Bird Checklist for Murchison Falls National Park.
Are you planning a bird watching safari and wondering whether to prepare a bird checklist for Murchison Falls National Park? Consider having a bird checklist for your birding safari in the park, as it gives bird lovers an opportunity to track all the bird species they encounter, making the experience more enjoyable and memorable. Murchison Falls National Park is one of the top bird watching destinations in East Africa, attracting thousands of bird enthusiasts to watch various unique bird species. The park is blessed with various natural systems, such as woodlands, swamps, tropical forests, the River Nile, and savannah grasslands that act as a habitat to various bird species that call the park home.
Murchison Falls National Park hosts up to 453 bird species, including savannah birds, migratory birds, water birds, forest birds and the park’s endemics. It has different sites suitable for birding with rich bird life, such as the Royal Mile, Kaniyo Pabidi, Budongo Forest, and areas around the Albert Delta. If you are planning a bird watching safari in the Pearl of Africa, Murchison Falls National Park should be added to your bucket list, as it offers amazing bird watching experiences.
Bird Checklist for Murchison Falls National Park.
Hornbills
- Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus)
- Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill (Bycanistes subcylindricus)
- White-thighed Hornbill (Bycanistes albotibialis)
- Piping Hornbill (Bycanistes fistulator)
- Yellow-casqued Hornbill (Tockus flavirostris)
- Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus)
- White-cheeked Hornbill (Tockus leucomelas)
- Black-casqued Hornbill (Ceratogymna atrata)
- Brown-cheeked Hornbill (Tockus multistratus)
- Pale-billed Hornbill (Tockus pallidirostris)
- White-cheeked Hornbill (Tockus leucomelas)
- Black-casqued Hornbill (Ceratogymna atrata)
- Brown-cheeked Hornbill (Tockus multistratus)
- Pale-billed Hornbill (Tockus pallidirostris)
- Yellow-casqued Hornbill (Tockus flavirostris)
- Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus)
Vultures
- White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)
- Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppelli)
- Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos)
- Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)
- Palm-nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)
- White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis)
- Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)
- Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
- Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres)
- Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
Pigeons & Doves
- Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
- Afep Pigeon (Columba unicincta)
- Mourning Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decipiens)
- Red-eyed Dove (Streptopelia semitorquata)
- Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
- Vinaceous Dove (Streptopelia vinacea)
- Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis)
- Tambourine Dove (Turtur tympanistria)
- Blue-spotted Wood-Dove (Turtur afer)
- Black-billed Wood-Dove (Turtur abyssinicus)
Kingfishers
- Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima)
- Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus)
- Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
- Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis)
- Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala)
- Chocolate-backed Kingfisher (Halcyon badia)
- Blue-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon malimbica)
- Striped Kingfisher (Halcyon chelicuti)
- Brown-hooded Kingfisher (Halcyon albiventris)
- Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata)
Bee-eaters
- Northern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus)
- Red-throated Bee-eater (Merops bulocki)
- Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
- White-fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides)
- Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus)
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)
- European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
- Red-fronted Bee-eater (Merops rubriceps)
- Black Bee-eater (Merops gularis)
- Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis)
Owls
- African Scops Owl (Otus senegalensis)
- Pearl-spotted Owlet (Glaucidium perlatum)
- White-faced Scops Owl (Otus leucotis)
- Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl (Bubo lacteus)
- Spotted Eagle-Owl (Bubo africanus)
- Mottled Owl (Strix ocellata)
- Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
- Giant Eagle-Owl (Bubo lacteus)
- African Wood Owl (Strix woodfordii)
- Brown Fish Owl (Ketupa zeylonensis)
Ground Birds
- Denham’s Bustard (Neotis denhami)
- White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)
- Black-bellied Bustard (Lissotis melanogaster)
- Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori)
- Red-necked Spurfowl (Pternistis afer)
- Heuglin’s Spurfowl (Pternistis icterorhynchus)
- Crested Francolin (Ortygornis sephaena)
- Yellow-necked Spurfowl (Pternistis leucoscepus)
- Scaly Spurfowl (Pternistis squamatus)
- Black Francolin (Francolinus francolinus)
Nightjars & Allies
- Standard-winged Nightjar (Caprimulgus longipennis)
- Pennant-winged Nightjar (Macrodipteryx vexillarius)
- Long-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus climacurus)
- Freckled Nightjar (Caprimulgus tristigma)
Palearctic Migrants (Europe/Asia → Africa)
- European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
- Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
- Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
- Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)
- Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
- Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
- Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
- Lesser Whitethroat (Curruca curruca)
- Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
- Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)
Intra-African Migrants
- Red-throated Bee-eater (Merops bulocki)
- European Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) – some overlap
- White Stork (Ciconia
- African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris) – partial migration
- African Hobby (Falco cuvierii)
- Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
- Common Swift (Apus apus)
- Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) – rare visitor
Waterfowl & Wetland Birds
- White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)
- Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)
- Knob-billed Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos)
- Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
- Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis)
- Yellow-billed Duck (Anas undulata)
- Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
- Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi)
- Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
- Rock Pratincole (Glareola nuchalis)
