Guinea Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in western Africa, and one of the smallest nations in continental Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west. Its size is nearly 37,000 km² with an estimated population of almost 2,200,000. Formerly the Portuguese colony of Portuguese Guinea, upon independence, the name of its capital, Bissau; the largest city with about a third of the population living there, was added to the country’s name to prevent confusion with the Republic of Guinea.
Guinea-Bissau is nearly identical in size to Taiwan, and somewhat larger than the US state of Maryland. This small, tropical country lies at a low altitude; its highest point is 984 feet (300 m). The interior is savanna, and the coastline is swampy plain and coastal mangroves. Its monsoon-like rainy season alternates with periods of hot, dry harmattan winds blowing from the Sahara. The Bijagos Archipelago extends out to sea.
Orango National Park – ©Joehawkins CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Guinea-Bissau is warm all year around and there is little temperature fluctuation; it averages 26.3 degrees Celsius. The average rainfall for is 2024 mm although this is almost entirely accounted for during the rainy season which falls between June and September/October. During the months of December, January, February, March and April, the country experiences drought.
Birding Guinea-Bissau
Due to the hard work of the national Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas (IBAP), which has custody of five of the country’s Protected Areas, more than 25% of the country’s territory is under conservation management. There are six national parks, a biosphere reserve and several other nature reserves. Cantanhez Forests National Park holds chimpanzees, as does Lagoas de Cufada Natural Park. Orango National Park protects the Bissagos Archipelago and is the main area for African Grey Parrot. The 88 or so Bissagos Islands, still rural and unexploited, are protected as a biosphere reserve and are biodiverse.
Bissagos Islands beach – ©Helena Maria Pestana CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
And despite the bad press and occasional political rumblings, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau is generally safe and peaceful with some of the friendliest people in all of West Africa. Very few touts or fraudsters here, just a curious and welcoming population. Indeed, Bissau is one of the few capital cities of the region where one can wander the faded colonial charm of the streets of the ‘old town’ at pretty much any time of day without fear or hassle.
Much of the country is not well studied so the status of much of the flora and fauna is hazy. African big cats are present and, although lions were declared extinct there in 2014, one was certainly seen two years later. Chimpanzees are found and some herbivores. There are well over 500 bird species.
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Wikipedia
GNU Free Documentation License
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea-Bissau
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Number of bird species: 548
(As at June 2024)
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Avibase
PDF ChecklistThis checklist includes all bird species found in Guinea Bissau , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them. -
DBpedia
Annotated ListThis is a list of the bird species recorded in Guinea-Bissau. The avifauna of Guinea-Bissau include a total of 544 species. -
Wikipedia
Annotated ListThis is a list of the bird species recorded in Guinea-Bissau. The avifauna of Guinea-Bissau include a total of 547 species. -
eBird
PDF Checklist432 species (+95 other taxa) - Year-round, All years
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Birds of Western Africa
| By Nik Borrow & Ron Demey | Christopher Helm | 2014 | Edition 2 | Paperback | 592 pages, 266 plates with colour illustrations; colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9781472905680 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Birds of Western and Central Africa
| By Ber van Perlo | Princeton University Press | 2003 | Paperback | 384 pages, 109 plates with colour illustrations; colour & b/w illustrations, 1500+ b/w distribution maps, colour maps | Out of Print | ISBN: 9780691007144 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Important Bird Areas in Guinea-Bissau
| By Tim Dodman, Clive Barlow, Joaozinho Sa and Peter Robertson | Wetlands International Guinea-Bissau Office | 2004 | 130 pages, Tabs, illus, maps, col photos | Out of Print | ISBN: 9789058820235 Buy this book from NHBS.com
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African Bird Club
WebsiteGuinea-Bissau is a small country in West Africa with a bird list of over 500 species. Although it has no endemic species, birding can begin near the capital Bissau and it is a rewarding destination as there is undoubtedly much that remains to be discovered. Much of the country -
West African Ornithological Society
WebsiteThe West African Ornithological Society grew out of the Nigerian Ornithologists
