Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a premier birding destination in its own right.
Even if you do not plan to trek to see the Gorillas, go to Bwindi for the birding!
Local information says that there are about 350 bird species to be seen in Bwindi, of which 23 are Albertine Rift endemics.
During two days of birding in the forest, I recorded and photographed nearly 150 bird species, of which 53 were lifers for us, including 10 of the Albertine Rift endemics. That is quite special birding!
Here is a selection of some of my favourite birds and photographs from these two days in Bwindi.
Great Blue Turaco Corythaeola cristata
The Great Blue Turaco is the largest of the Turacos. It is fairly widespread throughout the Africa tropical rainforests.
Grey-throated Barbet Gymnobucco bonapartei
Whoever named this Barbet missed the opportunity to call it the Wild Hair Day Barbet! The epithet in its name is in honour of a naturalist and ornithologist called Charles Bonaparte, a nephew of the Emperor Napoleon.
Chestnut-throated Apalis Apalis porphyrolaema
Speckled Tinkerbird Pogoniulus scolopaceus
Augur Buzzard Buteo augur
African Shrike Flycatcher (female) Megabyas flammulatus
There are many species of Sunbird and here are just a few from the forest.
Little Green Sunbird Anthreptes seimundi
Northern Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris reichenowi
Regal Sunbird Cinnyris regius
There are 30 species of Flycatcher in Uganda. Although we saw several of them, especially in Bwindi, it feels like we have hardly scratched the surface of possibilities.
Dusky-blue Flycatcher Bradornis comitatus
Chapin's Flycatcher Fraseria lendu
The Chapin's Flycatcher is reputedly quite a rare sighting and I would be happy if anyone could verify its ID for me?
African Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta
Ashy Flycatcher Fraseria caerulescens
Black-and-white Shrike-Flycatcher Bias musicus
There are a great variety of new and different Weavers in Uganda.
Brown-capped Weaver (Ploceus insignis)
Pink-footed Puffback Dryoscopus angolensis
White-bellied Robin-Chat Cossyphicula roberti
We again saw new species in the White-eye family.
Green White-eye Zosterops stuhlmanni
Northern Yellow White-eye Zosterops senegalensis
And finally, a new (for us) species of Spurfowl.
Handsome Spurfowl Pternistis nobilis
Notable Birds we saw in Bwindi
Cassin’s Flycatcher, Banded Prinia, Crowned Eagle, Black-billed Weaver, Narrow-tailed Starling, Speckled Tinkerbird, Black Bee-eater, Green-throated Sunbird, Olive Sunbird, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Bar-tailed Trogon, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Grey-throated Barbet, Yellow-spotted Barbet, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Wilcock’s Honeyguide, Dwarf Honeyguide, Cassin’s Honeybird, Black-throated Apalis, Chubb’s Cisticola, Augur Buzzard, Regal Sunbird, Mountain Masked Apalis, Green Tinkerbird, Western Citril, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Great Blue Turaco, Western Tinkerbid, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Congo Pied Hornbill, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, Rwenzori Batis, Northern Puffback, Lühder’s Bushshrike, Rwenzori Apalis, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Tiny Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Handsome Spurfowl, Northern Yellow White-eye, Green White-eye, Pink-footed Puffback, Ashy Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Little Green Sunbird, African Shrike-Flycatcher, White-bowed Crombec, Blue Malkoha, Brown-capped Weaver, Blue-headed Sunbird, Toro Olive Greenbul, Little Greenbul, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Grey Apalis, Many-coloured Bushshrike, Black-and-white Shrike-Flycatcher, Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, Bocage’s Bushshrike, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Angolan Swallow … and these are just the special birds!
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a must-visit for the serious birder in Uganda.
