Visit your favourite destinations |
A Report from birdtours.co.uk |
Uganda 14th July-5th Aug 2004,
Phil Benstead, Norfolk, UK
Introduction
I spent the period between 14th July and 5th August 2004 birding in Uganda on a privately organised trip with five other people. We used Herbert Byaruhanga of Uganda Bird Safaris as our ground agent and would not hesitate to recommend him to others, we had a great time. Herbert can be contacted on byaruhanga@hotmail.com. Our itinerary was designed in consultation with Herbert and worked reasonably well - possible improvements are discussed below. Herbert accompanied us throughout the trip and is a useful guy in the field and knows all the major sites and a number of great little stop-offs en route to places. Herbert was flexible during the trip and happy to make changes to the itinerary. Make sure you get Herbert to lead your trip if you use his services! Herbert has a network of local guides that he uses wherever possible and on the whole these guys are very good and definitely added value to our trip. We only had reservations about the guide at Bwindi who failed to measure up to the high standards set by the majority. Herbert charged us an all-inclusive $2780 per person (including gorilla permits) which as it was timed with a fall in the value of the US dollar worked out reasonably well.
We flew with British Airways - booking well in advance secured the best seat prices (£560). Remember to get a visa in advance - available for Uganda High Commission in London - and do check that you are up to date with all your vaccinations. We all took Doxycycline as a malaria prophylaxis.
We could not heed Sam Woods' excellent advice re timing of trips due to other commitments but can only reinforce what he says on the subject. July/August is great for seeing grassland species (eg bishops and widows) in full plumage, and the weather is benign, but it is a very hard time to be birding generally, especially during dry spells. We had little response to tapes and found things very difficult, especially at Bwindi. Consider going in April/May (during short wet season) or September (just at start of big wet) for better birding (although the roads may be tricky at this time - best to check with Herbert). African green broadbill nests are usually located in April/May and staked out at Mubwindi.
We found the people of Uganda to be very welcoming and experienced no trouble of any kind. The recent successful attacks on the Lords Republican Army by the UPDF in the Sudan are likely to signal the end of this movement and may ensure that the Foreign Office advisory against travel to and within Murchison Falls NP will soon be lifted.
Strategy and tips
We followed the itinerary outlined below:
Day 1 | Overnight flight from London Heathrow arrived in the early morning. Herbert picked us up and drove us onto to Mabamba for the shoebill. Afternoon spent resting in Kampala (Red Chilli Lodge) - OK birding in garden. |
Day 2 | Drove to Lake Mburo - stopping off en route for brief look at Mpanga Forest (just outside Kampala) and at Kaaku Swamp. Birding into Mburo during late afternoon. Night walk for owls in vicinity of campsite. |
Day 3 | Pre-dawn session for nightjars. Boat trip out onto Lake Mburo and brief (but successful) search for red-faced barbet before heading to Bwindi - arriving at dusk. |
Day 4 | Gorilla tracking at Buhoma in the early morning. A quick finish meant the rest of day up main track birding. |
Day 5 | All day birding up main track at Buhoma. |
Day 6 | Birding to Ruhiza, great birding en route including the forest at The Neck. Afternoon spent on track through good disturbed forest. Evening drive for mammals. |
Day 7 | The descent to the Mubwindi Swamp and the big dip experience. Evening drive for nightjars and owls. |
Day 8 | Birding through bamboo zone at Ruhiza, stop at Lake Bunyoni and on to Kisoro, late pm spent at wetland near Kisoro. |
Day 9 | All day birding Mgahinga. |
Day 10 | Drive to Queen Elizabeth NP. Stopping en route along shores of Lake Bunyoni. Arrive at QENP (Mweya) at dusk. Spotlighting around campsite in evening. |
Day 11 | Game drives during the morning. Boat trip along Kazinga Channel in the afternoon. |
Day 12 | Drive over to Jacana Lodge, pm spent birding in Maramagembo Forest. |
Day 13 | Drive to Bundibugyo, birding in Semliki Forest en route. |
Day 14 | Birding Kirumia Trail (Semliki NP) all day. |
Day 15 | Birding Hot Springs Trails (Semliki NP) all day, drive out birding scarp forest to Fort Portal. |
Day 16 | am spent birding nearby Kithingama Swamp before drive to Budongo (arrival at dusk). |
Day 17 | All day birding Royal Mile and cultivated areas thereabouts. |
Day 18 | All day birding Busingiro section and Royal Mile. Evening spotlighting session for mammals along Royal Mile. |
Day 19 | Birding along road to Butiaba escarpment and on into Murchison Falls NP. |
Day 20 | am boat to delta for shoebills, pm game drive to Falls, dusk at bat cave and night drive back for nightjars. |
Day 21 | All day north of Nile on game drives (we cancelled our afternoon boat ride to the base of the falls). |
Day 22 | Drive south, stopping at Kanio Pabidi (Budongo) for chimp and Puvel's illadopsis en route to Kampala. |
Day 23 | am birding Mabira Forest, quick visit to source of Nile before lunch and early return to Kampala. |
Day 24 | Flight home |
In hindsight I would offer the following advice:
References
We used the following field-guides during the trip (mostly the first but dipping into the others of an evening or during long drives):
Stevenson and Fanshawe (2002) Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa. T & A D Poyser.Zimmerman et al. (1996) Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Helm.Borrow and Demey (2002) A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa. Helm.Kingdon (1997) The Kingdon field guide to African mammals. Academic Press.
We used gen included within:
Roussouw and Sacchi (1998) Where to watch birds in Uganda. Uganda Tourist Board.Sam Woods (2002) Uganda 5th-26th August. Unpublished trip report available on birdtours website.Jan Vermeulen (2002) Uganda, July 2002. Unpublished trip report available on birdtours website.Most of the essential bird songs and calls are included on the epic CD collection:Chappuis (2000) Birds of North, West and Central Africa and neighbouring Atlantic Islands. SEOF.We also bought a BLOWS recording of the African Green Broadbill for good measure. To order contact Richard Ranft (British Library of Wildlife Sounds).
Acknowledgments
My thanks go to primarily to Herbert and the members of his excellent guide network who did their utmost to get us onto as many birds as possible. The dips were sadly mostly our fault! I also thank the rest of the crew - it would have been a very different trip without you guys - so thanks go to Gordon Allison, Nigel and Carol Mears and Graeme and Moira Wallace. Thanks also too to Pete, Alan, Ashley and Neil for gen and advice at Budongo and Murchison. Finally thanks to Sam Woods and Jan Vermeulen for putting their web gen out there.
Sites visited
14/7 Mabamba
Close to Kampala we visited this site on our first morning, fresh from an overnight flight! We just sat in the boat and enjoyed the shoebill basically. Other highlights included: African pygmy-goose, purple swamphen and Weyn's weaver.
15/7 Mpanga Forest
Just outside Kampala - we stopped here for a couple of hours en route to Lake Mburo, it was the only place we saw yellow-mantled weaver and looks like a great spot although Mabira Forest is obviously much better.
15-16/7 Lake Mburo
This fantastic site deserves more time than we were able to give it. We stayed in the tented camp, which was great for night birding. In the morning the boat trip was great but then we had very little time to chase down the many species that just creep into Uganda in this park (eg long-tailed cisticola). Highlights included: African finfoot (boat), coqui francolin, wood sandpiper, emerald-spotted wood-dove, African scops-owl, red-faced barbet, Nubian woodpecker, green-backed woodpecker, African reed warbler, white-winged warbler (boat), red-faced crombec, marico sunbird, papyrus gonolek (boat), spectacled weaver and red-headed weaver.
