“Tame Birds Sing of Freedom, Wild Birds Fly” – John Lennon
While East Africa in particular is known for wildlife safaris, especially for those looking for the ‘Big Five’, Uganda can easily claim itself to be a heaven for the birders. Uganda boasts of about 1350 species of birds including some endemic and unique birds, not / difficult to be found elsewhere.
Even though the heading mentions ‘East Africa’, this post mainly contains birds of Uganda, which I have been able to spot and record in last few months despite the partial restrictions on movement due to Covid-19. Most shots may not appear to be of Natgeo quality, remember, I am just a modest twitcher trying to share some experiences and memories.
Brown-Throated Wattle-Eye, Male. The female has the brown throat patch. What a songster – one of the most melodious songs I have heard around in Uganda so far. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Western Uganda. March 2021.Lizard Buzzard : A small, gray buzzard, vertical black stripe on the throat is distinctive. Observed in singles or pairs in savanna / forest canopies. Often perches in the open, watching for insects, lizards, snakes, and other small vertebrates. Clicked in Botanical Garden, Entebbe, March 2021Lappet-Faced and Ruppell’s Griffon Vultures sharing a mound and some quiet time in the downpour. Lappet-Faced are larger and normally boss around the carcasses and would not tolerate the Griffon’s closeness. What I see here is some maturity and respect for diversity – in sharing a more comfortable perch. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. March 2021. Blue-capped Coucal. Mabamba, Entebbe, Dec 2020.Malachite Kingfisher. Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe, May 2021.Pied Kingfisher – Female. The male has two black throat bands which are completely joined. The female has one with a gap, as seen above. By the way, in birding, anything Black and White is prefixed with ‘Pied’. These lovely fish hunters are strong. Flying far away from the shore and diving multiple times in one sortie, before returning to catch a breath. Not all dives are successful. This one is sitting on a Papyrus stem. Clicked in Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe, March 2021. Orange Weaver, Male. Not so common as the Village / Black Headed weavers. Clicked at Ngamba Island (aka Chimpanzee Island), Lake Victoria, near Entebbe, May 2021. Black Headed / Village Weaver, Male. Female is duller in colours. Relentless nest builders, these males weave the leave strips or grass blades into beautiful nests. It is a competition, as the nests are inspected by the females who accepts it as home and the builder as a mate only if she is impressed. If the nest is rejected, the male starts all over again to build a new one. I have also seen the males stealing building materials (cushioning leaves etc) from each others nests. All seems to be fair in love, war and nature.Black Headed Weavers, in their community bath. Both males and females are seen here. Females, like the bird on extreme right is dull in colors and without the black mask. Ngamba Island, Uganda.Vieillot’s Black Weaver. Male. Unusual dark weaver, males show variation in colouration going westwards in Africa, however, females maintain same colour. See the female below. Shot in Botanical Garden, Entebbe. June 2021.Vieillot’s Black Weaver. Female. Botanical Garden, Entebbe. June 2021.Baglafecht Weaver, Female. Lake Buniyoni, South Western Uganda. March 2021Black Necked Weaver, Female. Male has a black neck. they build a hanging nest (like all weavers) with a funnel (not all weavers’ nests have that). Botanical Garden, Entebbe. June 2021. Gray Parrot. Large gray parrot with a white face and red tail. Possess an impressive vocal repertoire including whistles, bell-like notes, and screeches. Single and groups flying about and perching in high canopy. Clicked in Botanical Garden, Entebbe. March 2021.Pin Tailed Whydah, a Male in breeding plumage. Female and Non Breeding males do not have the tail, look alike and have dull brown colours. Looks can be deceptive. This pretty little thing is another practitioner of parasitic breeding, other commonly known are cuckoos. No specific target species, it lays eggs in the nests of a wide variety of Waxbills. White-Browed Robin-Chat. Pairs prefer forest thickets in well developed woodland, where they forage on the ground and sing from mid-canopy. Commonly seen in the house gardens (not shy of humans). A lovely songster – sings variations of song which at times get louder and louder in a characteristic crescendo, often incorporating varied jumbled notes and imitations of other species. Clicked in Bush Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Western Uganda. March 2021.Black