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*Protected Areas
InformationSatellite ViewList of protected areas in Guinea-Bissau -
BR Bissagos Islands
InformationSatellite ViewThe Bissagos Islands, also spelled Bijagós (Portuguese: Arquipélago dos Bijagós), are a group of about 88 islands and islets located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Guinea-Bissau -
IBAs
WebpageSatellite ViewInformation on Guinea-Bissau -
NP Cacheu River Mangroves
InformationSatellite ViewThe Cacheu River Mangroves Natural Park (Parque Natural dos Tarrafes do Rio Cacheu) is a national park situated on the Cacheu River in Guinea-Bissau... -
NP Cantanhez Forests
InformationSatellite ViewThe Cantanhez Forests National Park (Parque Nacional das Florestas de Cantanhez) is a 1,057-square-kilometre (408 sq mi)[1] national park in Guinea-Bissau. It was established on 1 October 2007. -
NP João Vieira and Poilão
InformationSatellite ViewThe Joao Vieira-Poilao Islands Marine National Park is found in Guinea-Bissau. It was established on 1 August 2000. This site is 495.00 km². A chain of islands off the south coast of Guinea-Bissau, four of them are in the Bijagos Archipelago including João Vieira, Cavalo, Maio and Poilão... -
NP Orango Islands
InformationSatellite ViewThis site is 1582 km² (terrestrial)and 94,235.00 km² (marine). The area covers the southern part including Orango and Orangozinho along with the western islands and the marine portion up to around 150 to 200 km within the Bijagos Archipelago (much of its Bijagos portion of the continental shelf) up to the areas mainly 2,000 meters deep outside the continental shelf, the marine section is the largest in Guinea-Bissau and one of the largest in West Africa. -
NP Varela
ArticleSatellite ViewThe European Green Party (EGP) are calling for the European Commission to raise the matter of Varela National Park with the Guinea-Bissau government, and support them in ensuring the area is protected from exploitation. This unique ecosystem and the Djola people who live there need protection. The integrity of this vital area must be assured. -
NaP Cacheu River Mangroves
InformationSatellite ViewThe Cacheu River Mangroves Natural Park (Parque Natural dos Tarrafes do Rio Cacheu) is a national park[2] situated on the Cacheu River in Guinea-Bissau. It was established on 1 December 2000. This site is 886 km². The park has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2015 -
NaP Lagoas Cufada
InformationSatellite ViewThe Lagoas de Cufada Natural Park is found in Guinea-Bissau. It was established on 1 December 2000. This site is 890 km². It was the first protected area in Guinea-Bissau.
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Bijagos-Kere
Tour OperatorDepending on the season, you can attend the exceptional turtle nesting event on sandy beaches, meet marine hippos in their natural environment, but also observe birds, dolphins, manatees ... Throughout the year, the Bijagos people will reveal some facets of their traditional daily life by letting you approach their villages in the ground. -
Birdwatching Breaks
Tour OperatorTo the south a new tour has been introduced taking in the unexplored country of Guinea-Bissau and the southern part of Senegal, Casamance. A comprehensive tour taking in the major birding sites of this beautiful country. -
Orango Parque Hotel
Tour OperatorBirdwatching in Guinea Bissau. Flying to a paradise for birds, the Bijagós islands.
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2017 [10 October] - David Karr
PDF ReportOne place that one doesn’t hear much about as a birding destination is Guinea-Bissau.And yet, this compact, former Portuguese colony on the central West African coast has much to offer to the visiting birder–from pleasant scenery to 500+ species (but no country endemics). -
2018 [08 August] - David Karr - Mansôa District
PDF ReportSome Observations on West African (Black) Crowned Crane... -
2018 [11 Noveber] - David Karr
PDF Report: I joined a group of enthusiastic young researchers for a weekend tour from Bissau by motor boat to the João Vieira and Poilão Islands National Park (2-3 November). T -
2019 [12 December] - Ralf Jahraus
PDF ReportThis report is based on a 1 month trip to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau on which I was joined by my wife Veronique Sylva. Only part of the trip was bird watching. Interesting sites visited in Guinea-Bissau were Buba/Lagoa de Cufada as well as PN Cantanhez and Cap Skirring/Diembering in the Casamance/Senegal. -
2023 [11 November] - Frédéric Lemaigre
PDF Report...We quickly found a striking variety of birds. Western reef egrets (Egretta gularis), Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus), Common sandpipers (Actitis hypoleucos), Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia), West African crested tern (Thalasseus albididorsalis), Lesser crested tern (Thalasseus bengalensis), Little tern (Sterna albifrons) and Sandwich terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis) were numerous along the coast line...