Top Birding Site in Uganda –Uganda Birdwatching Safari –Destinations
The bird enthusiast looking to explore some of the rare birds found within Uganda? Uganda is listed among the top birding destination in Africa to encounter all the bird species even the one you never expected to see on your safari.
Uganda has got several excellent birding site with different location which are inhabits of the forests, farmlands, open savannah, wetlands, protected areas and urban places many more.
Below are the key highlights where one can enjoy birdwatching in Uganda -birding site;
Mabira Forest Reserve
Mabira Forest is one of the significant forest reserve where one can stop on Uganda bird watching safari destination, a forest home to over 315 birds with 74 of the 144 species of Guinea-Congo forest biome that dwells in Uganda. Mabira forest has got stunning trails during your birding trip in Uganda and these include Turaco and the Buttress trails.
List of birds to see in mabira forest include; Grey parrot, Dusky Long tailed cuckoo ,Yellow throated tinker bird ,Yellow billed barbet ,Green-breasted pitta ,African shrike –flycatcher ,Buff-spotted bird ,Cassin’s spine ,Yellow –throated tinker bird ,Black and white casqued Hornbill ,White-spotted flutt tail .Afep pigeon ,Grey parrot ,Sooty Boubou ,Grey green bush shrike ,Honeyguide Greenbul ,Chestnut wattle eyes ,Forest Robin ,Red –tailed Bristle bill ,Little Green bull Blue-throated Roller among others.
Mabamba Swamp
mabamba swamp is among the top birding safari Uganda, good for 1 day birding safari -tours in Uganda. This wetland is located on the shores of Lake Victoria and is the best birding site one can watch variety of birds in Uganda in a single a day. It is popular home to encounter shoe bill stalk and other bird life to see include papyrus gonolek, Black kite, kingfishers, swamp flycatcher, black –headed heron, African marsh harrier many more.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the top birding site that was classified by Birding International and the great variety of Queen habitats are over 600species.The park’s savannah and forest, linking to the expansive forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo that allows visitors to view East and Central African species. In Queen the places to view numerous bird species is in the woodland as well as forests dwellers in the Maramangambo forest with over 54 raptors and variety of migratory species. Most spotted bird species on safari here include; African skimmer ,Chapin’s Flycatcher .Martial Eagle ,Black rumped Buttonquail , White winged warbler , Bar-tailed Godwit ,Papyrus Canary ,Corncrake ,Lesser and Greater Flamingo ,Shoebill ,Bar-tailed Godwit , African Broadbill ,Verreaux’s Eagle Owl ,Pink-backed pelican ,Black Bee-eater ,palm-nut vulture ,papyrus gonolek ,Caspian plover ,Black rumped buttonquail ,Common sand martin ,Great blue turaco ,Heuglin’s gull ,Yellow throated cuckoo ,white-winged tern ,shoe bill stork ,Rufous-bellied heron , pink-backed pelican ,spotted redshank ,western banded snake eagle ,yellow-bellied wattle –eye ,western banded snake eagle ,red chested African hobby ,African skimmer among others.
On birding Uganda Safari –never miss to reach out to Queen Elizabeth national park thus making it the best birding key site to spot species such as; Kasenyi Peninsula, Kazinga Channel, Maramangambo forest, Ishasha sector, Lake Kikorongo, katunguru Bridge and Katwe Area Tours can be booked through Katwe Tourism Information centre.
Queen Elizabeth national park is located in southwestern region of Uganda, estimating 5 to 6 hours from Kampala capital or you can use domestic flight from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to Mweya Airstrip in less than 1:00 hour.
Birding in Murchison Falls National Park –Uganda Safari
Murchison Falls is both the game drives and the launch trips that offers great opportunity for one to come across distinct birdlife such as savannah forest birds, water birds as well as Albertine Rift endemics. The park’s main birding species is the shoe bill stork which is best sighted in the dry season from January to March.
Birding in Murchison Fall can be done in savannah forest birds, water bird and Albertine Rift endemics. The park’s main birding attraction is the shoebill and best spotted in the dry season from January to March. Murchison’s commonest spotted bird species include; Ground Hornbill, Black –bellied Bustard, Secretary birds, Open-billed Storks and widow bird among others. There are numerous bird species which can be seen around riverbanks , thickets and woodlands and such birds include ;Geese ,stilts ,Crombecs ,Francolin ,Hornbills ,swallow-tailed and Red throated Bee eaters ,Hamerkop ,Fly catchers ,Cuckoo ,woodpeckers ,Silver bird ,palm nut vulture ,Eastern grey plantain eater , Black headed coucal ,Black headed lapwing ,Black headed ganok ,Speckle –fronted weaver ,Re throated bee-eater ,Malachite kingfisher ,Goliath heron ,Giant heron , Giant king fish Denham’s bustard among others .Though the main birding attraction is the Shoebill which is best sighted in the dry season from January –March.
Murchison Falls national park is Uganda’s largest national park that sits at 3,893 square kilometers, located in northwestern region of Uganda approximately 4 to 5 hours’ drive or you can opt to fly from Entebbe Airport of Kajjansi Airstrip by Aerolink domestic flight ‘’1hour’’ to Pakuba airstrip inside the park.
Lake Mburo National Park –Birding
Lake Mburo is a small national park with key birding spots like swamp valley and viewing platform close the salt lick and the forest. Some of these species to be encountered along here include; Rufous-bellied Heron, Bateleur, Coqui Francolin, Grey Crowned crane, Black bellien Bustard and Brown-chested Lapwing few mentioned.
The birding spots in Lake Mburo national park are swampy valley of Waruliri and Miriti, also along roadside between Rwonyo camp and the jetty. Birding in Lake Mburo can also be sighted on the platforms at the salt lick and Rubanga Forest. Some of bird species to sight see include; the Brown-chested Lapwing, Long tailed Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Nubian Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Cuckoo shrike, Long tailed Cisticola, White headed Barbet, Bare faced Go away bird, Green Wood-hoopoe, Red headed Lovebird, Ross’s Turaco, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Coqui Francolins, White winged Tit and Finfoot man others.
