Uganda is a birder’s paradise, home to over 1080 bird species. Different categories of bird species live in Uganda, including endemic, accidental, hypothetical and introduced birds. These can be spotted in the various birding sites making Uganda, one of the favorite bird-watching destinations.
Turacos
The turacos are plantain-eaters and go-away birds belong to the avifaunal family musophagidae. Turacos are medium-sized and they are brightly colored. These are available in purple, green, and blue. The go-away birds are grey and white. The list of turacos includes the black-billed turaco, great blue turacos, white-crested turacos, purple-crested turacos, Rwenzori turacos, Hartlaub’s turacos, Eastern plantain-eaters, white-bellied go-away-bird and Ross’s turacos.
Cuckoos
Cuckoos are under the family Cuculidae which anis, road runners and cuckoos. They have long tails, slender bodies and strong legs. They include white-browed coucal, black-throated coucals, black coucal, Senegal coucal, blue-headed coucal, great spotted cuckoos, Levaillant’s cuckoos, dideric cuckoo, pied cuckoos, Barred long-tailed cuckoos, Olive long-tailed cuckoos, African emerald cuckoos, Klaas’s cuckoos, Yellow-throated cuckoo, African cuckoo, Madagascar cuckoo, Lesser cuckoo, Dusky long-tailed cuckoo, common cuckoo and Black cuckoo.
Nightjars and allies
Nightjars belong to order Caprimulgiformes, family Caprimulgidae. They are medium-sized nocturnal species, and they nest on the ground. They include Rwenzori nightjars, Pennant-winged nightjars, Eurasian nightjar, Standard-winged nightjars, Square-tailed nightjars, Sombre nightjars, Fiery-necked nightjar, Black-shouldered nightjars, Nubian nightjars, Swamp nightjars, Slender-tailed nightjar, Plain nightjars, Nubian nightjars, Bates’s nightjars, and Abyssinian nightjars.
Bustards
Bustards – order Otidiformes and they are big terrestrial birds. They nest on the ground, they have big toes, and walk steadily. They commonly spotted bustard birds in Uganda include Hartlaub’s bustard, Kori bustard, Denham’s bustards, Black-bellied bustard, White-bellied bustards and Buff-crested bustards.
Geese, ducks and waterfowl
Family- Anatidae & order -Anseriformes. They have webbed feet, flattened bills and feathers perfect for shedding water. They include Egyptian goose, White-backed ducks, Fulvous whistling-duck, White-faced whistling-duck, Knob-billed duck, Spur-winged goose, Northern shoveler, Blue-billed teal, African pygmy-goose, Eurasian wigeon, Hartlaub’s duck, Southern pochard, Yellow-billed duck, common pochard, Maccoa duck, Northern pintail, Red-billed ducks, Ferruginous ducks, and others.
Pheasants, allies & grouse
Family-Phasianidae, order -Galliformes. Family Phasianidae birds are terrestrial avifaunal species comprising of snowcocks, quails, spurfowls, francolins, monals, peafowls, pheasants and jungle fowls. These bird species comprise of broad with relatively short wings, and they include Crested francolins, Latham’s francolins, Ring-necked francolins, Coqui francolins, Moorland francolins, Shelley’s francolins, Common quail, Blue quail, Heuglin’s francolins, Yellow-necked francolins, Red-necked francolins, Hildebrandt’s francolins, Handsome francolin, Harlequin quail, Orange river francolin, Clapperton’s francolins, and more.
Flamingoes -family Phoenicopteridae & order Phoenicopterriformes
Flamingos are naturally tall, and they are commonly spotted in the Western & Eastern hemispheres. They include Greater and Lesser flamingoes.
Pigeons & doves
Pigeons and doves have stout bodies and short necks, slender bills and fleshy cere. They belong to the family Columbidae and they include Speckled pigeon, Rock pigeon, Bronze-napped pigeon, Afep pigeon, Delegorgue’s pigeon, Dusky turtle-dove, mourning collared-dove, Rameron pigeon, Red-eyed dove, Emerald-spotted wood-dove, Black-billed wood-dove, Laughing dove, Ring-necked dove, African green-pigeon, Bruce’s green-pigeon, Tambourine dove, Blue-spotted wood-dove and Vinaceous dove, etc.
