Uganda is a birder’s paradise thanks to its sheer number of birds documented within its boundaries. The country boasts a massive bird list of more than 1,073 recorded bird species, comprising 505 of Africa’s bird species and 11% of the world’s species. This huge bird checklist is protected within a small territory of 90,041 square miles, hence having the highest concentration of birds per square kilometre in Africa.
Birding in Uganda is one of the top safari activities to do in the country. Uganda has diverse habitats, most of which are ancient forests, providing a perfect habitat for a wide variety of bird species.
Uganda has up to 34 Important Bird Areas (IBAs), many of which have been developed for bird watching and birding tours. Some of the popular birding places in Uganda include:
Uganda hosts some of the Albertine Rift endemic bird species, including:
Other bird species that are simple to spot in Uganda include Red-headed Bluebill, African Emerald Cuckoo, African Blue, plus White-tailed Blue Flycatchers, and the Common Bulbul, among others.
Here are the top 10 bird species that many birders are interested in while on their birding safari in Uganda.
This remarkable bird is found in Murchison Falls National Park or Mabamba Island. The shoebill is one of the few indefinable and uncommon bird species sighted in Uganda. It is a large bird with a whale’s head and can mostly be seen in marshy areas. The adult’s feathers are medium blue-grey, while the juveniles are a bit browner.
These are large birds often hunted for their meat and feathers; they are also poor flyers and thus tend to soar for shorter distances. The great blue turaco is a bird species of the family Musophagidae. It has predominantly grey-blue plumage with an upright blue-black crest around 10 cm (3.9 in) high.
These are rarely sighted birds in Uganda; their bills are bright red. The females have olive heads and red mantles, while the males have their backs, faces, and crowns all covered in bright red.
Often identified as Neumann’s Warbler, a little bird with a large head, a unique striped outline, and a very short tail has a broad arch of hair above each greyish – brown eye, while the front of its eye is a dull green and white.
These birds, also known as African Green Broadbill, are difficult to spot but are found in tropical forests and low-lying, swampy areas. Its throat is encircled with a black line, and its breast is green in colour.
The Green-breasted Pitta is one of only two pitta species found on the continent, a spectacular, short–tailed, upright bird with a distinctive bottle–green breast, a black and buff head, a white throat, a scarlet belly, and shiny blue, spotted wings and rump.
This beautiful bird has an olive back, a red throat and forehead, a yellow belly, and a black chest band. There is a rare morph in which the red is replaced with yellow. The younger birds have a pale green colour and striped green and yellow underparts.
These birds live in forests; they have yellow feet, a bill, and a long, far-reaching tail. Females have brown heads and light cinnamon throat and breast, while the males have blue-black heads, two orange and or yellow patches below the eyes that are of bare skin and luminous colours of green-blue and violet on their upper breast.
These birds have big heads and a hefty bill that is fringed with hackles. They are solitary birds that classically nest in tree openings. They feed on fruit, insects and small reptiles. The females lay about 2 to 4 eggs, and both birds then incubate them for a period of 13 to 15 days.
Uganda is blessed with numerous birding spots where bird lovers can enjoy birding safaris and spot these beautiful species. A skilled bird watcher on a Uganda birding safari can identify more than 100 species in just a single day.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a birder’s paradise with over 347 bird species. It is home to 24 of the total 25 Albertine Rift Endemic bird species and 76 of the 144 bird species found in the Guinea-Congo forest biome of Uganda. This thick forest also qualifies as part of the Afro-tropical highland biome, with 68 of the total 86 bird species. The Lake Victoria biome is home to 4 of the 12 species.
In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, birds are very abundant and very easy to spot. Several species connect in mixed feeding flocks that are very active throughout the day. The main birding trails where birds can catch sight of several birds in the forest are the Bamboo Zone, the Mubwindi Swamp trail in Ruhija and the Waterfall trail in Buhoma.
Some of the bird species you may spot on a birding safari in Bwindi include Wood Warbler, Handsome Francolin, Evergreen Warbler, Turner’s Eremomela, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Rwenzori Batis, Buff-throated Apalis, African Pitta, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Cardinal Woodpecker, Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, Cassin’s Honeybird, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Collared Sunbird, Common Bulbul, Compact Weaver, Coppery Sunbird, Crowned Hornbill, Dark-backed Weaver, Dusky Crested Flycatcher, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Dusky Tit, Stripe-breasted Tit, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Red-headed Malimbe, Fork-tailed Drongo, Great Blue Turaco, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Green Crombec, White-tailed Blue-flycatcher, Brown Woodland Warbler, White-browed Crombec, Green Hylia, Green-headed Sunbird, Tiny Sunbird, Green-throated Sunbird, Grey Apalis, Grey-backed/Green-backed Camaroptera, Grey-headed Negrofinch, White-breasted Negrofinch and Grey-headed Sparrow among others.
In addition to mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is also home to over 180 bird species, which makes it a great birding spot in Uganda. The park’s bird species include the Albertine Rift region endemics – 14 of the 24 species and 39 of the 88 species of the Afro-tropical highlands biome that occur in Uganda. The perfect points for birding in Mgahinga are the community or farm trail, the Gorge trail and the Bamboo trail.
Birds to look out for in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park include White-necked raven, Black kite, Pin-tailed whydah, Double-collared sunbird, Speckled mousebird, Paradise flycatcher, Ibis, Whydah, Speckled Mouse birds, Fire Finch, Stonechat, Grey Capped Warbler, Waxbills, Yellow-Vented Bulbul. Alpine chat, Alpine, Archer’s robin-chat, Blue-headed coucal, Dusky crimson wing, Kivu ground-thrush, Olive pigeon, Olive woodpecker, Ruwenzori batis, Ruwenzori nightjar and Ruwenzori turaco among others.
