page_title: Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve
section_title: Avifauna
hierarchical_section_title: Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve / Flora and fauna / Avifauna
caption_attribution_description: Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis cyanoleuca) photographed in Botswana
context_page_description: Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve is a national park in The Gambia. Established in 1996 it covers 220 square kilometres.
  The Wetland Reserve is located on the north bank of the River Gambia, approximately 100 km from the river mouth. The name is derived from the Bao Bolon tributary that rises in Senegal and enters the River Gambia. It extends from the River Gambia north to the Senegalese border along the Baobolon tributary.
context_section_description: The Gambia is frequently visited by ornithologists as more than 540 species of birds have been described there in topic literature. Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve is one of the major targets for tourists and scientists who intend to explore the Gambia's manifold avifauna. Among the birds of BBWR, which include 268 species of 62 families, the Ramsar Information Sheet exemplarily lists the following:
  Typical for a wetland, BBWR is the habitat of many water birds, which also include geese. Among them comb duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos, spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis), white-faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata), garganey (Anas querquedula), northern pintail (Anas acuta), African pygmy goose (Nettapus auritus) and the northern shoveler (Anas clypeata).
  The order of Ciconiiformes is represented by birds like western reef heron (Egretta gularis), little egret (Egretta garzetta), woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus), hammerkop (Scopus umbretta), squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides), little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), Goliath heron (Ardea goliath), great egret (Egretta alba, marabou (Leptoptilos crumeniferus), night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), grey heron (Ardea cinerea), cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) and the sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus). With their long legs, this division of birds searches the river banks for food.
  The brackish water areas feature Charadriidae. Spur-winged lapwing (Hoplopterus spinosus), little stint (Calidris minuta) and common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) can be found.
  Among the colourful family of kingfishers, which preferably occur near open water, the woodland kingfisher, pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus), giant kingfisher (Ceryle maxima), malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) and the blue-breasted kingfisher (Halcyon malimbica) are notable.
  Equally colourful are the west African examples of starlings. Among them, the violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) and the long-tailed glossy-starling (Lamprotornis caudatus) can be found inside the Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve.
  The Coraciiformes include the Abyssinian ground-hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) and the European roller (Coracias garrulus).
  Also species of parrots can be found in west Africa, among them are the Senegal parrot (Poicephalus senegalus) and the rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri).
  Inevitably linked to water are also pelicans and darters. The pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) and the African darter (Anhinga rufa) live within the BBWR.
  The birds of prey include species like African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer), red-necked buzzard (Buteo auguralis) and black kite (Milvus migrans) as well as the bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus).
  Moreover, African mourning doves (Streptopelia decipiens) of the genus Streptopelia and the little swift (Apus affinis) from the swift family have been spotted.
caption: Woodland kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis)
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