16-21/7 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
This is the spot to chase down the Albertine Rift endemics and we had an awful time of it. Conditions were very dry and on some days bird activity was very low. Tape response was poor - although perhaps an artefact that every guide uses playback, which must be making birds tape-shy? Buhoma was very hard work generally but is a great spot. We stayed at the basic but acceptable "Bwindi View" bandas. Buhoma is the base for the famous gorilla tracking activities and we were not disappointed on this front, getting excellent views just behind our accommodation! Gorilla tracking permits cost $250 per person and must be arranged as far in advance as you can manage. We picked up Emmy as a guide here (and he stayed with us through to Mgahinga).
Ruhiza was excellent. Herbert's mobile catering unit (a chef on a moped) kicked into action and we had a very pleasant stay in the basic hostel here. We could have used another day at Ruhiza however to try and track down the African green broadbill - a monstrous dip that left us all in a sour mood.
Highlights a plenty at Bwindi however included: mountain buzzard (Ruhiza), Ayre's hawk-eagle (Buhoma), handsome francolin (Ruhiza), black-billed turaco, barred long-tailed cuckoo (Ruhiza), African wood-owl (Ruhiza), Rwenzori nightjar (Ruhiza), scarce swift (Buhoma), bar-tailed trogon, cinnamon-chested bee-eater, black bee-eater (Buhoma), western green tinkerbird (Ruhiza), Tullberg's woodpecker, Elliot's woodpecker (Buhoma), African broadbill (Buhoma), Petit's cuckoo-shrike (Buhoma), grey cuckoo-shrike (Ruhiza), Ansorge's greenbul (Buhoma), equatorial akalat (Buhoma), red-throated alethe (Buhoma), white-bellied robin-chat (Buhoma), olive thrush (Ruhiza), white-tailed ant-thrush, Grauer's rush-warbler (Ruhiza), short-tailed warbler (Buhoma), black-faced rufous warbler, Grauer's warbler, banded prinia, black-throated apalis (Buhoma), mountain masked apalis, yellow-eyed black-flycatcher, ashy flycatcher (The Neck), dusky-blue flycatcher (Buhoma), chinspot batis (Ruhiza), Rwenzori batis, black-and-white shrike-flycatcher (Buhoma), white-bellied crested-flycatcher, mountain illadopsis (Buhoma), African hill-babbler (Ruhiza), dusky tit, blue-throated brown sunbird (Buhoma), blue-headed sunbird (Buhoma), northern double-collared sunbird (Buhoma), grey-headed sunbird (Buhoma), Mackinnon's fiscal, sooty boubou (Buhoma), pink-footed puffback (Buhoma), Doherty's bush-shrike (Ruhiza), white-naped raven (Ruhiza), montane oriole (Ruhiza), African golden oriole (Ruhiza), Stuhlmann's starling (Ruhiza), narrow-tailed starling (Buhoma), Waller's starling (Ruhiza), strange weaver (Ruhiza), brown-capped weaver, black-billed weaver, dusky crimsonwing (Ruhiza), yellow-bellied waxbill (Ruhiza), magpie mannikin (Buhoma), yellow-crowned canary (Buhoma), thick-billed seedeater, streaky seedeater (Ruhiza) and oriole finch (Buhoma).
21/7 and 23/7 Lake Bunyoni
Quick stops here produced some entertaining birding (plus great views of spot-necked otter). Highlights included: little rush warbler and northern masked weaver (the latter apparently expanding its range in Africa).
21/7 wetland near Kisoro
We visited this spot at the end of a day largely spent in the minibus. A pleasant wetland site. Highlights included: little grebe, lanner and "Jackson's pipit" (race of grassland pipit).
22/7 Mgahinga
We elected to visit this site in order to have a chance of Rwenzori turaco, which are very easy here. We walked to the gorge and back but would have liked to have gone round the loop trail (too far according to Herbert). Other highlights included: dusky turtle dove, Cape robin-chat, Kivu ground-thrush, white-tailed crested-flycatcher and Rwenzori double-collared sunbird.
23/7 Echuya Forest
Great stop en route to Mgahinga. Try an do it early in the morning though as the road is dusty and once the traffic starts up it gets pretty unpleasant. We saw a lot of birds here during a short space of time including our best views of white-browed crombec and my only olive woodpecker.
23-26/7 Queen Elizabeth NP
We spent two nights at the hostel at Mweya and one night at the delightful Jacana Lodge on the outskirts of the park. Game drives from Mweya were poor on the whole, although we did see giant hog around the HQ area and in the park and kob are plentiful throughout. Birding here was also rather disappointing on the whole. We only had a short amount of time in the Maramagembo Forest (close to Jacana Lodge), which would have repaid more work I suspect. Highlights included: great white pelican, little egret, yellow-billed stork, glossy ibis, blue quail, African crake, collared pratincole, crowned lapwing, Kittlitz's plover, common greenshank, African skimmer, alpine swift, Narina trogon (Maramagembo Forest), least honeyguide (Maramagembo Forest), rufous-naped lark, red-capped lark, little grey greenbul (Maramagembo Forest), brown-chested alethe (Maramagembo Forest), red-capped robin-chat, brown-backed scrub-robin, stout cisticola, yellow-bellied wattle-eye (Maramagembo Forest and my bird of the trip!), purple-headed starling, lesser masked weaver, little weaver, compact weaver, red bishop and common waxbill.
26-28/7 Semliki NP
To do this site justice you need to give it a few more days and camp along the Kirumia trail but we did not regret our quick snapshot at the avifauna. We stayed in a basic hotel in Bundibugyo, which was at least an hour away from the park and meant that we never got into the field very early. We spent one day along the Kirumia trail with the splendid Godfrey (easily the best birder out of our many guides during the trip. The next day was spent along the Hot Springs trail where despite Godfrey's absence we managed to see a number of great birds bit it was generally quieter. What you really need is at least three whole days camping up the Kirumia trail. Highlights here included: piping hornbill, red-billed dwarf hornbill, white-crested hornbill, black-casqued wattled hornbill, red-rumped tinkerbird, rufous-sided broadbill, icterine greenbul, swamp palm bulbul, crested malimbe and blue-billed malimbe.
29/7 Kithingama Swamp
We overnighted at Fort Portal en route to Budongo and this allowed us a morning at this site just outside town. Habitat here consists of a swamp surrounded by low, scrubby secondary forest and cultivation. It is a good site for a number of birds that are hard to find elsewhere and we scored with speckle-breasted woodpecker, Cabanis's greenbul and joyful greenbul (all of which we failed to find at other sites).
29/7 - 1/8 and 4/8 Budongo
Splendid forest birding here and the surrounding cultivation is good too. We stayed three nights in a basic hostel near the Royal Mile whilst birding the Royal Mile itself as well as the great forest in the Busingiro section. On our last day we drove to Murchison via the Butiaba escarpment - a very enjoyable day's birding. We elected to bird the outlying Kanio Pabidi section later on the drive between Murchison and Kampala and this worked well. Whilst at the Royal Mile we used the excellent Vincent as a guide and he put us onto to a lot of great birds. Highlights included: crested guineafowl (Kanio Pabidi), Nahan's francolin (Busingiro section), red-headed lovebird, Madagascar lesser cuckoo, black cuckoo, mottled swift, Eurasian swift, mottled spinetail, Cassin's spinetail, shining-blue kingfisher, white-thighed hornbill, Cameroon sombre greenbul, spotted greenbul, Uganda woodland warbler, lemon-bellied crombec, yellow longbill, grey longbill, rufous-crowned eromomela, whistling cisticola, black-capped apalis, forest flycatcher, chestnut-capped flycatcher, brown illadopsis, Puvel's illadopsis (Kanio Pabidi), superb sunbird, grey-headed oliveback, brown twinspot and Cabanis's bunting. Two of us scored with chimp at Kanio Pabidi.
