These are three of the over 100 Birds of prey found in the world; giant, powerful and furious. The Hawks, Kites, and eagles are some of the must-see birds in Uganda. To an avid bird watcher, Uganda is one of the premier bird-watching destinations in the Continent of Africa, gifted by nature and landlocked. Countries neighboring Uganda include; Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. The weather is so amazing; welcoming natives; a profusion of flora & Fauna; great scenery and so much more.
Uganda has about 60 species of Hawks, kites, and eagles; with a strong beak for tearing flesh, keen eyes to spot prey at a long-range, and powerful talons, and strong legs.
Hawks.
They are members of the Accipitridae family, medium-sized day prey birds. These differ in size and spread in different places. Hawks are often confused by several other small and medium-size accipitrid. The hawk subfamilies are largely woodland birds, with a good eye-sight, and long tail. They are so swift while hunting; targeting prey at a hidden range before launching a strong attack. Other subfamily members of the Hawk family include; goshawks, sharp-shinned hawks. Others are relatively defined by their shorter tails and large wings.
There are about 200 hawk species in the world except in Antarctica. They live in marches, rainforest areas, open savannah, swamplands, deserts, mountain regions, prairies, and coastal regions among others. The features most identifiable of the hawks include; muscular legs, curved bill, and a sharp talon. Their average lifespan is about 10-20 years, though some species live up to over 30 years. The Northern Goshawk is the hark species, and weighs about 4.85 pounds. Little sparrow hawk is the smallest of all the species. Hawks hunt during daylight, have a poor sense of smell and can sail on air for about 240km per hour during a hunt.
A group of hawks is called a kettle of hawks. They are often solitary, only meeting during migration and mating. They tend to eat their catch on the ground but kill on-air or treetop. Their prey include insects, turtles, mice, crustaceans, frogs, voles, reptiles, rats, squirrels and tiny rabbits among others.
Kites.
Scientific name; Elanus calculus and a member of Accipitriformes Family; kites are one of the most beautiful and common birds in Uganda. The most common is black kites; yellow-billed kites, etc. They are so unique, strong, and swift, but mainly active during day time.
They breed numerous times in a year, have sharp eyesight, and sharps clause. Kites feed on insects, birds, grasshoppers, crickets, and some reptiles to mention but a few. They are communal birds, with a group comprised of 15- 20 members, occupying a leafy tree. They occupy the sub-Saharan deserts of Africa and Tropical Asia.
Eagles.
Scientific Name; polemaetus bellicose; the martial eagle is the most common species in Uganda. It measures 78-96cm in length and about 260cm in length of the wing. It is ranked as the 5th heaviest bird in the world. These live in the open thorn hub, woodland savanna, and woodland, feeding on snakes, lizards, Egyptian geese, mongooses, young dik-dik, hares, and some insects. They hunt in open space, and lush vegetation cover.
Where to sea Kites, Eagles and Hawks in Uganda?
Up in the sky, they fly; surveying a place for potential prey, before resting on the treetops. Rarely do they spend most of their time on the ground. These can be found during your bird-watching safari at the national parks, Ramsar sites and so much more. Visit Semuliki National park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison Falls national Park and Mabamba swamp, among others. All you must do is to keep your eyes on the horizon.
Bird watching in Uganda costs about 30usd for foreign non-residents and 10,000 for Ugandans. Don’t miss encountering these great predators and amazing birds in the Pearl of Africa.