Murchison Falls National Park is home to over 451 bird species, including the Albertine Rift Endemics, water birds and savannah forest birds.
Birds to look out for in Murchison Falls on a birding safari in Uganda include the Grey crowned crane(Uganda’s National bird), the Giant Kingfisher, the Giant Heron, the Shoebill stork, the Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, the Nightjars, the Marabou stork, the headed lapwing, and the Back-bellied Bustard, among others.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is listed among the best places to go for a birding safari in Uganda. The park is home to 600 species of birds, including 54 raptor species, water species and migratory species.
Birds in Queen Elizabeth National Park are found in different sections, with each section harbouring different bird species. The sections include Kasenyi with over 60 species, Mweya Peninsula with over 70 species, Katunguru Bridge Area, Lake Kikorogo, Ishasha Sector, Katwe Area and Maramagambo Forest.
Some of the birds to look out for during your Uganda birding safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park include African Fish Eagle, Grey Crowned Crane, Shoebill Stork, African Skimmer, Martial Eagle, Lappet-faced Vulture, White-backed Vulture, Black-headed Gonolek, Red-throated Bee-eater, Great Blue Turaco, Yellow-billed Stork, African Jacana, African Pied Wagtail, Pink-backed Pelican, African Spoonbill, African Paradise Flycatcher, Malachite Kingfisher, African Openbill, Black-headed Heron and Hamerkop among others.
Semuliki National Park is a renowned birding spot in Uganda, boasting over 400 species of birds, including nine species of Hornbills. The park has exceptional viewing points, including Ntandi, Sempaya and the River Kirumia Area. The park is characterised by a diverse range of habitats, including tropical lowland rainforest, grasslands, swamps, and riparian forests, which support a rich variety of avian life.
On a Uganda birding safari in Semuliki National Park, some of the birds to look out for include African Grey Parrot, Nkulengu Rail, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, Piping Hornbill, White-crested Hornbill, African Piculet, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, African Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Kingfisher, African Dwarf Kingfisher, Shining-blue Kingfisher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Dwarf Honeyguide, Green-tailed Bristlebill, Red-billed Helmetshrike, Red-eyed Puffback, Zenker’s Honeyguide and African Shrike-flycatcher,r among others.
Kibale Forest National Park, famously known as the Primate Capital of Africa, is not only a great place to see primates, including chimpanzees, but it is also an excellent birding destination with over 375 bird species living within its boundaries.
The park’s diverse habitats, including moist evergreen forest, swampy areas and grasslands, provide ideal conditions for a wide variety of bird species. Some of the notable bird species that you will spot in Kibale National Park on an Uganda birding safari include African Grey Parrot, Great Blue Turaco, Yellow-billed Barbet, White-spotted Flufftail, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black-crowned Waxbill, Grey-winged Robin-Chat, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Yellow-throated Tinkerbird, Green-breasted Pitta, Narina Trogon, Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, White-thighed Hornbill and Red-chested Owlet, among others.
Lake Mburo National Park – the smallest savannah park in Uganda is an excellent birding destination and a great spot to enjoy sightings of waterbirds, raptors and various other species adapted to the savannah and woodland habitats.
The birding spots in Lake Mburo National Park include the marshy areas of Miriti at the salt lick and in the forest of Rubanga and Warukiri, the waysides amongst the landing stage and the Camp Rwonyo.
Some of the birds to see in Lake Mburo National Park on a Uganda birding safari include African Fish Eagle, Grey Crowned Crane, Rufous-bellied Heron, African Finfoot, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Black-bellied Bustard, Red-faced Barbet, Lilac-breasted Roller, African Harrier-Hawk, White-winged Warbler, African Scops Owl, Long-tailed Cisticola, Brown Parrot, Red-headed Lovebird, Black-collared Barbet, Crested Francolin, Green-backed Camaroptera, Brown-chested Lapwing, Black-headed Gonolek and Mosque Swallow among others.
The Mountains of the Moon – Rwenzori Mountains National Park hosts 217 species of birds, with nine of these being the endemics of the Albertine Rift Valley Region. Species you are likely to spot on a birding safari in the Rwenzori Mountains include the Golden-winged and Blue-headed Sunbird, Rwenzori Turaco, White-starred Robin, Long-eared Owl, Slender-billed Starling, Archer’s Robin-chat, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Laden’s Bush-shrike, Bearded Vultures, and Black Eagles, among others.
The Mabamba Swamp is a wetland of international importance and a haven for bird watchers situated on the northern shores of Lake Victoria near Entebbe in Uganda. The wetland is renowned for its population of the elusive and highly sought-after shoebill, a prehistoric–looking bird with a large, distinctive bill.
In addition to the shoebill stork, other birds to spot in Mabamba Swamps include African Jacana, Malachite Kingfisher, African Fish Eagle, White-faced Whistling Duck, African Pygmy Goose, Long-toed Lapwing, Goliath Heron, Yellow-billed Duck, Squacco Heron, African Marsh Harrier, African Openbill, Pied Kingfisher, Yellow-backed Weaver and Blue-breasted Bee-eater, among others.
Other great birding spots in Uganda worth visiting on a Uganda birding safari include
On a Uganda birding safari, it is advisable to carry various items that will help you during your safari. These include:
Although bird watching can be done all year round, the weather in Uganda can be a limiting factor for some birders. The best time for bird watching is during the dry season in most parks, between January and February and June and August. During this time, the trails are dry and not slippery, making trekking relatively easy. Also, you will have enough time for bird-watching.
However, someone would say the ideal time for birding in Uganda is between late May and September, when there is less rain and the food is abundant. From November to April, migratory birds can be found in the parks.
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