1-4/8 Murchison Falls NP
Fantastic park. We stayed in the comfortable Red Chilli Lodge on the south side of the Nile. North of the Nile the game numbers are more like you would expect from an east African savannah and there are plenty of birds to keep you occupied on both sides. Make sure you do a drive to the falls for dusk (bathawk) and the drive back is good for nightjars. The boat ride to the delta was excellent for shoebill. Highlights included: little bittern, Madagascar pond-heron (one in small roadside pool after dropping off the Butiaba escarpment en route to park), black-crowned night-heron, intermediate egret, osprey, shoebill (3-4), white-headed vulture, Eurasian marsh harrier, eastern chanting-goshawk, dark chanting-goshawk, bat hawk, Heuglin's francolin, harlequin quail, Senegal thick-knee, rock pratincole, vinaceous dove, Namaqua dove, spotted eagle-owl, long-tailed nightjar, swamp nightjar, horus swift, giant kingfisher, swallow-tailed bee-eater, red-throated bee-eater, northern carmine bee-eater, black scimitarbill, Abyssinian ground-hornbill, white-headed barbet (Butiaba escarpment), black-billed barbet (Butiaba escarpment), spotted mourning-thrush, northern crombec (Butiaba escarpment), rattling cisticola, singing cisticola (Butiaba escarpment), red-faced cisticola (Butiaba escarpment), foxy cisticola, red-winged grey warbler, silverbird, brown babbler (Butiaba escarpment), beautiful sunbird, grey-headed bush-shrike (Butiaba escarpment), lesser blue-eared starling, rufous sparrow, speckle-fronted weaver, white-browed sparrow-weaver, chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaver, vitelline weaver, cardinal quelea, northern red bishop, black-winged red bishop, red-winged pytilia, bar-breasted firefinch, black-rumped waxbill, black-faced waxbill, cinnamon-breasted rock bunting (Butiaba escarpment) and brown-rumped bunting.
5/8 Mabira Forest
This was our last site and we were more than a little tired, nevertheless a morning here allowed us to fill a few gaps in the list - most notably I caught up with Jameson's wattle-eye after failing to see it at Semliki. We used Ibrahim as our guide and he took us some distance from the HQ in the van to a track leading off the main road. The birding here was fantastic. Highlights included: forest wood-hoopoe, buff-spotted woodpecker, purple-throated cuckoo-shrike, blue-shouldered robin-chat, Jameson's wattle-eye and red-headed bluebill.
Birds recorded in Uganda between 14th July and 5th August 2004
Sites visited: Mabamba (MB) 14/7; Mpanga Forest (MP) 15/7; Lake Mburo (LM) 15-16/7; Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Buhoma (BH) and Ruhiza (RZ) 16-21/7; Lake Bunyoni (LB) 21/7 and 23/7; wetland near Kisoro (KW) 23/7; Mgahinga (MG) 22/7; Echuya Forest (EF) 23/7; Queen Elizabeth NP (QE) 23-26/7; Semliki (SM) 26-28/7; Kithingama Swamp (KS) 29/7; Budongo (B) 29/7 - 1/8 and 4/8; Murchison Falls NP (MU) 1-4/8; and Mabira Forest (MF) 5/8.
Great white pelican | Pelecanus onocrotalus | QE |
Pink-backed pelican | P. rufescens | widespread |
Little grebe | Tachybaptus ruficollis | KW |
Great cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | widespread |
Long-tailed cormorant | P. africanus | widespread |
African darter | Anhinga rufa | MU, Kampala area |
African finfoot | Podica senegalensis | LM - female and juvenile from boat |
Little bittern | Ixobrychus minuta | MU |
Black-crowned night-heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | MU |
Cattle egret | Bubulcus ibis | widespread |
Common squacco heron | Ardeola ralloides | widespread |
Madagascar pond-heron | A. idea | single on small roadside pool en route to MU on 1/8 was a big surprise |
Striated heron | Butorides striatus | LM, MU |
Rufous-bellied heron | Ardeola rufiventris | single at Kaaku Swamp (en route to LM), another en route to MU on 1/8 |
Little egret | Egretta garzetta | QE |
Intermediate egret | Mesophoyx intermedia | MU |
Great egret | Casmerodius albus | Kaaku Swamp, QE, MU |
Goliath heron | Ardea goliath | MB, LM, QE, MU |
Purple heron | A. purpurea | widespread |
Grey heron | A. cinerea | widespread |
Black-headed heron | A. melanocephala | widespread |
Hamerkop | Scopus umbretta | widespread |
Yellow-billed stork | Mycteria ibis | QE |
Wooly-necked stork | Ciconia episcopus | Kabale, en route to RZ |
African open-billed stork | Anastomus lamelligerus | widespread |
Saddle-billed stork | Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis | QE, MU, en route to Kampala |
Marabou stork | Leptoptilos crumeniferus | widespread |
Shoebill | Balaeniceps rex | single at MB, at least three at MU |
Sacred ibis | Threskiornis aethiopicus | widespread |
Hadada ibis | Bostrychia hagedash | widespread |
Glossy ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | QE |
African spoonbill | Platalea alba | KW, QE |
Egyptian goose | Alopochen aegyptiacus | KW, QE, MU |
Spur-winged goose | Plectropterus gambensis | Kaaku Swamp, MU |
Knob-billed duck | Sarkidiornis melanotos | Kaaku Swamp, QE, MU |
African pygmy-goose | Nettapus auritus | 2 at MB |
White-faced whistling-duck | Dendrocygna viduata | MB, MU |
Hottentot teal | Anas hottentota | Kaaku Swamp |
Yellow-billed duck | A. undulata | widespread |
Black kite | Milvus migrans | widespread |
Black-shouldered kite | Elanus caeruleus | MG, MU |
African fish-eagle | Haliaeetus vocifer | widespread |
Palm-nut vulture | Gypohierax angolensis | widespread |
Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | MU (single) |
Hooded vulture | Necrosyrtes monachus | Kampala area |
White-headed vulture | Trigonoceps occipitalis | 2 birds (adult female and sub-adult) in the vicinity of a kill at MU |
African white-backed vulture | Gyps africanus | QE, MU |
Ruppell's griffon vulture | G. rueppellii | LM, QE, MU |
Lappet-faced vulture | Torgos tracheliotus | QE, MU |
Black-chested snake-eagle | Circaetus pectoralis | Kaaku Swamp, QE |
Brown snake-eagle | C. cinereus | singles at QE and en route to MU |
Western banded snake-eagle | C. cinerascens | single en route to MU |
African marsh harrier | Circus ranivorus | MB, Kaaku Swamp, MU |
Eurasian marsh harrier | Circus aeruginosus | single female at MU |
Eastern chanting-goshawk | Melierax poliopterus | MU |
Dark chanting-goshawk | M. metabates | MU |
Lizard buzzard | Kaupifalco monogrammicus | MB, QE, B |
Shikra | Accipiter badius | MB, Kampala, en route to MU |
