skip to Main Content

Bird Watching in Uganda, Best Birding Places on your Safari

birds in ugandaUganda has been and sis till known for being a home to an exceptionally large population of birds thus a great birding site across the region. There are more than 1500 different species that live in different birding sites in Uganda they choose where to stay depending on the type of vegetation type which ranges from the savannah vegetation, there is the semi-desert, the montane tropical rain forests, some prefer to stay in the wetlands or near the Lakes and rivers as well as those that prefer the Afro-Alpine zones and the thick forest like the Bwindi impenetrable rain forests. amazing Birding Safaris Uganda. The thick forests around the globe are homes the most sought birds.

Perfect sites for bird watching adventure in Uganda.

In Uganda, there are various habitants and each of these places has hundreds of species. Some of these birds can be found in more than 1 place or almost in all location because all those places provide a conducive environment for the survival of such a specie. Bird watching can be done in game and forest reserves like;

Queen Elizabeth national Park

Murchison Falls National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Semiliki National Park

Kibale National park

Mabira Forest

Mabamba Wetland

Botanical Gardens

Lake Mburo

Bodongo Forest

Mgahinga Forest

Bigodi Swamp

Kampala

The most visited include Murchison Falls, also Lake Mburo national park and Queen Elizabeth national birds in ugandapark but there are also the less visited places like Kidepo Valley national park in the north eastern park of Uganda and Semiliki national park despite the fact that it provides variety African bird species and a huge range of large mammals.

Within Uganda’s forests and swamps is where you will find the restricted range of species. In the Albertine Rift regions, areas around the lakes and Mountains as well as Forests like that which stretches from Northern Uganda cutting across Uganda’s boarders with Rwanda and DR. Congo has several species that are endemic to that particular region. Areas of Bwindi Impenetrable forest, the Semiliki National park and Rwenzori Mountains as well as Mgahinga national park have species like the Green Broadbill, there are the Graver’s swamp, the Shelley’s and Dusky Crimson wings, the yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher are common, there are the Strange weaver, the popular Rwenzori Double-collared and the Regal purple-breasted as well as the Blue-throated sunbirds. More to the list are the Rwenzori Toraco, there are also the handsome Francolins and the Striper breasted Tit Inter-alia too, among so many others.

Then in the papyrus-swampy areas more so those located closer to Lake Victoria and other Lakes, you will find the shoebill stork, the papyrus yellow and white winged warblers, there are the Caruthers’s Cisticola, the swamp Flycatcher, the papyrus Gonolek and the orange weaver. Several highland and lowland forests bound birds like the great Blue and Black-billed Turacos, there are African Grey parrots, the Green breasted Pitta and different woodpeckers. The Barbets and Green bulls are common as well as the Scarcities like the Weyn’s weaver. The Nahan’s and the Forest Francolins are also included on the list.

Besides bird watching, Uganda is blessed with lots of other tourism activities that you can do when you visit these very sites for example, Mountain Gorillas trekking is done in Bwindi and Mgahinga national park, there chimpanzee trekking in Kibale, Budongo forest, Kyambura gorge in Queen Elisabeth national park.

Bird watching in Uganda begins from the moment you land at the airport because just along the way from Entebbe to Kampala, a knee bird watcher can spot more than hundred species within those very few hours. In Entebbe, you can go bird watching in Botanical Gardens, there is the Mabamba swamp where shoebills are often seen as well as.

10 most sought bird species in Uganda

In this territory Uganda which is one of the birding destination, there are those birds that are commonly seen almost everywhere. The top 10 commonly seen birds in Uganda include the

1. The Shoebill which is endemic to Africa and there are birders who come from all over the world mainly interested in this rare bird. The Uganda Bird Guide Club declared illegal to trap this bird species or even steal their eggs from their next as the case was before they were listed among those under protection.

2. The Green-breasted Pitta is among the difficult birds to see in spite of the fact that it’s rather common in some countries in central African. It camouflaged so well in that lowland tropical forests kind of vegetation thus making photographing them such a dream come true for the bird lovers.

3. The African Green Broadbill is an eye catching bird and it is only found in two places in the whole world and that is Itombwe Mountains in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Bwindi Forest- Uganda. This bird is declining because of the fact that much of its habitat is being destroyed by the humans. Forest clearing and degradation is the biggest cause.

4. The Great Blue Turaco and White-crested Turaco are among the biggest and most beautiful birds in Uganda. Turaco birds are hunted for their meat and the beautiful feathers which are on demand.

5. The Shelley’s Crimson wing is undoubtedly among the rarest birds in the world. They are seen on almost every bird-bucket list, they are commonly seen in areas with thin strip of mountains and volcanoes also called the Albertine Rift like the one that borders Uganda and Rwanda as well as DR. Congo.

6. The Standard-winged Nightjar has central flight feathers which appear on the males only during the breeding season. They have vertically raised feather that display and seeing the is a dream come true especially since there is a short time span when those feathers are stretched out up to 38cm long.

7.

birdin in uganda

The Short-tailed Warblers are commonly seen in many of Uganda’s forest undergrowth but also these camouflaging species can be seen in Congo and Rwanda’s forests.

8. The Doherty’s Bush shrikes are very common in the subtropical regions with the montane forests vegetation cover as well as in the moist shrub-lands in the central parts of Africa. These birds are brightly-colored birds and are among the commonly seen birds Uganda probably because their population growth is recorded as stable in most parts of the country.

9. The Bar-tailed Trogon is a multi-colored bird, very beautiful and relatively small. It is commonly found in the high altitude of forests and there are many of them in the central and southern parts of Africa although they are rarely seen flying around.

10. The Black-breasted Barbet is a giant bird. It is very rare because it is usually found in those unsafe regions but highly sought by the bird watchers. Uganda is the safest place that this bad may be seen although it is not a guarantee that the tourists will see be able to see during the birding safari in Uganda.

Uganda is one of the best birding destinations in Africa and it must be included on any birders bucket list during your Uganda Safari.

Back To Top