, Ethiopian crimson-wing, black-throated apalis, dusky crimson-wing, slender-billed starling, yellow-bellied waxbill, pin-tailed whydah, papyrus yellow warbler, scarlet-chested sunbird, stuhlmann’s starling, Ethiopian thrush, archer’s robin chat, African pipit, white-browed robin chat, African wagtail, streaky canary, thick-billed canary, yellow-crowned canary, white-eyed slaty flycatcher, yellow-streaked greenbul, plain martin, white-chinned prinia, red-faced cisticola, amethyst starling, banded prinia, rock martin, waller’s starling, chestnut-winged starling, fire-crested alethe, African dusky flycatcher,
Packing list for birding in Kahuzi Biega national park
Knowing what to carry on your birding safari to Kahuzi Biega national park will make your adventure amazing and rewarding. Here is a list of some of the essentials for a birding safari in Kahuzi Biega national park. Long-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved pants, waterproof hiking boots, rain jacket, gardening gloves, light cotton stocks, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellents, a light backpack, flashlight, a pair of binoculars, camera, small notebook, insect repellents, drinking water bottle, energy-giving snacks, facemask and sanitizer.
When to do birding in Kahuzi Biega national park
Birding in Kahuzi Biega national park can be done at any time of the year but there are months that are better than others. The rainy season is the best time to carry out birding activities in Kahuzi Biega national park and this season occurs from March to May and October to November. During the rainy season, there is plenty of food in the park and the birds including the migratory ones are so many here due to plenty of food. The rainy season is however characterized by too much rainfall that makes the birding trails muddy and slippery.
The dry season is also not bad for birding activities in Kahuzi Biega national park just that there are a few bird species in the area. They occur from June to September and December to February, they are characterized by little or no rainfall, the birding trails are dry, the vegetation is short with clear views of bird species and the roads leading to the park are passable.
Accommodation on a birding safari in Kahuzi Biega national park.
Tourists planning to have a birding safari in Kahuzi Biega national park and would like to spend a night or two shouldn’t worry about where they will stay because lots of accommodation facilities are constructed within and outside the national park. These accommodation facilities range from budget to mid-range to luxury options and where to stay does depend on your budget. These include Mount Kahuzi Hotel, Lodge Coco, Lakeside Hotel Bukavu, Hotel Begonias, Orchids Safari Club, and Exodus Bukavu among others.
