Bird species to see in Bwindi

With more than 360 different bird species to see in Bwindi, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is among the top places in Uganda to go birdwatching. There are 24 bird species native to the Albertine region and 14 species native to the national park. In close proximity to Mgahinga National Park, home to mountain gorillas as well, lies Bwindi in southwest Uganda. Bamboo and tropical rainforests can be found throughout the 331-square-kilometre national park.

Although seeing mountain gorillas is the primary reason for most visitors to the Bwindi Gorilla area, the area is also a great place to go birdwatching. Within its four sectors, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to over half of the world’s mountain gorilla population. There are around 21 mountain gorilla families in the national park, two of which are accessible for habituated visitors. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the majority of visitors who embark on habituation safaris or gorilla trekking engage in birdwatching either prior to or following their gorilla encounters.

Due of their superior birding vistas, the Buhoma and Ruhija sectors of Bwindi National Park are the sites of most birdwatching activity. The main park trails in Bwindi Gorilla Park, such as the Bamboo Zone, Buhoma Waterfall Trail, and Mubwindi Swamp Trail, are good places to see birds. In the Bwindi Gorilla Park, spotting birds is a supervised pastime led by armed ranger rangers who can both protect you from potentially hazardous wild animals and advise you on the best birding trails.

Bird species to see in Bwindi

African olive-pigeon, petit’s cuckoo-shrike, Rwenzori batis, stuhlmanns starling, blue spotted wood dove, tambourine dove, cassin’s flycatcher, ansorge’s greenbul, white-throated greenbul, snowy-crowned robin-chat, cape wagtail, yellow-fronted canary, dusky twin spot, yellow-fronted canary, European honey buzzard, archer’s robin-chat, mackinnon’s shrike, grey wagtail, jameson’s antpecker, African flycatcher-chat, African golden breasted bunting, oriole finch, pin tailed whydah, grosbeak weaver, little grebe, red knobbed coot, Toro Olive Greenbul, African Goshawk, Grey-checked hornbill and Mountain Wagtail, among others

Other bird species to see in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest include; the black bee-eater, great blue turaco, doherty’s bush-shrike, dwarf honeyguide, African dusky flycatcher, Rwenzori nightjar, Angolan swallow, zebra waxbill, magpie manikin, common sand piper, brown-capped weaver, white-headed saw-wing, purple breasted sunbird, African hill babbler, African citril, shelley’s crimsonwing, marabou stork, lizard buzzard, scaly francolin, blue headed sunbird, klaas’s cuckoo, African paradise flycatcher, luhder’s bush-shrike, many-coloured bush-shrike, olive-breasted greenbul,  red capped robin chat, giant kingfisher, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, , shikra, green combec, carruthers cisticola, woolly necked stork, banded prinia, red chested fluff tail, willcocks honey guide, black swift, jameson’s antpecker, scarce swift and many others.

Additionally, other bird species include the Speckled Mousebird, mottled swift, horus swift, chestnut-throated apalis, White-winged tit, western green tinkerbird, arrow-marked babbler, icterine warbler, brown illadopsis, chapin’s flycatcher, ross’s turaco, Oberlaender’s ground thrush, woodhouse’s antipecker, hairy-breasted barbet, western nectar, white-spotted Flufftail, Brown-chested alethe, marsh tchagra, sooty falcon, plain-backed pipit, rock martin, helmeted guinea Fowl, and Elliott’s Woodpecker. African pygmy kingfisher, Eurasian hobby, Short-tailed Warbler, Copper Sunbird, Palm Nut Vulture, Tit Hylia, Buff Spotted Woodpecker, Ayres Hawk Eagle, Black Crake, Buff Spotted Fluff Tail, Green Hylia, Fine Banded Woodpecker, Singing Cisticola, Scaly-Throated Honey Guide, African Hawk Eagle, Woolly Necked Stork, Equator Akalat, Papyrus Canary, Bocages Bush Shrike, Forest Robin and others

Best time to see Bird species in Uganda.

Although you may go birdwatching in the Bwindi Gorilla Park throughout the year, certain seasons of the year are better than others. When there is not a lot of sunshine or severe rain, it is the ideal time to go birdwatching at Bwindi Gorilla Park. There are migrating bird species and enough food for the birds in the park on these days. For birdwatching in the Bwindi Gorilla Park, June to September and December to March are the best months to visit. The roads going to the park are passable, the vegetation is short, and the birding paths are dry when there is little to no rainfall.

During the rainy season, birdwatchers may still see the gorillas at Bwindi Gorilla Park and take advantage of significant savings on lodging. However, the park is inaccessible to migratory birds during the rainy season due to heavy rainfall, muddy and slippery birding pathways, and dense foliage that obscures bird observations. In the Bwindi Gorilla Park, the rainy seasons run from March to May and from October to November.

What to pack during bird watching in Bwindi

These pieces of equipment include waterproof hiking shoes, long sleeves, long shirts, gardening gloves, insect repellents, a camera, a rain jacket, a pen, a notebook, a voice recorder, a birding book, a backpack, energising snacks, a facemask, sanitiser, and drinking water bottles, all of which are recommended when going birdwatching in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Accommodation options in Bwindi

Bwindi Neck View Lodge, Haven Lodge, Bwindi Forest Lodge, Buhoma Rest Camp, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Ride 4 women Guest House, Silverback Lodge, and Volcanoes Bwindi, Lodge Buhoma Lodge Four Gorillas Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Nsongi Camp, Bwindi View Bandas, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Resort, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, and Wagtail Eco Safari Lodge.

Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Virunga Campsite, Mutanda Eco Community Centre, Nshongi Camp, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge and many others. Trekkers Tavern, Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Ecomarvels Gorilla Lodge, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Bakiga Lodge, Gorilla Mist Camp, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Broadbill Forest Camp, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, Agandi Lodge, Gift of Nature Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Crested Crane Bwindi Hotel, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Cuckoo Land Tented Lodge and others.