Gambia bird checklist

A printable checklist of 42 of The Gambia's most popular birds, photographed in the field by Yaya. It's a working subset of The Gambia's official list of over 600 species, and it grows as more are added. See the full bird directory for identification notes and photos on each one.

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Bee-eaters (Meropidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Little Bee-eater	Merops pusillus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia.
Northern Carmine Bee-eater	Merops nubicus	Least Concern	Present seasonally in The Gambia as a breeding migrant — nesting colonies form roughly September to October at the southern edge of its breeding range; not a year-round resident.
Red-throated Bee-eater	Merops bulocki	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia, with colonial breeding concentrated at burrow-nesting sites; no long-distance migration documented.

Bushshrikes (Malaconotidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Black-crowned Tchagra	Tchagra senegalus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; not a migrant.
Yellow-crowned Gonolek	Laniarius barbarus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; a common resident breeder across its range, with no evidence of migratory movement.

Egyptian Plovers (Pluvianidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Egyptian Plover	Pluvianus aegyptius	Least Concern	Largely resident/sedentary in West Africa, with some local movement tied to river water levels; not a long-distance migrant.

Finfoots (Heliornithidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
African Finfoot	Podica senegalensis	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; sedentary and territorial on its home stretch of river.

Ground Hornbills (Bucorvidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill	Bucorvus abyssinicus	Vulnerable	Resident year-round in The Gambia; not known to be migratory.

Hawks, Eagles and Kites (Accipitridae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
African Fish Eagle	Haliaeetus vocifer	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia, generally sedentary and territorial around a home stretch of water.
Bateleur	Terathopius ecaudatus	Endangered	Resident in The Gambia, though individuals may wander widely over large home ranges; not a seasonal migrant here.
Beaudouin's Snake Eagle	Circaetus beaudouini	Vulnerable	Resident in The Gambia; not a long-distance migrant, though some local movement is noted in the literature.
Martial Eagle	Polemaetus bellicosus	Endangered	Resident where it occurs in The Gambia, but uncommon; not a regular migrant.

Hawks, Eagles and Vultures (Accipitridae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Palm-nut Vulture	Gypohierax angolensis	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; not a migrant, closely tied to oil-palm habitat throughout the year.

Helmetshrikes (Prionopidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
White-crested Helmetshrike	Prionops plumatus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; a non-migratory species that stays in cohesive foraging groups within its territory.

Herons, Egrets and Bitterns (Ardeidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Black Heron	Egretta ardesiaca	Least Concern	Resident/locally dispersive in The Gambia, moving between wetlands with water levels rather than undertaking long-distance migration.
White-backed Night Heron	Gorsachius leuconotus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; a non-migratory, sedentary riverine specialist, though secretive/nocturnal habits make it infrequently recorded regardless of season.

Indigobirds and Whydahs (Viduidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Exclamatory Paradise Whydah	Vidua interjecta	Least Concern	Non-breeding males/females present year-round as residents; breeding-plumaged males with the elongated tail are typically seen seasonally, in line with other Vidua whydahs.

Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
African Pygmy Kingfisher	Ispidina picta	Least Concern	Largely resident in West Africa; some populations elsewhere in Africa show intra-African migratory movements tied to rains, but this is less clearly documented for The Gambia specifically.
Blue-breasted Kingfisher	Halcyon malimbica	Least Concern	Essentially resident in The Gambia year-round, though it may shift from drier savanna into wetter habitats in the dry season.
Giant Kingfisher	Megaceryle maxima	Least Concern	Resident breeding bird year-round; no migratory pattern reported.
Grey-headed Kingfisher	Halcyon leucocephala	Least Concern	Present year-round in The Gambia and treated here as resident; some regional populations elsewhere in Africa are partial migrants.
Malachite Kingfisher	Corythornis cristatus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia along suitable freshwater habitat.
Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia, with only local/seasonal movements tied to water levels.

Owls (Strigidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Greyish Eagle-Owl	Bubo cinerascens	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; a confirmed local breeder.
Northern White-faced Owl	Ptilopsis leucotis	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; a savanna species with no evidence of long-distance migration.
Pearl-spotted Owlet	Glaucidium perlatum	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; no migratory movements documented.

Rollers (Coraciidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Abyssinian Roller	Coracias abyssinicus	Least Concern	Largely resident in The Gambia, but locally/partially migratory — moving with seasonal rains within West Africa.

Starlings (Sturnidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Long-tailed Glossy Starling	Lamprotornis caudatus	Least Concern	Resident breeder year-round in The Gambia; not migratory.
Purple Starling	Lamprotornis purpureus	Least Concern	Resident year-round; a breeding resident across its tropical West/Central African range with no long-distance migration.
Violet-backed Starling	Cinnyricinclus leucogaster	Least Concern	Occurs in The Gambia, but the species is known to be locally migratory/nomadic elsewhere in its range, tracking fruiting trees and termite emergences — its precise Gambia-specific seasonal status would benefit from local confirmation.

Stone Partridge and Allies (Odontophoridae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Stone Partridge	Ptilopachus petrosus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; non-migratory and sedentary, tied to rocky/scrubby habitat.

Sunbirds (Nectariniidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Beautiful Sunbird	Cinnyris pulchellus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; breeding records span June to March, an extended, rain-linked breeding season rather than a migratory pattern.
Copper Sunbird	Cinnyris cupreus	Least Concern	Non-migratory and resident year-round across its range, including The Gambia.
Green-headed Sunbird	Cyanomitra verticalis	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; not known to be migratory in West Africa.
Mangrove Sunbird	Anthreptes gabonicus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia's mangrove habitats.
Splendid Sunbird	Cinnyris coccinigastrus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; tied to oil-palm and wet savanna habitat rather than showing migratory movement.
Variable Sunbird	Cinnyris venustus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; not a long-distance migrant, though some local movement follows flowering season.

Turacos (Musophagidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Green Turaco	Tauraco persa	Least Concern	Resident year-round in forest and riverine woodland in The Gambia; not migratory.
Violet Turaco	Musophaga violacea	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; local breeding activity begins around April.

Waxbills (Estrildidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu	Uraeginthus bengalus	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; a non-migratory breeding resident throughout its range.

Waxbills and Allies (Estrildidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Seasonality
Black-faced Firefinch	Lagonosticta larvata	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; no evidence of migratory movement.
Western Bluebill	Spermophaga haematina	Least Concern	Resident year-round in The Gambia; a sedentary forest-edge species, not known to undertake long migrations.