Iconic bird of Uganda

Common Birds of Uganda

Uganda punches far above its weight for birds — 1,090+ species in a small country, including the incomparable Shoebill, Albertine Rift endemics, and the world's rarest papyrus birds.

1,090+
Total species
6
Endemics
30
Threatened
Jun–Sep, Dec–Feb
Best months
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1. ShoebillVulnerable
Balaeniceps rex

The most sought-after bird in Africa — stands motionless for hours in papyrus swamps before striking at lungfish; Mabamba Bay near Entebbe and Murchison Falls Nile Delta are the premier sites.

📍 Murchison Falls NP (Nile Delta), Mabamba Swamp🗓 Jun–Sep
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2. Grey Crowned CraneEndangered
Balearica regulorum

Uganda's national bird — the golden crown of feathers surrounding the bare red and white face dances above open grassland throughout the country.

📍 Throughout Uganda wetlands and grassland🗓 Year-round
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3. African Green BroadbillVulnerable
Pseudocalyptomena graueri

One of Africa's most sought-after birds — found only in Uganda's Albertine Rift montane forest; a tiny, emerald-green bird that hops through dense roadside vegetation in Bwindi.

📍 Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Ruwenzori🗓 Jun–Sep
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4. Fox's WeaverVulnerable
Ploceus spekeoides

A Uganda endemic restricted to riparian and lake-edge forest in the Albert Nile drainage — males build intricate hanging nests in riverside trees close to water.

📍 Murchison Falls area, Albert Nile🗓 Jun–Sep
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5. Grauer's Rush WarblerVulnerable
Graueria vittata

An Albertine Rift endemic warbler of bamboo and montane scrub — a large, skulking warbler with a bold white eyebrow that requires patience and persistence to see well.

📍 Bwindi bamboo zone, Echuya FR🗓 Jun–Sep
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6. Nahan's PartridgeEndangered
Pternistis nahani

One of Africa's least-known birds — a secretive forest partridge restricted to a handful of Ugandan and DRC forests; detected by pre-dawn calling from dense interior forest.

📍 Bwindi Interior, Kibale Forest, lowland east🗓 Jun–Sep
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7. Black-and-white Casqued HornbillLeast Concern
Bycanistes subcylindricus

The typical hornbill of Uganda's forest parks — huge, casqued black-and-white birds fly noisily between fruiting trees in Kibale Forest, where they share habitat with chimpanzees.

📍 Kibale Forest, Budongo, Mabira FR🗓 Jun–Sep
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8. Shelley's CrimsonwingVulnerable
Cryptospiza shelleyi

An Albertine Rift endemic finch with vivid crimson wings and green body — found in bamboo and montane scrub at Bwindi and the Ruwenzori foothills, skulking in dense growth.

📍 Bwindi, Ruwenzori above 1,800m🗓 Jun–Sep

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Common Birds of Uganda | AvianScope