Uganda has a variety of birds that one can see when birding. With the many different species of almost 1050 birds and more, Uganda is known as one of the best places to visit for bird sighting in Africa.
Birds in Uganda have different habitats where they reside in the different National parks ranging from swamps, lakes, Forrester and savannahs.
If you are an ardent fan of birds, then Uganda is the best to visit especially during the rainy season as you will view the different species of gorgeous birds found in the Pearl of Africa. And to note the best time to see beautiful creatures is either early in the morning or evening and you will also be able to view other wildlife species as you enjoy the ride.
There are several birding destinations in Uganda and these are located in the different parts of the country and if you want to get to know which types of birds you will be seeing, you need to first find out where you are heading to.
Bird species found in Uganda
There are several bird species in Uganda and below is a list of some of the birds
- Hamerkop, this is a medium water bird and it can be seen mostly on the peninsula in Queen Elizabeth Park.
- The shoebill lives mostly in swampy areas and it is grey n color. The shoebill is the main reason for oncological visits to Uganda and can be seen in Mabamba, Murchison and Semiliki.
- Saddle billed stock is considered to be the most handsome among the stork family, largest and can be seen at Murchison falls.
- the African jacana which is mostly found in the swamps of Uganda
- Flamingos, these beautiful pink birds can be found in Queen Elizabeth Park and Lake Katwe.
- Marabou stork, this is one of the largest stork birds and it can mostly e seen at dumpsites around Kampala.
- Pelicans, these are water birds and they can be viewed at Kazinga channel which is located in Queen Elizabeth national park.
- Ostrich, this can be viewed in Kidepo National park.
- The African Darter, It has a Rufus neck and eats mostly snakes.
- great blue turacos, this can be viewed in Entebbe Botanical gardens
Birding destinations and the bird species found in those destinations.
Below is a list of birding destinations in Uganda and the different bird species that you will find in those locations.
Suggested Uganda Safaris 2025
3 Days Queen Elizabeth Safari Uganda This 3-day adventure in Queen Elizabeth National Park will take you to Uganda’s second
Safari Overview The 3 Day Safari in Murchison Falls National Park takes you the most popular as well as the
This 4 Days safari will take you to southwestern Uganda to visit the Bwindi impenetrable forest home of the mountain
Safari Overview This safari begins in Kampala and takes you to the Bwindi impenetrable National Park where you will get
This 6 days Safari offers a good combination of gorilla trekking in the bwindi impenetrable National Park and game viewing
This 7-day Uganda safari adventure takes you to Kibale National Park also known as the primate capital of eat Africa
This 8 day Uganda Safari begins in Kampala and will take you to Murchison Falls National Park for a thrilling
Safari Overview This 9 Day Uganda gorilla and wildlife Safari will take you to the Murchison Falls National Park the
This 11 Day Safari takes you to Uganda’s largest National Park – the Murchison Falls National Park through which the
This 12-day Safari in Uganda offers you the best of Uganda rich wildlife abundance, beautiful scenery and a unique cultural
This 13 Day Uganda and Rwanda Gorilla Wildlife Safari gives you total encounter of the amazing wildlife in Uganda –
This 14 Days Best of Uganda Safari takes you to Ngamba Islands home of the rescued and orphaned chimpanzees found
On this 15 Day Uganda Safari, get a chance to Experience Uganda’s rich wildlife abundance, beautiful scenery, and remarkable cultural
This expedition takes you to Mgahinga Gorilla park in Uganda for a Golden monkey habituation experience. Mgahinga gorilla park sits
This cost-effective Uganda Fly-in 3-day gorilla excursion includes a flight from Entebbe to your gorilla trek in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable
This 4-day Uganda tour visits Murchison Falls National Park, one of Uganda’s oldest wildlife reserves. Murchison is considered a premier
This will be an exceptional 4-day Kidepo Valley road tour to Africa’s genuine wilderness. Kidepo Valley National Park is Uganda’s
4 Days Gorilla Encounter and Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Tour in Uganda (Starting from Kigali, Rwanda) This 4-day gorilla and wildlife
The 4 Days Uganda gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi adventure begins from Kampala- Uganda’s capital and concludes in Kampala. This
