This is a list of the bird species recorded in The Gambia. The avifauna of The Gambia include a total of 621 species, two of which have been introduced. The country, which is very small and almost completely surrounded by Senegal, has no endemic species.

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (English and scientific names) are those of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition.

The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. Not all species will fall into one of these categories. Those that do not are commonly occurring native species.

  • (A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in the Gambia
  • (I) Introduced - a species introduced to the Gambia as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
  • (Ex) Extirpated - a species that no longer occurs in the Gambia although populations exist elsewhere

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Ducks, geese, and waterfowl

thumb|right|upright|The [[white-faced whistling duck is the country's most common and widespread duck.]]

Order: PodicipediformesFamily: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-sized diving birds. They breed on fresh water, but often visit the sea whilst migrating and in winter. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers; however, their feet are placed far back on their bodies, making them quite ungainly on land.

  • Little grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis
  • Eared grebe, Podiceps nigricollis (A)

Pigeons and doves

thumb|right|[[Red-eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata)]]

Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.

  • Rock pigeon, Columba livia
  • Speckled pigeon, Columba guinea
  • European turtle-dove, Streptopelia turtur
  • Adamawa turtle-dove, Streptopelia hypopyrrha (A)
  • African collared-dove, Streptopelia roseogrisea
  • Mourning collared-dove, Streptopelia decipiens
  • Red-eyed dove, Streptopelia semitorquata
  • Vinaceous dove, Streptopelia vinacea
  • Laughing dove, Streptopelia senegalensis
  • Black-billed wood-dove, Turtur abyssinicus
  • Blue-spotted wood-dove, Turtur afer
  • Tambourine dove, Turtur tympanistria
  • Namaqua dove, Oena capensis
  • Bruce's green-pigeon, Treron waalia
  • African green-pigeon, Treron calva

Sandgrouse

Order: PterocliformesFamily: Pteroclidae

Sandgrouse have small pigeon-like heads and necks, but sturdy compact bodies. They have long pointed wings and sometimes tails and a fast direct flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn and dusk. Their legs are feathered down to the toes.

  • Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, Pterocles exustus(A)
  • Four-banded sandgrouse, Pterocles quadricinctus

Bustards

Order: OtidiformesFamily: Otidae

Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World. They are omnivorous and nest on the ground. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. They have long broad wings with "fingered" wingtips and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays.

  • Arabian bustard, Ardeotis arabs(A)
  • Denham's bustard, Neotis denhami
  • White-bellied bustard, Eupodotis senegalensis(A)
  • Savile's bustard, Lophotis savilei
  • Black-bellied bustard, Lissotis melanogaster

Turacos

Order: MusophagiformesFamily: Musophagidae

The turacos, plantain-eaters, and go-away-birds make up the family Musophagidae. They are medium-sized arboreal birds. The turacos and plantain-eaters are brightly coloured, usually in blue, green, or purple. The go-away-birds are mostly grey and white.

  • Guinea turaco, Tauraco persa
  • Violet turaco, Musophaga violacea
  • Western plantain-eater, Crinifer piscator

Cuckoos

thumb|right|[[Senegal coucal (Centropus senegalensis)]]

Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae

The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites.

  • Senegal coucal, Centropus senegalensis
  • Black coucal, Centropus grillii
  • Blue malkoha, Ceuthmochares aereus
  • Great spotted cuckoo, Clamator glandarius
  • Levaillant's cuckoo, Clamator levaillantii
  • Pied cuckoo, Clamator jacobinus
  • Dideric cuckoo, Chrysococcyx caprius
  • Klaas's cuckoo, Chrysococcyx klaas
  • African emerald cuckoo, Chrysococcyx cupreus(A)
  • Black cuckoo, Cuculus clamosus(A)
  • Red-chested cuckoo, Cuculus solitarius
  • African cuckoo, Cuculus gularis
  • Common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus

Nightjars and allies

thumb|Long-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus climacurus climacurus) male

Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves.

  • Pennant-winged nightjar, Caprimulgus vexillarius(A)
  • Standard-winged nightjar, Caprimulgus longipennis
  • Red-necked nightjar, Caprimulgus ruficollis
  • Eurasian nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus
  • Egyptian nightjar, Caprimulgus aegyptius
  • Fiery-necked nightjar, Caprimulgus pectoralis
  • Swamp nightjar, Caprimulgus natalensis(A)
  • Plain nightjar, Caprimulgus inornatus
  • Long-tailed nightjar, Caprimulgus climacurus

Swifts

thumb|right|[[African palm-swift (Cypsiurus parvus)]]

Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang.

