Top Birds in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is among the top bird watching destinations in Uganda, and it was ranked as an important birding area in the country by BirdLife International due to its rich birdlife. This blog will list some of the top birds in Queen Elizabeth National Park that bird lovers can encounter on their birding safari in the park. It’s the second biggest national park in the country after Murchison Falls National Park, covering an area of about 1973 square kilometers. The park has a rich biodiversity of over 10 primate species, 97 mammal species, including the Big Four mammals, and 200 butterfly species. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to over 600 unique bird species, including forest birds, migratory birds, savannah birds and water birds, making it the only park in East Africa with the highest number of bird species. Bird watching is best done in the morning hours and late afternoon hours when birds are most active.
Top Birds in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
- Spur-winged Goose( Plectropterus gambensis)
- Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)
- Northern Pintail ( Anas acuta)
- African Black Duck (Anas sparsa)
- Garganey (Spatula querquedula)
- Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
- Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi)
- Crested Francolin (Ptilopachus nahani)
- African Green-Pigeon (Treron calvus)
- Black-bellied Bustard
- Denham’s Bustard (Neotis denhami)
- Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata)
- Bare-faced Go-away-bird (Crinifer personatus)
- Eastern Plantain-eater (Crinifer zonurus)
- Rwenzori Turaco ( Gallirex johnstoni)
- White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)
- Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)
- White-backed Duck (Thalassornis leuconotus)
- Knob-billed Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos)
- Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
- Yellow-billed Duck (Anas sparsa)
- Coqui Francolin (Campocolinus coqui)
- Ring-necked Francolin (Scleroptila streptophora)
- Red-winged Francolin (Scleroptila levaillantii)
- Blue Quail (Synoicus adansonii)
- Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix)
- Heuglin’s Spurfowl (Pternistis squamatus)
- Handsome Spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis)
- Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
- Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea)
- Afep Pigeon (Columba unicincta)
- Rameron Pigeon ( Columba arquatrix)
- Western Bronze-naped Pigeon(Columba iriditorques)
- Lemon Dove (Aplopelia larvata)
- Ross’s Turaco (Gallirex johnstoni)
- White-crested Turaco (Tauraco leucolophus)
- Black-billed Turaco (Tauraco schuettii)
- Black-throated Coucal (Centropus leucogaster)
- Senegal Coucal (Centropus senegalensis)
- Blue-headed Coucal (Centropus monachus)
- White-browed Coucal (Centropus superciliosus)
- Black Coucal (Centropus grillii)
- Blue Malkoha (Ceuthmochares aereus)
- Great Spotted Cuckoo ( Clamator glandarius)
- Levaillant’s Cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii)
- Pied Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)
- Thick-billed Cuckoo (Pachycoccyx audeberti)
- Yellow-throated Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx flavigularis)
- Pennant-winged Nightjar (Caprimulgus vexillarius)
- Eurasian Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)
- Nubian Nightjar (Caprimulgus nubicus)
- Fiery-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus pectoralis)
- Montane Nightjar (Caprimulgus poliocephalus)
- Swamp Nightjar (Caprimulgus natalensis)
- Mottled Spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri)
- Sabine’s Spinetail (Rhaphidura sabini)
- Cassin’s Spinetail ( Neafrapus cassini)
- Scarce Swift (Schoutedenapus myoptilus)
- Little Swift (Apus affinis)
- African Swift (Apus barbatus)
- Common Swift (Apus apus)
- Allen’s Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni)
- African Swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis)
- Black Crake (Zapornia flavirostra)
- Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)
- Water Thick-knee (Burhinus vermiculatus)
- Eurasian Thick-knee (Burhinus oedicnemus)
- Senegal Thick-knee (Burhinus senegalensis)
- Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola
- Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
- Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
- Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
- Forbes’s Plover (Thinornis forbesi)
- Three-banded Plover (Thinornis tricollaris)
- Little Ringed Plover (Thinornis dubius)
- Long-toed Lapwing (Vanellus crassirostris
- Dusky Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia lugens)
- Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
- Mourning Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decipiens)
- Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove (Turtur chalcospilos)
- Blue-spotted Wood-Dove ( Turtur afer)
- Mottled Swift (Tachymarptis aequatorialis)
- Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)
- African Palm Swift (Cypsiurus parvus)
- African Rail (Rallus caerulescens)
- African Crake (Crecopsis egregia)
- Gray-throated Rail (Canirallus oculeus)
- Lesser Moorhen (Paragallinula angulata)
- Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
- Red-knobbed Coot (Fulica cristata)
