The Common Birds of Uganda: Facts, List, Images, and Size.

The Birds of Uganda: A Photographer’s Guide

Discover common birds of Uganda: ID, key facts, size measurements, habitat notes, and tailored images, perfect for birders, students, and nature photographers. Photographers from the US, Europe, and Asia who chase rare silhouettes, painterly light, and unforgettable behavior will find a spectacular canvas in Uganda, a compact country where papyrus marsh, lowland wetland, riverine forest, and montane jungle sit within a few hours’ drive of one another. For one-shot bucket-list magic, head to Mabamba Swamp, where patient boatwork and low-angle light reward photographers with incredible encounters with the legendary shoebill; the swamp is globally known as the country’s top shoebill site.

Beyond the marsh, Uganda’s mix of forests and waterways makes it a dream for specialist species. photographers: ancient-looking turacos and forest trogons in the high-canopy, Pel’s fishing owl and African finfoot along shaded rivers, and huge waterbird concentrations on major channels and lakes. Top field bases include Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park for waterbirds, raptors, and dramatic light over the Kazinga Channel and Nile rapids, while Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gives photographers access to montane forest specialties and jewel-bright turacos. Plan for early-morning boat or canoe shoots at wetlands, work with experienced local birding guides who know roosts and blinds, travel with long (300–600 mm) lenses and compact gimbal supports, and aim for seasons when water levels and migrant waves concentrate birds for the best behavioral and portrait opportunities.

Lists of birds in Uganda

Common Ostrich
Somali Ostrich
Goliath heron
African Jacana
Grey-crowned crested crane
Harmerkop
Eastern plaintain eater.
African green pegeon
Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
White-backed Duck
Greater White-fronted Goose
Blue-winged Goose
Knob-billed Duck
Hartlaub’s Ducke
Ruddy Shelduck
Common Shelduck
Spur-winged Goose
African Pygmy-Goose
Garganey Spatula
Blue-billed Teal
Cape Shoveler
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
African Black Duck
Yellow-billed Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Francolin
Red-winged Francolin
Moorland Francolin
Elgon Francolin
Orange River Francolin
Shelley’s Francolin
Whyte’s Francolin
Sand Partridge
Blue Quail
Common Quail
Harlequin Quail
Arabian Partridge
Handsome Spurfowl
Chestnut-naped Spurfowl
Erckel’s Spurfowl
Djibouti Spurfowl
Jackson’s Spurfowl
Red-billed Spurfowl
Natal Spurfowl
Hildebrandt’s Spurfowl
Scaly Spurfowl
Heuglin’s Spurfowl
Clapperton’s Spurfowl
Harwood’s Spurfowl
Swainson’s Spurfowl
Yellow-necked Spurfowl
Gray-breasted Spurfowl
Red-necked Spurfowl
Speckled Pigeon
White-collared Pigeon
Bronze-naped Pigeon
White-naped Pigeon
Lemon Dove
European Turtle-Dove
Dusky Turtle-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
African Collared-Dove
White-winged Collared-Dove
Mourning Collared-Dove
Red-eyed Dove
Ring-necked Dove
Vinaceous Dove
Laughing Dove
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove
Black-billed Wood-Dove
Blue-spotted Wood-Dove
Tambourine Dove
Namaqua Dove
Bruce’s Green-Pigeon
Pemba Green-Pigeon
African Green-Pigeon
Common Myna
Violet-backed Starling
Slender-billed Starling
Neumann’s Starling
Red-winged Starling
Chestnut-winged Starling
Waller’s Starling
Tristram’s Starling
White-billed Starling
Bristle-crowned Starling
Somali Starling
Babbling Starling
White-collared Starling
Magpie Starling
Sharpe’s Starling
Abbott’s Starling
Narrow-tailed Starling
Stuhlmann’s Starling
Kenrick’s Starling
Black-bellied Starling
Purple-headed Starling
Hildebrandt’s Starling
Shelley’s Starling
Burchell’s Starling
Rüppell’s Starling
Long-tailed Glossy Starling
Meves’s Starling
Ashy Starling
Splendid Starling
Golden-breasted Starling
Superb Starling
Chestnut-bellied Starling
African Pied Starling
White-crowned Starling
Fischer’s Starling
Lesser Blue-eared Starling
Sharp-tailed Starling
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Purple Starling
Cape Starling
Bronze-tailed Starling
Oberländer’s Ground-Thrush
Abyssinian Ground-Thrush
Orange Ground-Thrush
Ethiopian Thrush
Groundscraper Thrush
Song Thrush

