page_title: Wildlife of Burundi
section_title: Fauna
hierarchical_section_title: Wildlife of Burundi / Fauna
context_page_description: The wildlife of Burundi is composed of its flora and fauna. The small, landlocked country is home to 2,950 species of plants, 596 birds, 163 species of vertebrates, 52 species of reptiles, 56 species of amphibians, and 215 fish species. The wildlife has been drastically reduced in recent years, mainly on account of intense population pressure, conversion of large areas of forest into agricultural land, and extensive livestock farming. The protected area encompasses little more than 5% of the total area of the country.
context_section_description: The faunal species reported are 163 species of vertebrates, 52 species of reptiles, 56 species of amphibians and 215 fish species. It is also reported that at high altitudes, endemicity is distinct in 17 species of mammals and 22 species of birds. Lake Tanganyika has 200 species of fish and an equal number of molluscs. A scientific exploration team of the University of Texas at El Paso found the Bururi long-fingered frog (Cardioglossa cyaneospila) (considered extinct for decades), in December 2011 in the Bururi Forest Nature Reserve, after it was last seen in 1949. Seven important species of fauna reported are Genetta piscivora (aquatic genet), Serinus mozambicus (yellow-fronted canary), Cercopithecus lhoesti (L'hoest's monkey), Agapornis fischeri (Fischer's lovebird), Galago moholi (South African galago), Hyperolius viridiflavus, and Hippopotamus amphibius (hippopotamus).
  The species reported under Endangered and Vulnerable category (as per the IUCN's 2004 Red List) are the following: chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) (EN), wild dog (Lycaon pictus) (EN), African golden cat (Profelis aurata) (VU), Carruther's mountain squirrel (Funisciurus carruthersi) (VU), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) (VU), lion (Panthera leo) (VU), Ruwenzori shrew (Ruwenzorisorex suncoides) (VU), and spotted-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis) (VU).
  Mammals
  African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) has four subspecies, of which the West African savanna subspecies S.c. caffer found in Burundi number only about 500 now. Sitatunga (Tragelaphus speldi) were once found in many swamps in Burundi, but by the 1980s their numbers had dwindled, and the species' present conservation status is unknown. Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), also called the defassa waterbuck, was found throughout Burundi in the savanna grass land, then became restricted to the Ruvibu National Park. Only 500 numbers were reported in the 1980s and its present status is unknown. Lichtenstein's hartebeest (Alcelaphus Lichtensteinii) occurred in the southeast. Korrigum (also tssesebe, topi or tiang), Damaliscus lunatus, which were found in the eastern flood plains and savanna grasslands, is now extirpated. Impala (Aepyeros melampus), which once inhabited the eastern savannas, is also extirpated. Oribi (Ourebia ourebi), which occurred in the eastern and southern savnnah and flood plains, is probably extirpated. Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus), found in rocky outcrops in the south and east, is now extirpated. Grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) is found in large numbers in spite of extensive hunting in the eastern and southern savannas. It is found in Ruvubu National Park.
  Birds
  Reported avifauna include 596 species (439 resident and 109 seasonal migrants) of which 13 species of global conservation concern and three are introduced species; more species have been found but their details are not recorded (thus UNEP reports 716 species). There are no endemic bird species. There are five Important Bird Areas (IBAs) declared by Bird Life International in the country, which cover an area of 1,018 square kilometres (393 sq mi) and which account for 3.7% of the total area of the country. These coalesce with the national parks and two forest (or nature) reserves. According to Bird Life International, there are 13 species of global conservation concern (six of non-breeding migrants, and balance of breeding type from Albertine Rift and papyrus swamps). These include Phoenicopterus minor (NT), Circus macrourus (NT), Falco naumanni (VU), Gallinago media (NT), Glareola nordmanni (NT), Ardeola idea (NT), Lybius rubrifacies (NT), Kupeornis rufocinctus (NT), Laniarius mufumbiri (NT), Balaeniceps rex (NT), Apalis argentea (VU), Bradypterus graueri (VU), Cryptospiza shelleyi (VU), Calamonastides gracilirostris (VU), and Bugeranus carunculatus (VU).
caption: Trumpeter hornbill
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