Birds In Queen Elizabeth National Park. Queen Elizabeth National Park boosts in an excess of 550 species of birds that have actually made it a charming destination for guests that love watching birds. The park is situated in Rukungiri district in southwestern Uganda covering a total land area of 1 978 sq km. It sits at an altitude of 900 meters on the adjacent Lake Edward up to 1 845 meters at the peak of the western Rift Valley’s – eastern Escarpment. It has a home of average altitude – moist semi-deciduous forest, rivine bush-land, moist thicket and riparian forest. Among the bird habitats offered within this national park are Open woodlands, rivers, open grassland, lakes seasonal as well as permanent swamps.
Bird species in Queen Elizabeth
There are several aquatic birds such as the White-faced Whistling, Spur-winged Plovers, Squacco Heron, Fish Eagle, Pink and white backed Pelicans, Long tailed Cormorants, African Jacana, Yellow backed Weavers, open-billed Stork, Water-Thick knee, Pied kingfishers, Wattled Plovers, the Black Crake and the Knob-billed Ducks along the impressive Kazinga channel in the park.
Additional prominent species include the malachite kingfisher, black-rumped buttonquail, collared pratincole, papyrus canary, Verreaux’s eagle-owl, black bee-eater, squacco heron, African fish eagle, swamp flycatcher, long-tailed cormorant, martial eagle, African skimmer, white-winged tern, white-winged warbler, shoebill, grey-headed kingfisher, papyrus gonolek, and thin-tailed nightjar. In the early morning, the thin-tailed nightjar fills the tree branches with its distinctive calls, while many of these birds begin the day with vibrant songs that echo throughout the surrounding habitat.
A hike into the verdant gorge introduces you to a rich variety of forest bird species, including the grey woodpecker, black cuckoo, African emerald cuckoo, hairy-breasted barbet, speckled tinkerbird, purple-headed starling, and green hylia. You can also spot many of these species in Maramagambo Forest. The good-looking white -spotted fluff tail is plentiful within thickets by the river side. Listen in damp grassland close to the verdant gorge, for the far stretching, metallic twink echo of Broad-tailed Warbler.
Best Time For Bird Watching In Queen Elizabeth National Park
The finest timing to enjoy bird watching safaris within Queen Elizabeth is from December up to February. It is best to take a two- or three-day birdwatching safari, as this gives you the opportunity to spot more than half of the park’s 550 bird species. Book with Vibrant Holiday Safaris for an amazing birding safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
