Ghana: Window into West African Birding

With more than 755 species of birds, Ghana is an exciting birding destination, featuring excellent opportunities for a number of West African endemics and other highly prized avian species. Perhaps foremost among those endemics is the legendary White-necked Rockfowl, Picathartes gymnocephalus, a sensational prize. The site in Ghana is one of the best in West Africa, with a colony of the birds constructing their bulky mud-cup nests on an overhanging rock face deep in the forest. Enjoying this “charisma bird,” one of just two members of the family, will doubtless be one of the highlights of the tour, which makes for an excellent introduction to West African birding in a bustling, safe, and fast-developing country.

We will also visit several of the country’s national parks, including Kakum Forest with its spectacular canopy walkway, ideal for providing access to a range of canopy dwellers. In addition to many world-class species, Kakum Forest hosts a remarkable array of hornbills: the rare Black-casqued, Yellow-casqued, and Brown-cheeked, both Red-billed and Black Dwarf, and White-crested! We’ll also visit Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary, critical in conserving another fragment of the sorely endangered West African primary lowland forest; nearby Atewa reserve, conserving forest that holds additional species including Blue-moustached Bee-eater, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, and Red-cheeked Wattle-eye; the drier savannas at Shai Hills; and Mole National Park, where White-throated Francolin, Forbes’s Plover, Long-tailed and Standard-winged nightjars, Stone Partridge, and Lavender Waxbill are possible as well as some big game including African Elephant.

Our tour this year again visits the large forest block at Ankasa in the far west, on the border with Ivory Coast, with the forest site at Nsuta en route still worth a visit. Ankasa can give additional exciting species including perhaps Hartlaub’s Duck, White-crested Tiger-Heron, Spot-breasted Ibis, and Blue-moustached Bee-eater. Ankasa now has a very nice lodge run by our ground agents, and it makes a fine base for our time here, being right by the forest. Other targets there include Congo Serpent Eagle, Shining-blue and White-bellied kingfishers, Cassin’s and Black spinetails, Rufous-sided Broadbill, as well as Forest Robin, Yellow-bearded Greenbul, and three species of bristlebill. En route out we can expect both Mouse-colored and Reichenbach’s sunbirds and maybe Orange Weaver.