Uganda ranks as a top birding destination attracting a growing number of ardent birdwatchers on a quest to expand their life-long-lists and have always been surprised by “how easy” it is to bird just anywhere in this country. Smaller in size to her East African neighbors, Uganda’s geographical location at the confluence of Africa’s top biomes makes it a birder’s haven with over 1080 bird species almost 50% of the continent’s checklist.
Let’s explore deeper into what sets Uganda apart and why it’s should be on your next birding plan.
Reasons to go Birding In Uganda
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Great all-year-round Weather and Diverse Habitats
For first time visitors to the equatorial Africa, seasoned birdwatchers and enthusiasts, Uganda provides an incredible birding experience unmatched on the continent for its diverse habitats.
Uganda sits geographically along the equator line and at the heart of the continents’ biggest biomes characterized by expansive savanna grasslands, woodlands, numerous lakes and rivers and highland montane rain forests. These habitats attract a varied bird diversity including regional endemics, seasonal intra-African and Palearctic migrants that makes an exciting twitching experience.
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Diverse Habitats/ Biomes
“In Uganda the East African savannah meets the west African tropical forests.” Several of these rich Africa’s biomes in Uganda are internationally recognized and protected as Ramsar sites, Important Bird Areas (IBA’s) for several species identified as regional Endemic, Near-endemic, Restricted range, while some lie within protected national parks and reserves.
These biomes include;
- Afro tropical highlands -87sp
- Guinea-Congo Forest species- 144spLake Victoria basin-12sp
- Somali-Masai -32sp
- Sudan and Guinea savanna- 22sp
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Great connectivity: Roads and Accommodations
Most of these habitats lie within protected parks and reserves well serviced with a great road network that get better each year and serviced by a wide chain of accommodation options. Within these parks, network of tracks are maintained to allow access to local diverse habitats although 4WD is advised especially during the wet seasons. On our Ugandan typical birding trips, priority is given to those accommodations that offer birding opportunities and located as close or within our targeted birding areas.
Birding In Uganda – Birding Circuits
Birding visitors to Uganda will on arrival day overnight in the country’s gateway town of Entebbe or from the capital Kampala and will follow a typical planned circuit of Uganda Birding Safari which will explore various birding hotspots for localized species unique to different biomes spread country wide. Personalized birding itineraries crafted to fit one’s budget and interests normally will stretch across these specie-filled diverse ecosystems on time-bounded packages like our own cross-country birding plan Uganda Classic Birding Safari or Shorter birding plans targeting habitat/regional specific all tailormade for an enriching and fruitful experience.
Many of these Birding Sites along these circuits lie within protected/national parks or under community protection and equipped with local bird guides that provide an exciting and an enriching bird sighting experience for local species.
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The Western Uganda Birding Circuit
This exciting Western Uganda birding circuit accommodate various habitats spreading over diverse altitude ranges along the western frontier characterized by montane highland forests on several mountain ranges, savanna woodlands on the rift valley floor, expansive wetlands and open water lakes and rivers, farmlands and transitional zones between these habitats. The circuit traditionally kicks off from about 1150m on the wetlands west of L. Victoria for excellent chances to tick off the prehistoric Shoebill that stalk these wetlands, birding woodlands, rainforests on the lower slopes of Rwenzori Mountain ranges near the equator line and down to 680m in the low land forests of Semliki south of L. Albert collecting along a rich diversity.
Species Highlights and Key Habitats on this Circuit
Albertine Endemics, typical Afro-tropical Highland and Montane species, Savanna Woodland specialists and Wetland and Swamp characters. Birding starts out by searching and ticking off the pre-historic Shoebill that’s native to the marshes along the northern shores of L. Victoria, then heading south through the rain-shadowed Ankole woodlands where acacia woodland specialists occur.
Extending into the south-west, the heavily terraced towering highlands host several species typical of agricultural farmlands, high-altitude swamps and unique to montane misty rainforests of Bwindi and the volcanic slopes of Mgahinga. This region falls within the Albertine Rift Endemic Region, Africa’s most diverse endemic zone, with a wide avian, mammal and plant life, including the Mountain Gorilla, Chimpanzee and the Golden Monkey.
In the bird-rich high-altitude rainforests of Bwindi, Echuya and Mgahinga NP, the birding highlight is to tick off, 24 of 25 Albertine Endemics including, Green Broadbill, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Batis, Grauer’s Warbler, Grauer’s Swamp Warbler, Strange Weaver, Red-faced and Neumann’s Warbler, Willard’s Bush-shrike, Stripe-breasted Tit, Kivu Ground Thrush, Purple-throated Sunbird, yellow-eyed Black flycatcher, Dwarf Honeyguide and more noteworthy checklist of restricted range species unique to these rainforests.
From the rainforests of Bwindi, the circuit runs north into the rift valley floor, exploring through the rich savannas and woodlands of Queen Elizabeth NP, taking a boat cruise birding trip on the Kazinga channel that attracts several waders and other water associated characters. North of this great biosphere, we bird through the Chimpanzee forests of Kibale NP where the prime target will be the forest floor specialist, Green-breasted Pitta along a great checklist of western forest specialists.
At the foothills of Rwenzori mountains and into the lowlands of Semliki forest, pace down and look out for a collection of the Guinea Congo biome specialists on their eastern range limit among the small African Piculet, the Black-casqued, Dwarf and Eastern Little Hornbills, Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Nicator, Leaflove, Nahan’s Partridge, Red-chested Goshawk and Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk among others while the nearby reserve hosts grassland and woodland specialists.