African goshawk | A. tachiro | BH, EF, B. There was some confusion at Buhoma over the identity of an immature raptor (being claimed by local birders as a Congo serpent eagle) - examination of photographs when we got home revealed that it was in fact this species. |
Great sparrowhawk | A. melanoleucos | LB (pair), B (three birds) |
Bat hawk | Macheiramphus alcinus | single at dusk at the bat cave at MU |
African harrier-hawk | Polyboroides typus | widespread |
Augur buzzard | Buteo augur | widespread |
Mountain buzzard | B. oreophilus | RZ |
Tawny eagle | Aquila rapax | single going south along the escarpment near Butiaba on 1/8 |
Wahlberg's eagle | A. wahlbergi | widespread |
Ayre's hawk-eagle | Hieraaetus ayresii | BH (single) |
Bateleur | Terathopius ecaudatus | LM, en route to Bwindi, QE, MU |
Long-crested eagle | Lophaetus occipitalis | widespread |
Martial eagle | Polemaetus bellicosus | singles at QE and en route to MU |
African crowned eagle | Stephanoetus coronatus | BH (single), B (2 pairs) |
Common kestrel | Falco tinnunculus | single en route to Bwindi |
Grey kestrel | F. ardosiacus | en route to LM, MU area (including one taking bats at the bat cave) |
African hobby | F. cuvieri | 3 from garden of Red Chilli Lodge, Kampala |
Eurasian hobby | F. subbuteo | single from garden of Red Chilli Lodge, Kampala |
Lanner falcon | F. biarmicus | 2 birds at KW |
Peregrine falcon | F. peregrinus | single hunting successfully in Bundibugyu |
Helmeted guineafowl | Numida meleagris | LM, QE, MU |
Crested guineafowl | Guttera pucherani | B - three birds in response to proactive playback at Kanio Pabidi |
[Scaly francolin] | Francolinus squamatus | [QE] |
Nahan's francolin | F. nahani | B - three birds whistled in by Vincent gave good views |
Handsome francolin | F. nobilis | RZ - single taped in at the end of the bamboo zone |
Coqui francolin | F. coqui | single seen well at close range at LM |
Heuglin's francolin | F. icterorhynchus | [B], MU - 4+ birds seen during game drives including a very amorous male in full display |
Crested francolin | F. sephaena | LM, MU area (numerous in habitat) |
Red-necked spurfowl | F. afer | LM, QE |
Harlequin quail | Coturnix delagorguei | MU - single on track |
Blue quail | C. adansonii | QE - single fluttered across track to Jacana Lodge |
Common button-quail | Turnix sylvatica | QE, MU (patchily common at both sites) |
White-spotted flufftail | Sarothrura pulchra | [QE], KS, B, [MF] |
African crake | Crex egregia | QE - 2 birds from game drives |
Black crake | Amaurornis flavirostris | widespread |
Purple swamphen | Porphyrio porphyrio | MB |
Common moorhen | Gallinula chloropus | Kaaku Swamp, KW |
African jacana | Actophilornis africanus | widespread |
Grey crowned crane | Balearica regulorum | widespread in south |
Black-bellied bustard | Eupodotis melanogaster | LM, MU (singles) |
Water thick-knee | Burhinus vermiculatus | LM, QE |
Senegal thick-knee | B. senegalensis | MU (single) |
Collared pratincole | Glareola pratincola | QE |
Rock pratincole | G. nuchalis | MU |
Spur-winged lapwing | Vanellus spinosus | QE, MU |
Long-toed lapwing | V. crassirostris | MB, Kaaku Swamp, MU |
African wattled lapwing | V. senegalensis | LM, QE, MU |
Crowned lapwing | V. coronatus | QE |
Black-headed lapwing | V. tectus | en route to MU, MU |
Senegal lapwing | V. lugubris | LM, QE |
Brown-chested lapwing | V. superciliosus | LM (6), QE (2) |
Kittlitz's plover | Charadrius pecuarius | QE |
Three-banded plover | C. tricollaris | QE, SM |
Common sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos | QE, MU |
Wood sandpiper | Tringa glareola | LM |
Common greenshank | Tringa nebularia | QE |
Grey-headed gull | Larus cirrocephalus | MB, QE |
African skimmer | Rhynchops flavirostris | QE |
White-winged tern | Chlidonias leucopterus | MB, QE, MU |
African green pigeon | Treron calva | widespread |
Speckled pigeon | Columba guinea | Kampala, Kisoro |
Afep pigeon | C. unicincta | [SM], B |
Olive pigeon | C. arquatrix | RZ, BH, EF, SM |
Feral pigeon | C. livia | widespread |
Emerald-spotted wood-dove | Turtur chalcospilos | LM |
Blue-spotted wood-dove | T. afer | BH, QE, B |
Black-billed wood-dove | T. abyssinicus | en route to MU, MU |
Tambourine dove | T. typanistria | widespread |
Namaqua dove | Oena capensis | en route to MU, MU |
Ring-necked dove | Streptopelia capicola | LM, QE, MU |
Red-eyed dove | S. semitorquata | widespread |
African mourning dove | S. decipens | QE, SM, MU |
Vinaceous dove | S. vinacea | MU (single) |
Laughing dove | S. senegalensis | QE, MU |
Dusky turtle dove | S. lugens | MG |
Brown parrot | Poicephalus meyeri | LM, Kampala, Masindi |
Grey parrot | Psittacus erithacus | BH (pair flying over high), Bundibugyo (pair), B (70+ flying to roost) |
Red-headed lovebird | Agapornis pullarius | B (2 sightings of singles) |
Great blue turaco | Corythaeola cristata | widespread |
Ross's turaco | Musophaga rossae | Kampala, LM, BH, B |
Rwenzori turaco | Tauraco johnstoni | MG (common at this site) |
White-crested turaco | T. leucolophus | B, MU |
Black-billed turaco | T. schuetti | BH, RZ (heard elsewhere) |
Bare-faced go-away-bird | Corythaixoides personata | LM area, QE area |
Eastern grey plantain-eater | Crinifer zonurus | widespread |
Black-and-white cuckoo | Oxylophus jacobinus | single near MF |
Madagascar lesser cuckoo | Cuculus rochii | single seen well at B |
Red-chested cuckoo | C. solitarius | 1 immature at BH, common at B |
Black cuckoo | C. clamosus | 1 at B |
Barred long-tailed cuckoo | Cercococcyx montanus | RZ (single) |
Dusky long-tailed cuckoo | C. mechowi | BH, SM, [B] |
Diederik cuckoo | Chrysococcyx caprius | LM, MU |
Klaas's cuckoo | C. klaas | widespread |
African emerald cuckoo | C. cupreus | MB, BH, B |
Yellowbill | Ceuthmochares aereus | BH, B, MF |
White-browed coucal | Centropus superciliosus | widespread |
Blue-headed coucal | C. monachus | MB, KW, MU |
Senegal coucal | C. senegalensis | B, [MU] |
[Black-throated coucal] | C. leucogaster | [SM] |
African wood-owl | Strix woodfordii | RZ, [Kisoro] |
[Barn owl] | Tyto alba | [B] - almost certainly heard from the hostel pre-dawn but this is viewed with some scepticism by Herbert and Vincent! |
African scops-owl | Otus senegalensis | LM - we walked in on calling birds near the campsite after dusk |
Verreaux's eagle-owl | Bubo lacteus | QE, MU (singles) |
Spotted eagle-owl | Bubo africanus | 2 birds during night drive at MU - note that this cinarescens race is split by Clements as "grayish eagle-owl" |