  • Mottled spinetail, Telacanthura ussheri
  • Alpine swift, Apus melba (A)
  • Common swift, Apus apus
  • Pallid swift, Apus pallidus
  • Little swift, Apus affinis
  • White-rumped swift, Apus caffer (A)
  • African palm-swift, Cypsiurus parvus

Flufftails

Order: GruiformesFamily: Sarothruridae

The flufftails are a small family of ground-dwelling birds found only in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa.

  • White-spotted flufftail, Sarothrura pulchra

Rails, gallinules, and coots

Order: GruiformesFamily: Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.

  • African rail, Rallus caerulescens(A)
  • African crake, Crex egregia
  • Spotted crake, Porzana porzana (A)
  • Lesser moorhen, Paragallinula angulata
  • Eurasian moorhen, Gallinula chloropus
  • Eurasian coot, Fulica atra(A)
  • Allen's gallinule, Porphyrio alleni
  • African swamphen, Porphyrio madagascariensis
  • Black crake, Zapornia flavirostris
  • Little crake, Zapornia parva(A)
  • Baillon's crake, Zapornia pusilla (A)

Finfoots

Order: GruiformesFamily: Heliornithidae

Heliornithidae is a small family of tropical birds with webbed lobes on their feet similar to those of grebes and coots.

  • African finfoot, Podica senegalensis

Cranes

thumb|right|[[Black-crowned crane (Balearica pavonina)]]

Order: GruiformesFamily: Gruidae

Cranes are large, long-legged, and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances".

  • Black crowned crane, Balearica pavonina

Thick-knees

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Burhinidae

The thick-knees are a group of waders found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes, and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats.

  • Eurasian thick-knee, Burhinus oedicnemus (A)
  • Senegal thick-knee, Burhinus senegalensis
  • Spotted thick-knee, Burhinus capensis

Egyptian plover

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Pluvianidae

The Egyptian plover is found across equatorial Africa and along the Nile River.

  • Egyptian plover, Pluvianus aegyptius

Stilts and avocets

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.

  • Black-winged stilt, Himantopus himantopus
  • Pied avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta

Oystercatchers

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Haematopodidae

The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

  • Eurasian oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus
  • African oystercatcher, Haematopus moquini (A)

Plovers and lapwings

thumb|right|[[Spur-winged plovers are ubiquitous throughout the country, though seldom far from water.

  • White-fronted plover, Charadrius marginatus
  • Eurasian dotterel, Charadrius morinellus(A)

Painted-snipes

thumb|right|upright|The [[greater painted-snipe is largely crepuscular, or most active around dawn and dusk.]]

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Rostratulidae

Painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured.

  • Greater painted-snipe, Rostratula benghalensis

Jacanas

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Jacanidae

The jacanas are a group of waders found throughout the tropics. They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat.

  • Lesser jacana, Microparra capensis (A)
  • African jacana, Actophilornis africanus

Sandpipers and allies

thumb|right|[[Common redshanks are common to abundant throughout the country during the winter months.

  • Spotted redshank, Tringa erythropus
  • Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia
  • Lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes (A)
  • Marsh sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis
  • Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola
  • Common redshank, Tringa totanus

Buttonquail

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Turnicidae

The buttonquail are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails. The female is the brighter of the sexes and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young.

  • Small buttonquail, Turnix sylvaticus
  • Quail-plover, Ortyxelos meiffrenii (A)

Pratincoles and coursers

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Glareolidae

Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings, and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have long legs, short wings, and long, pointed bills which curve downwards.

  • Cream-coloured courser, Cursorius cursor(A)
  • Temminck's courser, Cursorius temminckii
  • Bronze-winged courser, Rhinoptilus chalcopterus
  • Collared pratincole, Glareola pratincola

Skuas and jaegers

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Stercorariidae

The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants.

  • Great skua, Stercorarius skua (A)
  • Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus
  • Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus

Gulls, terns, and skimmers

thumb|right|[[Grey-headed gulls are abundant along the coast, sometimes gathering in flocks of hundreds or thousands.