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Western Birding circuit Extension Options
This highly-recommended western birding circuit extension, birding continues into the low land forests of Semliki, for the rare West African and Congo restricted species on their eastern limit, extending into the mid-altitude great forest Budongo for a rich forest checklist. this expansive forest is a part of Murchison Falls conservation area, where we look out for the iron-wood canopy specialists that include, Chestnut-capped and Yellow-footed Flycatchers, Rufous crowned Elemomera, Tit Hylia, Ituri Batis, Chocolate Backed and Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Puvel’s Illadopsis only known from here and other good birds of forests.
Key Birding sites on this stretch include;
Bwindi Forest, Echuya Forest Reserve, Queen Elizabeth NP, Imaramgambo Forest, Rwenzori NP, Kibale Forest, Semliki NP, Mgahinga NP, Budongo Forest.
Mountain Gorilla and Golden Monkey Tracking Options
This birding circuits explores the rainforests in the Albertine rift area that hosts half of the remaining Mountain gorillas in the world. Since you are birding here, take half a day to trek for a life-time encounter along these humble and gentle giants in their natural world. On the slopes of Mgahinga National Park, Golden monkey occupy the bamboo slopes along the three volcanic mountain ranges. This charismatic Albertine rift near-endemic occurs in troops numbering up to 100 individuals and trekking to them lasts up to 4hours. Uganda’s affordable and high-demand permits are to be purchased well in advance for availability and accommodation planning.
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The Eastern Uganda Birding Circuit
Key Habitats and Species Highlights
Wetlands, Afro-tropical specialists, Dry-scrub and Savanna Woodland characters.
The eastern Uganda birding circuit covers a diverse of habitats, ranging from the flood plains, expansive wetlands, dry scrub and thornbush and semi-arid savanna vegetation. Biome specialists include L. Victoria restricted biome species, afro-tropical rainforest species on Mt. Elgon slopes, to Somali-Masai biome species spread in the greater semi-arid area of Karamoja in the far north east.
Heading out east of Kampala, the first stop would be in the tropical forest of Mabira, the remain biggest tropical forest in central Uganda for forest restricted species including, White-spotted Flufftail, Green Hylia, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Rred-tailed Greenbul, Forest Robin, Fire-crested Illadopsis, Forest Woodhoopoe (also known as Forest Scimitarbill) before making further stops along the expansive rice fields of eastern Uganda for several waders. Onwards, we bird the tropical forests on lower slopes of Mt. Elgon, before venturing in the expansive flood plains of L. Bisinia for Uganda’s only endemic, the Fox’s Weaver.
In the great Karamoja region, visit Pian-Upe Wildlife reserve, Mt. Moroto, Matheniko reserve and Kidepo Valley NP. These sites a great selection of Somali-Masai biome restricted including Karamoja Apalis, Red-billed Hornbill, Rufous Chatterer, Bruce’s Pigeon, Chestnut Sparrow, Grey-capped Social Weaver, Magpie and Superb Starling, Spotted Thick Knee, Eastern Chanting-goshawk, Fox’s Kestrel, Common Ostrich, Secretary Bird, Buff-crested, White-bellied and Hartlaub’s Bastards, Northern White-crowned Shrike, Boran and Rock-loving Cisticolas, Little Rock-Thrush, charismatic Steel-blue and Straw-tailed Whydahs, African Silverbill, Cut-throat Finch and other dry country species unique to these habitats. Several of these species are on their western range limit and found no-where in the country.
Eastern Uganda Birding Extension
The circuits further birds across the northern region, extending into Murchison Falls NP, for several Sahel and Sudan-Guinea species. The region is characterized by broad leafed and semi-deciduous woodland, Borassus palm dotted savanna interspersed with acacia woodlands and the shallow edged wetlands along the Nile delta that is hunted by shoebill pairs and other waders.
Key Birding sites on this stretch include
Key birding spots include; Mabira Forest, L. Bisinia and its flood plains, Mt. Elgon NP, Pian-Upe reserve, Mt. Moroto reserve, Matheniko/Bokola reserve, Kidepo Valley NP extending into Murchison Falls NP Bugungu wildlife reserve and Budongo Forest.
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Central region and around L. Victoria Birding Circuit
The sites on this short circuit lie within and close to the capital Kampala and Entebbe town, and usually undertaken as Day trips out of Kampala. These trips target species unique to L. Victoria biome basin that’s characterized by wetlands and flood plains, with top bird being a Shoebill while other species unique to Afro-tropical forests are encountered on several patches of these forests north and around L. Victoria.
Key Birding Sites and Habitats
Wetlands, Agricultural patches and Moist tropical forest specialists
These sites include;
Mabamba Wetland, Lutembe bay, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Mabira Forest, Mpanga Forest and Entebbe Botanical Gardens
This majorly covers the flood plains around L. Victoria and following the Nile flood plain in central all the way to north, it stretches to cover savanna and woodland of Murchison Falls and the cattle corridor in central Uganda. And includes the forests of Budongo with its Royal mile specialists like Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Rufous-crowned Eromomela, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Yellow-footed flycatcher, white-bellied Kingfisher, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, White-thighed and Piping Hornbill, Nahan’s Francolin and more.