Bird Species in Mabamba Wetland
Bird Species in Mabamba Wetland: It is one of the few remarkable Ramsar Sites in Uganda, with a rich biodiversity and popular for birdwatching experiences. It is located in the west of Entebbe Town, Kasanje Village, along the shorelines of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world.
The wetland is a unique birding destination and home to several bird species, including threatened, rare, and special birds, among others. Mabamba Wetland is Africa’s leading birding site for the globally threatened shoebill, a sought-after bird that is rarely seen elsewhere around the world.
The wetland covers about 2424 hectares on the shores of Lake Victoria, with open marshy and papyrus reeds that contribute to the swamp’s biodiversity. Mabamba Bay is a premier destination with the highest concentration of shoebills in Africa. It is home to over 300 bird species, a wetland of International Importance, and an Important Bird Area (IBA).
What makes the Mabamba wetland special
Although the wetland is home to over 300 bird species, the majority of the birdwatchers always frequent the wetland in search of the globally threatened shoebill, a top highlight in Uganda’s top birding wetland. The shoebill gets its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill.
This dinosaur-like-shaped, sought-after bird is a shy, interesting bird with an enigmatic and strange-looking physical appearance. Its prominent feature is its immense, jagged, unbalanced, and yellow-colored bill. Many consider this elusive shoebill to be an ugly bird species with a dinosaur-like shape, which looks like a creature emanating straight out of the Mesozoic Era.
Nevertheless, many birdwatchers and nature lovers all find shoebills very interesting; hence, hundreds of avid birders frequent Uganda aiming at these fascinating large birds.
Bird Species in Mabamba Wetland
Mabamba Wetland is predominantly a bird-watching destination with unique, attractive birds, largely the water-dwelling birds. Besides the iconic shoebill, the wetland houses other unique birds such as the Long-toed Lapwing, African Jacana, Blue Swallow, African Pygmy Goose, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, and water-dwelling raptors, including the Palm-nut vulture and Osprey, among others.
Other birds to see include the African Hoopoe, Yellow-backed Weaver, Black-headed Gonolek, African Common Moorhen, Banded Martin, White-faced Whistling Duck, Olivaceous Warbler, Grey-headed Sparrow, Black-winged Stilt, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Pied Kingfishers, Ashy Flycatcher, Pallid Harrier, and Papyrus Gonolek. Pink-tailed Whydah, Red-billed Firefinch, Black-crowned Night Heron, Pink-backed Pelican, Pied Wagtail, Cormorants, White-winged Tern, White-browed Cuckoo, Black-headed Woodland Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Orange Weaver, Papyrus Canary, African Fish Eagle, African Water Rail, White-winged Warbler, Fork-tailed Drongo, Great Cormorant, Saddle-billed Stork, Mosque Swallow, Red-eyed Dove, Long-toed Lapwing, African Purple, Great White Egret, Grassland Pipit, Long-tailed Cormorant, Purple Heron, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Red-chested Cuckoo, Marsh Harrier, Great White Pelican, Slender-billed Weaver, Swamp-hen, Winding Cisticola, Long-crested Eagle, Yellow-billed Duck, Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrike, Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron, Slender-billed Gull, Green Cuckoo, Sand Martin, Crowned Hornbill, Ross’s Turaco, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Grey Wood Pecker, Grey Crowned Crane, Rufous-naped Lark, Wood Sandpiper, Purple Swamp Hen, Rufous-bellied Herons, Black-crowned Waxbill, Flappet Lark, African Green Pigeon, Cattle Egret, Great Blue Turaco, Little Egret, Ruppell’s Long-tailed Sterling, Common Bulbul, White-shouldered Tit, Feral Pigeon, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Goliath Heron, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Grey-rumped Sparrow, Red-headed Lovebird, Common Stonechat, White-browed Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Common Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Yellow Warbler, Double-toothed Barbet, Grey Parrot, Eurasian Hobby,Glossy Ibis, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Yellow Wagtail, Black-headed Heron, Intermediate Egret, Angola Swallows, Yellow-billed Kite, Common Squacco Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater,Brown Parrot, African Pied Wagtail, Yellow-billed Stork, Common Waxbill, Spur-winged Lapwing, White-throated Bee-eater, Village Weaver, Swamp Flycatcher, African Firefinch, Black Crake, Hadada Ibis, Black-headed Weaver, Blue-headed Cuckoo, Stripped Kingfisher, Spur-winged Geese, Brown Snake Eagle, Common Moorhens, Grosbeak Weaver, Gull-billed Terns, Lesser Jacana, Hamerkop, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Tawny Eagle, Little Bee-eater, Long-toed Lapwing Plover, Little Stilt, Speckled Mousebird, Tambourine Dove, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Vieillot’s Black Weaver, Whinchat, Violet-backed Sterling, Water Thicknee, Weyn’s Weaver, Whiskered Terns, and several other birds.
How to access Mabamba Wetland
The swamp can be accessed by using both the road and water transport. From Kampala or Entebbe, one can use the old Entebbe-Kampala Road; after you branch off from Kisubi and take Nakawuka Road, then go to Kasanje, where the wetland is situated. Alternatively, you can board a taxi from the taxi park heading to Kasanje trading center, then hire a boda or a motorcycle taxi up to Mabamba wetland, about 13.5 km. Further, you can use Masaka Road and branch off from Mpigi (Kubikondo) and take Kasanje Road via Buyege, which takes about 52 kilometers.
Accommodation- Bird Species in Mabamba Wetland
Many accommodations are available nearby, including in Entebbe and Kampala, along with several lodges that have opened close to the swamp. These include Protea Hotel, Best Western Premier Garden Hotel, Papyrus Guest House, Jet Villas Guest House, 2 Friends Beach Hotel, Nkima Forest Lodge, Mabamba Lodge, Blue Monkey Guest House, Tilapia Lodge, Mission Guest House, and many others.
