Birdwatching in Queen Elizabeth National Park - Uganda Birding Hotspots

Queen Elizabeth National Park located in the western Uganda is a premier birding hotspot protecting a wide-range of habitats with an staggering checklist of up to 606 bird species. The 1978 sq-km Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second biggest national park and is named in honor of Queen Elizabeth 2 that visited here in 1954. It is gazzeted as a biosphere reserve lying along the Albertine Rift Valley floor poked by over a dozen crater lakes and overlooking the towering Rwenzori Mountain Ranges.

Queen Elizabeth National Park with its varied habitats and an impressive diversity checklist of species features on all our tailored Uganda Classic Birding packages requiring at least 2-3 full days excursions. Beyond birding, Queen Elizabeth National Park offer excellent wildlife viewing opportunities while on drives and boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel with chimpanzee treks are offered in the nearby Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu Forest.

Queen Elizabeth National Park Key Birding Hotspots and Highlights

Queen Elizabeth National Park wide variety of habitats include vast wetlands surrounding large Lakes Goerge and Kazinga Channel, recognized as a Ramsar Site and Important Bird Area (IBA’s) for their importance to bird diversity. Elsewhere, the park is covered with open grasslands blending into moist savanna woodlands and tropical rainforests. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s over-a-dozen saline volcanic lakes attracts millions of migrating Palearctic and continental wader species.

Another exciting hotspot to explore while birding in Queen Elizabeth NP are transitional zones between savanna grasslands and wetlands, woodlands and open water habitats which are utilized by a wide range of bird species.

In this guide below we explore each birding hotspot and likely highlights to encounter while birding here.

Birdwatching on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth NP

The Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a major birding hotspot known for a diversity of species and wildlife. The 40km long Kazinga Channel connects Lakes George and Edward, splitting the park into two halves. A birding boat cruise trip on Kazinga Channel begins from Mweya jetty to explore the woodland lined edges to the mouth of Lake Edward where large congregations of waders occur.

Key highlights include; African Skimmer, African Spoonbill, Great White and Pink-backed Pelican, Lesser and Greater Flamingos, Great Cormorant, African Darter, Yellow-billed Stork, Pied Avocet, Spur-winged Goose, Egyptian Goose, Grey and Goliath Heron, African Jacana, Long-toed Lapwing etc. The woodland channel edges are tended by Lesser-masked Weaver, colonies of Village Weaver and Vielloet’s Black Weaver, Slender-billed Weaver, Little Weaver, Swamp Flycatcher and hunted by Pied, Malachite and Giant Kingfishers. Dozens of African Fish Eagle take up posts along the channel while pairs of the opportunistic and fruit eating Palm-nut Vulture patrol the same channel.

Other highlights include; Grey-headed and Blue-breasted Kingfisher, White-throated Bee-eater, Angola, Mosque White-tailed and Lesser Stripped Swallow, African Plain Martin and more.

A species-target birding boat cruise explores papyrus sections near the mouth of Kyambura river for the elusive White-winged Swamp Warbler, Carruther’s Cisticola and Papyrus Gonolek while the Shoebill breeds further north around Lake George.

Birding around Mweya Peninsula and Kasenyi Grasslands of Queen Elizabeth NP

The Mweya and Kasenyi Grasslands comprises a varied range of bird-rich habitats from mature woodlands along the crater drive and Kazinga Channel edges to euphorbia dotted savanna grasslands in Kasenyi.

Key bird highlights include; Senegal Lapwing, Temminck’s Courser, Kittlitz’s Plover, Crowned Lapwing, Grassland Pipit, Red-necked Francolin, Flappet, Rufous-naped and Red-capped Lark are regular on Kasenyi plains. Orange-breasted Bushshrike, Blue-naped Mousebird, Black-crowned Tchagra, Greater Honeyguide, Ruppell’s Starling, Striated Kingfisher, Red-headed Weaver, Black-headed Gonolek, Lesser Masked Weaver and Lilac-breasted Roller. Raptors include; Martial Eagle, Bateleur, Brown and Black-Chested Snake-Eagles while the Yellow-billed and Red-billed Oxpeckers can be seen following buffalo herds.

