Birds of the DRC: The Complete List

The Democratic Republic of the Congo spans the central African rainforest, montane highlands and savanna edges, creating habitats for a wide variety of bird life. From riverine species to grassland specialists, the country’s landscapes shape where different birds live and breed.

There are 105 Birds of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranging from African Broadbill to Yellow-throated Longclaw. For each entry, you’ll find below Scientific name,Length (cm),IUCN status.

How should I read the Scientific name, Length (cm), and IUCN status columns?

The Scientific name gives the species’ binomial for precise identification, Length (cm) indicates typical body length to help distinguish similar birds, and IUCN status summarizes conservation risk; together they let you match field observations to each listed species and gauge how threatened they are.

Are all these species resident in the DRC or do some migrate seasonally?

The list includes both resident species and seasonal visitors; many forest and montane birds are year-round, while some open-country species and migrants pass through during rainy or dry seasons—check species notes or range maps for timing and local occurrence.

Birds of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Images and Descriptions

African Broadbill

A small, chunky forest bird with a streaked brown body and a broad, flat bill. Known for its remarkable circular display flight, which produces a loud, frog-like purring sound. Inhabits dense undergrowth of forests and woodlands across the DRC.

African Darter

A snake-like waterbird, often seen swimming with only its long, thin neck above water. It has dark plumage and a sharp, dagger-like bill for spearing fish. Found in freshwater wetlands, rivers, and lakes throughout the Congo Basin.

African Finfoot

A secretive and unusual waterbird with a long neck, sharp bill, and strikingly bright red, lobed feet. It skulks along the banks of quiet, wooded rivers and streams, often staying hidden among overhanging vegetation. A difficult but rewarding species to spot.

African Fish Eagle

Possessing an iconic, ringing call often described as “the voice of Africa.” This large eagle has a striking white head and chest, a chestnut belly, and a black back. It is found near rivers, lakes, and coastlines, where it expertly hunts for fish.

African Green Pigeon

A plump, arboreal pigeon with soft olive-green plumage, a mauve shoulder patch, and a distinctive yellow bill with a red base. Often found in noisy flocks in fruiting trees within forests and woodlands, including in gallery forests along rivers.

African Grey Hornbill

A medium-sized hornbill with mostly grey-brown plumage and a large, dark bill with a small casque. It is a common and adaptable bird of savanna and open woodland, often seen in pairs or small groups foraging for insects and fruit.

African Grey Parrot

Highly intelligent and famous for its ability to mimic human speech. This stocky, grey parrot has a brilliant red tail. It inhabits dense, humid lowland forests of the Congo Basin, but its populations are severely threatened by trapping for the pet trade.

African Hobby

A small, swift falcon with dark slate-grey upperparts and a rufous belly. It is an aerial hunter, preying on insects and small birds captured in flight. Found in open woodlands, savannas, and forest edges, often near water.

African Jacana

Known as the “lily-trotter” for its ability to walk on floating vegetation using its enormous feet and claws. This striking wader has a chestnut body, white neck, and a blue frontal shield. It inhabits freshwater wetlands and marshes across the country.

African Openbill

A unique, all-black stork with a large bill that has a conspicuous gap between the mandibles, an adaptation for handling its main prey: snails. Commonly seen wading in shallow wetlands, marshes, and rice paddies, often in large flocks.

African Paradise Flycatcher

An unmistakable bird, especially the male with his incredibly long tail streamers, which can double his length. Comes in rufous and white morphs, both with a glossy black head and crest. Inhabits forests, woodlands, and gardens, catching insects on the wing.

African Pied Hornbill

A medium-sized black-and-white hornbill with a large, pale-yellow bill marked with black. A common resident of forests and woodlands, it is often seen in pairs or noisy family groups, flying with a characteristic undulating flight pattern.

African Pied Wagtail

A conspicuous black-and-white bird with a long, constantly wagging tail. It is bold and often found near human settlements, foraging for insects on the ground along riverbanks, in gardens, and open areas. Its call is a cheerful “chis-sick”.

African Pitta

A stunningly colourful but secretive ground-dwelling bird. It has a green back, buffy underparts, a black head with a bold buffy supercilium, and a bright red belly. Inhabits dense thickets and forest floors, where it forages for insects in the leaf litter.

