Birds of Kidepo Valley National Park.
Kidepo Valley National Park is the most remote and least explored national Park, yet it is one of the best bird watching destinations in Uganda with rich avian life. It is located in the northeastern part of Uganda, bordering Kenya to the east and South Sudan to the northeast. The park has a rich biodiversity, home to over 78 mammal species, including the Big Four lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo, caracals, zebras, giraffes, cheetah, aardwolf, greater kudu, bat-eared fox, and others. It also hosts up to 480 bird species, making it the second national park in Uganda with a high number of bird species after Queen Elizabeth National Park. These birds include migratory birds, birds of prey, water birds, savannah birds, and the park’s endemic bird species. The park has different spots suitable for bird watching with unique bird species, including areas around Apoka camp, Narus valley, Kidepo Valley, and areas around the Rivers offer good opportunities for seeing water birds. Ornithologists and bird enthusiasts will have a chance to see various birds of Kidepo Valley National Park while on game drives and nature walks, both provide unforgettable birding experiences.
Birds of Kidepo Valley National Park
Bird lovers will be delighted in over 480 bird species found in Kidepo Valley National Park including Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill, Crowned Hornbill, African Gray Hornbill, Jackson’s Hornbill, Northern Red-billed Hornbill, Olive Bee-eater, Common Reed Warbler, White-throated Bee-eater, Common Ostrich, White-faced Whistling-Duck. Secretary Birds, Northern Camine bee-eaters, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Purple Heron, Clapperton’s Francolin, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Egyptian Goose, Garganey, African Pygmy-Goose, Knob-billed Duck, Spur-winged Goose, Helmeted Guineafowl, Western Crested Guineafowl, Stone Partridge, Crested Francolin, Ring-necked Francolin, Orange River Francolin, Blue Quail, Harlequin Quail, Common Quail, Clapperton’s Spurfowl, Red-necked Spurfowl, Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Speckled Pigeon, Mourning Collared-Dove, Lemon Dove, Dusky Turtle-Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Vinaceous Dove, Laughing Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Black-billed Wood-Dove, Namaqua Dove, Blue-spotted Wood-Dove, Little Swift, Common Swift, Horus Swift, African Palm Swift, Buff-spotted Flufftail, White-spotted Flufftail, African Rail, Lesser Moorhen, Allen’s Gallinule, Black Crake, Eurasian Moorhen, African Crake, Lesser Moorhen, Gray Crowned-Crane, Black Crowned-Crane, Senegal Thick-knee, Water Thick-knee, Spotted Thick-knee, Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Black-winged Stilt, Black-headed Lapwing, Three-banded Plover, Long-toed Lapwing, Wattled Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, Spur-winged Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Greater Painted-Snipe, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, African Snipe, Green Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Small Buttonquail, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Bronze-winged Courser, Temminck’s Courser, Gull-billed Tern.
Other birds of Kidepo Valley National Park include, White-winged Tern,Little Grebe, African Openbill, African Woolly-necked Stork, Yellow-billed Stork, Saddle-billed Stork, Abdim’s Stork, Black Stork, Reed Cormorant, African Sacred Ibis, Hadada Ibis, African Sacred Ibis, Black-crowned Night Heron, Dwarf Bittern, Western Cattle-Egret, Black-headed Heron, Gray Heron, Western Cattle-Egret, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, Yellow-billed Egret, Hamerkop, Pink-backed Pelican, Osprey, Bruce’s Green-Pigeon, Four-banded Sandgrouse, Denham’s Bustard, White-bellied Bustard, Hartlaub’s Bustard, Black-bellied Bustard, Buff-crested Bustard, Great Blue Turaco, White-bellied Go-away-bird, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Ross’s Turaco, Eastern Plantain-eater, Black-throated Coucal, Senegal Coucal, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Red-chested Cuckoo, Pied Cuckoo,Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Standard-winged Nightjar, Fiery-necked Nightjar, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Long-tailed Nightjar, Freckled Nightjar, Swamp Nightjar, White-rumped Swift, Mottled Swift, Scarce Swift, Alpine Swift, Nyanza Swift, African Swift, African Cuckoo-Hawk, African Harrier-Hawk, Black-winged Kite, White-headed Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, Bateleur, Rüppell’s Griffon, Beaudouin’s Snake-Eagle, Bearded Vulture, European Honey-buzzard, Verreaux’s Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Martial Eagle, Martial Eagle, African Hawk-Eagle, Long-crested Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, Eastern Chanting-Goshawk, African Marsh Harrier, Black Kite, Western Marsh Harrier, Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk, Black Goshawk, Pallid Harrier, Grasshopper Buzzard, Common Buzzard, African Fish-Eagle, Western Barn Owl, Southern White-faced Owl, Northern White-faced Owl, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Grayish Eagle-Owl, African Wood-Owl, Blue-naped Mousebird, Speckled Mousebird, Common Hoopoe, among others.
Best Time to Visit the Park.
The park can be visited throughout the year, and the best time to see birds of Kidepo Valley National Park hinges on an individual’s interest. It receives two season: the wet season and the dry season. The wet season runs from October to November and March to May, this season receives enough rainfall, and the tracks are muddy and slippery making it challenging to penetrate it. The dry season runs from June to September and December to February, during this period the park receives no rainfall and the tracks are dry making it easy to penetrate it.
