Rwanda on the Wing: Birds of Agahozo-Shalom: A Photographic Guide

This page features photographs of birds that visit or live at Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) in Rwanda, on the eastern edge of central Africa.

ASYV is located on a rural hillside, from 1530 meters above sea level to nearly 1600 meters, about 5km as the crow flies north from Lake Mugesera. Most of the land is either cultivated (bananas, beans, citrus, other fruits/vegetables) or built (houses, school, dining hall, learning centers, etc.). However, there is a small nature park (1.7 hectares) that contains native vegetation and small native trees are scattered throughout the property. There are many fruit and ornamental trees built into the overall landscaping as well.

Most of these pictures were taken at ASYV. In a few cases, I substituted a better picture that I took from a different location (yellow-billed stork, green-headed sunbird, common waxbill). All pictures not at ASYV are noted.

This page contains photographs of 101 species, about 78% of the roughly 130 species recorded at ASYV from December 2010-November 2011. I was able to successfully identify 126 species. One species each of owl, nightjar, woodpecker, and cisticola visited but remain unidentified (assuming that the owl and nightar were one species each and not more). There are several species that I suspect do visit ASYV grounds based on sightings within 2km of ASYV, but went undetected. Hadada Ibis may fly over (you can hear them in the morning and other waterbirds have flown over) and Red-chested Cuckoo, Bare-faced Go-Away Bird, and Grey-backed Fiscal were all observed within 2km of ASYV, either on the same hill or on an adjacent hill.

1. Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala) Ikiyongoyongo
May be on rooftops, pathways, or around crops.

2. Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis)
Flyover only, as there is no water at ASYV
This is a large bird: look for the long bill and the black/white
pattern on the underside of the wings. Although I have a
photo from ASYV, this one is from Ngorongoro CA,
Tanzania.

(African Open-billed Stork- theoretical flyover, observed in nearby marshes)

3. Hamerkop- flyover

(Hadada Ibis- theoretical flyover)

4. Sacred Ibis- flyover

5. African Spoonbill- flyover

6. Spur-winged Goose- flyover

7. Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus)

8. Yellow-billed Kite (Milvus aegyptius)

Yellow-billed Kite in flight (Milvus aegyptius)

9. Black-chested Snake-eagle (Circaetus pectoralis)

10. Western Marsh-harrier

11. Gabar Goshawk (Micronisus gabar)

12. Great Sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus)

13. African Harrier-Hawk (Polyboroides typus)

14. Augur Buzzard (Buteo augur)

15. Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus)

16. Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)

17. Bateleur Eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus)

18. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

19. Lanner Falcon

20. Red-necked Spurfowl (Francolinus afer)

21. African Green-pigeon (Treron calva)
1 record at ASYV, where the nature park currently is
Photo at Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary, Uganda

22. Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea)

23. Red-eyed Dove (Streptopelia semitorquata)

24. Tambourine Dove (Turtur tympanistria)

25. Emerald-spotted Wood-dove (Turtur chalcospilos)

26. Blue-spotted Wood-dove (Turtur afer)

27. Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis)

28. Meyer's Parrots (Poicephalus meyeri)
2 records ASYV, 1 separate record Rubona
Photographed at Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

29. Ross's Turaco (Musophaga rossae)

(Bare-faced Go-Away Bird-theoretical visitor)

30. Levaillant's Cuckoo (Oxylophus levaillantii)

(Red-chested Cuckoo- theoretical visitor)

31. White-browed Coucal (Centropus superciliosus)

(not yet numbered). Barn Owl.. not observed by me but photographed on this blog: http://therwanderingjew.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-owl.html. People triedto kill it apparently, but "as the owl flew away" it sounds like it made it away from imminent danger.

32. African Wood-Owl (heard only but we could not track it down on a night hike through top of the hill)

Unidentified Owl: bigger than African Wood-Owl. Seen by 4 different people at different times, once by me as a dusk flyover. Guards reported they sometimes saw owls on the roads and fences at night.