Golden Monkey Habituation Experience, Gorilla Tracking Uganda in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Lake Mburo National Park Safari in Uganda
Day 01: Arrival – Entebbe Airport -transfer to Kampala Upon landing at the airport, our guide will greet you warmly
Experience Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda and Bwindi Forest National Park for an exhilarating Wildlife and Gorilla Safari in
Safari overview This 5 Days Uganda gorilla tour and tree climbing lions takes you on a remarkable Uganda safari to
Safari Overview The 5 days fly-in wildlife safari in Kidepo national park is an exceptional Uganda adventure that transports you
HIGHLIGHTS: DAY 1: Airport pickup and journey to Kibale National Park. Evening Bigodi community exploration. DAY 2: Kibale national park
This 6 days Uganda gorillas and tree-climbing lions safari guides you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which houses half of
Day 1 – Kampala to Kibale National Park (Bigodi Swamp Walk) Your Uganda safari adventure begins with a 7:00 am
This Uganda safari blends gorilla trekking in Bwindi Forest with wildlife expeditions in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest national
This 7-Days Uganda Wildlife And Primate Experience Safari commences and concludes at Entebbe international airport in Uganda. This remarkable Uganda
This exhilarating week-long Uganda safari begins with a journey to Uganda’s premier tourist destination – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Beyond
This 7 Day Big five wildlife safari offers a combined adventure in Murchison Falls NP and Kidepo Valley NP. The
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport: Beginning of an Epic Adventure As daylight breaks over Entebbe International Airport, excitement
Your 9-day Uganda safari to explore the country’s natural treasures will be a remarkable journey. You’ll delve into the core
Day 01: Arrival Upon landing at Entebbe Airport, our Guide will welcome you and transport you to a Guest House
Day 1: Arrive and Transfer to Your Hotel for City Viewing at Cassia Lodge A Safaris Uganda guide will greet
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda Your Uganda safari begins as you land at Entebbe International Airport, where your guide will
Day 1: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park to start our 16 days Uganda wildlife Safari. After your morning meal,
This 17-day Uganda gorilla safari offers a genuine African wilderness adventure. Your Uganda tour will take you to remote areas,
The 18-day Uganda safari tour is an itinerary that lets you discover the main Uganda tour destinations in depth, offering
Birding in Queen Elizabeth National park
Located in Southwestern Uganda in Rukungiri district, it is in the eastern escarpment of the Western Rift valley and is bordered by Lake Edward and it has over 550 bird species and it is a one stop center for all birders across the world and in Uganda.
The different bird habitats in Queen Elizabeth are rivers, permanent and seasonal lakes, grasslands and woodlands. You are allowed to take photos as you drive through the park. This is considered as a birder’s haven for all those who love birding and you can also take a view of other wildlife species that roam the Elizabeth Park.
These birds are very easy to spot and some of the bird species that can be seen in Queen Elizabeth Park include the following:
- The aquatic birds and these include the African Jacana, Fish Eagle, Pink and white beaked Pelicans, open billed stork, knob billed ducks, water thick knee, Squacco Heron, Long tailed cormorants, black crake, pied king fisher’s and all these and more can be found along the Kazinga channel that is found in the Queen Elizabeth Park.
- Other bird species include the verreaux’s eagle owl, African skimmer, slender tailed nightjars, papyrus canary and Gonolek, collard Pranticles, the malachite, the white winged terns, grey capped warbler and the shoebill.
The best time to view birds in Queen Elizabeth is between December and February. You should also note that these are not the only birds found in the area but there are a variety of other species to view once you go visit the Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi has a lot of rare bird species found in the numerous habitats around the Park and that is why it is known as the best birding spot voted by the Africa Bird Club.
Bwindi has over 350 bird species and it is noted that it has 14 rare birds that are not recorded anywhere else in the country. It has marked birding routes in order to enable tourists get a clear view of the birds.
