Top Birds In Uganda

Looking for top birds in Uganda? In 2013, Uganda was declared the best birding destination of that year. It is a top birding destination with about 1060 bird species recorded. The forests, fresh waters and savannah are almost incomparable. Uganda has a lot of remote areas that are virgin and hosts a lot of these birds. Some of these areas are not yet designated yet.

Most of the birders have Uganda on their bucket list and here are some of the top birds to expect while on the birding trip in Uganda.

1. Shoebill

The shoe bill is one of the most sought after bird In Uganda and Africa in General. This bird is endemic to East and Central Africa. The shoe bill is famous for its shoe like bill. This bird is on the vulnerable birds list as they are not many left in the world. Conservation efforts have been stepped up to make sure these birds are not extinct. This bird can be seen at Mabamba bay, Lake Mburo national Park, Murchison Falls National park and Zziwa Rhino sanctuary.

2. Green-breasted Pitta

This bird is very hard to find yet it is relatively common in the central areas of African. Its inhabits in the low land tropical areas like Kibaale national park in Uganda. This bird is every birder’s dream to photograph.

3. African Green Broadbill

This bird can only be seen in only two places in the world, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda and the Itombwe Mountains in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This explains why this bird makes it to this list. The species is however reducing in number due to a lot of human activity.

4. Great Blue Turaco

This is one of the largest birds in Uganda together with the white crested Turaco. These birds are highly hunted for meat and their feathers as they are highly sought after in the market.

5. Shelley’s Crimsonwing

These birds live in the volcanic mountains In the Albertine Valley. This is arguably one of the rarest birds in the world. It’s almost on every birder’s bucket list. There r very few photos of this bird as it is so elusive. Several people have hard this bird call but very few have actually seen it.

6. Standard-winged Nightjar

This bird is good to see both in flight and at rest. It can easily be seen in Murchison falls National Park. They can be seen in the national park at different times of the year.

7. Short-tailed Warbler

This camouflaged bird species can be seen in the undergrowth of forests in Uganda, the democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

8. Doherty’s Bushshrike

The numbers of these birds in Uganda are probably the most stable on this list. These birds can be found in montane forests of Uganda and shrubs that are moist.

9. Bar-tailed Trogon

This bird in habits in the high altitude areas which are mostly forested.  Theses bird are common in Central and southern Africa but are rare to see.

10. Black-breasted Barbet

The giant Black-breasted Barbet has been seen by very few individuals and is highly sought after by bird watchers. Unfortunately it tends to live in areas of conflict and so it is rarely seen by tourists to this region with Uganda being one of the safest regions to possibly catch a glimpse of this magnificent bird.