Drake. A very shy and runaway bride of the swamps – just won’t let you get a shot, leave aside go near. Anyway, someday, I hope to observe it better. Kazinga Channel, QENP, Uganda.Lesser Flamingoes. Clicked at Lake Munyanyange, a crater lake in QENP, Uganda, March 2021Kittlitz’s Plover. Small plover with a brown back and pale underparts. Distinctive head pattern, with one black stripe behind the eye and another across the forehead. Found on mudflats, on saltpans, and in open fields, sometimes far from water. Displays a typical plover behaviour, running and plucking food from the ground. Shot at QENP, Uganda.Wood Sandpiper : Medium-sized brownish wader with a white belly, varied pale spotting and spangling on the back. Standing on a Water Lily leaf here at Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe, Uganda. Jan 2021.Water Thick Knee. A plover-like bird with large, yellow eyes. Crepuscular and nocturnal, always stays closer to the permanent water bodies. An Intermediate (yellow beak) and a Little Egret. The former is slightly bigger, just about 5 – 7 cm. Beak is distinctive. Was lucky to get them in same frame. Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe, Jan 2021.Long Toed Lapwing : Boldly marked with a white face and throat framed by a black nape and breast band. Wetlands and floating vegetation, where it can be found. Both are resting one leg. Lutembe, Near Entebbe, Uganda. Jan 2021.Marabu Stork : A large, grisly looking stork, who is not shy of moving about amongst the humans in towns – practically, wherever it can find something to feed on. A scavenger, also soars high to locate food / carcasses / waste dumps. Seen it in the busiest streets of towns as well as scuffling with vultures over carrion in Masai Mara. Clicked in Lutembe, Entebbe. Dec 2020.Blue-Breasted Bee-Eater. Beautiful bee-eater with a green back, yellow throat, and buffy underparts. Similar to Little Bee-eater but separated by slightly larger size and by the pale patch along the top and back of the yellow throat. Clicked at Lutembe, Entebbe. Dec 2021.Angola SwallowA pair of Black and White Casqued Hornbills. No prizes for guessing the larger male on the left and female on the right. It a treat to watch these amorous birds who spend some quality time together. Lovely in flight, you can also hear their wing beats over head as they move about from tree to tree. Crowned Hornbill. The female and the chicks are inside (one beak is visible). Wonder, how did the female get inside. Well, the hollow’s entrance is much wider than visible now. It is mastery of these hornbills, that once, the female enters the nest, the male brings in mud to patch up the entrance and leave just enough space for the feeding to continue. Look again – isn’t their skill amazing. Unethical to click birds at nest, just chanced upon this – took one burst of shots and left them without any further disturbance / stress of my presence. Location – Secret.Great Blue Turaco. All birds are beautiful, some are just beyond comparison. Turacos are such species. Shot at Botanical Garden, Entebbe, June 2021 African Jacana. Locals also call it Jesus Bird – as it appears to walk on the water, while feeding / standing on the water-lily leaves. Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe. May 2021.Olive Bellied Sunbird, Female. Botanical Garden, Entebbe. June 2021.Ruppell’s Starling. QENP, Dec 2020.Long Tailed Cormorant. Mabamba Swamps, May 2021.Large Cormorant. Mabamba Swamps, May 2021.Fan-Tailed Widowbird. Male. Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe. May 2021.Yellow-Billed Duck. Mabamba Swamps, May 2021.White Faced Whistling Duck. Distinct duck with black-and-white head, rufous breast, and barred flanks. As all whistling-ducks, long neck and legs give it a gooselike appearance. Found in freshwater marshes, lakes, and rice fields. Usually in flocks. Feeds at night. Lutembe
Dear Emmanuel, Thank you for the encouragement. Credit also goes to you and Shakul – you both are brilliant birding guides in Entebbe. It is always a pleasure to go out with you. Keep up the good work.
Rema
04/07/2021
This is an awesome writeup with so many bird species. Had no idea we had this many birds living with us. And the shots are greats!
Wow! Thanks for the nice shots and the information about the birds .
This is so persuasive and I’m sure whoever reads this will love birds.
Dear Emmanuel, Thank you for the encouragement. Credit also goes to you and Shakul – you both are brilliant birding guides in Entebbe. It is always a pleasure to go out with you. Keep up the good work.
This is an awesome writeup with so many bird species. Had no idea we had this many birds living with us. And the shots are greats!
Hey Rema, thank you so much. Happy to know that you liked it.