Birds in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Birds in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest are recorded with over 350 species of birds including 25 restricted ranger species and of which 23 are confined to the Albertine Rift and four species are globally threatened such as; African Green Broadbill-pseudocalyptomena graueri-Vulnerable, Grauer’s Rush Warbler –Bradypterus graueri; Endangered, Chapin’s Flycatcher-Muscicapa lendu; Vulnerable and Shelley’s Crimson –wing-Cryptospiza Shelley-Vulnerable.

However, many tourists consider Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park has a great safari destination for gorilla trekking not knowing that is also a best place for bird watcher’s paradise. Bwindi is home to three bird species that are only surviving of their respective genera; Grauer’s Warbler ‘’Graueria Vittata’’, African Green Broadbill and Short-tailed Warbler ‘’Hemitesia Neumann’’ which are more closely related to Asian than to African species.

Despite the fact that, it also hosts with more than 220 beautiful species of butterfly including 8 Albertine rift endemics. Three of the butterflies found in Bwindi include the Cream-banded swallowtail ‘’Papilio leucotaenia’ ’Graphium gudenusi and Charaxes fournierae. The threatened African giant swallowtail can also be seen in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The best birding view at Bwindi Impenetrable forest are at the Buhoma area along the forest margins, village routes and in the Ruhija section where forest birding and swamp birding take place with trained local guides fluent in English. The great location for birding at Ruhija is at the Mubwindi swamp where some rare Albertine endemic and other bird lifers can be watched in their national habitats.

Other locations for bird watching in Bwindi Impenetrable National park are Buhoma regions and Ruhija region as listed below with full information touched;

Buhoma and Ruhija is part of the most highlight of the bird watching on Uganda Bird watcher’s safari because they outstand with spectacular environments for birding. At Buhoma visitors can do birding in several attractive trails close to River Munyaga as a birding sites at the Neck. Then Ruhija sector birders can visit Mubwindi swamp and also nearby farmlands.

Bwindi Bird list include;

Jameson’s Antpecker
African Olive-pigeon
Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo
Buff-spotted Woodpecker
Yellow-rumped Tinker bird
Crested Guinea fowl
Ruwenzori Batis
Pettit’s Cuckoo-shrike
White-headed Saw-wing
Ansorge’s Greenbul
Klaas’s Cuckoo
White-throated Greenbul
African Paradise flycatcher
Cape Wagtail
Dusky Twin spot
Brown-capped Weaver
Mountain Wagtail
Vieillot’s Black Weaver
Mackinnon’s Shrike
Blue Spotted wood dove
Tambourine dove
Helmeted guinea fowl
Sooty Falcon
Great Blue Turaco
African Wood-owl
African pygmy kingfisher
Double-toothed Barbet
Yellow-whiskered
Ross’s Turaco
Black Bee-eater
African Dusky Flycatcher
Grey-cheeked Hornbill
Broadbill
African Citril
Doherty’s Bush-shrike
White –eyed Slaty-flycatcher
Angolan Swallow
White tailed-crested Flycatcher
Cinnamon-chested bee-eater
Western Green Tinker bird
Red-faced woodland Warbler
Handsome francolin
Purple-breasted sunbird
Regal sunbird
Palm nut vulture
Brown snake eagle
Lizard buzzard
Little sparrow hawk
European honey buzzard
Eurasian Hobby
Dusky Turtle dove
Afed pigeon
Peregrine falcon
Ayres Hawk eagle
African Hawk eagle
Marabou stork
Woolly necked stork
Cattle egret
Little grebe
Black headed heron
Pink backed pelican
Hadada Ibis
Hottentot Teal
Northern pin tail
Southern pochard
Shikra
Scaly francolin
White spotted fluff tail
Red chested fluff tail
Buff spotted fluff tail
Black crake
Red knobbed coot
Common sand piper
African Jacana
Olive long tailed cuckoo
Died Erik cuckoo
Black swift
Mottled swift
Horus swift
Alpine swift
Scarce swift
Speckled mouse bird
Bar Tailed tragon
Narina tragon
Thick billed honey guide
Dwarf honey guide
Red throated Wryneck
Buff spotted wood pecker
Elliot’s wood pecker
Grassland pipit
Rock Martin
Red rumped swallow
Plain backed pipit
Black cuckoo shrike
Equatorial akalat
Forest robin
Brown chested alethe
Archers Robin chat
Red capped robin chat
Oberlaenders ground thrush
White tailed anti thrush
Green Hylia
Chapin’s flycatcher
Brown Illadopsis
Arrow marked babbler
Stripe breasted Tit
Tit Hylia
White winged Tit
Bronze sunbird
Carruthers Cisticola
Chestnut throated apalis
Tiny sunbird
Oriole Finch
Pin tailed Whydah
Magpie Manikin
Zebra Waxbill among other notable bird species found in Bwindi.

When to visit for Bird watching in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

The bird life in Bwindi is throughout the year but the best time is in March and September. Then June and July experience the least of rain while March and Mid-May receives heavy rains that might interrupt with your bird watching time. The best viewing and nesting season is in May and June when food is abundant from late May till September. The migratory birds are present in the park from November to April though they are not significant part of Bwindi’s attraction to bird viewers.

Bwindi Bird watching is best done early morning after your tasty breakfast. This is because morning hours offers the finest remarkable view of the bird list in the park .For more information about bird checklist of Bwindi please contact us Achieve Global Safari for help.