BIRDING IN SAVANNAHS,FORESTS AND WETLANDS IN UGANDA

  Birding

Uganda has the highest number of bird species that any other existing African country on the planet earth. Relatively small in size, yet Uganda can boast a rich list of at least 1013 bird species. This figure represents more than half the bird species that can be found on the whole continent.
The key to Uganda’s diversity is its arid semi desert, rich savannahs, lowland and montane rain forests, vast wetlands, volcanoes and afro- alpine zone covering altitudes from  650 – 5109 meters.

Forests
Situated on the equator, Uganda has an area synonymous with the great rainforest on its western border. Subsequently there is a good number of west and central African bird species arriving in Uganda but can not be traced in any other part  around East Africa.
There are more than 700 forest reserves in Uganda alone. One particular region is the Albertan rift valley area (ARE), which has 49 species of birds confined to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo. Of these ARE’s, Uganda has 25, mostly confined to the forests of Mgahinga and Bwindi National parks in the south-west.

Wetlands
Currently wetlands constitute 30,000 square kilometers of Uganda’s total land contain 210 species from the shoebill and African skimmer to the endemic Fox’s weaver. Also present are papyrus endemics; papyrus Gonolek, papyrus Canary, white-winged warbler and the papyrus Yellow warbler. A white- winged black Tern roost of 2 – 3million birds in the Entebbe area.

Savannahs
From the remote, semi- desert, arid thorn- shrub region of Karamoja in the north-west, to the richer fertile savannahs of the rift valley, Queen Elizabeth National park has a bird list of 602 species, the highest for any protected area in Africa.
Here are some of the thorn shrub birds; swallow- tailed Kite, pygmy falcon Kestrel Quail Plover Black-headed Plover Liechtenstein’s and four –banded sand, Grouse Kori, Black- bellied and Hartlaub’s, Bustards White-crested, Turaco white-bellied, Go-away bird, Piapia, Bristle crowned, Sterling  Abyssian, Roller Abyssian, Ground Horn bill Karamoja, Apalis, Yellow- billed shrike, Pygmy sunbird, Brown- rumped Bunting.

Kampala and Entebbe
There are over 550 species for the region, a sub urban garden list of 206species and one of the largest urban breeding colonies of the Marabou storks.

Guides
There is good information about birds in Uganda both on a national and local level majorly compiled by the Uganda Bird Guides’  Club. The formation of the Uganda Bird Guides' Club has helped to establish local site guides who are increasingly becoming the basis of tourism development in Uganda.
Uganda now has 2 bird guide trainers as accredited by Birdlife South Africa, 8 trained guides at a National Level and 15 site guides.
Uganda has variety of bird tours to choose from once you visit the country. Being a country endowed with a wide range of birds covering a vast area of its land, there has been need for the increase in the number of tour safaris in the country
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  I organise sport birding trips for individuals, groups and families.
email; fred@pinnaclesafaris.com or fredlutaaya@hotmail.com