Birding at Queen Elizabeth National Park

In the south-western region of Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park contains a variety of habitats, including savannah ishasha plains, humid rain forests, salt and fresh water lakes, acacia and euphorbia shrubs, low lanes, and marshes. As a result, Queen Elizabeth is now one of Uganda’s top bird habitats.

The park is a must-see location for birders traveling to Uganda because it is home to over 600 different bird species. Although migratory birds are most common from November to April, local birds can be observed all year long. In order to research migratory and resident birds in the park, the Queen Elizabeth National Park Observatory Area was created in 1997.
By building birding trails, hides, and walk-away areas, avian tourism is being developed along with increased knowledge and guide training. Some bird species are endemic, but others migrate and travel from Europe to South Africa for summer roosting grounds. Birds have been evolved by nature to fit a wide range of habitats, Queen Elizabeth. Most often, these birds can be found in the places described below where they have developed unique habits.

Maramagambo forest Area.

Species like the African fin foot, yellow bill, black coucal, red-throated wryneck, blue shouldered Robin chat, African mustached warbler, barbets, African emerald cuckoo, brown illadopsis, and many more can be found in this area, which is situated on the right side of the western rift valley arm along the Kichambwa escarpment.

Katwe area.
The lake Munyanyange in this region is home to many lesser and a few greater flamingos. Other waterbirds that are abundant in this region are the white-breasted nigro-finch, chestnut wattle eye, marsh tchagra, Sulphur-breasted bush shrike, and black bishop.

Katunguru Bridge Area.

Around the Katunguru Bridge, where the Kazinga channel divides Kasese district from Rubirizi district, this area has papyrus marshes. This provides a habitat for birds such the papyrus gonolek, white winged tern, pied kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, white winged warbler, larger swamp warbler, and smaller swamp warbler among others.

Lake Kikorongo Area.
The majority of the species of waterfowl seen in this lake, which is an extension of Lake George, include the knob-billed duck, African jacana, yellow wagtail, sacred ibis, black crake, shoe-bill, and saddle-billed stork.

Kasenyi Area.

This well-known tourist destination has a number of different bird species, including the black-bellied bustard, flapet lark, white-tailed lark, palm-but culture, long-crested eagle, white-backed vulture, brown-backed scrub Robin, sitting cisticola, and grey-backed fiscal, among many others.

Ishasha Sector.

Even while this region is best known for its tree-climbing lions, it is also home to a variety of bird species, including the palm butcherbird, shoebill, grey kestrel, African wattled plover, African green pigeon, cisticola, martial eagle, and African crowned eagle.

The Mweya Peninsular Area.

The majority of bird species found here are the African morning dove, grey-headed kingfisher, swamp night jar, small bee eater, swifts, Swallows, Martins, Nubian wood pecker, and swamp flycatcher, among others. This area is adjacent to the Kazinga channel to the distant Lake Edward.

The Katwe tourism information center is a good place to make birding bookings for Queen Elizabeth.