The species that can be viewed at Bwindi include the Fraser’s Eagle, Blue headed regal sunbirds, African green broadbill, white bellied robin chat, Western bronze naped pigeon, collared and mountain masked Apalis, Chapin’s flycatcher, Handsome Francolin, Shelley’s crimsoning and black billed Turaco
Kibale National Park
Kibale has over 375 species of birds and it is known to be a good spot for birding due to its dense population. Some of the birds that you can view while in Kibale are the purple breasted sunbird, crowned eagle, tiny sunbird, scaly breasted kingfisher, red Chested owlet, yellow throated Nicator, black-bee eater, yellow spotted barbet, white naped pigeon and the blue shouldered robin chat.
The most sought after bird in Kibale is known as the green breasted Pitta.
Mabamba Bay wetland
This is found at the Lake Victoria and it is commonly known for the shoebill. Other bird species that can be seen at the Mabamba Bay include the veillot’s black weaver, papyrus Gonolek, African jacana, Lesser Jacana, Malachite kingfisher, African open billed stork, African marsh harrier, pied kingfisher, swamp flycatcher, black kite and the Grosbeak weaver.
Lake Mburo National Park
Mburo is a home to 315 birds and most of them can be viewed at Rwonyo and Warukiri swamps. Since birding is one of the most important activities carried out at Lake Mburo, some of the species found in the area include the African eagle fish, Greenwood hoopoe, trilling Cisticola, bee-eaters, blue napped moosebird, lilac breasted roller, common quails, emerald spotted wood dove, red necked spur fowl, Nubian woodpecker, crested francolin, the pied kingfisher, shoebill and bare faced go away birds.
The Murchison Falls National park
The park is a home to 450 bird species and it is one of the oldest National parks in Uganda. There are different habitats for the birds and these are the acacia trees, forests, swamps and the riverine woodland. Murchison Park can be done while on a boat cruise on the river or a drive through the park while others can walk leisurely through the park. The different species of birds that can be seen are the abyssian ground hornbill, swamp flycatcher, African quail finch, giant kingfisher, malachite, goliath heron and the shoebill.
Semiliki National park
Found in the Albertine valley in Western Uganda, Semiliki National park has 441 species habituating in the woodlands, riverines, grasslands and forests. you will be sure to see the Guinea Congo biome when you visit Semiliki and the other bird species found in the area include the swamp palm bulbul, red billed dwarf, African piculet, orange weaker, blue billed malimbe, Maxwell’s black weaver, piping hornbill, Nkulengu rail, black dwarf hornbill, yellow throated cuckoo, yellow throated Nicator and dwarf honeyguide.
Mgahinga Gorilla National park
Located in Southern Uganda, it is filled with the Albertine Rift endemics and it has 180 bird species habituating in the area. Mgahinga has a trail of bamboo surrounding it and the birds can be seen resting along the gorge trail. See more about budget gorilla trekking in Africa. It also borders Rwanda and Congo and the bird species that are found in Mgahinga include the following, the Archer’s Robin chat, olive pigeon, Rwenzori batis, greater doubled collared sunbirds, brown crowned tchagra, western green tinker bird, kivu ground thrush, white starred robin, black headed wax bill and the cinnamon warbler.
Budongo forest
Budongo forest is located at the Albertine western rift valley edge and it is the largest natural forest in East Africa. It has over 350 bird species and these can be seen in the trees, grassland walking about most especially in the morning and evening hours. The different bird species found in Budongo forest include the black collared lovebird, brown twin spot, blue breasted African dwarf Kingfishers, Cassin’s spine tail, Ituri batis Chestnut capped flycatcher and the Nahan’s francolin.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Rwenzori National Park is located in Western Uganda and it has the highest peak of 5110cm. A home to 177 bird species and of these 19 Albertine Rift valley endemics included. Birding is done while hiking through the forest and the different bird species to see include the swifts, Archer’s robin chat, long eared owl, Lagden’s bush shrike, blue headed and golden winged sunbird, slender billed starling, bearded vultures, Rwenzori Turaco, the cinnamon Chested bee eater and the white starred robin.
Entebbe Botanical Gardens
Located in Entebbe, the gardens are a home to the Great blue Turaco, grey checked hornbill, Eurasian Buzzard, white throated bee- eater.