Sandgrouse
The Sandgrouse are some of the amazing birds in Uganda, and have small, pigeon-kind of heads and necks. The wings are pointed and they include Four-banded sandgrouse and Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse.
Swifts
Swifts- belong to family Apodidae, and they are among small birds. They are known to spend most of their time flying. Swift birds to expect to spot on birding tour in Uganda include the Mottled swift, Mottled spinetail, Cassin’s spinetail, Horus swift, Sabine’s spinetail, Little swift, Scarce swift, Common swift, White-rumped swift, Alpine swift, African palm-swift, Pallid swift, Nyanza swift and more.
Flufftails
Flufftails- order Gruiformes, family Sarothruridae- are round-dwelling species of birds and commonly spotted in Madagascar and Sub-Saharan Africa. These include Buff-spotted flufftail, Red-chested flufftail and White-spotted flufftail.
Plovers & lapwings
The plovers and lapwing birds include Pacific golden-plovers, Black-bellied plovers, Black-headed lapwing, Spur-winged plovers, Long-toed lapwing, Crowned lapwing, Senegal lapwing, Caspian plover, Brown-chested lapwing, Little ringed plovers, Wattled lapwing, Lesser sand-plovers, Kentish plover, Forbes’s plovers, Kittlitz’s plovers, Three-banded plovers, White-fronted plovers, Greater sand-plovers, Common ringed plovers, and others.
Painted-snipes
Painted-snipes belong to family Rostratulidae. They have long-billed birds, short legs and they include Greater painted-snipe.
Sandpipers & allies
They include Eurasian curlew, Whimbrel, Sanderling, Ruddy turnstone, Bar-tailed godwit, Jack snipe, Temminck’s stint, Curlew sandpiper, Great snipe, Broad-billed sandpipers, Ruff, Pectoral sandpiper, Common redshank, Wood sandpiper, red-necked phalarope, African snipe, Dunlin, Sanderling and others.
Gulls, Skimmers & Terns
Skimmers, Gulls and Terns birds in Uganda include Caspian gull, Slender-billed gull, Gray-hooded gull, Gull-billed tern, Pallas’s gull, Black-headed gull, Whiskered tern, Black tern, African skimmers, Common terns and others.
Storks
There are a variety of stork birds in Uganda, and they include white stork, yellow-billed stork, African openbill, Abdim’s stork, Black stork, Marabou stork, Woolly-necked stork and Saddle-billed stork, etc.
Herons, bitterns and egrets
The different herons, egrets and bitterns in Uganda include little egret, white-backed night-heron, Rufous-bellied herons, Intermediate egret, Black-headed heron, gray heron, little bittern, Great bittern, Malagasy pond-heron, Striated heron, Dwarf bittern, White-crested bitterns, and more.
Hawks, kites and eagles
The list of hawks, kites and eagles to keep an eye on bird-watching tour in Uganda include black-winged kite, lappet-faced vultures, Scissor-tailed kite, African harrier-hawk, Congo serpent-eagle, African cuckoo-hawk, European honey-buzzard, Bearded vulture, Palm-nut vulture, White-backed vulture, Black-chested snake-eagle, Banded snake-eagle, Bateleur, Hooded vulture, Egyptian vulture, black goshawk, Red-necked buzzard, Long-tailed hawk, Shikra, Chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk, Pallid harrier, African marsh-harrier, and Augur buzzard.
Kingfishers
Kingfisher birds in Uganda include malachite kingfishers, half-collared kingfishers, African pygmy kingfisher, Shining-blue kingfisher, Chocolate-backed kingfisher, Giant kingfishers, Blue-breasted, Striped kingfishers, African pygmy kingfishers, and more.
Other bird species in Uganda include bee-eaters, rollers, African barbets, woodpeckers, falcons and caracaras, old world parrots, African and green broadbills, Asian and grauer’s broadbills, pittas, cuckoo shrikes, wattle-eyes, batises, orioles, bush shrikes and allies, drongons, monarchies flycatchers, shrikes, crows, fair flycatchers, nicators, larks, African warblers, cisticolas and allies, Grassbirds and allies, swallows, bulbul, leaf warblers, bush warblers, thrushes, weavers, and others.
