Birdwatching Uganda – The Price of Birding in Uganda

Uganda is well known for her great climate, wildlife and friendly people. Most visitors on Uganda safaris combine birding with sightseeing and game viewing.  Bird tourism  may not be as well developed or marketed as say gorilla tourism, but Uganda is considered among the best places for birding tours in the world and arguably the best in Africa. Over 1035 bird species have been documented in Uganda and about 30 birding areas have been set aside for birding activities.

Endemic species like the Stuhlmann’s Double-collared Sunbird, the Fox’s Weaver as well as well the great Shoebill Stork attract droves of bird lovers every year. This small landlocked country surprisingly has more birds per square Kilometer than any other country in the continent. This implies that while birding in Uganda, visitors are rewarded with many bird sightings without having to travel great distances or deep into the countryside. You can literally see them right from the airport in Entebbe, within the capital Kampala, outside your hotel room and as you move around. However you need to go to one of the major birding sites located in the countries beautiful and spectacular to fathom how gifted by nature Uganda  is.

The high density of bird species per square kilometer within the country is attributed to two things:

1. Location within the equator, the Tropics and the Albertine Rift Valley: Areas around the equator are blessed with fresh water lakes, rivers, great swamps and rain forests – Uganda is no exception. These natural features provide homes and breeding grounds for numerous bird species.
2. Diversity of Habitats: From the great lakes/rivers, rain forests, the great East African rift valley, mountains, semi-arid areas in the northern part of the country, Uganda has a unique and wide range of habitats for several bird species – many of which are endemic to the country. These habitats provide breeding, feeding and gathering points for both local and migratory birds.

Top bird species in Uganda

The most sought after bird species in Uganda are the Shoebill stork, African Green Broadbill, Black Bee-eater, Brown chested pullover, Brown-chested Lapwing, Green-breasted Pitta, Jahan’s Francolin, Jameson’s Antpecker, Karamoja Apalis, Purcell’s illadopsis, Puvel’s Illadopsis, Nahans francolin, Red fronted anti pecker and the Rwenzori Turaco. Other species that can be spotted during bird watching safaris include the African Harrier hawk, Cinnamon-chested bee-eater, Crowned hornbill, Giant kingfisher, Goliath Heron, Green pigeon, Martial Eagle, Mountain greenbul, the Secretary Bird, Shelley’s crimsonwing, Short-tailed warbler, The African Darter, The grey crested crane, Western green tinkerbird and Yellow-billed Stork among many others.

Important Birding Areas in Uganda

The best place to spot birds in Uganda is in one of its spectacular national parks and reserves. It is in these national parks and reserves that bird sanctuaries remain fairly intact to ensure an impressive density in bird species. Because of Uganda’s remarkable variety of fauna and flora, it’s more fulfilling to watch birds while looking out for other wildlife species.

Budongo Forest: Budongo forest is located within one of top tourism destinations in Uganda – the great Murchison falls national park. The forest may be famous for chimpanzee trekking but is also considered one of the best places to go birding in Uganda. The forest is a great habitat for several  bird species like the African Dwarf Kingfisher, African Pied Hornbill, Banded Snake-eagle, Black Bishop, Black-bellied Fire finch, Black-capped Apalis, Brown Twin sport, Brown-backed Scrub-robin, Cameroon Sombre Green bull, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Crowned Eagle, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Fire-crested Alethe, Forest Flycatcherand, Forest Francolin, Green Hylia, Ituri Batis, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Red-tailed Antthrush, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Slender-billed Green bull, Spotted Green bull, White-thighed Hornbill, Yellow and Grey Longbills, Yellow-billed Barbet, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Yellow-footed Flycatcher and the Yellow-spotted Barbet among other species.

Mabamba Swamp: Mabamba swamp is a great place for bird watching in Uganda. The Mabamba Bay Wetland swamp is a habitat to the Black-billed Turaco, Blue-breasted kingfisher, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Fire-crested Althea, Grey Parrot, Hair-breasted Barbet, Lemon Dove, Olive Green bull, Snowy-headed Robin-chat, Sooty Boubou, Wayne’s Weaver, White-spotted Fluff tail and the Woodland Warbler among other species.

Bigodi wetland sanctuary: This vast bird sanctuary host species like the Black billed turaco, Black-faced Rufus Warbler, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Blue-headed Coucal, Scaly-throated-Honey guide and the White spotted crake.

Other important birding areas: Bird watching in Uganda can also be done in Mpanga Forest Reserve, Mabira Forest Reserve and the Semuliki National Park.