Birding in Uganda
As a country where the great tropical rainforests of Central Africa meet the East African savanna, Uganda offers great opportunities for birding. Uganda has a third of the known bird species (Over 1065) in world. Birds can be sighted everywhere in the “Peal of Africa”. Whereas most of the species can be 
seen in other countries around the world, Uganda has about 24 that are endemic to the country. There are also species that are found only in the Albertine rift (Found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda).
Some of the interesting birds to see in Uganda include the strange weaver, handsome spur fowl, regal sunbird, turacos, fox weaver, Stuhlman’s double-collared sunbird, dwarf honeyguide, chaplin flycatcher and the elusive shoebill Stork among others.
Note: Although one of the leading birding destinations in the world, the activity is not marketed/promoted like game viewing or primate tracking. Out of ten tourists visiting Uganda, only one is interested in birding. Uganda lacks highly skilled birding guides, information centers and experienced management. The few individuals attempting to promote the activity are frustrated by the destruction of bird habitats and a lack of general interest by influential decision makers. Despite the challenges, the birds are thriving hence allowing Uganda to remain the best birding destination in East Africa. However, this tourism product can be a game changer for the country if the birding areas are developed further and properly managed.
Bird species in Uganda
As already mentioned earlier, Uganda is home to an incredible variety of birds. The species that stand out most are the great blue turaco, regal sunbird, bee-eater, grey-crowned crane, crested crane, shoebill stork, African green broadbills, shelley’s crimsonwing, saddle-billed stork, green-breasted pitta, jameson’s antpecker, Nahns Francolin, Marabou stork, flamingos and brown chested pullover. The most sought out species is the intriguing Shoe Bill Stork. This dinosaur-like bird is found in the marshes and wetlands in Uganda. Though not unique to Uganda, there is no better place to see them. Birders would feel empty of they failed to see these amazing birds while on a birding trip to Uganda.
To fully enjoy the birding expedition, a visitor must be willing to spend long hours in the birding area. Birds are aerial and agile creatures which makes observing them harder compared to game. One must 
observe, pay attention and have patience for the best experience. Some of the bird species are migratory. They keep moving from one country to another depending on the season. Because of their unpredictability, birdwatchers should not have high expectations of spotting them. Never the less, the birding Guides will do their level best to search for a specific specie but there is no guarantee of a successful sighting. That said, the chances of spotting a specific bird is very high given the high concentration of birds in the country.
The best birding destinations in Uganda
Although birds are found everywhere in Uganda, there are designated areas for bird watching. These areas have the highest concentration of birds hence offering greater chances of successful sightings. The most important Birding areas in Uganda also happen to be national parks, forests and wetlands. Let’s discuss them in more detail: –
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Although known as home to half of the remaining mountain gorillas, Bwindi impenetrable forest is a birders paradise. The park is home to over 350 bird species of which 23 of them are endemic to the Albertine rift. With its serene/green atmosphere and unique bird 
species, Bwindi was chosen among the top ten birding destination in Africa in 2010 by the Africa Birding Magazine. Birds to be sighted in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include collared pails, equatorial akalat, forest robin, African broadbill, Archer’s robin chat, Narina’s Trogon, Montane oriole, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, red-throated alethe, rufous napped lark, pink-backed pelican, papyrus Gonolek, greater flamingos, lesser flamingos, crowned Plover, brown snake eagle and much more. Because of its vast size, Bwindi impenetrable national park is divided into four sector – Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija and Rushaga. Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi can be arranged alongside bird watching in any of these sectors.
Queen Elizabeth National Park: Queen Elizabeth national park is a very popular birding site in Uganda. With over 600 bird species calling it home, the savanna park has the highest number of bird species in the country. Birds thrive in Queen Elizabeth National Park because it is blessed with savanna grassland, woodlands, tropical rain-forest and wetlands. It’s strategic location and proximity to other national parks in Uganda (including those in Congo and Rwanda) attracts some species commonly seen in Central Africa. It is recommended that birders stay in the park for 6 good days to observe all the important species.
The best places to go birding while at Queen Elizabeth national park are the Mweya, Kasenyi and Katwe areas. Other amazing birding spots within the park include lake Edward and George. The Kazinga channel which connects the two lakes is one of the best places to spot birds in East Africa. It offers a spectacular view of different bird species around the shorelines and Africa’s famous big game. Kyambura Gorge and Maramagambo forest are also separate birding spots in their own right.
The species to look out for while at the park include the open billed stork, swamp fly catcher, African jacana, black-billed barbet, falcons, eagle, malachite, water-thick knee, grey-headed kingfisher, knob-billed ducks, papyrus canary, shoebill stork, squacco heron, white-winged warbler, yellow bishop, thing-tailed Nightjars and Long tailed cormorants.
Kibale Forest National Park: Located in the western part of Uganda and commonly known as the “primate’s capital of the world”, Kibale Forest national park is home to over 370 recorded bird species. The birds find the vast tropical rain forests perfect for escaping predators and safe breeding. A birder can spot the shite-napped pigeon, red-chested fluff tail, red winged francolin, narina’s trogon, olive long tailed cuckoo, Abyssinian-ground thrush, grey throated fly catcher, African pita, black bee eater, pigeons, scaly francolin and the Uganda woodland warbler among other species.
Budongo Forest: This forest is found within the Murchison falls national park. It is one of the popular birding areas in Uganda with over 360 bird species. Some of them, like the yellow footed flycatcher and Puvel’s illadopsis are only found in the area. The other interesting bird species to look out for while in Budongo forest are the yellow-browed Camaroptera, Lemon-bellied crombec, forest Flycatcher, Fire-crestyed alethe, dusky long-tailed cuckoo, red-tailed ant thrush and crowned eagle.
Mabamba Swamp: This vast wetland is found on the shores of Lake Victoria and can be accessed 
through Entebbe or Mpigi. Mabamba Swamp is one of the important birding areas in Uganda. It is known for hosting the elusive shoebill and because of that is one of the most visited birding spots in Uganda. The shoebills are tracked using canoes under the guidance of local fishermen and birding Guides. Going out with canoes in this vast wetland is a very adventurous experience. Other than the shoebill, there are other bird species to look out for including the Wayne’s Weaver, white-spotted fluff tail, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Black-billed Turaco and sooty Boubou among the popular species.
Bigodi wetland sanctuary: This is a small wetland next to Kibale forest in the western part of Uganda. It was mainly gazetted to protect small primate species and birds. Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary is smaller in size compared to the Mabamba Swamp but it has 200 species of birds. The most fascinating species to look out for while in the wetland are the great blue turaco, papyrus Gonolek, Ibris, blue-head coucal and the black-faced rufus warbler.
