Exploring Bwindi’s Rare and Beautiful Birds
Exploring Bwindi’s rare and beautiful birds, there are 361 bird species known to exist in Uganda’s main birding hotspot, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Of the 23 endemic bird species found in the park, 14 are unique and endemic to Bwindi. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, one of Africa’s oldest forests with a distinctive and impressive biodiversity, is located in southwestern Uganda and is home to the endangered mountain gorillas. Beyond gorilla trekking, Bwindi offers other activities, including birding, hiking, nature walks, and cultural interactions. Many rare species of the Albertine Rift, primarily found in the tropical rainforest of the Ruhija, make the 325-kilometer Bwindi Impenetrable National Park one of the best sites to go birdwatching.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is famous for gorilla trekking but is also an excellent spot for birdwatching due to its variety of bird species. Over half of the world’s mountain gorillas live there, with 23 gorilla families habituated for visitors. Many tourists enjoy birdwatching, especially before or after trekking. Birding takes place mainly in the Ruhija and Buhoma sectors, along trails like the Buhoma Water Trail and the Mubwindi Swamp Trail. These activities are guided by armed ranger guides who know the best trails and ensure safety from the park’s dangerous animals. This makes Bwindi one of the top most birding destinations where birdwatchers and nature lovers find tranquillity and excitement during Bwindi wildlife adventure safaris.
Mubwindi Birding Trail
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is home to over 10 species of primates, 120 animals, 350 birds, 51 reptiles, 310 butterflies, and more than 160 types of trees. Gorilla trekking is the top activity in the park, but visitors can also enjoy hiking, nature walks, and birdwatching. Trails in the park offer stunning views of the Virunga volcanoes and rolling valleys. The Mubwindi Trail, located in the Ruhija section, is particularly popular. It takes 4-5 hours to walk and offers beautiful scenery through lush jungles and slopes. The trail is ranked number one in Africa for birding, and visitors must inform park authorities, pay, and be accompanied by armed ranger guides and local birding experts. Along the trail, tourists may see various park animals, including chimpanzees, elephants, and bushbucks, and if lucky, even mountain gorillas. They will also encounter diverse plants, reptiles, amphibians, and butterflies.
Bird species in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest- Exploring Bwindi’s Rare and Beautiful Birds
Birds to see include the Red-chested Fluff Tail, Lizard Buzzard, Doherty’s Bush-Shrike, Woolly-necked Stork, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Shikra, Erik Cuckoo, Green Crombec, African Broadbill, Great Blue Turaco, Black Swift, African Hill Babbler, African Dusky Flycatcher, White-headed Saw-wing, Cattle Egret, Angolan Swallow, Zebra Waxbill, Common Sand Piper, African Citril, Blue-headed Sunbird, Brown-capped Weaver, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Scaly Francolin, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Luhder’s Bush-Shrike, Banded Prinia, Red-capped Robin-chat, Purple-breasted Sunbird, African Paradise Flycatcher, Regal Sunbird.
Toro Olive Greenbul, Oriole Finch, Pin-tailed Whydah, African Flycatcher-chat, African Golden-breasted Bunting, Yellow-fronted Canary, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, Pink-footed Puff Back, African Wood Owl, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Waller’s Starling, Grey Wagtail, Crested Guinea Fowl, Blue Spotted Wood Dove, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Dusky Twin Spot, Ansorge’s Greenbul, Hottentot Teal, African Olive-pigeon, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Rwenzori Batis, Blue Spotted Wood Dove, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Tambourine Dove, and White-throated Greenbul.
Other birds to see include the Palm-nut Vulture, Forest Robin, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Papyrus Canary, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Horus Swift, Buff-spotted Wood Pecker, Short-tailed warbler, Equatorial Akalat, Speckled Mouse Bird, White-winged Tit, Ayres Hawk Eagle, Arrow Marked Babbler, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Oberlaenders Ground Thrush, Brown Illadopsis, Ross’s Turaco, Hairly-breasted Barbet, Wood Houses Anti Pecker, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Singing Cisticola, White-spotted Fluff Tail, Mottled Swift, Cist Chestnut-throated Apalis, Sooty Falcon, Bocages Bush-Shrike, Marsh Tchagra, Eurasian Hobby, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Western Nector, Brown-chested Alethe, Short-tailed Warbler, Plain-backed Pipit, Helmeted Guinea Fowl, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Afed Pigeon, Hadada Ibis, Rock Martin, Green Hylia, African Hawk Eagle, Copper Sunbird, Black Crake, Tit Hylia, among others.
Best time to visit Bwindi -Exploring Bwindi’s Rare and Beautiful Birds
The best time to go bird watching in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is always during the dry season, which is marked by an increase in food supplies, ripening fruits, and an influx of migrating birds. March and September are the greatest months, while other months are better. However, whereas March through May and September through November see considerable rainfall, June and July consistently receive little. Thus, the best time of year to go birdwatching in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is during the dry season. Short vegetation cover, open skies, and easy, dry, and accessible birding trails are the hallmarks of this time of year. However, prolonged rainstorms frequently disrupt birdwatching hours, causing delays.
Even though fewer people visit during the rainy season, birdwatchers can still benefit from substantial discounts on lodging and other services. However, the rainy season deters both migratory birds and birdwatchers from visiting the park due to the muddy, damp, and slippery birding pathways, as well as the dense foliage that blocks clear views for bird watching.
What to carry for bird watching in Bwindi Gorilla Park
A voice recorder, rain jacket, camera, binoculars, waterproof hiking shoes, long-sleeved shirts and pants, a pair of binoculars, a telescope, gardening gloves, extra batteries, insect repellents, a notebook, a birding book, a backpack, energy-boosting snacks, a drinking water bottle, a facemask, a pen, and a brimmed hat are all necessary items to bring on your birdwatching safari to Bwindi.
Accommodation on a birdwatching safari in Bwindi
Rushaga sector
Gorilla Leisure Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Resort, Four Gorillas Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Nsongi Camp, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Wagtail Eco Safari Lodge, and Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge.
Ruhija sector- Exploring Bwindi’s Rare and Beautiful Birds
Bakiga Lodge, Gorilla Mist Camp, Agandi Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Gift of Nature Lodge, Cuckoo Land Tented Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, Eco Marvels Gorilla Lodge, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Trekkers Tavern, Broadbill Forest Camp, among others.
Nkuringo sector
Crested Crane Bwindi Hotel, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Virunga Campsite, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Mutanda Eco Community Centre, Nshongi Camp, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, among others.
Buhoma sector- Exploring Bwindi’s Rare and Beautiful Birds
Haven Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Engagi Lodge, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Ride 4 Women Guest House, Buhoma Rest Camp, Bwindi View Bandas, and Bwindi Forest Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, among others.