African Pygmy Goose

One of the world’s smallest waterfowl. The male is beautifully patterned with a white face, metallic green back, and orange flanks. It prefers quiet freshwater wetlands with abundant floating vegetation like water lilies, on which it feeds.

African Sacred Ibis

A striking bird with an all-white body, a bare, black head and neck, and a long, decurved black bill. Historically revered in ancient Egypt, it is now common in wetlands and grasslands, probing in mud for invertebrates.

African Skimmer

A unique waterbird that forages by flying low over water with its longer lower mandible slicing through the surface to catch fish. It is black above, white below, with a bright orange-yellow bill tipped with black. Found on large rivers and lakes.

African Spoonbill

An unmistakable large white waterbird with a long, flattened, spoon-shaped bill. It feeds by wading through shallow water, sweeping its bill from side to side to detect small fish and invertebrates. Found in marshes and wetlands.

African Thrush

A common and familiar thrush with plain grey-brown upperparts and a paler, warm-toned underside with a faint orange wash on the flanks. It is often seen hopping on the ground in gardens, woodlands, and forest edges, feeding on invertebrates and fruit.

Angola Swallow

A small swallow with glossy blue-black upperparts, a rufous-red throat and forehead, and greyish-white underparts. It is an agile aerial insectivore, often seen swooping over grasslands, wetlands, and near human habitation. Builds mud nests on structures.

Bateleur

A spectacular and colourful eagle with a very short tail, black plumage, a chestnut back, and bright red facial skin and legs. It is known for its distinctive rocking, side-to-side flight as it soars over savannas and open woodlands.

Black Bee-eater

A striking, dark bee-eater with a scarlet throat, cobalt-blue eyebrow, and streaked blue belly. Despite its name, it is vibrantly coloured. It inhabits forest clearings and edges, often perching on high branches to sally out for flying insects.

Black Cuckoo

A slender, all-black cuckoo with a long tail. Best known for its loud, plaintive, three-note “who-are-you” call, a common sound in woodlands and forests during the breeding season. It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in other birds’ nests.

Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill

A very large forest hornbill, mostly black with a white belly, rump, and tail patches. The male has a massive creamy-white casque on its large bill. Its loud, braying calls and the whooshing sound of its wings are characteristic of the Congo forest.

Black-casqued Hornbill

A large, all-black hornbill with a prominent black casque on its bill; the male’s is larger. It has bare, blue skin around the eye. Inhabits primary rainforest, where it travels in noisy groups feeding on fruits, a key seed disperser.

Black-headed Heron

A large, elegant heron with a grey body, white throat, and a contrasting black head and neck. It is a versatile hunter, found in wetlands, grasslands, and even farmland, where it stalks insects, frogs, and small rodents.

Blue Malkoha

A long-tailed, slender cuckoo-like bird with dark, glossy blue-grey plumage and a bright yellow bill. It moves stealthily through dense tangles and creepers in forests and thickets, searching for insects like a squirrel.

Bronze Mannikin

A tiny, sociable finch with brown upperparts, white underparts barred on the flanks, and an iridescent green gloss on its head and back. Very common in grasslands, gardens, and cultivated areas, often in large, twittering flocks.

Brown-necked Parrot

A large, stocky parrot with a mostly green body and a distinct brownish-grey head and neck. It has a powerful bill used to crack open hard nuts. Found in savanna woodlands and riverine forests, it is threatened by habitat loss.

Cattle Egret

A small, stocky white heron often seen foraging near livestock, which disturb insects for the bird to eat. During the breeding season, it develops buff-orange plumes on its head, chest, and back. Highly adaptable and found in various open habitats.

Chestnut Wattle-eye

A tiny, active forest bird. The male is glossy black above and rich chestnut below, with a striking turquoise eye wattle. The female is chestnut above and whitish below. Found in the understory of lowland rainforest, gleaning for insects.

Chocolate-backed Kingfisher

A stunningly beautiful but shy kingfisher of the rainforest interior. It has a deep chocolate-brown head and back, a white throat, rufous belly, and a brilliant blue rump and tail. Usually found perched quietly over forest streams and pools.