33. Little Swift

34. White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer)

35. Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)

36. African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta)

37. Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus)

38. Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater (Merops oreobates)

39. European Bee-eater

40. Spot-flanked Barbet (Tricholaema lacrymosa)

41. Double-toothed Barbet (Lybius bidentatus)
2 records
Photographed at Mabamba Swamp, Uganda

42. Rufous-naped Lark (Mirafra africana)

43. Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)

44. Rock Martin

45. Plain Martin

46. Common House Martin

47. Lesser Striped Swallow (Hirundo abyssinica)

48. Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)

49. Barn Swallow

50. Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)

51. White-headed Saw-wing (Psalidoprocne albiceps)

52. African Grassland Pipit (Anthus cinnamomeus)

53. African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp)

54. Yellow-throated Longlcaw (Macronyx croceus)

55. Black Cuckoo-shrike (Campephaga flava) (female)

56. Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)

57. Yellow-throated Greenbul (Chlorocichla flavicollis)

58. White-browed Robin-chat (Cossypha heuglini)

59. African Thrush (Turdus pelios)

60. White-headed Black-Chat (Myrmecocichla arnoti)

61. Sooty Chat (Myrmecocichla nigra) (male left, female right)

62. Common Stonechat (Saxicola torquata) (male)

Common Stonechat (Saxicola torquata) (female)

63. Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)

64. Brown-backed Scrub-robin (Cercotrichas hartlaubi)

65. Familiar Chat (Cercomela familiaris)

66. Dark-capped Yellow Warbler (Chloropeta natalensis)

67. Blackcap

68. Willow Warbler

69. Olivaceous Warbler

70. Garden Warbler

71. Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)

72. Red-faced Cisticola (Cisticola erythrops)

Unidentified cisticola: I think it to be Singing Cisticola, but the evidence I could gather was never conclusive

73. Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava)

74. Grey-capped Warbler (Eminia lepida)
Photo near Lake Kivu shore, northwestern Rwanda

75. Green-backed Camaroptera

76. Yellow-breasted Apalis

77. White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher (Melaenornis fischeri)

78. African Dusky Flycatcher

79. Chin-spot Batis (Batis molitor)

80. Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea)

81. African Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis) (female)
Male has long rufous tail.

82. Black-lored Babbler (Turdoides sharpei)

83. Arrow-marked Babbler (Turdoides jardineii)

84. Yellow White-eye (Zosterops senegalensis)

85. Bronzy Sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis)

86. Marico Sunbird (Cinnyris mariquensis)

87. Scarlet-chested Sunbird (Chalcomitra senegalensis)

88. Green-headed Sunbird (Cyanomitra verticalis) (male)
Photo near Gisenyi, Lake Kivu, Rwanda

89. Copper Sunbird

90. Variable Sunbird (Cinnyris venusta)

91. Mackinnon's Fiscal (Lanius mackinnoni)

92. Common Fiscal (Lanius collaris)

93. Tropical Boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus)

94. Brown-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra australis)

95. Pied Crow (Corvus albus)

96. Violet-backed Starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) (male)

97. Grey-headed Sparrow (Passer griseus)

98. Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus) (male)
Village weavers breed on the property just below ASYV;
I have seen (and photographed) them with nests on the way
to the lake. I never found them breeding at ASYV but they do
visit and could be a breeder depending on the season.
Photo at Mabamba Swamp, Uganda

99. Spectacled Weaver (Ploceus ocularis) (male)
Female appears the same but with a yellow throat.

100. Baglafecht Weaver (Ploceus baglafecht) (male)
Female similar with less dark head.

101. Grosbeak Weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons)
The male above is transitioning to breeding; he will have
a stronger white spot above his bill. Female is heavily
striped on the breast and belly, has a dull yellow bill, and
lacks the white spots on wing and head.

102. Yellow-backed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus)

103. Holub's Golden Weaver (Ploceus xanthops)

104. Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) (male)

105. Cardinal Quelea

106. Fan-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes axillaris) (male)
Lives in marshes around Lake Mugesera and near rice paddies,
occasionally visits ASYV.
Photo at Mabamba Swamp, Uganda