Birds of Lake Oursi

Lake Oursi is one of only ten Important Bird Areas (IBA) in Burkina Faso, located in the very dry north close to the borders with Niger and Mali. Average annual rainfall in this part of the country averages less than 400mm and the dry season typically lasts for 8-10 months. The IBA, part of the Réserve Partielle du Sahel north of the town of Gorom-Gorom, is made up of a series of lakes interspersed with sand-dunes, grassland and stands of trees.

African Jacana © Dick Newell

White-faced Tree-ducks © Dick Newell

The area is very important for wetland birds. A waterfowl count in January 2003, for example, found 34 wetland species, including 2,132 Garganey (with an estimated 7,000 birds present), 1,857 White-faced Tree-ducks, 1,019 Knob-billed Geese, 671 Ruff, 640 Spur-winged Geese, 447 Moorhen, 427 Black-winged Stilt, 370 Grey Herons, 252 African Jacanas, 227 Glossy Ibis, 219 Wood Sandpipers and 84 Black-tailed Godwits, the logo bird of Cambridgeshire Bird Club. More than 100 species of waterbirds have been recorded at the site. See here for a list