Congo Peafowl

The DRC’s national bird and its only true endemic pheasant. The male is a spectacular deep blue and metallic green, with a unique crest of white bristles. This shy bird forages on the floor of undisturbed lowland rainforests in the central Congo Basin.

Congo Serpent Eagle

A specialized predator of snakes and lizards found in dense lowland rainforest. It has a long tail, a short crest, and large, forward-facing eyes. Often located by its haunting, mournful hooting call echoing through the forest.

Crested Guineafowl

A striking black guineafowl spangled with fine white spots, distinguished by a crest of curly black feathers on its head. It forages in noisy flocks on the forest floor, scratching in the leaf litter for invertebrates, seeds, and tubers.

Double-toothed Barbet

A bold, sociable barbet with black upperparts, a bright red head and breast, and a thick yellow bill featuring two “teeth” on the upper mandible. Common in woodlands, forest edges, and gardens, often found feeding on fruit.

Egyptian Goose

A large, robust waterfowl with pale brown and grey plumage, a distinct dark brown eye patch, and a patch on its chest. It is noisy and aggressive, often found in pairs or family groups near lakes, rivers, and in grasslands.

Emerald Cuckoo

A small, dazzlingly beautiful cuckoo. The male is iridescent emerald green above and yellow below, while the female is barred green and white. Its clear, whistled “hello-georgie” call is a characteristic sound of African forests.

Forbes’s Plover

A small, inland plover with a brown back, white underparts, and two distinct black breast bands. It is not tied to water like many plovers, preferring rocky outcrops, grasslands, and recently burned areas, where it feeds on insects.

Fork-tailed Drongo

A glossy, all-black bird with a distinctive forked tail and a red eye. It is an aggressive and fearless defender of its territory, known for mimicking the calls of other birds and for harassing much larger raptors. Common in open woodlands.

Giant Kingfisher

Africa’s largest kingfisher. It is heavily spotted and barred, with the male having a chestnut breast band and the female a chestnut belly. Found along rivers and lakes, it makes a loud, rattling call and plunges for fish and crabs.

Goliath Heron

The world’s largest heron, a truly massive bird with a slate-grey back and a rich chestnut head, neck, and belly. It is a solitary hunter of large fish in extensive wetlands, rivers, and lakes, stalking its prey in shallow water.

Great Blue Turaco

The largest turaco species, a spectacular bird with mostly blue and turquoise plumage, a prominent black crest, and a yellow and red bill. Often seen in noisy, social groups moving through the canopies of forests and gallery woodlands.

Great Egret

A large, elegant, all-white heron with a long, S-curved neck, a yellow, dagger-like bill, and blackish legs. It is a patient hunter, often seen standing motionless in shallow wetlands before striking at fish with its sharp bill.

Great White Pelican

An enormous white waterbird with black flight feathers and a massive pink and yellow throat pouch used to scoop up fish. They are social birds, often fishing cooperatively in groups and breeding in large colonies near lakes and wetlands.

Greater Honeyguide

Famed for its remarkable behavior of guiding humans (and honey badgers) to bees’ nests, after which it feeds on the leftover wax and larvae. A rather plain, greyish-brown bird, its presence is most often revealed by its persistent, chattering call.

Green-breasted Pitta

A brilliantly coloured, secretive ground-dweller of lowland rainforests. It has a green back and breast, black head, and a scarlet belly. Very difficult to see as it forages quietly in deep shade on the forest floor, tossing leaves for insects.

Green-headed Sunbird

A common sunbird of forest edges and gardens. The male has an iridescent green head and throat, a greyish-brown body, and yellow pectoral tufts. It uses its long, decurved bill to feed on nectar from flowers and also eats insects.

Grey Crowned Crane

An elegant and majestic bird, the national bird of Uganda, found in DRC’s eastern grasslands. It has a grey body, white wings with gold and brown, and a stunning crown of stiff golden feathers. Known for its spectacular dancing displays.

Grey Heron

A large, stately heron with pale grey upperparts, whitish underparts, and a white head and neck with a black stripe extending from the eye to a slender crest. A common and widespread hunter in almost any aquatic habitat.

