Birds of Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Birds of Rwenzori Mountains National Park: 217 bird species have so far been recorded in Rwenzori Mountains National Park. 19 of these bird species are said to be endemic to the Albertine region meaning that they cannot be seen in any other region in the country. Rwenzori Mountains National Park is one of the birding destinations in western Uganda and is found in the Kasese district.

Rwenzori Mountains National Park is a 998 piece of land gazetted in 1991 by the Uganda Wildlife Authority a government agency managing all the national parks in Uganda. The area was gazetted as a national park to protect different attractions that were found there. Among the attractions include birds and about 217 have been so far recorded.

Birds of Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Over 217 bird species have been recorded in Rwenzori mountains national park and the include Regal sunbird, mackinnon’s shrike, barred long tailed cuckoo, yellow crowned canary, chestnut throated apalis, kivu ground thrush, streaky seedeater, red winged francolin, angola swallow, long eared owl, banded prinia, golden winged sunbird, black billed turaco, scaly breasted illadopsis, grey apalis, lagden’s bush shrike, thick billed seedeater, northern fiscal, dwarf honeyguide, road throated alethe, red faced cisticola.

Cinnamon chested bee eater, red tufted sunbird, evergreen forest warbler, rock martin, stuhlmann’s starling, stuhlmann’s sunbird, grey chested illadopsis, long eared owl, apalis, Rwenzori turaco, little bee eater, dusky crimsonwings, stout cisticola, black faced rufous warbler, yellow bellied waxbill, lesser striped swallow, brown woodland warbler, cinnamon bracken warbler, grey winged robin, sharpe’s starling,

Montane sooty boubou, sharpe’s starling, white wagtail, variable sunbird, black billed seedcracker, fawn breasted waxbill, African thrush, red thighed sparrowhawk, red headed bluebill, western citril, white necked raven, northern grey headed sparrow, western yellow wagtail, black headed heron, masked apalis, black crowned waxbill, golden backed weaver, mountain buzzard, Montane Rwenzori nightjar, olive woodpecker, handsome francolin, black capped apalis, grey headed nigrita.

Augur buzzard, slender billed greenbul, singing cisticola, great crested grebe, strange weaver, hadada ibis, archer’s robin chat, red chested cuckoo, evergreen forest warbler, grey headed nigrita, red faced crimsonwing, mountain yellow warbler, mountain illadopsis, trilling cisticola, ruppell’s staling, grey heron, black sawwing, narrow tailed starling, lapped faced vulture, western green tinkerbird, cassin’s honeyguide.

Rwenzori batis, willow warbler, yellow billed barbet, toro olive greenbul, black winged kite, African black duck, eastern mountain greenbul, lemon dove, green white eye, scaly spurfowl, cattle egret, red faced woodland warbler, red eyed dove, latham’s francolin, brown snake eagle, black tailed oriole, palm nut vulture, rameron pigeon, common sandpiper, black kite, little greenbul, chestnut winged starling, afed pigeon.

Scarlet tufted malachite sunbird, wattled lapwing, grey cuckoo shrike, marabou stork, lunder’s bushshrike, long toed lapwing, blue headed coucal, chestnut wattle eye, white browed coucal, grey headed kingfisher, crowned eagle, western tinkerbird, African green pigeon, glossy ibis, cassin’s hawk eagle, African hobby, eastern plantain eater, grey tit flycatcher, laughing dove, common bulbul, long crested eagle, levaillant’s cuckoo.

Slender billed starling, African pied wagtail, thick billed seedeater, honeyguide greenbul, Abyssinian ground hornbill, brown woodland warbler, least honeyguide, klaas’s cuckoo, western tinkerbird, speckled mousebird, African penduline tit, African emerald cuckoo, green hylia, Albertine boubou, montane nightjar, malachite king fisher, speckled tinkerbird, blue spotted wood dove, speckled pigeon, black goshawk, grey throated barbet.

Black headed paradise flycatcher, African wood owl, blue breasted bee eater, yellow rumped tinkerbird, European bee eater, African paradise flycatcher, white browed crombec, cardinal woodpecker, African marsh harrier, dusky blue flycatcher, doherty’s bushshrike, northern black flycatcher, Baglafecht weaver, chinspot batis, rameron pigeon, olive woodpecker, tripocal boubou, peregrine falcon, yellow longbill, white necked raven, red headed malimbe, grey headed sunbird.

Brown throated wattle eye, cinnamon bracken warbler, scaly throated honeyguide, alpine swift, lizard buzzard, speckled mousebird, African grey woodpecker, white rumped swift, brown crowned tchagra, white winged black kit, bronze mannikin, African palm swift, golden crowned woodpecker, ashy flycatcher, snowy crowned robin chat, stripe breasted tit, black throated wattle eye, dusky kit, scarce swift, African stonechat, black crowned tchagra, African swift, little egret, white starred robin.

African scared ibis, plain martin, oriole finch, white wagtail, mountain yellow warbler, black headed sunbird, Rwenzori turaco, cabanis’s greenbul, Rwenzori apalis, barn owl, little grebe, tambourine dove, Rwenzori hill babbler, African shrike flycatcher, Eurasian kestrel, little swift, yellow fronted tinkerbird, white spotted flufftail, buff spotted flufftail, village weaver, red knobbed coot, shikra, white chinned prinia, pied cow, African dusky flycatcher, and blue shouldered robin chat to mention but a few.

The best way to see birds of Rwenzori Mountains National Park

The best way to see birds of Rwenzori Mountains National Park is by taking part in bird watching exercises organized in the park. Bird watching in the park has got well-trained ranger guides who know the best birding trails to use to enable birders to see as many bird species as they can. The activity also involves birders who are good at locating different bird species in the park.

During bird watching, birders can hire local birders who know well about the different areas in the national park. These people know the best areas to find specific bird species because they are used to being in the area. There are so many birding trails tourists will use in the park to see the different bird species that have been so far recorded there.

What to carry for birding in Rwenzori Mountains National Park?

To have a good birding exercise in Rwenzori Mountains National Park you must go with good birding equipment. Bird watching equipment includes waterproof shoes, long-sleeved pants, long-sleeved shirts, a rain jacket, insect repellents, a field guidebook, a pair of binoculars, a camera, a backpack, energy-giving snacks, drinking water bottle, facemask, and sanitizer to mention but a few.

When to go bird watching in Rwenzori Mountains National Park?

Tourists can go bird watching in Rwenzori Mountains National Park at any time of the year. The best time to visit Rwenzori for see birds is from November to April because that is when migratory birds are within the park meaning that the number of bird species to see will increase. November to April is also the breeding period for birds and there is always plenty of food for birds in the park.

Tourists can still go birding in Rwenzori Mountains National Park any other month of the year they get time. The park is always open and birding activities are organized in the park every day. With a good birding guide, any time of the year you will visit the park you will be able to see more than half of the bird species recorded.