Square-tailed nightjar | Caprimulgus fossii | LM, QE |
Long-tailed nightjar | C. climacurus | 1 during night drive at MU |
Swamp nightjar | C. natalensis | MU - female hunting at dawn from the Red Chilli Lodge |
Rwenzori nightjar | C. ruwenzorii | RZ - singles noted on two occasions from or on the roads around the resthouse. Lumped into montane nightjar by Clements. |
Black-shouldered nightjar | C. nigriscapularis | LM, B |
Pennant-winged nightjar | Macrodipteryx vexilllaris | QE, B, MU |
Little swift | Apus affinis | widespread |
White-rumped swift | A. caffer | widespread |
Horus swift | A. horus | 2 over falls at MU |
Mottled swift | A. aequatorialis | single swift over B during weather related passage of swifts was considered to be this species |
Alpine swift | A. melba | QE |
Eurasian swift | A. apus | B (small numbers) |
Scarce swift | Schoutedenapus myoptilus | BH - birds flying high over the forest here were considered to be this species |
African palm swift | Cypsiurus parvus | SM, B, MU |
Sabine's spinetail | Rhaphidura sabini | B (small numbers over forest), MF |
Cassin's spinetail | R. cassini | B (2 over forest) |
Speckled mousebird | Colius striatus | widespread |
Blue-naped mousebird | Urocolius macrourus | LM, QE, MU |
Narina trogon | Apaloderma narina | QE (Maramagembo) |
Bar-tailed trogon | A. vittatum | BH, RZ |
Pied kingfisher | Ceryle rudis | widespread |
Striped kingfisher | Halcyon chelicuti | MB, LM, [B], MU |
Grey-headed kingfisher | H. leucocephala | widespread |
Giant kingfisher | Megaceryle maxima | single bird on Nile at MU. |
Woodland kingfisher | Halccyon senegalensis | en route to RZ |
Blue-breasted kingfisher | H. malimbica | QE, [SM], B |
Chocolate-backed kingfisher | H. badia | SM, [B] |
Malachite kingfisher | Alcedo cristata | MB, LM, LB |
African pygmy-kingfisher | Ispidina picta | MB, QE, MU |
African dwarf-kingfisher | I. lecontei | QE, SM, B |
Shining-blue kingfisher | Alcedo quadribrachys | [SM], B |
Little bee-eater | Merops pusillus | LM, QE |
Cinnamon-chested bee-eater | M. oreobates | BH, RZ |
Blue-breasted bee-eater | M. variegatus | MB, LB, MU |
White-throated bee-eater | M. albicollis | Kampala, QE, B |
Swallow-tailed bee-eater | M. hirundineus | MU area |
Black bee-eater | M. gularis | BH (2) |
Madagascar bee-eater | M. supercilosus | QE, MU |
Red-throated bee-eater | M. bulocki | MU |
Northern carmine bee-eater | M. nubicus | MU |
Broad-billed roller | Eurystomus glaucurus | MB, MU area |
Blue-throated roller | E. gularis | The Neck (flight view), SM (single perched) |
Lilac-breasted roller | Coracias caudata | en route to LM |
Green wood-hoopoe | Phoeniculus purpureus | QE, MU |
Forest wood-hoopoe | P. castaneiceps | MF (single) |
Black scimitarbill | Rhinopomastus aterrimus | MU |
African grey hornbill | Tockus nasutus | LM, MU area |
Crowned hornbill | T. alboterminatus | MB, MP, MG, SM |
African pied hornbill | T. fasciatus | MB, MP, SM, MU |
Piping hornbill | Bycanistes fistulator | SM |
Red-billed dwarf hornbill | Tockus camurus | SM |
White-crested hornbill | Tropicranus albocristatus | SM |
Black-and-white casqued hornbill | Bycanistes subcylindricus | widespread |
White-thighed hornbill | B. cylindricus | B |
Black-casqued wattled hornbill | Ceratogymna atrata | SM |
Abyssinian ground-hornbill | Bucorvus abyssinicus | MU (pair) |
Yellow-rumped tinkerbird | Pogoniulus bilineatus | widespread |
Yellow-throated tinkerbird | P. subsulphureus | widespread |
Red-rumped tinkerbird | P. atroflavus | SM |
Western green tinkerbird | P. coryphaeus | RZ |
Speckled tinkerbird | P. scolopaceus | widespread |
Grey-throated barbet | Gymnobucco bonapartei | BH, MF |
Yellow-fronted tinkerbird | Pogoniulus chrysoconus | Kampala, QE, MF |
Spot-flanked barbet | Trcholaema lacrymosa | LM, QE, MU area |
Hairy-breasted barbet | T. hirsuta | MP, BH, MF |
Yellow-spotted barbet | Buccanodon duchaillui | [MP], BH, B |
White-headed barbet | Lybius leucocephalus | en route to MU |
Black-billed barbet | L. guifsobalito | en route to MU |
Red-faced barbet | L. rubrifacies | LM (single) |
Double-toothed barbet | L. bidentatus | Kampala (2), MU (1) |
Yellow-billed barbet | Trachylaemus purpuratus | SM, [B], MF |
Greater honeyguide | Indicator indicator | LM, en route to MU |
Lesser honeyguide | I. minor | QE, KS, en route to MU |
Willcock's honeyguide | I. willcocksi | BH, B |
Least honeyguide | I. exilis | QE (Maramagembo) - single |
Tullberg's woodpecker | Campethera tullbergi | BH, RZ |
Buff-spotted woodpecker | C. nivosa | MF |
Brown-eared woodpecker | C. caroli | QE, SM, B |
Nubian woodpecker | C. nubica | LM |
Green-backed woodpecker | C. cailliautii | LM |
Cardinal woodpecker | Dendropicos fuscescens | BH, RZ, QE |
Elliott's woodpecker | D. elliottii | BH |
Speckle-breasted woodpecker | D. poecilolaemus | single female at KS |
Yellow-crested woodpecker | D. xantholophus | BH, SM, B, MF |
Grey woodpecker | D. goertae | QE, MU |
Olive woodpecker | D. griseocephalus | [MG], EF |
African broadbill | Smithornis capensis | BH - single bird displaying in response to proactive tape playback |
Rufous-sided broadbill | S. rufolateralis | SM - single bird displaying in response to proactive tape playback |
[African green broadbill] | Pseudocalyptomena graueri | [RZ] - single bird heard and seen flying in and out of tree in response to tape playback - could we get views though? Disappointing result |
Rufous-naped lark | Mirafra africana | QE |
Flappet lark | M. rufocinnamomea | QE, MU |
Red-capped lark | Calandrella cinerea | QE |
Rock martin | Hirundo fuligula | highlands |
Plain martin | Riparia paludicola | LM, QE, MU |
Banded martin | R. cincta | LM, MU |
Mosque swallow | Hirundo senegalensis | QE, Fort Portal |
Rufous-chested swallow | H. semirufa | LM, QE |
Lesser striped swallow | H. abyssinica | widespread |
Barn swallow | H. rustica | QE, MU |
Angola swallow | H. angolensis | lowlands |
Wire-tailed swallow | H. smithii | QE, MU |
Black saw-wing | Psalidoprocne holomelas | BH, RZ, MG |
White-headed saw-wing | P. albiceps | LM, QE, MU |
African pied wagtail | Motacilla aguimp | widespread |
Cape wagtail | M. capensis | MB, BH |
Yellow-throated longclaw | Macronyx croceus | MB, LM, QE, MU |
Grassland pipit | Anthus cinnamomeus | LM, "Jackson's pipit" near KW |
Plain-backed pipit | A. leucophrys | B, MU |
Black cuckoo-shrike | Campephaga flava | BH, SM, QE |
Red-shouldered cuckoo-shrike | C. phoenicea | QE, MU |
Purple-throated cuckoo-shrike | C. quiscalina | MF |