Grey-headed Bushshrike

A large, powerful bushshrike with olive-green upperparts, yellow underparts, a pale grey head, and a heavy, hooked bill. It is a skulking predator in dense woodland and savanna, preying on large insects, lizards, and even other birds.

Grey-headed Kingfisher

A colourful kingfisher with a pale grey head, chestnut belly, and bright blue back, wings, and tail. Unlike many kingfishers, it is often found far from water in woodlands and savannas, where it preys on insects and small reptiles.

Grey-headed Negrofinch

A small, stout finch with a grey head, black body, and white spots on its wings. It is a common resident of forest clearings, secondary growth, and plantations, where it forages for insects and fruit, often in small groups.

Hadada Ibis

A large, grey-brown ibis with a metallic purple and green sheen on its wings. Best known for its extremely loud, raucous “ha-da-da” call, often given in flight. It has adapted well to human presence and is common in suburbs and farmland.

Hamerkop

An unusual, medium-sized brown waterbird with a thick neck, a crest on the back of its head, and a stout, slightly hooked bill, giving it a hammer-headed look. It builds enormous, messy, domed nests of sticks, often in a tree fork over water.

Handsome Francolin

A large, dark francolin endemic to the Albertine Rift mountains. It is mostly reddish-brown and grey, with a bare red patch of skin around the eye. It forages secretively in pairs or small groups in dense montane forest undergrowth.

Hartlaub’s Duck

A dark, chestnut-coloured duck that is a specialist of forested rivers and secluded pools within the Congo Basin rainforest. The male has a distinctive white patch on its head. It is a shy and often overlooked species.

Helmeted Guineafowl

A large, chicken-like bird with a polka-dotted grey-black body, a bare blue and red face, and a bony casque on its head. It is a highly social bird, forming large, noisy flocks in savannas and grasslands.

Ituri Batis

A small, rare flycatcher-like bird of the Ituri Forest. The male is black and white with a broad black breast band, while the female has a chestnut breast band. Inhabits the canopy of pristine lowland rainforest, making it difficult to observe.

Klaas’s Cuckoo

A small, glossy green cuckoo. The male is green above and white below, while the female is brownish and barred. Its plaintive, whistled “meit-jie” call is a common sound in woodlands. A brood parasite that primarily targets sunbirds and warblers.

Lanner Falcon

A large, powerful falcon with a slate-grey back, pale rufous crown, and lightly spotted underparts. It is a swift and versatile hunter, preying on birds in flight over savannas, open woodlands, and cliffs.

Levaillant’s Cuckoo

A large, striking cuckoo, black above with white spotting, a prominent crest, and heavily streaked black-and-white underparts. A brood parasite that favors babblers and bulbuls, found in woodland and savanna habitats.

Lilac-breasted Roller

An spectacularly colourful bird with a lilac throat and breast, blue belly, light green head, and brown back. Often seen perched conspicuously on trees or posts in open savanna, from which it darts down to catch insects and small lizards.

Little Bee-eater

Africa’s smallest bee-eater. It has a green back, yellow throat bordered by a black gorget, and a chestnut belly. A common and confiding bird, usually seen in pairs or small groups in savanna and grassland, often near water.

Little Egret

A delicate, small white heron with black legs and contrasting bright yellow feet, which it sometimes uses to stir up prey in the water. It has elegant plumes in the breeding season. Frequents a wide variety of wetland habitats.

Little Grebe

A small, dumpy waterbird that dives expertly for fish and invertebrates. In breeding plumage, it has a dark body and a rich chestnut throat and cheeks. Often reveals its presence with a loud, trilling whinny from freshwater lakes and ponds.

Long-crested Eagle

A medium-sized, dark brown to black eagle easily identified by its long, shaggy crest. It often perches conspicuously on poles or dead trees in open country and wetlands, hunting for rodents and other small vertebrates.

Long-tailed Cormorant

A small, dark cormorant with a relatively long tail. Breeding adults have a slight greenish gloss and a small crest. A common and widespread waterbird found on inland rivers, lakes, and marshes, where it dives for fish.