  • Little tern, Sternula albifrons
  • Gull-billed tern, Gelochelidon nilotica
  • Caspian tern, Hydroprogne caspia
  • Black tern, Chlidonias niger
  • White-winged tern, Chlidonias leucopterus
  • Whiskered tern, Chlidonias hybrida
  • Roseate tern, Sterna dougallii(A)
  • Common tern, Sterna hirundo
  • Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea
  • Sandwich tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis
  • Lesser crested tern, Thalasseus bengalensis
  • West African crested tern, Thalasseus albididorsalis
  • African skimmer, Rynchops flavirostris

Tropicbirds

thumb|right|[[Pink-backed pelicans are abundant along the coast, less common most places upriver.]]

Order: SuliformesFamily: Anhingidae

Anhingas or darters are large waterbirds, found primarily in fresh and brackish water habitats. Because their plumage is not entirely waterproof, they often stand out of the water with their wings outstretched, drying off. Darters are strongly sexually dimorphic; males generally have much darker plumage than do females. They eat primarily fish, which they catch by diving from the water's surface.

  • African darter, Anhinga rufa

Cormorants and shags

Order: SuliformesFamily: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium to large seabirds, found primarily along the coast, but occasionally ranging some way inland in aquatic environments. Their plumage is generally dark, though most species have areas of brightly coloured skin on the face. They are primarily fish eaters. Their bills are long, thin and sharply hooked, and their four-toed feet are webbed. Because their plumage is only semi-waterproof, they often stand out of the water with their wings outstretched to dry out their feathers.

  • Long-tailed cormorant, Microcarbo africanus
  • Great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo

Pelicans

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes.

  • Great white pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus
  • Pink-backed pelican, Pelecanus rufescens

Hamerkop

thumb|right|The often-gregarious [[hamerkop builds one of the largest and most complex of all bird nests.]]

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Scopidae

Hamerkops are medium-sized, all-brown wading birds named for their hammer-headed appearance, which is created by the combination of their shaggy backwards-pointing crests and their heavy black bills. Typically found in wetland areas, they forage in shallow water for amphibians, small fish, crustaceans, insects, worms and small mammals. They build enormous, complex nests&mdash;which they generally use for only a matter of months&mdash;and occupy their territories year-round.

  • Hamerkop, Scopus umbretta

Herons, egrets, and bitterns

thumb|right|upright|The huge [[Goliath heron is shy and solitary, typically preferring narrower creeks to more open areas.

  • Eurasian hobby, Falco subbuteo
  • African hobby, Falco cuvierii
  • Lanner falcon, Falco biarmicus
  • Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus

Old World parrots

Order: PsittaciformesFamily: Psittaculidae

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. Many parrots are vividly colored, and some are multi-colored. In size they range from to in length. Old World parrots are found from Africa east across south and southeast Asia and Oceania to Australia and New Zealand.

  • Rose-ringed parakeet, Psittacula krameri

African and New World parrots

thumb|right|[[Senegal parrot (Poicephalus senegalus)]]

Order: PsittaciformesFamily: Psittacidae

Parrots are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak. Their upper mandibles have slight mobility in the joint with the skull and they have a generally erect stance. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two to the back. Most of the more than 150 species in this family are found in the New World.

  • Brown-necked parrot, Poicephalus fuscicollis
  • Senegal parrot, Poicephalus senegalus

Cuckooshrikes

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Campephagidae

The cuckooshrikes are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are predominantly greyish with white and black, although some species are brightly coloured.

  • White-breasted cuckooshrike, Coracina pectoralis
  • Red-shouldered cuckooshrike, Campephaga phoenicea

Old World orioles

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Oriolidae

The Old World orioles are colourful passerine birds. They are not related to the New World orioles.

  • Eurasian golden oriole, Oriolus oriolus(A)
  • African golden oriole, Oriolus auratus

Wattle-eyes and batises

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Platysteiridae

The wattle-eyes, or puffback flycatchers, are small stout passerine birds of the African tropics. They get their name from the brightly coloured fleshy eye decorations found in most species in this group.

  • Brown-throated wattle-eye, Platysteira cyanea
  • Senegal batis, Batis senegalensis

Vangas, helmetshrikes, and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Vangidae

The helmetshrikes are similar in build to the shrikes, but tend to be colourful species with distinctive crests or other head ornaments, such as wattles, from which they get their name.

