Bird Watching Articles

Bird Watching In Uganda

One of the best places on earth that has a huge collection of animals is Africa. This is because of the terrain that includes rich savannahs, deserts, rain forests, wetlands and a lot more. This makes it an ideal place to be close nature and if you love birds, why don’t you go on a bird watching in Uganda.

Uganda is just one of more than 20 countries that are part of the African continent. It occupies a land area of 235,000 square kilometers which has more than 1008 species of birds. This figure represents more than half of the type of bird species found in Africa making it the best place to be should you desire to go on a bird watching vacation.

There are a lot of places to go bird watching in Uganda. You can take your pick from over 700 forest reserves.

One example is the Albertine Rift Endemic Area that boasts to have 38 species of birds. The birds here can also be seen in Burundi, Congo and Rwanda. Because the government wants to protect these animals, they have setup 24 similar areas that are located in the forests of Mgahinga and Bwindi National Park in the southwest.

Apart from the forests, there are also the wetlands. Uganda has 30,000 square kilometers of wetlands and not less than 210 bird species are present at all times. You might to see the Shoebill, the African Skimmer, the Papyrus Gonolek, White Winged Warbler or the White Winged Black Tern.

Of the many national parks in Uganda, the most famous are Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls, Bwindi Impenetrable, Semuliki and Kibale.

The Queen Elizabeth National park has one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world. Aside from the 606 bird species that roam this are, you can also se 100 mammal species.

Murchison Fall National Park is situated by the Murchison Waterfalls nearby. The wildlife in this area has drastically improved from the poaching done during the 1980’s so you are sure to see several species of birds, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and antelopes.

The Bwidi Impenetrable National Park is home to 90 mammal species which includes 11 primates. There are about 23 bird species which still ranks among the highest in Uganda.

Semuluki National Park is one of the newest in Uganda. It lies on the border with Congo. Because of the changes that happened during the Pleistocene era, it is very ideal for both floral and fauna to grow.

Kibale National Park is considered to be the most accessible in Uganda. You will get to see various species of birds here and along the way you might get the chance to take pictures of one out of 13 primate species that inhabit this region.

You can camp out in each of these places or stay in a small hotel or camp ground so you can head out looking for birds early in the morning and get back before it gets dark.

The parks are open all year round. All you have to do is book a flight and accommodations, pack your gear and then arrive at Uganda. Don’t forget to bring your camera and download the list of bird species found here so you can easily identify what you see when you get close to them.