City
Kigali
🇷🇼 Rwanda
Africa, Rwanda 340 spp. recorded
Kigali, officially the City of Kigali also known as Kigali City, is the capital, largest city. It is located near the country's geographic centre, in a landscape of rolling hills marked by valleys and ridges connected by steep slopes. As Rwanda's primary city, Kigali is a relatively young urban centre. Wikipedia
1.949° S 30.129° E
🦜 Nature
340 Species sighted
42,837 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Vervet Monkey
Chlorocebus pygerythrus
LC
Marsh Mongoose
Atilax paludinosus
LC
Tsessebe
Damaliscus lunatus
LC
Egyptian Mongoose
Herpestes ichneumon
LC
African Striped Weasel
Poecilogale albinucha
LC
Bush Duiker
Sylvicapra grimmia
LC
Sitatunga
Tragelaphus spekii
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Bug-Eyed House Snake
Boaedon mentalis
LC
Tropical House Gecko
Hemidactylus mabouia
LC
Gregory's Blue-headed Agama
Acanthocercus gregorii
LC
Olive Marsh Snake
Natriciteres olivacea
LC
Slender Green Snake
Philothamnus heterolepidotus
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Nutt's River Frog
Amietia nutti
LC
Nile Ridged Frog
Ptychadena nilotica
LC
Natal Puddle Frog
Phrynobatrachus natalensis
LC
Kivu Reed Frog
Hyperolius kivuensis
LC
Mwanza Frog
Xenopus victorianus
LC
Rwanda Long Reed Frog
Hyperolius rwandae
LC
African Common Toad
Sclerophrys gutturalis
LC
Senegal Kassina
Kassina senegalensis
LC
Four-striped Tree-folding Frog
Afrixalus quadrivittatus
Kakamega Puddle Frog
Phrynobatrachus kakamikro
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Nutt's River Frog
Amietia nutti
LC
Bug-Eyed House Snake
Boaedon mentalis
LC
Tropical House Gecko
Hemidactylus mabouia
LC
Natal Puddle Frog
Phrynobatrachus natalensis
LC
Kivu Reed Frog
Hyperolius kivuensis
LC
Four-striped Tree-folding Frog
Afrixalus quadrivittatus
Kakamega Puddle Frog
Phrynobatrachus kakamikro
Recent sightings in Kigali
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-tourism Park
-
Lake, woodland, Golf Course & Sunday Park
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Black Kite~90%+10%
African Striped Skink~90%+40%
Common Reed Frog~80%+50%
Hadada~80%+20%
Pied Kingfisher~70%+40%
White-faced Whistling Duck~70%+50%
Vervet Monkey~70%+60%
Gregory's Blue-headed Agama~50%+40%
-
Wetlands and Grey Crowned Crane rehabilitation
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- African Striped Skink~90%+50%
White-browed Robin-Chat~80%+10%
Speckled Mousebird~80%≈
Grey Crowned Crane~70%+40%
Montane side-striped chameleon~70%+40%
Black-headed Gonolek~70%+30%
Nutt's River Frog~60%+50%
Marsh Mongoose~60%+50%
-
Inyange Factory Wetland
-
Kigali-gen area- Pls if possible, use specific locations.
-
Kigali Genocide Memorial
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
35Jan
33Feb
38Mar
41Apr
33May
37Jun
43Jul
37Aug
37Sep
39Oct
40Nov
42Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Medium
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
6
spotsZoos & centres
1
placesClimate
Tropical savanna
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Zoos & rescue centres
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
4.7
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 694
🐒 Mammals 189
🦎 Reptiles 117
🐸 Amphibians 32
1032 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
31 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.5
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
65% 📊
Coverage (157 species at ≥5% of 1032 in the inventory)
15% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (12 bird)
0% 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
5 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
24 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.6
Climate Pleasant High
Green cover Medium Medium
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 6 Medium
Zoos & centres 1 Medium
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Kigali?
340 species
Kigali's urban area has 340 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Black Kite (about 90%), Common Bulbul (about 80%), Speckled Mousebird (about 80%), White-browed Robin-Chat (about 80%) and Red-eyed Dove (about 60%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is African Striped Skink (about 40%); among amphibians, Common Reed Frog (about 30%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Kigali?
March–September and December–January
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in February and October–November.
Can you see a White-browed Robin-Chat in Kigali?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a White-browed Robin-Chat sighting in Kigali on a given day, based on 1,187 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–March, May, August–September and December (about 80%).
Can you see a Grey-backed Fiscal in Kigali?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Grey-backed Fiscal sighting in Kigali on a given day, based on 671 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June–July, October and December (about 60%).
Can you see a Speckled Mousebird in Kigali?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Speckled Mousebird sighting in Kigali on a given day, based on 1,124 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July, September and December–May (about 80%).
Where in Kigali is wildlife easiest to see?
Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-tourism Park
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-tourism Park (245 bird species recorded), followed by Lake, woodland, Golf Course & Sunday Park and Wetlands and Grey Crowned Crane rehabilitation. See them on the map.
Is Kigali good for wildlife watching?
4.5 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Kigali gets 4.5/5: 94th of 380 cities worldwide and 10th in Africa. 29 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Cities
Nearest Parks
Nearest Zoos & Centres
Sources: urban area GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A, European Commission JRC (CC BY 4.0) · protected land WDPA, UNEP-WCMC & IUCN (via GHSL) · climate NASA POWER · wildlife GBIF.org citizen-science data