Uganda, a home to over 1080 bird species is without doubt Africa’s top birding destination. It protects half of all bird species that Africa boasts of and 11% of the world’s total bird population. Here is a check-list of some of the 1080 bird species found in Uganda;
Ostriches.
Ostriches are native birds to Africa and notably, it is the largest living bird on earth. Kidepo Valley National Park and Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve are the top spots where you can have a glimpse of ostriches.
Shearwaters & petrels.
These are attractive bird species in Uganda, and with 75 species still exist on earth 1 species calls Uganda a home. This includes the Antarctic giant petrel.
Grebes.
Grebes in Uganda come in small-medium large sizes, notably freshwater diving birds. 3 species of Grebes out of the 20 that exist on earth are in Uganda and they include Great crested grebe, eared grebe and little grebe.
Pelicans.
Pelicans are aquatic birds and 2 of the world’s 8 pelican species are confined in Uganda. These include the Great white and pink backed pelicans.
Cormorants.
2 of the 38 cormorant species in the world exist in Uganda including the great cormorant and long tailed cormorant.
Storks.
The different storks birds which occur in Uganda include black stork, saddle billed stork, white stork, woolly necked stork, African open-bill, Marabou stork and shoebill stork.
Ibises & spoonbills.
They include olive ibis, sacred ibis, hadada ibis, glossy ibis, Eurasian spoonbill & African spoonbill.
Darter.
Uganda is a host to the distinct African Darter.
Bitterns, herons & egrets.
These include the purple heron, Goliath, grey heron, intermediate egret, black headed heron, black heron, dwarf bittern, great bitterns, cattle egrets & striated herons.
Flamingos.
Flamingoes in Uganda include the lesser and greater flamingos commonly sighted in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Ducks, swans & geese.
Including the white backed duck, hartlaub’s duck, African black duck, white faced whistling duck, fulvous whistling duck, cape teal, Eurasian wigeon, comb duck, tufted duck, hottentot teal, spur winged goose, Egyptian goose, African pygmy goose, yellow billed duck, Northern Shoveler, northern pin tail, common pochard, Maccoa duck, red billed duck and others.
Hawks, eagles & kites.
Some of these birds include African cuckoo hawk, bat hawk, black shouldered kite, black kite, European honey buzzard, Rupell’s griffon, scissor tailed kite, lappet faced vulture, African fish eagle, hooded vulture, red kite, lammergeier, Egyptian vulture, white backed vulture, black chested snake eagle, brown snake eagle etc.
Caracaras & falcons.
These include pygmy falcon, Eurasian kestrel, greater kestrel, lesser kestrel, gray kestrel, fox kestrel, red footed falcon, amur falcon, sooty falcon, African hobby, taita falcon, peregrine falcon.
Pheasants & partridges.
Pheasants & partridges species are; Forest francolins, forest francolins, ring necked, Coqui, Shelley’s francolins, orange river, scaly, moorland, yellow necked francolins, Nahan’s francolins, the Jackson’s, handsome, common quail, stone partridge, blue quail etc.
Guinea fowls.
These mainly comprise of the crested guineafowl, vulture guineafowl and helmeted guineafowl.
Button quails.
Three species exist in Uganda including quail plover, Hottentot buttonquail and small buttonquail.
Cranes.
Uganda has 2 crane species including the black crowned crane (rarely seen) and grey crowned crane (common).
Rails, coots, gallinules & crakes.
Only 19 species of these are in Uganda including the streaky breasted, buff spotted, white spotted, African rail, corn crake, black crake, baillon’s crakes, spotted crake, Nkulengu rail, red knobbed coot, lesser moorhen, common moorhen, striped crake etc.
Other birds of Uganda include African Finfoot, sun grebes, bustards, nightjars, jacanas, secretary bird, greater painted snipe, avocets & stilts, thick-knees, pratincoles & coursers, plovers & lapwings, turacos, gulls, terns, African skimmers, pittas, pigeons & doves, parrots, cuckoos, barn owls, swifts.
The other check list of birds in Uganda include mouse birds, trogon, kingfishers, bee-eaters, rollers, woodhoopoes, woodpeckers & allies, broad bills, larks, swallows and martins, horn bills, bulbuls, barbets, honey guides, wagtails & pipits, cuckoo shrikes, thrushes & allies, cisticolas & warblers.
Also expect to look out for the old world flycatchers; 59 species of these are in Uganda including the Northern black flycatcher, African gray flycatcher, pale flycatcher, silver bird, spotted flycatchers and African forest flycatchers.