Petit's cuckoo-shrike | C. petiti | BH |
Grey cuckoo-shrike | Coracina caesia | RZ |
Western nicator | Nicator chloris | SM, B |
[Yellow-throated nicator] | N. vireo | [SM] |
Common bulbul | Pycnonotus barbatus | widespread |
Yellow-whiskered greenbul | Andropadus latirostris | BH, RZ, MF |
Little greenbul | A. virens | widespread |
Mountain greenbul | A. nigriceps | RZ, BH, MG, EF |
Slender-billed greenbul | A. gracilirostris | widespread |
Shelley's greenbul | A. masukensis | BH, RZ |
Yellow-streaked greenbul | Phyllastrephus flavostriatus | [BH], RZ, SM |
Cabanis's greenbul | P. cabinisi | KS |
Ansorge's greenbul | Andropadus ansorgei | BH |
Little grey greenbul | A. gracilis | QE |
Toro olive greenbul | Phyllastrephus hypochloris | QE, B |
Cameroon sombre greenbul | Andropadus curvirostris | B |
Icterine greenbul | Phyllastrephus icterinus | SM - difficult to separate from the next species without using vocalisations and a little tape playback |
Xavier's greenbul | P. xavieri | QE, SM |
Joyful greenbul | Chlorocichla laetissima | KS |
Red-tailed bristlebill | Bleda syndactyla | QE, [SM], B, [MF] |
[Green-tailed bristlebill] | B. eximia | [SM] |
Red-tailed greenbul | Criniger calurus | BH, RZ, SM, B, MF |
White-throated greenbul | Phyllastrephus albigularis | B, MF |
Yellow-throated greenbul | Chlorocichla flavicollis | MP, B, MU |
Swamp palm bulbul | Thescilocichla leucopleura | SM |
Honeyguide greenbul | Baeopogon indicator | [BH], SM |
Spotted greenbul | Ixonotus guttatus | B |
White-starred robin | Pogonocichla stellata | RZ, MG, EF |
Equatorial akalat | Sheppardia aequatorialis | BH |
Forest robin | Stiphrornis erythrothorax | SM, B |
Brown-chested alethe | Alethe poliocephala | QE |
Red-throated alethe | A. poliophrys | BH |
Fire-crested alethe | A. diademata | SM, B |
Cape robin-chat | Cossypha caffra | MG |
White-browed robin-chat | C. heuglini | widespread |
Blue-shouldered robin-chat | C. cyanocampter | [SM], [KS], MF |
Snowy-headed robin-chat | C. niveicapilla | LM, QE |
Red-capped robin-chat | C. natalensis | QE |
Archer's robin | C. archeri | RZ, MG |
White-bellied robin-chat | Cossyphicula roberti | BH |
Olive thrush | Turdus olivaceus | RZ |
African thrush | T. pelios | widespread (except RZ) |
Kivu ground-thrush | Zoothera tanganjicae | MG - bad views in response to tape playback |
White-tailed ant-thrush | Neocossyphus poensis | [BH], RZ |
Red-tailed ant-thrush | N. rufus | SM, QE, B |
Rufous flycatcher-thrush | Stizorhina fraseri | MP, BH, SM, QE, B |
Sooty chat | Myrmecocichla nigra | widespread |
African stonechat | Saxicola torquata | widespread in uplands |
White-browed scrub-robin | Cercotrichas leucophrys | B, en route to MU |
Brown-backed scrub-robin | C. hartlaubi | QE |
Spotted mourning-thrush | Cichladusa guttata | MU area |
Dark-capped yellow warbler | Chloropeta natalensis | QE, B |
Mountain yellow warbler | C. similis | RZ, MG |
Lesser reed warbler | Acrocephalus gracilirostris | LB, QE |
[Greater swamp warbler] | A. rufescens | [MB], [LM] |
African reed warbler | A. baeticus | LM |
White-winged warbler | Bradypterus carpalis | LM - single seen very well from boat |
Cinnamon bracken warbler | B. cinnamomeus | [RZ], MG (common) |
Little rush warbler | B. baboecala | LB |
Grauer's rush-warbler | B. graueri | RZ |
Buff-bellied warbler | Phyllolais pulchella | LM, en route to MU |
Uganda woodland warbler | Phylloscopus budongoensis | B - tricky canopy species eventually taped into the scope |
Red-faced woodland warbler | P. laetus | BH, RZ, EF |
Green hylia | Hylia prasina | MP, BH, SM, B |
Short-tailed warbler | Hemitesia neumanni | BH - appalling and brief view of this skulking little b****r in response to tape playback |
White-browed crombec | Sylvietta leucophrys | MG, EF |
Green crombec | S. virens | BH, SM |
Lemon-bellied crombec | S. denti | B (single - very tape responsive, coming right out of the canopy to within a few metres) |
Yellow longbill | Macrosphenus flavicans | B |
Grey longbill | M. concolor | B, [MF] |
Northern crombec | Sylvietta brachyura | en route to MU |
Red-faced crombec | S. whytii | LM |
Rufous-crowned eromomela | Eromomela badiceps | B |
Black-faced rufous warbler | Bathmocercus rufus | BH, [MF] |
African moustached warbler | Melocichla mentalis | QE, B, MU |
Grauer's warbler | Graueria vittata | [BH], RZ (one eventually seen after an awful lot of tape playback) |
Zitting cisticola | Cisticola juncidis | MU, QE |
Stout cisticola | C. robustus | QE |
Croaking cisticola | C. natalensis | QE, MU |
Rattling cisticola | C. chiniana | MU area |
Winding cisticola | C. galactotes | MB, en route to RZ, QE |
Carruther's cisticola | C. carruthersi | MB, LM, LB, MU |
Singing cisticola | C. cantans | en route to MU |
Red-faced cisticola | C. erythrops | en route to MU |
Chubb's cisticola | C. chubbi | BH, RZ, MG |
Trilling cisticola | C. woosnami | LM, QE |
Whistling cisticola | C. lateralis | B |
Siffling cisticola | C. brachypterus | LM, QE |
Foxy cisticola | C. troglodytes | MU area |
Red-winged grey warbler | Drymocichla incana | MU - family group taped in on the northside of the Paraa ferry |
Tawny-flanked prinia | Prinia subflava | widespread |
White-chinned prinia | P. leucopogon | BH, RZ, KS |
Banded prinia | P. bairdii | BH, RZ |
Grey-capped warbler | Eminia lepida | [LM], en route to Kisoro, [MU] |
Grey-backed camaroptera | Camaroptera brachyura | widespread |
Olive-green camaroptera | C. chloronota | BH, KS, [B], [MF] |
Yellow-browed camaroptera | C. superciliaris | B, MF |
Yellow-breasted apalis | Apalis flavida | LM, MU |
Grey apalis | A. cinerea | BH, SM, KS, QE, B |
Chestnut-throated apalis | A. porphyrolaema | RZ, MG |
Buff-throated apalis | A. rufogularis | widespread |
Collared apalis | A. ruwenzorii | RZ, EF |
Black-throated apalis | A. jacksoni | BH |
Mountain masked apalis | A. personata | BH, RZ |
Black-capped apalis | A. nigriceps | B |
White-eyed slaty flycatcher | Melaenornis fischeri | BH, RZ, MG |
Northern black flycatcher | M. edoloides | widespread |
Yellow-eyed black-flycatcher | M. ardesiacus | BH, RZ |
Pale flycatcher | Bradornis pallidus | en route to MU |
Ashy flycatcher | Muscicapa caerulescens | The Neck |
African dusky flycatcher | M. adusta | widespread |
Lead-coloured flycatcher | Myioparus plumbeus | QE, B |
Grey-throated flycatcher | M. griseigularis | MP, B |
Swamp flycatcher | Muscicapa aquatica | MB, LB, QE, MU |
Cassin's grey flycatcher | M. cassini | bridge over Ihihizo River at The Neck, river en route to B |
