KIBALE NATIONAL PARK – Uganda Birding Site

BIRDING TOURS

MABAMBA BAY – Uganda Birding Swamp MABIRA FOREST BIRDING LUTEMBE BAY BIRD WATCHING BUSO FOREST BIRDING WATCHING BUDONGO FOREST RESERVE BWINDI IMPENETRABLE CONSERVATION AREA – Gorillas and Birding in Uganda KIBALE NATIONAL PARK – Uganda Birding Site LAKE MBURO – Uganda Birding Spot SEMILIKI NATIONAL PARK - Bird watching Uganda

Kibale Forest occupies 560 sq kms and is at an Elevation of 1110 to 1590m above sea level. Besides the chimpanzees that are famously known to be in the park, Kibale Forest is another birding destination in Uganda with 340 reordered species. The wooded section of the park 77% is covered by medium altitude moist evergreen forest in the north and medium altitude semi-deciduous forest at lower altitude in the south. The 23% consists of grassland, swamps and some plantations with exotic conifers.

Kibale National Park protects a large block of rainforest that offers admirable flora and fauna. With lush tropical rain forest and attractive diversity, it is one of the most attractive and spectacular forests in Uganda. It accommodates the greatest variety and concentration of primates found anywhere in East Africa. It is a habitat to the largest number in Uganda to the endangered Chimpanzee as well as the Red Colobus monkeys.

Kibale forest 82 species of the Guinea Congo forest biome and 32 species of the Afro tropical highland biome and shares some of the rare species with the highland sites. These include the Bar-tailed Trogon and Fine-banded woodpecker, White-bellied Crested Flycatcher and Red-faced Crimson-wing; each found in two other important Bird Areas. The site also has 5 of 32 limited range species in Uganda, and 5 of the 12 Ugandan species of the Lake Victoria biome. For bird watchers in Kibale Forest, look out for the Nahan's Francolin, an endangered species found in three other forest reserves, the Forest ground thrush recorded in only two other Important Bird Areas (IBAs). Additional exciting species consist of the Yellow-spotted Nictor, Yellow- ramped Tinker bird, Little Greenbul, Gree-breated Pitta, the African Pitta, Black bee-eater and the White-thighed hornbill.

A network of forest trails from the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre facilitates the search for a number of species from the vicinity of the main road such as nahan’s francolin, African pitas. There is a huge chunk of rain forest that offers some exceptional birding in the forest. The best forest birding is along the main road from the Kanyanchu Centre. Bird species like the scaly francolin, marsh tchagara, the scant grey-headed olive-back and a host of seed eaters such as fawn breasted black crowned wax-bills and green-backed twin spot, among the many can effortlessly be seen. during birding, also watch out for flocks of the rare and confined to a small area white-naped pigeon in flight over head or sunning themselves on the tree tops in the early morning. Trees with fruits attract birds like narina trogon, pied hornbill, yellow-spotted, hairy-breasted and yellow-billed barbets. Kibale forest is also a superior spot for blissful greenbul convincingly common and noticeably existent but puzzlingly scarce elsewhere in Uganda. The minor forest and thicket around Kanyanchu is also a prolific birding area for the African goshawk, the brilliant ground eagle and masked apalis. Large loud flocks of grey parrots take to the air over the campsite to their covers in the evening.

In Kibale, there is a watching tower which overlooks a small forest in the park giving you the opportunity to see the red-chested fluff tailed and a host of forest elephants. The Bigodi wetland sanctuary in Kibale National Park is also an excellent place to see some of the special birds endemic to this habitat such as papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler and papyrus canary among others.