Malachite Kingfisher

A tiny, brilliantly coloured kingfisher with ultramarine blue upperparts, rich rufous underparts, and a short, spiky blue and black crest. Found by slow-moving water in reedbeds and marshes, where it dives for tiny fish and aquatic insects.

Marabou Stork

A massive, peculiar-looking stork with a bare pink head and neck, a huge bill, and a large inflatable throat pouch. Often called the “undertaker bird,” it is a scavenger frequently found at carcasses and rubbish dumps, as well as wetlands.

Nahan’s Francolin

A small, elusive forest francolin found in lowland forests in the eastern DRC. It has barred brown and white plumage and distinctive bare red skin around its eyes. Threatened by habitat loss and hunting, it forages quietly on the forest floor.

Olive Sunbird

A plain, olive-green sunbird lacking the iridescent plumage of many of its relatives. It has a long, decurved bill for feeding on nectar and can be identified by its nondescript appearance and fast-paced, high-pitched song in forest and woodland.

Palm-nut Vulture

An unusual vulture that primarily feeds on the fruit of the oil palm, though it also eats fish and crabs. It is strikingly black-and-white as an adult, resembling a small fish eagle. Found in forests and savannas where oil palms are present.

Pel’s Fishing Owl

A huge, powerful owl with uniform rufous-brown plumage and dark, piercing eyes. It lacks the ear tufts typical of many large owls. A nocturnal hunter of fish, it is found along large, forested rivers and wetlands.

Pied Crow

A large, intelligent crow with glossy black plumage and a broad white collar and breast. It is highly adaptable and common in a wide range of habitats, including cities, savannas, and woodlands, often scavenging for food.

Pied Kingfisher

A distinctively patterned black-and-white kingfisher, often seen hovering over water before plunging down to catch fish. It is very social and can be found in pairs or groups near rivers, lakes, and coastal waters across the continent.

Pink-backed Pelican

Slightly smaller than its great white cousin, this pelican has greyish-white plumage and a pale pinkish hue on its back. It is less dependent on cooperative fishing and can be found at inland waters and coastal areas.

Pin-tailed Whydah

A small finch-like bird. The breeding male is unmistakable with his black and white plumage and extremely long, black tail plumes (up to 20 cm). It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of waxbills. Found in open, grassy habitats.

Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill

The smallest hornbill in Africa. It is mostly dark brown with a white belly and a small, bright red bill. A bird of the rainforest understory, it moves in small, active groups, feeding on insects and fruit.

Red-billed Firefinch

A tiny, sociable seed-eater. The male is almost entirely vibrant red, while the female is plain brown. A very common and confiding species, often found around human habitation, gardens, and cultivated areas, foraging on the ground in small flocks.

Red-chested Cuckoo

Famous for its loud, persistent, three-note call, “piet-my-vrou,” which is a classic sound of the African bush. It has a grey head and chest, a barred belly, and a brown back. A brood parasite of robins and chats.

Red-eyed Dove

A large, robust dove with vinous-grey plumage, a black half-collar on the neck, and a distinctive red orbital ring around the eye. Its repetitive, cooing call is a common sound in woodlands, savannas, and gardens.

Rock Pratincole

A small, graceful bird of rocky rivers and rapids. It is dark grey with a white line extending from the eye down the neck. It catches insects in agile, swallow-like flight over the water or perches on rocks mid-stream.

Ross’s Turaco

A stunningly beautiful turaco with glossy purplish-blue plumage, a prominent red crest, and a bright yellow bill and facial shield. Like other turacos, it reveals brilliant crimson flight feathers when it flies through its woodland habitat.

Ruwenzori Turaco

A spectacular turaco endemic to the Albertine Rift mountains. It is largely green with a blue back and tail, a shaggy green crest, and bare red and yellow skin around the eye. A key frugivore in high-altitude montane forests.

Saddle-billed Stork

A huge, strikingly coloured stork. It has a black and white body, and a massive red bill with a black band and a yellow frontal shield or “saddle”. Usually seen in pairs, stalking fish and frogs in wetlands.

Secretarybird

A very large, long-legged terrestrial bird of prey. It has a grey body, black thighs, and a distinctive crest of long black feathers. Famous for hunting snakes and other prey by stomping on them with its powerful feet. Inhabits open grasslands.

