Birding in uganda
Birds of Bwindi Forest National Park
Located in South Western Uganda, Bwindi National Park hosts a high diversity of birds, representing one of the forest's avifauna in Africa. The bird list for the park currently totals 334 species, 67 non-forest-dependent species, and 182 forest-dependent species. Thirteen of these species occur nowhere else in Uganda, seven are not known to occur anywhere else in East Africa, and 17 are known for East Africa only in Bwindi and one or two other East African forests.
Rare species include the spectacular globally threatened endemics like the African Green Broadbill and Shelley’s Crimson wing.
Other bird species include the striking Handsome Francolin, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters, Green tinker bird, Northern Olive Thrush, Blue headed and regal sunbirds, Mountain yellow Warblers, Mountain masked and Chestnut throated apalises, Great Blue and Black billed Turacco, Pink footed puff back, Waller’s starling, Red-chested fluff tail, Lagden’s Bush shrike, etc.
Ruhiija, the central and highest part of the forest, is likely to be one of the highlights of any trip to Uganda with excellent birding in spectacular surroundings. Birds are both plentiful and easy to see; many species associating in mixed feeding flocks that are active throughout the day. An early start offers the best chance of finding the striking handsome Francolin, Cinnamon-chested bee-eater, western Green Tinkerbird, Mountain and yellow-streaked Greenbuls, Mountain marked and chestnut-throated Apalises, red-faced woodland Warbler, Rwenzori batis, white-tailed crested Flycatcher and many more
Birds of Lake Mburo National Park
Located in the central part of the country, Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest of all the parks in Uganda covering an area of 260sq Kms. The five lakes within the park attract hippos, crocodiles and a variety of waterbirds, while fringing swamps hide secretive papyrus
The park has about 313 different bird species which include the rare Shoebill stork, White-winged Warblers, Black-billed Barbet, Crested Francolin, Brown Parrot, Red necked Spur, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Temminck’s Courser, common Quails, Greenwood Hoopoe, Blue-napped Mouse bird, Barefaced Go-away bird, African-grey Hornbill, Nubian Woodpecker, Trilling Cisticola, Lilac-breasted Roller, Coqui Francolin, Red necked spur fowl, Black Bellied Bustard, African-wattled Plover Rufous napped and Flappet larks, Rufous chested Swallow , Southern Red Bishop and Yellow-throated Long claw among others. The fringing swamps in the park also hide secretive papyrus specialists such as the red, black and yellow papyrus gonalek.
Birds of Kibale forest and Bigodi
The 795 sq Km Kibale National Park contains one of the loveliest and most varied tracts of tropical forest in Uganda. There are 325 bird species found in the park including 6 that are endemic to the Albertine Rift region, namely black-capped apalis, blue-headed sunbird, collared apalis, dusky crimsonwing, purple-breasted sunbird and red-faced woodland warbler. Other Kibale specials include the African pitta, green breasted pitta, black bee-eater, yellow spotted nicator, yellow rumped tinker bird, little greenbul, black-eared ground thrush, brownchested alethe, blue-breasted kingfisher, Abyssinian groundthrush, and the crowned eagle.
Birding can also be done in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary that is found some 5 km from the Kibale Forest National Park on the road to Kamwenge.
Birding is a major activity around the swamp with paths cut and areas of the swamp board walked to give access to areas of the swamp that would be otherwise inaccessible. Several tree houses have also been constructed to give vantage over the swamp. Specialities for Bigodi include Great Blue Turaco, Black Billed Turaco and White Spotted Crake.
Semiliki National Park.
Semiliki National Park is an extension of the Congo Ituri rainforest set at the base of the Northern Rwenzori, covering an area of 220 sq km of lowland forest on Lake Albert.
The park is comprised of 40 congolese bird species recorded nowhere else in t