  • White helmetshrike, Prionops plumatus
  • African shrike-flycatcher, Megabyas flammulatus(A)
  • Black-and-white shrike-flycatcher, Bias musicus(A)

Bushshrikes and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Malaconotidae

Bushshrikes are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush. Although similar in build to the shrikes, these tend to be either colourful species or largely black; some species are quite secretive.

  • Brubru, Nilaus afer
  • Northern puffback, Dryoscopus gambensis
  • Black-crowned tchagra, Tchagra senegala
  • Yellow-crowned gonolek, Laniarius barbarus
  • Sulphur-breasted bushshrike, Telophorus sulfureopectus
  • Gray-headed bushshrike, Malaconotus blanchoti

Drongos

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Dicruridae

The drongos are mostly black or dark grey in colour, sometimes with metallic tints. They have long forked tails, and some Asian species have elaborate tail decorations. They have short legs and sit very upright when perched, like a shrike. They flycatch or take prey from the ground.

  • Western square-tailed drongo, Dicrurus occidentalis
  • Glossy-backed drongo, Dicrurus divaricatus

Monarch flycatchers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Monarchidae

The monarch flycatchers are small to medium-sized insectivorous passerines which hunt by flycatching.

  • Black-headed paradise-flycatcher, Terpsiphone rufiventer
  • African paradise-flycatcher, Terpsiphone viridis

Shrikes

thumb|right|upright|[[Yellow-billed shrike]]

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Laniidae

Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like that of a typical bird of prey.

  • Red-backed shrike, Lanius collurio (A)
  • Red-tailed shrike, Lanius phoenicuroides
  • Isabelline shrike, Lanius isabellinus(A)
  • Great gray shrike, Lanius excubitor(A)
  • Yellow-billed shrike, Lanius corvinus
  • Woodchat shrike, Lanius senator

Crows, jays, and magpies

thumb|right|[[Pied crows are abundant along the coast, less common upriver.

  • Sun lark, Galerida modesta
  • Crested lark, Galerida cristata

Nicators

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Nicatoridae

The nicators are shrike-like, with hooked bills. They are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa.

  • Western nicator, Nicator chloris

African warblers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Macrosphenidae

African warblers are small to medium-sized insectivores which are found in a wide variety of habitats south of the Sahara.

  • Green crombec, Sylvietta virens
  • Lemon-bellied crombec, Sylvietta denti(A)
  • Northern crombec, Sylvietta brachyura
  • Green hylia, Hylia prasina

Cisticolas and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Cisticolidae

The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub.

  • Yellow-bellied eremomela, Eremomela icteropygialis
  • Senegal eremomela, Eremomela pusilla
  • Green-backed eremomela, Camaroptera brachyura
  • Olive-green camaroptera, Camaroptera chloronota
  • Yellow-breasted apalis, Apalis flavida
  • Tawny-flanked prinia, Prinia subflava
  • River prinia, Prinia fluviatilis
  • Oriole warbler, Hypergerus atriceps
  • Red-faced cisticola, Cisticola erythrops
  • Singing cisticola, Cisticola cantans
  • Whistling cisticola, Cisticola lateralis
  • Dorst's cisticola, Cisticola guinea
  • Winding cisticola, Cisticola marginatus
  • Croaking cisticola, Cisticola natalensis
  • Siffling cisticola, Cisticola brachypterus
  • Rufous cisticola, Cisticola rufus
  • Zitting cisticola, Cisticola juncidis
  • Desert cisticola, Cisticola aridulus
  • Black-backed cisticola, Cisticola eximius

Reed warblers and allies

thumb|right|[[Sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)]]

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Acrocephalidae

The members of this family are usually rather large for "warblers". Most are rather plain olivaceous brown above with much yellow to beige below. They are usually found in open woodland, reedbeds, or tall grass. The family occurs mostly in southern to western Eurasia and surroundings, but it also ranges far into the Pacific, with some species in Africa.

  • Eastern olivaceous warbler, Iduna pallida
  • Western olivaceous warbler, Iduna opaca
  • Melodious warbler, Hippolais polyglotta
  • Icterine warbler, Hippolais icterina(A)
  • Moustached warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon (A)
  • Sedge warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
  • Marsh warbler, Acrocephalus palustris (A)
  • Common reed warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus
  • Greater swamp warbler, Acrocephalus rufescens
  • Great reed warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus(A)

Grassbirds and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Locustellidae

Locustellidae are a family of small insectivorous songbirds found mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region. They are smallish birds with tails that are usually long and pointed, and tend to be drab brownish or buffy all over.