Dusky-blue flycatcher | M. comitata | BH |
Sooty flycatcher | M. infuscata | BH, MF |
Forest flycatcher | Fraseria ocreata | B (3) |
Chin-spot batis | Batis molitor | RZ |
Black-headed batis | B. minor | QE, MU, B |
Rwenzori batis | B. diops |
BH, RZ |
African shrike-flycatcher | Megabias flammulatus | BH, B |
Black-and-white shrike-flycatcher | Bias musicus | BH |
Brown-throated wattle-eye | Platysteira cyanea | widespread |
Chestnut wattle-eye | Dyaphorophyia castanea | QE, SM, B |
Jameson's wattle-eye | D. jamesoni | [SM], MF |
Yellow-bellied wattle-eye | D. concreta | QE - a single in Maramagembo Forest was a real surprise and a tick for Herbert! |
African paradise flycatcher | Terpsiphone viridis | Widespread - watch out for the melanistic population in the Maramagembo Forest (QE)! |
Red-bellied paradise-flycatcher | T. rufiventer | SM, B |
Silverbird | Empidornis semipartitus | MU area |
White-tailed crested-flycatcher | Trochocercus albonotatus | MG |
White-bellied crested-flycatcher | T. albiventris | BH |
African blue-flycatcher | Elminia longicauda | BH, QE, MU |
White-tailed blue-flycatcher | E. albicauda | BH (under-recorded) |
Chestnut-capped flycatcher | Erythrocercus mccallii | B |
Scaly-breasted illadopsis | Illadopsis albipectus | KS, B |
Mountain illadopsis | I. pyrrhoptera | BH |
Brown illadopsis | I. fulvescens | B |
Pale-breasted illadopsis | I. rufipennis | BH, MF |
Puvel's illadopsis | I. puveli | B - seemingly present throughout the forest here, we saw one well whilst chimp-tracking |
African hill-babbler | Pseudoalcippe abyssinica | RZ area |
Arrow-marked babbler | Turdoides jardineii | LM, QE |
Brown babbler | T. plebejus | en route to MU |
Black-lored babbler | T. sharpei | LM, MG, Kisoro, QE |
Dusky tit | Parus funereus | BH |
White-shouldered tit | P. guineensis | B, MU, MF |
Stripe-breasted tit | P. fasciiventer | RZ, MG |
Yellow-white-eye | Zosterops senegalensis | widespread |
Bronze sunbird | Nectarinia kilimensis | BH, en route to SM |
Green-headed sunbird | Cyanomitra verticalis | BH, QE, MU |
Blue-throated brown sunbird | C. cyanolaema | BH |
Blue-headed sunbird | C. alinae | BH |
Northern double-collared sunbird | Cinnyris preussi | BH |
Olive-bellied sunbird | C. chloropygia | B, BH |
Rwenzori double-collared sunbird | C. stuhlmanni | MG |
Regal sunbird | C. regia | RZ, MG |
Green-throated sunbird | Chalcomitra rubescens | BH, MF |
Green sunbird | Anthreptes rectirostris | BH, B |
Olive sunbird | Cyanomitra olivacea | widespread - split as obscura or western olive sunbird by Clements |
Little green sunbird | Anthreptes seimundi | BH, B |
Grey-headed sunbird | Deleornis axillaris | BH |
Copper sunbird | Cinnyris cuprea | LB, QE, B |
Superb sunbird | C. superba | B - single female |
Marico sunbird | C. mariquensis | LM |
Purple-banded sunbird | C. bifasciata | Kampala |
Scarlet-chested sunbird | Chalcomitra senegalensis | Kampala, QE, MU |
Beautiful sunbird | Cinnyris pulchella | MU area |
Red-chested sunbird | C. erythrocerca | MB, Kampala, LB, QE |
Variable sunbird | C. venusta | Kampala |
Collared sunbird | Hedydipna collaris | BH, B, MU |
Common fiscal | Lanius collaris | widespread |
Grey-backed fiscal | L. excubitoroides | widespread |
Mackinnon's fiscal | L. mackinnoni | BH, RZ |
Tropical boubou | Laniarius aethiopicus | [LM], [Kisoro], QE |
Luedher's bush-shrike | L. luedheri | BH, KS |
Black-headed gonolek | L. erythrogaster | Kaaku Swamp, LM, QE |
Papyrus gonolek | L. mufumbiri | LM, [QE] |
Mountain black boubou | L. poensis | RZ, MG |
Sooty boubou | L. leucorhynchus | BH |
Northern puffback | Dryoscopus gambensis | RZ, B, MU area |
Pink-footed puffback | D. angolensis | BH |
Black-crowned tchagra | Tchagra senegala | QE, MU |
Brown-crowned tchagra | T. australis | single en route to RZ |
Marsh tchagra | T. minuta | QE, B |
Sulphur-breasted bush-shrike | Malaconotus sulfureopectus | LM, QE |
Grey-headed bush-shrike | M. blanchoti | en route to MU |
[Lagden's bush-shrike] | M. lagdeni | [en route to Kisoro] |
Doherty's bush-shrike | M. dohertyi | RZ |
Bocages's bush-shrike | M. bocagei | BH, QE |
Fork-tailed drongo | Dicrurus adsimilis | LM, QE, MU |
Velvet-mantled drongo | D. modestus | MP, BH, MF |
Piapiac | Ptilostomus afer | Houmia, en route to B, en route to MU, MU |
Pied crow | Corvus albus | widespread |
White-naped raven | Corvus albicollis | RZ |
African black-headed oriole | Oriolus larvatus | en route to LM |
Montane oriole | O. percivali | RZ |
Western black-headed oriole | O. brachyrhynchus | SM, B |
African golden oriole | O. auratus | RZ |
Yellow-billed oxpecker | Buphagus africanus | LM, QE, MU |
Stuhlmann's starling | Poeoptera stuhlmanni | RZ |
Narrow-tailed starling | P. lugubris | BH |
Waller's starling | Onychognathus walleri | RZ |
Greater blue-eared starling | Lamprotornis chalybeus | Bundibugyo, SM, QE |
Lesser blue-eared starling | L. chloropterus | common in MU area |
Ruppell's long-tailed starling | L. purpuropterus | widespread |
Purple-headed starling | L. purpureiceps | QE (2-3 near Maramagembo) |
Violet-backed starling | Cinnyricinclus leucogaster | MP, QE, SM, MU |
Sharpe's starling | C. sharpei | RZ, EF |
Wattled starling | Creatophora cinerea | LM, QE |
Rufous sparrow | Passer rufocinctus | MU |
Speckle-fronted weaver | Sporopipes frontalis | MU |
Grey-headed sparrow | Passer griseus | widespread |
White-browed sparrow-weaver | Plocepasser mahali | MU (2) |
Chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaver | P. superciliosus | MU area |
Black-headed weaver | Ploceus cucullatus | LM, QE, SM, MU |
Lesser masked weaver | P. intermedius | QE |
Vitelline weaver | P. velatus | MU area |
Northern masked weaver | P. taeniopterus | LB - small colony present at the outflow of this lake, this species appears to be expanding its range. |
Spectacled weaver | P. ocularis | LM |
Black-necked weaver | P. nigricollis | BH, QE, MF |
Baglafecht weaver | P. baglafecht | widespread |
Grosbeak weaver | Ambylospiza albifrons | widespread |
Little weaver | Ploceus luteolus | QE |
Slender-billed weaver | P. pelzelni | Kaaku Swamp, LM |
Yellow-backed weaver | P. melanocephalus | Kisoro, QE, MU |
Northern brown-throated weaver | P. castanops | Kaaku Swamp, LM, Fort Portal |
Compact weaver | P. superciliosus | QE |
Holub's golden weaver | P. xanthops | LM, en route to RZ, Kisoro, QE, en route to MU |
Weyn's weaver | P. weynsi | MB (small flock near jetty) |
