A Guide to Birding in Murchison Falls NP – Uganda Birding Hotspots

Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s most rewarding birding hotspot covering an area of 3840km² across a wide variety of bird-rich habitats with an impressive checklist of 460 species of birds. This Uganda’s largest national park derives its name from the magnificent Murchison Falls formed along the Victoria Nile that splits the reserve into the northern banks and southern banks areas. Murchison Falls National Park and the neighboring wildlife reserves is a premier birding destination featuring on all Uganda birding safaris due to a diversity of species here.

In this guide we explore the park’s unique habitats and bird specialists, key birding spots, best time to go, average tour duration to enable you include this vast wilderness into your next Untamed Uganda Birding Safari.

Murchison Falls NP’s Key Birding Habitats and Species Diversity Overview

Murchison Falls NP is an Important Bird Area (IBA) due to its geographic location along the overlap and convergence zones of Africa’s bird-rich biomes bringing along a unique diversity of bird species. These biomes/habitats include; the Sudan-Guinea grasslands, the dry-scrub and grasslands similar to the Somali-Masai biome. On the south-edges of the park is the vast Budongo Forest that comprises extensive Guinea-Congo Forests characters while the and Lake Victoria biome cover the wetlands along the Delta and River Nile.

These continental biomes/habitats are characterized by Borassus palm dotted savanna plains and wooded grasslands, papyrus wetlands and marshes, to woodlands, acacia dominated gullies to dense lowland forests.

The park’s relatively flat landscape lies between altitudes of 650m-1292m with average temperatures hotter comparing to the rest of the country thus influencing the biodiversity. Murchison Falls NP lies within lies within the greater Murchison Falls Conservation Area (MFCA) together with wildlife reserves of Bugungu and Karuma protecting a plethora of both flora and fauna.

Key Birding Hotspots in Murchison Falls National Park

A tailored birding tour in Murchison Falls NP will require ample time to explore and exhaust the park’s diverse birding hotspots for local habitat-restricted species unique to these ecosystems.

Below is a detailed brief of what to expect in each bird-hotspot.

*Shoebill at the Delta Murchison Falls NP*

The Nile Delta and Lake Albert in Murchison Falls NP

The Nile Delta in Murchison Falls NP is formed where Victoria Nile spreads wide to gently pour its effluent into Lake Albert before turning northwards towards Southern Sudan as White Nile. The Delta spreads over 30km² area and is characterized by shallow marshes dominated by papyrus and reeds protected as a Ramsar Site and an Important Bird Area (IBA).

A birding boat cruise to the delta explores a maze of papyrus and reed-edged water channels where you encounter a wide range of swamp and wetland associated specialists.

Key bird highlights here include; the Shoebill where pairs are known to breed and often encountered hunting the shallow marshes. Lake Victoria Biome species-list include Papyrus Gonolek, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Golden-backed Weaver, Blue-headed Coucal and White-winged Swamp Warbler. African Marsh Harrier and African fish Eagle patrol the skies over the marshes.

The delta boat cruise birding experience extends on to the mouth (estuary) of Lake Albert, where congregations of African Skimmer, Grey-headed Gull White-winged black Tern, Black Heron and other waders occur. The marsh edges host, Yellow-billed Ducks, White-faced and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Purple and Goliath herons and more.

Tour duration on a boat cruise birding experience to the Nile delta in Murchison Falls NP often lasts up to 6-hours.

Birding Safaris in Uganda — *Northern Brown-throated Weaver*

Birding Upstream the Victoria Nile Banks towards the bottom of Murchison falls

The Victoria Nile banks towards the mighty Murchison falls is an excellent bird hotspot to explore while on a tour here. A boat cruise birding experience explores this secluded riverine stretch lined by woodlands where; Palm-nut Vulture, African harrier-hawk, Shikra, Great and Little Sparrowhawk, Blue-breasted and Grey-headed Kingfisher, Giant kingfisher, African Darter Slender-billed and little weaver, Vitelline and Red-headed Weavers occur. The large acacias host Veuarex’s Eagle and Spotted Eagle Owls

The birding cruise pass close to the hanging sand cliffs near the base of Murchison Falls, poked by breeding colonies of the dazzling Red-throated Bee-eaters. The Nile river edges are hunted by Goliath and Grey Herons, Yellow-billed and Saddle-billed Storks Open-billed Storks and a variety of small waders are abundant. The rocks close to the bottom of the falls are frequented by Rock Pratincole,

All Uganda’s records of Pel’s Fishing Owl are known from this stretch of the Nile while African Finfoot is hard luck.

