Bird Watching – Birding.
When people think of birding in Africa, one of the first places that comes to mind is Uganda. It is home to a wide variety of bird species, some of which are quite rare and difficult to see anywhere else in Africa. Uganda is undeniably one of the best birding paradises due to its many birding locations. More than 1,050 bird species call Uganda home.
These feathered friends inhabit a wide variety of environments, from savannahs and lakes to swamps and arable land. The Albertine Rift Valley is located in western Uganda, and the Equator line crosses the nation.
We highly recommend this stunning nation to anybody interested in birdwatching; in fact, the majority of Uganda’s bird species call one of the country’s many national parks home. As you linger to admire the magnificent birds, you’re sure to stumble across a variety of other creatures that will elevate your bird-watching safari to an unforgettable experience. Actually, the best times to see these birds are first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
A delightful place for those who enjoy viewing birds, Queen Elizabeth National Park has more than 550 kinds of birds. Located in the Rukungiri region of southern Uganda, the National Park has 1,978 square kilometers of territory. It reaches an elevation of 1,845 meters on the eastern escarpment of the western Rift Valley, sitting at 900 meters on the shore of nearby Lake Edward.
Moist semi-deciduous woodland, ravine bushland, moist thicket, and riparian forest make up its average-altitude habitat. The National Park has a variety of bird habitats, including open forests, rivers, open grassland, lakes (both seasonal and permanent), and swamps (both permanent and seasonal).
A variety of aquatic birds can be found along the magnificent Kazinga Channel in the park, including the White-faced Whistling, Spur-winged Plovers, Squacco Heron, Fish Eagle, Pink and white-backed Pelicans, Long-tailed Cormorants, African Jacana, Yellow-backed Weavers, open-billed Stork, Water-Thick Knee, Pied Kingfishers, Wattled Plovers, Black Crake, and Knob-billed Ducks.
Some other notable species include the following: malachite, black-ramped buttonquail, Collard Particles, papyrus canary, Verreaux’s eagle-owl, black bee-eater, squacco heron, African fish eagle, swamp fly-catcher, long-tailed cormorants, Martial Eagle, black-rumped buttonquail, white-winged warbler, shoebill, African skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, Grey-headed kingfisher, papyrus gonolek, Papyrus canary, and the thin-tailed nightjars, which are often heard rumbling through the tree branches in the morning.
While the Maramagambo forest is teeming with wildlife, a stroll through the verdant gorge will reveal a plethora of forest species, including the Grey Woodpecker, Black and African Emerald Cuckoos, Hairy-breasted Barbet, speckled Tinkerbird, purple-headed starling, and Green Hylia.
In the riverfront thickets, you may find a plethora of attractive fluff tails with white spots. In wet meadows near the lush ravine, listen for the far-off, metallic twinkling echo of the Broad-tailed Warbler. The months of December through February are prime time for bird-viewing safaris in Uganda.
