BIRDING IN UGANDA

Uganda is possibly the major eye-catching country on the African Continent for bird watchers. This is because of the unusual numbers of bird species recorded within its various spots and also the fact that the country offers an easy entrance to several natural habitats rich in birds that are not easy to reach somewhere else. Uganda’s significant avian diversity, 1,008 species recorded in an area similar to that of Great Britain can be accredited to its location at an intermediary point between the East African savanna, the West African rainforest and the semi-desert of the north. The key to Uganda’s bird variety is its multiple habitats that are arid semi-dessert, rich savannahs, lowland and montane rainforests, vast wetlands, volcanoes and an Afro-alpine zone. Uganda covers an altitude from 650 to 5000m.

Logical of Uganda’s liaison position is the fact that only one bird is prevalent to the country, the rather ordinary Fox’s weaver. On the other hand, if you take only East Africa into consideration, then roughly 150 bird species, more than 10% of the regional checklists are only in Uganda. This list includes seven of the 20 hornbill species recorded in the region, five out of 14 honey guides, seven out of 20 hornbill species recorded in the region, five out of 20 bush family as well as 13 members of the thrush family, 11 warblers, ten flycatchers, eight sun birds, eight weavers, eight finches, four tinker birds, four pigeons, 3 kingfishers, 3 sparrow hawks, 3 cuckoos and 3 nightjars.

The majority of these Uganda’s specials are West African and Congolese forest birds that should be very hard to see somewhere else because the other countries in which they occur are inadequately developed in Tourism. The rain forests of Western Uganda are mainly the country’s most important bird habitats and are of the maximum interest to birdwatchers principally if they are already familiar with the typical East African birds. The most appealing forests in Uganda with confined to a small area species is Semliki, Budongo Forest, Kibale Forest and Bwindi Forest. Conversely, Kibale is the Uganda’s spot for forest birds and the close by Magombe Swamp. Still the comparatively reclaimed botanical gardens in Entebbe will throw up several interesting bird species.

For tour lovers, if you want to see an extensive variety of birds in Uganda, try to visit Entebbe for water and forest birds, Lake Mburo water and acacia land associated birds, Queen Elizabeth with 600 recorded species, Murchison Falls, the finest place in East Africa to see the Papyrus-associated shoebill and Kidepo that boasts of over 50 recorded bird species.