Strange weaver | P. alienus | RZ |
Brown-capped weaver | P. insignis | BH, RZ |
Yellow-mantled weaver | P. tricolor | MP |
Black-billed weaver | P. melanogaster | BH |
Viellot's black weaver | P. nigerrimus | widespread |
Red-billed quelea | Quelea quelea | QE, MU |
Cardinal quelea | Q. cardinalis | MU |
Red-headed quelea | Q. erythrops | B, MU area |
Red-headed weaver | Anaplectes rubriceps | single female at LM |
Red-headed malimbe | Malimbus rubricollis | MP, BH, MF |
Crested malimbe | M. malimbicus | SM |
Blue-billed malimbe | M. nitens | SM - two birds on the Hot Springs trail |
Red-collared widowbird | Euplectes ardens | QE, en route to B |
Fan-tailed widowbird | E. axillaris | MB, Kaaku Swamp, Kisoro |
Black bishop | E. geirowii | QE, en route to B |
Yellow bishop | E. capensis | en route to RZ, MG |
Yellow-mantled widowbird | E. macrourus | en route to B, MU |
Red bishop | E. orix | QE |
Northern red bishop | E. franscicanus | MU area |
Black-winged red bishop | E. hordaceus | MU area |
Grey-headed negro-finch | Nigrita canicapilla | widespread |
White-breasted negrofinch | N. fusconotata | widespread |
Green-winged pytilia | Pytilia melba | QE, MU area |
Red-winged pytilia | P. phoenicoptera | MU area (2 birds in total) |
Grey-headed oliveback | Nesocharis capistrata | B (3) |
Brown twinspot | Clytospiza monteiri | B |
Dusky crimsonwing | Cryptospiza jacksoni | RZ |
Red-headed bluebill | Spermophaga ruficapilla | MF |
Black-bellied seedcracker | Pyrenestes ostrinus | SM, B |
Red-cheeked cordonbleu | Uraeginthus bengalus | MB, LM, B |
Red-billed firefinch | Lagonosticta senegala | widespread |
African firefinch | L. rubricata | QE, B, MU area |
Bar-breasted firefinch | L. rufopicta | MU - pair at regular spot down by Paraa ferry crossing (south side) |
Yellow-bellied waxbill | Estrilda quartinia | RZ |
Common waxbill | E. astrilid | QE |
Black-rumped waxbill | E. troglodytes | MU area |
Fawn-breasted waxbill | E. paludicola | B, QE |
Black-crowned waxbill | E. nonnula | BH, en route to RZ |
Black-headed waxbill | E. atricapilla | RZ, MG |
Black-faced waxbill | E. erthronotos | en route to MU |
Bronze mannikin | Lonchura cucullata | widespread |
Black-and-white mannikin | L. bicolor | en route to RZ, SM, B |
Magpie mannikin | L. fringilloides | BH |
Pin-tailed whydah | Vidua macroura | widespread |
Village indigobird | V. chalybeata | QE, B, en route to MU |
Brimstone canary | Serinus sulphuratus | LB, QE, MF |
Yellow-fronted canary | S. mozambicus | BH (under-recorded) |
Yellow-crowned canary | S. canicollis | BH |
Thick-billed seedeater | S. burtoni | BH, RZ |
African citril | S. citrinelloides | BH, B, LB, MF |
White-rumped seedeater | S. leucopygius | MU |
Streaky seedeater | S. striolatus | RZ |
Oriole finch | Linurgus olivaceus | BH (single) |
Cinnamon-breasted rock bunting | Emberiza tahapisi | single en route to MU (escarpment near Butiaba) |
African golden-breasted bunting | E. flaviventris | BH (nest found), QE |
Brown-rumped bunting | E. affinis | MU - pair north of the Nile |
Cabanis's bunting | E. cabanisi | B - single in cultivated area before Royal Mile. |
Birds we missed and where you might see them
African green ibis | Semliki (only) |
Spot-breasted ibis | Semliki (only) |
Hartlaub's duck | Semliki (only) |
African black duck | possible along rivers throughout |
Rufous-breasted sparrowhawk | Bwindi |
Long-tailed hawk | Semliki (only) |
Cassin's hawk-eagle | Mabira Forest, Budongo |
Congo serpent-eagle | Semliki (only) |
Red-chested flufftail | Mubwindi Swamp (Ruhiza) |
Grey-throated rail | Semliki (only) |
Nkulengu rail | Semliki (only) |
Temminck's courser | Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls |
Bruce's green pigeon | Murchison Falls |
Western bronze-naped pigeon | Buhoma, Semliki |
White-naped pigeon | forest throughout (rare) |
Black-collared lovebird | Budongo, Semliki |
Olive long-tailed cuckoo | Buhoma - silent during the dry season and therefore hard to observe |
Yellow-throated cuckoo | Semliki (not uncommon) |
Fraser's eagle-owl | Ruhiza, Buhoma |
Red-chested owlet | Buhoma, Ruhiza |
White-headed wood-hoopoe | Buhoma |
Black dwarf-hornbill | Semliki only |
Southern ground-hornbill | Lake Mburo (only) |
Black-collared barbet | Lake Mburo (only) |
Scaly-throated honeyguide | Bwindi |
Dwarf honeyguide | Ruhiza (Albertine Rift endemic) |
Spotted honeyguide | Semliki |
Lyre-tailed honeyguide | Semliki |
Zenker's honeyguide | Semliki (rare) |
African piculet | Semliki |
Green-breasted pitta | Kibale, Budongo |
White-tailed lark | Queen Elizabeth |
Blue swallow | Mabamba |
White-throated blue swallow | Semliki |
Mountain wagtail | rivers throughout |
Leaf-love | Semliki |
Lowland akalat | Semliki, Queen Elizabeth |
Grey-winged robin-chat | Buhoma, Queen Elizabeth |
White-fronted black-chat | Murchison Falls |
Papyrus yellow warbler | Lake Mburo |
Evergreen forest warbler | The Neck (Bwindi) |
Brown woodland warbler | Mgahinga |
Long-tailed cisticola | Lake Mburo |
Broad-tailed warbler | Queen Elizabeth |
Chapin's flycatcher | Buhoma |
Yellow-footed flycatcher | Buhoma and Budongo |
Ituri batis | Budongo and Semliki |
Black-throated wattle-eye | Herbert has never seen this! |
Blue-headed crested flycatcher | Kithingama Swamp, Mabira Forest |
Grey-chested illadopsis | Ruhiza and Budongo |
Dusky babbler | Murchison Falls |
Capuchin babbler | Semliki |
White-winged tit | Lake Mburo |
Tit-hylia | Mabira Forest |
African penduline-tit | Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth |
Malachite sunbird | Mgahinga |
Scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird | Mgahinga |
Western viollet-backed sunbird | Murchison Falls |
Fiery-breasted bush-shrike | Semliki |
Many-coloured bush-shrike | Bwindi |
Black-winged oriole | Semliki |
Chestnut-winged starling | Budongo area |
Slender-billed starling | Ruhiza |
Golden-backed weaver | widespread! |
Orange weaver | possible at the source of the Nile near Mabira Forest |
Red-bellied malimbe | Semliki |
Pale-fronted negrofinch | Semliki |
Woodhouse's antpecker | Bwindi, Semliki |
White-collared oliveback | Bwindi, Kithingama Swamp |
Dusky twinspot | Ruhiza |
Shelley's crimsonwing | Ruhiza (Albertine Rift endemic) |
Papyrus canary | Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Lake Bunyoni |
Phil Benstead is a freelance birder based in the UK and is available to lead tours to Uganda.
Why not send us a report, or an update to one of your current reports?