Birds to See in Bwindi Gorilla Park
Birds to see in Bwindi Gorilla Park: Among the top destinations to see birds in Uganda is Bwindi Gorilla Park, home to more than 360 different kinds of birds as well as many Albertine Rift endemics. Bwindi Gorilla Park is situated adjacent to Mgahinga National Park in southwestern Uganda. Besides gorilla trekking, Bwindi has several activities such as birdwatching, nature walks, cultural visits, and hiking along forest routes that lead to beautiful waterfalls and rift valley viewpoints. The 331 square km that make up the national park are made up of bamboo and tropical rainforest.
Although the primary reason for most visitors to the Bwindi Gorilla area is to see mountain gorillas, the area is also a great place to go bird-watching. Over half of the mountain gorilla population is found in four sections of the Bwindi Gorilla Park. Two more than 21 mountain gorilla families in the national park are available for habituated visits. Following their gorilla encounters, most tourists who participate in Bwindi Gorilla Park’s habituation safaris also engage in birdwatching.
Since the Buhoma and Ruhija sectors of the park offer the best birding views, these areas are where most birding activities in Bwindi take place. Best park trails: Buhoma waterfall path, Mubwindi swamp trail, Bamboo zone. These are good places to see birds in Bwindi Gorilla Park. The best birding pathways and ways to avoid dangerous wild animals are known to the armed ranger guides who lead guided bird-watching tours in Bwindi Gorilla Park.
Birds to see in Bwindi Gorilla Park
Following the birds to see in Bwindi Gorilla Park, the park is home to bird species such as the Grey Crowned Crane, Equatorial Akalat, Bar-tailed Trogon, Nuemann’s Warbler, African Broadbill, Black-billed Turaco, Many-coloured Bushirike, Kivu Ground Thrush, White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Black Bee-eater, White-bellied Robin-chat, Grey-winged Robin-chat, Oriole Finch, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Stripe-breasted Tit, Strange Sunbird, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Rwenzori Blue-headed Sunbird, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Rwenzori Apalis, Dusky Crimsonwing, Eastern Mountain Greenbul, Montane Oriole, and many others.
African Wood-owl, Crested Guinea Fowl, Waller’s Starling, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Olive-pigeon, Petit Petite Cuckoo-shrike, Rwenzori Batis, Pink-footed Puff Back, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Ansorge’s Greenbul, White-throated Greenbul, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Tambourine Dove, Yellow-fronted Canary, Dusky Twin Spot, Cape Wagtail, Mountain Wagtail, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, African Flycatcher-chat, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Grey Wagtail, Jameson’s Ant Pecker, European Honey Buzzard, Archer’s Robin-chat, Hottentot teal, Oriole finch, Pin-tailed Whydah, Grosbeak Weaver, Stuhlmanns Starling, Little Grebe, Toro Olive Greenbul, African Goshawk, Grey-checked Hornbill, and African Golden-breasted Bunting.
Other birds to see in Bwindi Gorilla Park, include: Broadbill, Great Blue Turaco, African Dusky Flycatcher, Angolan Swallow, Zebra Waxbill, Common Sand Piper, Brown-capped Weaver, White-headed Saw-wing, Blue-headed Sunbird, Klaas’s Cuckoo, African Paradise Flycatcher, Luhder’s Bush-shrike, Magpie Manikin, Yellow Streaked Greenbul, Olive-breasted Greenbul, Giant Kingfisher, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Rwenzori Nightjar, Black Bee-eater, Carruthers Cisticola, Woolly Necked Stork, Banded Prinia, Red-chested Fluff Tail, Jameson’s Antpecker, Scarce Swift, Little Grebe, Cattle Egret, Red Capped Robin-chat, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Marabou Stork, Lizard Buzzard, Shikra, Green Combec, Scaly Francolin, Died Erik Cuckoo, and Alpine Swift are among the other bird species found in Bwindi Gorilla Park.
A few other significant species of Bwindi gorilla birds include the Speckled Mouse Bird, Mottled Swift, Horus Swift, Cistchestnut-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, Wood Houses Anti Pecker, and more. Western Nector, Fluff Tail with white spots, Alethe with a brown breast, Marsh Tchagra, Falcon Sooty, Martin, Rock, and plain-backed pipit Elliot’s Wood Pecker, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Eurasian Hobby, Helmeted Guinea Fowl, The Afed Pigeon Warbler with a short tail, Vulture of Palm Nuts, Copper Sunbird, Green Hylia, Ayres Hawk Eagle, Tit Hylia, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Black Crake, and Buff-spotted Fluff Tail Woodpecker with a fine band, Hadada Ibis, African Hawk Eagle, Woolly-necked Stork, Papyrus Canary, Bocages Bush-Shrike, Scaly-throated Honey Guide, and Singing Cisticola are a few examples.
What is the best time to go on a birding safari in Bwindi?
While it is possible to go bird-watching at the Bwindi Gorilla Park throughout the year, certain seasons are preferable to others. In Bwindi Gorilla Park, the best times to go birdwatching are when there is much sunshine or heavy rain. There are migrating bird species in the park and enough food for the birds. June to September and December to March are the finest times of year to go birdwatching in the Bwindi Gorilla Park. The birding trails are dry, the foliage is sparse, and the roads going into the park are usable 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. But during the rainy season, there is a lot of rain, which prevents the migratory birds from visiting the park. The muddy and slick birding routes and the dense foliage make it difficult to see the bird species. In the Bwindi Gorilla Park, the rainy seasons run from March to May and October to November.
What to pack for birdwatching in Bwindi Gorilla Park?
Among the items to pack for Bwindi Gorilla Park birdwatching excursions are waterproof hiking shoes, long-sleeved shirts, and pants, gardening gloves, rain jackets, binoculars, cameras, voice recorders, energy-boosting snacks, backpacks, water bottles, face masks, and sanitisers.
Accommodation on a birdwatching safari in Bwindi
Accommodation in the Nkuringo sector
Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Crested Crane Bwindi Hotel, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Virunga Campsite, and Mutanda Eco Community Centre
Accommodation in the Buhoma sector
Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Buhoma Rest Camp, Haven Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi Forest Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, and Ride 4 Women Guest House.
Accommodation in the Rushaga sector
Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Nsongi Camp, Wagtail Eco Safari Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, and Rushaga Gorilla Resort.
Accommodation in the Ruhija sector
Gift of Nature Lodge, Bakiga Lodge, Trekkers Tavern, Gorilla Mist Camp, Broadbill Forest Camp, Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Cuckoo Land Tented Lodge, Ecomarvels Gorilla Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, and Agandi Lodge.