Birdwatching along the Ishasha Road Woodlands

The Ishasha road is a 70km stretch that starts from the Ishasha Junction on the Kasese-Mbarara highway through the extensive acacia woodlands interspersed by open grasslands and southern forest edges of the vast Imaramagambo Forest.

Key highlights along this woodland stretch include; Bearded Woodpecker, White-headed Barbet, African Grey Hornbill, Green Wood-hoopoe, African Grey Woodpecker, Nubian Woodpecker, African Paradise Flycatcher, Red-faced Crombec, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Eastern Black-headed Oriole and Common Scimitarbill. The colorful Lirac-breasted Roller, Meyer’s Parrot, Little Bee-eater, Black-lored Babbler, Bocage’s Bushshrike, Grey-Penduline Tit, African Pygmy Kingfisher etc. The African Cuckoo and Red-chested Cuckoo are passage migrants through these woodlands.

Raptors include; Long-crested Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite, Black Sparrowhawk, African Goshawk, Little Sparrowhalk, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Wahlberg and Tawny Eagles while Lesser-spotted, Steppe and Booted Eagles migrate through here.

The open moist grasslands host a selection of Euplecets species including; Red-collared Widowbird, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, White-winged Widowbird, Yellow Bishop and Southern Red Bishop. Sooty Chat, Yellow-throated Longcrow, Singing Cisticola, Stout Cisticola, Wnig-snapping Cisticola, Grey-backed Fiscal occur. Seedeaters include large flocks of Cardinal Quelea, Pin-tailed Whydah etc

Birding into the Ishasha Sector

Birding into Ishasha sector located on the southern edges of Queen Elizabeth NP adds onto our checklist a diverse collection of species from extensive grasslands, woodlands, riverine and wetlands habitats. The grassland host seasonal migrants of; Harlequin and Common Quails and the dashing African Crake and the resident Common Button Quail.

Vultures are well represented at Ishasha grasslands and include; Lappet-faced, White-headed, Griffin’s, White-backed, Ruppell’s and Hooded Vultures.

The extensive wetlands host a Black Crake, Black Coucal, Purple Swamphen, African Openbill, Saddle-billed Stork, White-faced Whistling Duck, Grey Heron, African Jacana and more.

Birding the Katwe, Munyanyange and Bunyampaka Salt Crater Lakes

The salt lakes of Lake Katwe and Munyanyange which lie along the western edges of Queen Elizabeth NP attract million of Palearctic migrants and African migrants. These seasonal long-distance migrants come to refuel on the algea-fested salt waters before continuing their voyage. Congregations include varieties of sandpipers, various terns and more waders. Lake Bunyampaka and other saline crater lakes also attract seasonal thousands of Lesser Flamingos and Greater Flamingos.

Birding into Imaramagambo Forest

The vast Imaramagambo Forest which sits along the eastern escarpment wall offers of Queen Elizabeth NP is another excellent birding hotspot offering typical forest specialists. Excellent trails explores the forest edges, into the primary section all the way past crater lake.

Key highlights here include; Congo Pied Hornbill, Blue-mantled Crested-flycatcher, Brown Illadopsis, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Narina Trogon, Red-bellied Flycatcher, Crowned Hornbill, Jameson’s Wattle eye, Equatorial Akalat, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Lesser Honeyguide, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Roufus Flycatcher Thrush, African Green Pigeon, Great Blue Turaco, Olive Long-tailed and Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoos, Yellow-billed Barbet, Red-headed Malimbe, Black-billed Weaver and more.

Recommended Birding Itinerary to Queen Elizabeth National Park

A 2 to 3 full-day birding itinerary is a typical duration on our Uganda Classic birding tours featuring Queen Elizabeth NP and often looks like this;

Day one is usually spent birding the north of the park including Kasenyi and Mweya areas
Day two: Birding the Kazinga Channel and Ishasha Road
Day three: Birding in Ishasha sector.