AVITOPIA - Birds of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Located in Central Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is the second largest country on the continent. 60% of the country is occupied by the Congo Basin with tropical rainforests. The highest elevation (Margherita Peak) in the Ruwenzori Mountains at 5109 m is in the east of the country, while in the west there is a 37 km long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. The tropical climate is warm and humid with the world's highest frequency of thunderstorms. The equatorial location and climatic conditions made DR Congo one of the 17 megadiverse countries on earth. However, the five national parks that were set up to protect nature are themselves listed as endangered by UNESCO. BirdLife International has registered 6 EBAs (Endemic Bird Areas) that the country shares with its neighbors. In addition, 19 IBAs (Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas) are registered for the country. Unfortunately, DR Congo is struggling with a variety of problems, so tourism in the country is almost non-existent. This multilingual (en, fr, de, es, ja, cn) bird guide introduces the entire bird life of the DR Congo in color. As a bonus, links to HD videos of more then 185 bird species and to audios of more than 55 species are included. Where available, links to the valuable websites of UNESCO, BirdLife International and the Ramsar Organization are provided, which characterize the country and help to find the best sites for birdwatching.