Birding Safaris

Birding Safaris :Uganda is ranked among the richest countries in the world in terms of bird species with 1,027 species being recorded. This is almost half the total species recorded in Africa.

The country’s greatest asset is the rich biodiversity and diverse habitats that range from natural ecosystems, semi-natural and agro-ecosystems. These ecosystem – rain forest, savannah, woodlands, highlands and mountainous water bodies, cultivated areas, etc which support a unique, endangered, threatened and endemic bird species.

There are different birding sites in Uganda and these include Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Semiliki National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Entebbe, Budongo Forest, Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest, and Mabamba Swamp.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

The park is highly diverse with at least 611 bird species have been recorded in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and lovely with a variety of habitats that range from lowland forest to savanna. Sites of bird watching include; Ishasha sector, Mweya peninsula, Kazinga channel, Kasenyi area, Maramagambo forest and Katunguru Bridge, a remarkable place for birders.

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park is the largest park and the best birding site in Uganda with over 450 bird species which include; Shoebill, Giant kingfisher, Long-toed plover, Yellow-billed stock, Pied Kingfisher, Black-billed Barbet, yellow- fronted Thinker bird, Blue-headed Coucal, African Jacana, Read-throated Bee eater, Secretary Bird, Senegal Thick-Knee, Long-tailed Nightjar and many more. Birders can watch birds all year round though best time is during the dry season in months especially from January-March and December.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest

A total of 300 bird species has been recorded at Bwindi, among the great remarkable birds commonly seen along this road include the black-billed turaco, barred long-tailed cuckoos, bar-tailed trogon, black bee-eater, white-billed robin-chat, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, McKinnon’s grey shrike and yellow-whiskered greenbuls. In addition to the outstanding birding, this road supports a dazzling array of colorful butterfly and the L’Hoest’s monkey.

Kibale Forest National Park

Approximately 335 bird species have been recorded in Kibale , including four species not recorded anywhere in any other national park: Nahan’s francolin, Cassin’s spinetail, blue-headed bee-eater and masked apalis and many more.

Semiliki National Park

More than 400 bird species has recorded in Semiliki National Park, the checklist include the scarce; 36 Guinea-Congo biome species are found nowhere else in East Africa. These are Red-rumped Tinker bird, African Piculet, Gabon Woodpecker, Black Dwarf Hornbill, Nkulengu Rail, and Blue-billed Malimbe, White-crested Hornbill, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Northern Beard scrub-robin, Palm Swamp Greenbul, Yellow Throated Nicator and many more.

Lake Mburo National Park

Atleast 300 bird species have been recorded at the park, and these include; Coqui Francolin, Black billed busted, Ross’s turaco, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Nubian woodpecker, Red-faced barbet, Green wood-hoopoe, White-headed barbet, Long-tailed cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, White-winged tit, and many more.

These bird species are usually spotted in swampy valleys of Miriti and Warukiri and on the roadsides, birding at Lake Mburo National Park is best done on foot.