Cape Verde bird checklist
206 bird species in 50 families have been recorded in Cape Verde, according to eBird; about 146 of them are seen regularly, and the rest are rarities, vagrants and escaped or introduced birds. Download the full list as a PDF, or tick birds off on your phone, with counts and notes, even without signal.
Species data: eBird.org, updated · How these lists are made
The most common birds in Cape Verde right now
1Little Egret
2Kentish Plover
3Black-winged Stilt
4Sanderling
5Common Sandpiper
6Common Ringed Plover
7Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark
8Eurasian Collared-Dove
9Tree Pipit
10Brown-necked Raven
Cape Verde bird checklist
206 species · loading the checklist tools…
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- White-faced Whistling-Duck
- Muscovy Duck
- Garganey
- Blue-winged Teal
- Northern Shoveler
- Gadwall
- Eurasian Wigeon
- Northern Pintail
- Green-winged Teal
- Common Pochard
- Ring-necked Duck
- Tufted Duck
- Lesser Scaup
Guineafowl
- Helmeted Guineafowl
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Indian Peafowl
- Common Quail
Pigeons and Doves
- Rock Pigeon
- European Turtle-Dove
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- Laughing Dove
- Namaqua Dove
- Diamond Dove
Cuckoos
- Dideric Cuckoo
- Common Cuckoo
Swifts
- Alpine Swift
- Cape Verde Swift
- Pallid Swift
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- African Crake
- Spotted Crake
- Lesser Moorhen
- Eurasian Moorhen
- Eurasian Coot
- Allen's Gallinule
- Purple Gallinule
Stilts and Avocets
- Black-winged Stilt
- Pied Avocet
Oystercatchers
- Eurasian Oystercatcher
Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover
- American Golden-Plover
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Common Ringed Plover
- Semipalmated Plover
- Little Ringed Plover
- Spur-winged Lapwing
- Kentish Plover
Sandpipers and Allies
- Hudsonian Whimbrel
- Eurasian Whimbrel
- Eurasian Curlew
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Short-billed Dowitcher
- Jack Snipe
- Common Snipe
- Wilson's Phalarope
- Red Phalarope
- Common Sandpiper
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Green Sandpiper
- Solitary Sandpiper
- Marsh Sandpiper
- Wood Sandpiper
- Common Redshank
- Lesser Yellowlegs
- Willet
- Spotted Redshank
- Common Greenshank
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Red Knot
- Ruff
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Temminck's Stint
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper
- Sanderling
- Dunlin
- Purple Sandpiper
- Little Stint
- White-rumped Sandpiper
- Least Sandpiper
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Semipalmated Sandpiper
Pratincoles and Coursers
- Cream-colored Courser
- Collared Pratincole
Skuas and Jaegers
- Long-tailed Jaeger
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Pomarine Jaeger
- Great Skua
- South Polar Skua
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Black-legged Kittiwake
- Sabine's Gull
- Black-headed Gull
- Gray-hooded Gull
- Laughing Gull
- Audouin's Gull
- Common Gull
- Yellow-legged Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Sooty Tern
- Little Tern
- Gull-billed Tern
- Caspian Tern
- Whiskered Tern
- Black Tern
- White-winged Tern
- Arctic Tern
- Common Tern
- Roseate Tern
- Sandwich Tern
- West African Crested Tern
Grebes
- Eared Grebe
Tropicbirds
- White-tailed Tropicbird
- Red-billed Tropicbird
Southern Storm-Petrels
- Wilson's Storm-Petrel
- White-faced Storm-Petrel
Northern Storm-Petrels
- Leach's Storm-Petrel
- Cape Verde Storm-Petrel
Shearwaters and Petrels
- Trindade Petrel
- Cape Verde Petrel
- Black-capped Petrel
- Bulwer's Petrel
- Cory's Shearwater
- Scopoli's Shearwater
- Cape Verde Shearwater
- Great Shearwater
- Sooty Shearwater
- Manx Shearwater
- Boyd's Shearwater
Storks
- White Stork
Frigatebirds
- Magnificent Frigatebird
Boobies and Gannets
- Northern Gannet
- Red-footed Booby
- Brown Booby
- Masked Booby
Cormorants and Shags
- Reed Cormorant
- Great Cormorant
Ibises and Spoonbills
- Glossy Ibis
- Eurasian Spoonbill
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Dwarf Bittern
- Little Bittern
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Black Heron
