Birding
From papyrus endemics, Albertine Rift endemics, acacia and forest bird species, Africa is undeniably one the world’s top birders destination with thousands of unique resident bird species and many more that migrate from Europe, Asia and America seasonally to seek refuge in better weather conditions, in search for food and some for breeding purposes. The East African region has some of the continent’s birding parks and destinations with hundreds of resident birds that can be spotted throughout the year round.
The leading birding ground in East Africa is the Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda one of the world’s top birding spots having the highest concentration of bird species per square km with over 660 bird species and Albert rift endemics, followed by Kidepo Valley national park with over 475 bird species, Murchison falls national park and Semuliki national park with 435 bird species; these include Albertine Rift Endemics such as the dwarf honey guide and purple-breasted sunbirds; 35 Congo-Guinea biome species found nowhere else in East Africa, including black dwarf hornbill, Nkulengu rail, Congo serpent eagle, Gabon woodpecker among others. These have made Uganda an outstanding birding haven.
Kenya is another birding destination known for its pink flamingos that reside in tens of thousands in number at lake Nakuru along with more than 400 other species around the country in the Mara, Amboseli park, Mount Kenya plains to the Indian ocean coastal water birds.
Tanzania’s Serengeti 10 times the size of the Masai Mara has a high concentration of more than 450 bird species making it an outstanding birding destination along with the Ngorongoro crater area and coastal resident bird species. Pink flamingos on lake Natron. These birding sights in Tanzania give you a greater percentage of some of the world’s birds to engage.
Rwanda’s lakes, rivers, swamps, mountains & hills along with the rift valley features harbor more than 350 bird species ready for your sighting, some of which are residents to be found nowhere else; endemic rift valley species. A birding trip has your best sightings on an East African trip.
Birding safari tours are best conducted early in the morning hours when most birds have just woken up from their nests before they run to far places for to search food and water and late in the evening when they are returning to rest. Book with us for a well-organized birding trip and safari to Africa.
Here’s a list of some of the more frequent vistas that we have:
African Green Pigeon, African Harrier Hawk, African Pied Wagtail, African Wattled Lapwing, Black Headed Gonolek, Black-Billed Barbet, Black-Headed Batis, Black-Headed Heron, Black-Headed Weaver, Blue-Headed Coucal, Broad-Billed Roller, Brown Headed Parrot, Brown-Backed Scrub Robin, Brown-Throated Wattle Eye, Bruces Green Pigeon, Collared Sunbird, Common Bulbul, Double-Toothed Barbet, Fork-Tailed Drongo, Golden-Breasted Bunting, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Green-Winged Pytilia, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Little Sparrow Hawk, Lizard Buzzard, Long-Tailed Starling, Nubian Woodpecker, Piapiac, Plantain Eater, Purple Starling, Red-Headed Weaver, Red-Shouldered Cuckoo Shrike, Speckled Mouse Bird, Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike, Tawney Eagle, Tropical Boubou, Vineceous Dove, White-Crested Turaco, Yellow-Fronted Tinkerbird, Yellow-Throated Longclaw.