Birding in Murchison Falls National Park
Bird Watching Within Murchison Falls National Park
Situated on the north-western side of Uganda is the country’s largest and oldest National Park covering about 3480 square kilometers and established into a National Park in 1952. It is known for the breathtaking Murchison Falls, the World’s most powerful waterfall where the renowned Nile River explodes through a narrow gorge of 7 meters and thunders on towards Sudan, and the Park also stands at an elevation of 650 to 1292 meters above sea level
Murchison Falls National Park is known for numerous wildlife species such as large herds of elephants, buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, antelopes like Uganda Kobs, Bohor reedbucks, Topis, waterbucks, bushbucks, Oribis and elands, Hippos, Lions, leopards, warthogs and primates like vervet monkeys, olive baboons, chimpanzees and black and white colobus monkeys in addition to reptiles such as Nile Crocodiles.
Most interestingly, Murchison Falls National Park is a birding Paradise boasting of over 450 species of birds including 6 of the Afro-tropical highland species, 11 of the Guinea-Congo forest biome species and 3 Somali-Masai Biome species.
You can imagine enjoying the bird species on top of relishing the numerous wildlife that call the Park home. Some of the common species you are likely to sight include the shoebill storks, Bronze-winged coursers, Marsh Owl, Rufous-chested Swallow, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Flamingo, Lesser Jacana, African Finfoot, Yellow-throated Greenbul, Black faced waxbill, Black-headed Batis, Giant Kingfishers, Black-headed Gonolek, Emin’s Shrike, Ross’s Turaco, Yellow-Billed Oxpecker, Heuglin’s Francolin, Caruther’s Cisticola, Vinaceous Dove, Pennant-winged Nightjars, Saddle billed Stork, Brown Twinspot, Bat Hawk, Abyssinian Roller, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Goliath Heron (the largest Heron species in the whole World), Banded Martin, Fawn breasted waxbill, Double toothed barbet, Common Bulbul, Speckle fronted weaver, Yellow throated greenbul, White-rumped Seedeater, Red-rumped Swallow, Sulphur breasted bush shrike, Chested crowned sparrow weaver, Spotted Thicknees, Black Crake, Verreaux’s Owls, Buzzards, Barbets, Rollers, Harriers, Vultures, Eagles, Bee-eaters, Warblers, Lesser swamp Warbler, Harlequin and Blue Quails, Spotted mourning thrush, Dark chanting goshawk, White-winged Widowbird, White-fronted Black Chat, Sooty Chat, Silverbird Cisticola, Secretary Bird, Standard-winged Nightjars, Lesser Stripped Swallow, House Martin, African Rock Martin, Purple Heron, Bar breasted fire finch, Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill, Blue napped mouse birds, Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters, Standard winged nightjar, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Black Coucal, Black-crowned Crane, African darter, Red-throated Bee-eaters, Senegal Thicknees, Marsh Tchagra, Silver bird, Stanley Bustard, Hugli’s francolin, Yellow fronted tinker bird, the Bateleur, Pennant winged nightjars, Siffling Cisticola, Pel’s fishing Owl, Rock Pratincole, Grey headed bush shrike, Long-toed Lapwing, Northern Crombec, White backed night heron, bluff bellied warblers, Spur winger geese, Piac-piac, Sunbirds, Great White Egret, Grey crowned Cranes, Sacred ibis, Martial eagle, White faced whistling duck, African Skimmer, Long toed plover, African and Eurasian Spoonbills, White rumped seedeater, Temminck’s Coursers and the African Finfoot among others.
The vast areas of Savannah Plains are so breathtaking and stunning pinnacle of which the phenomenal Murchison Falls where the calm Nile River is forced through a narrow gorge of 7 meters wide before thundering with tremendous force bellow before finally transforming into a serene River.
One of the exhilarating activity, launch cruises towards the Delta offers tourists with an opportunity of sighting a number of aquatic species of birds such as the African skimmers, Malachite Kingfishers, African fish eagles, Grey crowned cranes, Pied Kingfishers, Red throated bee-eaters, Giant Kingfishers, Saddle billed stork, Black headed gonolek, Black Crakes and Northern carmine bee-eaters in addition to the aquatic wildlife species such as Nile Crocodiles, Hippos and many others.
Therefore on top of spotting four of the Big five animals (lions, leopards, Buffaloes and Elephants), antelopes and Giraffes, tourists who visit Murchison Falls National Park can see over 450 species of birds.