- Little Egret
- Western Reef-Heron
- Squacco Heron
- Western Cattle-Egret
- Great Egret
- Yellow-billed Egret
- Gray Heron
- Purple Heron
- Black-headed Heron
Osprey
- Osprey
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Egyptian Vulture
- Booted Eagle
- Western Marsh Harrier
- Montagu's Harrier
- Red Kite
- Black Kite
- Common Buzzard
Barn-Owls
- Western Barn Owl
Owls
- Short-eared Owl
Hoopoes
- Common Hoopoe
Bee-eaters
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
- European Bee-eater
Kingfishers
- Gray-headed Kingfisher
Rollers
- Abyssinian Roller
Woodpeckers
- Eurasian Wryneck
Falcons and Caracaras
- Eurasian Kestrel
- Peregrine Falcon
Old World Parrots
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Budgerigar
Old World Orioles
- Eurasian Golden Oriole
Shrikes
- Great Gray Shrike
Crows, Jays, and Magpies
- Brown-necked Raven
Larks
- Greater Hoopoe-Lark
- Thick-billed Lark
- Bar-tailed Lark
- Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark
- Raso Skylark
- Greater Short-toed Lark
Reed Warblers and Allies
- Common Reed Warbler
- Cape Verde Swamp Warbler
Swallows
- Bank Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Western House-Martin
- European Red-rumped Swallow
Leaf Warblers
- Yellow-browed Warbler
- Willow Warbler
Sylviid Warblers and Allies
- Eurasian Blackcap
- African Desert Warbler
- Spectacled Warbler
Starlings
- Rosy Starling
Old World Flycatchers
- European Pied Flycatcher
- Northern Wheatear
- Isabelline Wheatear
Weavers and Allies
- Village Weaver
- Red-billed Quelea
- Yellow-crowned Bishop
Waxbills and Allies
- Common Waxbill
Old World Sparrows
- House Sparrow
- Spanish Sparrow
- Cape Verde Sparrow
- Sudan Golden Sparrow
Wagtails and Pipits
- Western Yellow Wagtail
- White Wagtail
- Tree Pipit
- Red-throated Pipit
Most common birds in Cape Verde
Ranked by how recently and how widely each was reported to eBird in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, and whether it is one of Cape Verde’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Kentish PloverAnarhynchus alexandrinus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Black-crowned Sparrow-LarkEremopterix nigriceps
- Eurasian Collared-DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Brown-necked RavenCorvus ruficollis
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Gray HeronArdea cinerea
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- European Turtle-DoveStreptopelia turtur
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- Eurasian KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
Largest bird families in Cape Verde
Among its regular birds.
- Sandpipers and Allies28
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns12
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers12
- Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl9
- Shearwaters and Petrels7
- Hawks, Eagles, and Kites6
- Plovers and Lapwings5
- Larks5
Reported in the last 30 days
59 species reported to eBird in Cape Verde in the 30 days to 2026-10-13. The 40 most recently reported:
Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Little Egret, Kentish Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Black-winged Stilt, Tree Pipit, Brown-necked Raven, Willow Warbler, Cape Verde Sparrow, Sanderling, Common Sandpiper, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Eurasian Spoonbill, European Turtle-Dove, Gray Heron, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Common Greenshank, Eurasian Kestrel, Common Hoopoe, Osprey, Barn Swallow, Common Redshank, Yellow-legged Gull, Cape Verde Swift, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Gray-headed Kingfisher, Spanish Sparrow, Spectacled Warbler, Bank Swallow, Eurasian Blackcap, Western Cattle-Egret, Cape Verde Shearwater, Glossy Ibis, Helmeted Guineafowl, Purple Heron, Ruddy Turnstone, Great Egret, Eurasian Moorhen, …
Get to know some of them
Eurasian Spoonbill
Gray Heron
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Common Greenshank
Common Tern
Barn Swallow
Eurasian Kestrel
Osprey
Common Redshank
Western Cattle-Egret
Bank Swallow
Eurasian Blackcap
Glossy Ibis
Ruddy Turnstone
Purple Heron
Great Egret
Eurasian Moorhen
Green Sandpiper