Uganda is a staggeringly good bird-watching destination. Its checklist of 1,080-plus species is the fourth highest in Africa, despite it being a relatively small country (similar in size to Great Britain). This diversity can be attributed to Uganda’s location at the ecological crossroads where the eastern savannah meets the western rainforest and northern semi-desert. The only species endemic to Uganda is Fox’s weaver, but the country is home to 150 species found nowhere else in East Africa. It’s also the best place in the world to see shoebills. Migratory birds are present from November to April.
Endemic & Near-endemic Birds
(E) endemic = only lives in Uganda(NE) near-endemic = lives in Uganda and neighboring countries
- Archer’s robin-chat (NE)
- Black-faced rufous warbler (NE)
- Blue-headed sunbird (NE)
- Chapin’s flycatcher (NE)
- Dusky crimsonwing (NE)
- Dwarf honeyguide (NE)
- Fox’s weaver (E)
- Golden-winged sunbird (NE)
- Grant’s bluebill (NE)
- Grauer’s broadbill (NE)
- Grauer’s swamp warbler (NE)
- Grauer’s warbler (NE)
- Handsome francolin (NE)
- Jackson’s spurfowl (NE)
- Karamoja apalis (NE)
- Nahan’s francolin (NE)
- Neumann’s warbler (NE)
- Oberlaender’s ground thrush (NE)
- Purple-breasted sunbird (NE)
- Red-faced barbet (NE)
- Red-faced woodland warbler (NE)
- Red-throated alethe (NE)
- Regal sunbird (NE)
- Ruwenzori apalis (NE)
- Ruwenzori batis (NE)
- Ruwenzori double-collared sunbird (E)
- Ruwenzori nightjar (NE)
- Ruwenzori turaco (NE)
- Shelley’s crimsonwing (NE)
- Strange weaver (NE)
- Stripe-breasted tit (NE)
- Turner’s eremomela (NE)
- Uganda woodland warbler (NE)
- Yellow-eyed black flycatcher (NE)
Other Birding Specials Treats for Avid Birders
- Abyssinian ground hornbill
- African grey parrot
- Ansorge’s greenbul
- Bar-tailed trogon
- Black bee-eater
- Black-and-white-casqued hornbill
- Black-billed turaco
- Black-lored babbler
- Blue malkoha
- Blue-breasted kingfisher
- Blue-throated roller
- Clapperton’s francolin
- Doherty’s bush-shrike
- Equatorial akalat
- Great blue turaco
- Green-breasted pitta
- Ituri batis
- Jameson’s antpecker
- Lühder’s bush-shrike
- Magpie mannikin
- Many-coloured bush-shrike
- Masked apalis
- Olive long-tailed cuckoo
- Palm-nut vulture
- Papyrus gonolek
- Pennant-winged nightjar
- Piapiac
- Red-bellied paradise flycatcher
- Red-chested owlet
- Red-tailed ant thrush
- Red-throated bee-eater
- Red-winged grey warbler
- Rose-ringed parakeet
- Ross’s turaco
- Rufous flycatcher-thrush
- Shining-blue kingfisher
- Shoebill
- Square-tailed nightjar
- White-bellied crested flycatcher
- White-bellied robin-chat
- White-crested turaco
- White-naped pigeon
Best Time for Bird Watching
Uganda offers good year-round birding, since the main point of interest is resident species. The climate is the main factor to consider in this very wet country. During the Wet seasons (March to May and September to November in the south; March to November in the north), roads and trails might be in poor condition and rains could interfere with birding time.
In general, the best time for bird watching is from late May through September, when there is less rain and food is abundant. The main nesting season in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks (key sites for the Albertine Rift endemics) is May and June, but from mid-April to mid-May the rains might still be too heavy. The best time for primate trekking and wildlife viewing in the savannah reserves is during the Dry seasons, from June to August and December to February.
Best Parks for Birding Includes Birding Rating
Murchison Falls is excellent for seeing a wide range of common birds and specials. Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla NPs are the most accessible sites for Albertine Rift endemics, and Semuliki National Park is the only place in East Africa to see many Guinea-Congo regional species. Boat trips in Mabamba Swamp, Toro-Semliki and the Lake Albert Delta in Murchison Falls all offer a good chance of seeing the sought-after shoebill.
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Bwindi Impenetrable NP
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Semuliki NP
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Queen Elizabeth NP
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Murchison Falls NP
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Mabamba Swamp
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Bigodi Wetland
Recommended Birding Books
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Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi
A must-buy as the best field guide that’s complete for Uganda.
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eGuide to Birds of East Africa (app)
The app version of the above book is comprehensive for Uganda.
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Birds of Africa: South of the Sahara
Complete for Uganda, but the vast scope makes it cumbersome.
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Birds of Uganda: A Photographic Guide
Far from complete (only 280 species) but lovely to look at.