  • Savi's warbler, Locustella luscinioides (A)
  • Common grasshopper-warbler, Locustella naevia(A)

Swallows

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Hirundinidae

The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings, and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.

  • Plain martin, Riparia paludicola
  • Bank swallow, Riparia riparia
  • Banded martin, Neophedina cincta (A)
  • Eurasian crag-martin, Ptyonoprogne rupestris
  • Barn swallow, Hirundo rustica
  • Red-chested swallow, Hirundo lucida
  • Ethiopian swallow, Hirundo aethiopica
  • Wire-tailed swallow, Hirundo smithii
  • Pied-winged swallow, Hirundo leucosoma
  • Red-rumped swallow, Cecropis daurica
  • Lesser striped swallow, Cecropis abyssinica (A)
  • Rufous-chested swallow, Cecropis semirufa
  • Mosque swallow, Cecropis senegalensis
  • Common house-martin, Delichon urbicum
  • Fanti sawwing, Psalidoprocne obscura
  • Gray-rumped swallow, Pseudhirundo griseopyga (A)

Bulbuls

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throats or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests.

  • Gray-headed bristlebill, Bleda canicapillus
  • Sjöstedt's greenbul, Baeopogon clamans
  • Yellow-throated greenbul, Atimastillas flavicollis
  • Swamp greenbul, Thescelocichla leucopleura(A)
  • Red-tailed greenbul, Criniger calurus
  • Little greenbul, Eurillas virens
  • Leaf-love, Phyllastrephus scandens
  • White-throated greenbul, Phyllastrephus albigularis
  • Common bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus

Leaf warblers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Phylloscopidae

Leaf warblers are a family of small insectivorous birds found mostly in Eurasia and ranging into Wallacea and Africa. The species are of various sizes, often green-plumaged above and yellow below, or more subdued with greyish-green to greyish-brown colours.

  • Wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix(A)
  • Western Bonelli's warbler, Phylloscopus bonelli
  • Yellow-browed warbler, Phylloscopus inornatus(A)
  • Willow warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus
  • Common chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita
  • Iberian chiffchaff, Phylloscopus ibericus (A)

Sylviid warblers, parrotbills, and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Sylviidae

The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. As another common name, Old World warblers, implies, they mainly occur as breeding species in Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent, Africa. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs.

  • Eurasian blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla
  • Garden warbler, Sylvia borin
  • Barred warbler, Curruca nisoria (A)
  • Lesser whitethroat, Curruca curruca(A)
  • Western Orphean warbler, Curruca hortensis (A)
  • Rüppell's warbler, Curruca ruppeli(A)
  • Western subalpine warbler, Curruca iberiae
  • Eastern subalpine warbler, Curruca cantillans
  • Greater whitethroat, Curruca communis
  • Spectacled warbler, Curruca conspicillata(A)

White-eyes, yuhinas, and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Zosteropidae

The white-eyes are small and mostly undistinguished, their plumage above being generally some dull colour like greenish-olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast, or lower parts, and several have buff flanks. As their name suggests, many species have a white ring around each eye.

  • Northern yellow white-eye, Zosterops senegalensis

Ground babblers and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Pellorneidae

These small to medium-sized songbirds have soft fluffy plumage but are otherwise rather diverse. Members of the genus Illadopsis are found in forests, but some other genera are birds of scrublands.

  • Brown illadopsis, Illadopsis fulvescens (A)
  • Puvel's illadopsis, Illadopsis puveli

Laughingthrushes and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Leiothrichidae

The members of this family are diverse in size and colouration, though those of genus Turdoides tend to be brown or greyish. The family is found in Africa, India, and southeast Asia.

  • Capuchin babbler, Turdoides atripennis
  • Blackcap babbler, Turdoides reinwardtii
  • Brown babbler, Turdoides plebejus

Treecreepers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin pointed down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees.

  • African spotted creeper, Salpornis salvadori

Oxpeckers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Buphagidae

As both the English and scientific names of these birds imply, they feed on ectoparasites, primarily ticks, found on large mammals.

  • Yellow-billed oxpecker, Buphagus africanus

Starlings

thumb|right|The [[long-tailed glossy-starling is common and widespread throughout the country.