Senegal Coucal

A large, clumsy-looking member of the cuckoo family with a black head, brown wings, and a long tail. It is not a parasite. It has a deep, bubbling call that descends in pitch. Found in thickets and tall grasslands.

Shoebill

An unmistakable and prehistoric-looking bird, named for its enormous, clog-shaped bill. It has uniform grey plumage and a slight crest. It stands motionless for long periods in papyrus swamps, waiting to ambush lungfish and other prey.

Speckled Mousebird

A drab brownish-grey bird with a long, stiff tail and a jaunty crest. Mousebirds are highly social and often seen clambering around in thickets and fruit trees in a rodent-like manner, frequently hanging upside down.

Splendid Sunbird

A stunningly beautiful sunbird. The breeding male is a glossy violet-blue and green with a scarlet patch on its breast. Inhabits forest edges, clearings, and gardens where it feeds on nectar, often hovering briefly in front of flowers.

Spur-winged Goose

Africa’s largest waterfowl, a very large black-and-white goose-like duck. It has a knob on its bill and sharp spurs on its wings, which are used in fights. Found in a variety of wetlands, from lakes to flooded grasslands.

Swamp Flycatcher

A small, plain brown flycatcher that is always found near water. It perches on reeds or papyrus stems over rivers and swamps, sallying out to catch insects. Its habitat specificity makes it easy to identify in its range.

Tambourine Dove

A small, plump dove with a dark brown back and contrasting pure white face and underparts. It is a shy bird of forest and dense woodland, usually seen foraging quietly on the ground in deep shade. Has a persistent, descending “du-du-du” call.

Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl

Africa’s largest owl, a huge and powerful bird with pale, milky-grey plumage, fine barring, and distinctive pink eyelids. It is a formidable nocturnal predator, capable of taking prey as large as monkeys and herons.

Village Weaver

A common and highly social weaver bird. The breeding male has a bright yellow body, a black head, and a red eye. Famed for its intricately woven, kidney-shaped nests, which are built in large, noisy colonies, often in villages or over water.

Violet-backed Starling

A small, stunning starling. The male has an iridescent violet back and a pure white belly, creating a spectacular contrast. The female is brown and streaked. An intra-African migrant, it is found in woodlands, feeding on fruits and insects.

White-browed Robin-Chat

A brightly coloured chat with an olive-brown back, brilliant orange-rufous underparts, and a striking black-and-white head pattern. Known for its beautiful, melodious, and complex song, often incorporating mimicry of other birds.

White-faced Whistling Duck

A long-legged, gregarious duck with a distinctive white face, black hindneck, and barred flanks. As their name suggests, they have a clear, three-note whistling call, often heard at night as flocks fly overhead. Common in freshwater wetlands.

White-headed Wood Hoopoe

A noisy and social forest bird with glossy dark green plumage, a long, decurved red bill, and a contrasting creamy-white head. It moves in chattering family groups through the forest canopy, probing for insects in bark.

White-thighed Hornbill

A large black-and-white hornbill of the rainforest. It has a large, creamy-yellow bill and casque, a black body, and a white rump, belly, and tail with a black band. The “thighs” (actually feathers on the tibia) are white.

Woodland Kingfisher

A brightly coloured kingfisher with light blue back and wings, a greyish head, and a distinctive red and black bill. Despite its name, it is a bird of woodlands and savannas, often found far from water, feeding on large insects.

Yellow-billed Barbet

A robust, dark barbet with a strong, pale yellow bill. Its plumage is purplish-black with some yellow mottling, and it has a small crest. It is a forest species, often located by its loud, resonant hooting duets.

Yellow-billed Stork

A medium-sized stork with white plumage, black flight feathers and tail, and a long, slightly decurved, bright yellow bill. It uses a tactile hunting method, wading with its bill partially open to snap shut on fish and frogs.

Yellow-throated Longclaw

A pipit-like bird of open grasslands with a striking bright yellow throat and a black necklace. It has a beautiful, melodic song, often delivered from a termite mound or other low perch. It walks on the ground foraging for insects.

Other Birds by Country