Birding Safaris Uganda – Bird Watching in Uganda
Birding Safaris in Uganda is among the major wildlife safari activities. Bird Watching in Uganda can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars or by listening for bird sounds in their habitats. Birding often involves a momentous auditory element as many bird species are more easily detected and identified by ear than by eye.
Most birders in Uganda undertake bird watching mainly for recreational or social reasons and at times for research or educational purpose. The major birding spots in Uganda include; Mabamba Bay in Wakiso, Lutembe Beach on Lake Victoria Shores, Lake Bunyonyi, Mabira Forest in Buikwe, Budongo Forest in Masindi, Botanical Gardens in Entebbe and almost all Uganda’s 10 National parks are potential birding destinations and birding watching occurs well in these parts.
Uganda has a bird list of over 1,040 recorded species; approximately 50% of all bird species on the African continent. Birding in Uganda is impressive with bird diversity that makes the country a key destination for anyone wishing to grow his or her African bird list.
Bird species in Uganda include; shoebills, Ostriches, Grebes, Shearwaters and Petrels, Pelicans, Cormorants, Darters, Bitterns, Herons and Egrets, Hammer kop, Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills, Flamingos, Ducks, Geese and Swans, Osprey, Hawks, Kites and Eagles, Secretary-bird, Caracaras, Falcons plus Pheasants and Partridges. Others are the Guinea fowl, Buttonquails, Cranes, Rails, Crakes, Gallinules, and Coots, Sun grebe and Fin foots, Bustards, Jacanas, Painted snipe, Oyster-catchers, Avocets and Stilts, Thick-knees, Pratincoles and Coursers.
Also on the list are the Plovers and Lapwings, Sandpipers and allies, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers ,Sand grouse, Pigeons and Doves, Parrots, Turacos, Cuckoos , Barn owls, Typical owls, Nightjars, Swifts, Mouse birds, Trogons and Quetzals, Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Typical Rollers, Hoopoes, Wood hoopoes, Hornbills, Barbets, Honey guides, Woodpeckers and allies.
Other species are; Broad-bills, Pittas, Larks, Swallows and Martins, Wagtails and Pipits, Cuckoo-shrikes, Bulbuls, Thrushes and allies, Cisticolas and allies, Old World warblers, Old World flycatchers, Wattle-eyes, Monarch flycatchers, Babblers, Tits, Tree creepers, Penduline tits, Sun birds and Spider-hunters, White-eyes, Old World Orioles, Shrikes, Bush-shrikes and allies, Helmet-shrikes, Drongos, Crows, Jays, Ravens and Magpies, Starlings, Weavers and allies . Waxbills and allies, Indigo birds, Weavers and allies, Buntings, Sparrows, Seed eaters and allies, Siskins, Cross-bills and allies and Sparrows among hundreds.
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Almost all Uganda National Parks and game reserves are potential birding destinations. There are also several forest reserves, wildlife sanctuaries as well swamps that act as havens for birds.
Among the outstanding tourist sites in Uganda where birds are found include Mabamba Bay Wetland, known for its shoebill stork, Mabira Forest, Lutembe Bay Wetland System, Zika Forest and many more.