Duration of a boat cruise birding this stretch of the Nile

Birding the Northern Nile banks in Murchison Falls NP

The northern banks of Murchison Falls National Park include all areas north of Victoria Nile where landscapes are characterized by Borassus palm-dotted savanna plains, open bush and woodlands.

Key bird highlights include; Palm Swift, Silverbird, Black-billed Barbet, Yellow-bellied Eramomera, Abyssinian and Purple Roller, Piapiac, Red-pate, Croaking, Foxy and Rattling Cisticolas, Black-billed Wood Dove, Swallow-tailed and the seasonal Northern Carmine Bee-eaters.

The acacia woodlands host; Heuglin’s Masked, Vitelline Masked and Speckle-fronted Weavers, Lesser Blue Eared Starling, White-headed Barbet, White-headed Turaco, Pygmy Sunbird, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, Beautiful Sunbird, Brown Babbler, White-crested Helmet-shrike, White-browed Sparrow Weaver, Yellow-billed Shrike, Black-breasted Barbet, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Black Scimitar bill, Rufous-crowned Roller etc.

The grasslands host; Red-capped Lark, Northern Red Bishop, Black-headed Lapwing, African Hoopoe, Heuglin’s Spurfowl, African Wattled Lapwing, Spotted Dikkop is regular as Black-bellied and Denham’s Bustard, Abyssinian Ground-Hornbills pairs roam the grasslands.

Raptors are well represented in; Martial Eagle, Bateleur, Grey Kestrel, Beaudouin’s, Brown and Black-chested Snake-Eagle, Dark-Chanting Goshawk, Tawny and Walberg’s Eagles, and other passage visitors. White-headed, White-backed and Lappet-faced Vultures while Verreaux’s Eagle Owl and Greyish Eagle Owl are occasionally seen in the Acacia woodland.

A night birding experience offers chances to encounter the near/nocturnal residents including; Bronze-winged Courser, Long-tailed Nightjar, Pennant-winged Nightjar and Standard-winged Nightjar whose impressive wing projections in Sept-April are on full display during this breeding season.

Birding Bugungu Wildlife reserve and Butiaba escarpment

A birding trip to Murchison Falls NP often include a full-day outing to explore Bugungu Wildlife Reserve set along the floor of rift valley on the edges of Lake Albert. The reserve which extends onto the rift valley escarpment edges protect a range of habitats characterized by Open Bush, Dry-scrub, Savanna woodland, Acacia wooded riverine, and grassland communities of vegetation.

Key bird highlights while birding here include; Black-billed and Spot-flanked Barbet, African Grey Hornbill, Woodland Kingfisher, Long-crested Eagle, Lesser-blue Eared Starling, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver, Namaqua Dove, Cut-throat Finch, Foxy Cisticola among others. The powerlines are frequented by Dark Chanting-goshawk, Brown and Black-chested Snake eagles.

The dry-bush on the escarpment is a reliable place to look out for Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Cabani’s Bunting, Qualifinch, Bar-breasted Fire, Brown Twinspot, Red-winged and Green-winged Pytilia.

Birding the Southern Banks onto Kaniyo Pabidi Sector of Budongo Forest

The southern banks in Murchison Falls NP include all the areas south of the Victoria Nile which are characterized by wooded grasslands and dense woodlands that blends into the vast Budongo Forest. Highlights here include typical woodland specialists and forest edge specialists.

A birding trip to Murchison falls NP is not complete without a day birding at Kaniyo Pabidi sector of Budongo Forest located close to the park’s main entrance gate. Here birding highlights include Puvell’s Illadopsis, a forest floor specialist only known from this sector.

Read more in our detailed birding guide to Budongo Forest here.