Abyssinian Thrush
Taita Thrush
Usambara Thrush
Eurasian Blackbird
Somali Thrush
African Bare-eyed Thrush
Kurrichane Thrush
Olive Thrush
African Thrush
Ring Ouzel
African Dusky Flycatcher
Yellow-footed Flycatcher
Spotted Flycatcher
Gambaga Flycatcher
Swamp Flycatcher
Cassin’s Flycatcher
Böhm’s Flycatcher
Sooty Flycatcher
Dusky-blue Flycatcher
Marico Flycatcher
African Gray Flycatcher
Pale Flycatcher
African Forest-Flycatcher
Gray-throated Tit-Flycatcher
Gray Tit-Flycatcher
Chapin’s Flycatcher
Ashy Flycatcher
Silverbird
Fiscal Flycatcher
Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher
Northern Black-Flycatcher
Southern Black-Flycatcher
White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher
Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher
White-tailed Alethe
Fire-crested Alethe
Forest Scrub-Robin
Brown Scrub-Robin
Bearded Scrub-Robin
Miombo Scrub-Robin
Black Scrub-Robin
Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin
Kalahari Scrub-Robin
Brown-backed Scrub-Robin
Red-backed Scrub-Robin
White-bellied Robin-Chat
Archer’s Robin-Chat
Olive-flanked Robin-Chat
Cape Robin-Chat
White-throated Robin-Chat
Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat
Rüppell’s Robin-Chat
White-browed Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat
White-crowned Robin-Chat
Collared Palm-Thrush
Spotted Morning-Thrush
White-starred Robin
Swynnerton’s Robin
Brown-chested Alethe
Red-throated Alethe
Cholo Alethe
White-chested Alethe
Yellow-breasted Forest Robin
Gray-winged Robin-Chat
Short-tailed Akalat
Bocage’s Akalat
Lowland Akalat
Equatorial Akalat
Sharpe’s Akalat
East Coast Akalat
Usambara Akalat
Iringa Akalat
Rubeho Akalat
White-throated Robin
Thrush Nightingale
Common Nightingale
Bluethroat
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Semicollared Flycatcher
European Pied Flycatcher
Collared Flycatcher
Common Redstart
White-winged Redstart
Black Redstart
Little Rock-Thrush
Sentinel Rock-Thrush
Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush
Blue Rock-Thrush
Miombo Rock-Thrush
Cape Rock-Thrush
White-winged Cliff-Chat
Whinchat Saxicola rubetra
European Stonechat
Siberian Stonechat
African Stonechat
Moorland Chat
Mocking Cliff-Chat
Sooty Chat
Northern Anteater-Chat
Southern Anteater-Chat
Mountain Wheatear
Rüppell’s Chat
Arnot’s Chat
Northern Wheatear
Capped Wheatear
Buff-breasted Wheatear
Rusty-breasted Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Heuglin’s Wheatear
Hooded Wheatear
Desert Wheatear
Western Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Pied Wheatear
White-fronted Black-Chat
Somali Wheatear
Blackstart
Familiar Chat
Sombre Rock Chat
Brown-tailed Chat
White-crowned Wheatear
Abyssinian Wheatear
Mourning Wheatear
Kurdish Wheatear
Persian

Birds of Uganda Facts

The Birds of Uganda offer an irresistible mix of spectacle and science, from dazzling sunbirds and iridescent bee-eaters to iconic specialties like the shoebill, making the country a top pick for birders and photographers. Compact habitats (wetlands, montane forests, and savannas) concentrate migrants, regional endemics, and rare species, and easy-access hotspots such as Mabamba Swamp and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest deliver high-value sightings with short walks and expert local guides. It’s a compelling mix of accessibility, biodiversity, and photo-ready moments, perfect for first-time visitors and serious birdwatchers alike.

Birds of Uganda Gallery

From iridescent rollers to the lumbering shoebill, birds of Uganda display breathtaking variety across forest, savanna, and wetland; a single day’s birding can turn up endemics, migrants, and charismatic specialties. Field guides, tour operators, and conservationists celebrate the birds of Uganda for good reason: compact habitats concentrate rare species, making sightings unusually rewarding. For anyone curious about African birds, reading and planning around the Birds of Uganda is an unbeatable way to start.

In conclusion, the birds of Uganda are a dazzling testament to East Africa’s birdlife, ranging from iconic specialties like the shoebill and turacos to countless migrants and endemics that knit together wetlands, montane forests, and savanna into a birder’s paradise. Compact, accessible hotspots and expert local guides mean the birds of Uganda offer high-value sightings for photographers, families, and scientists alike. At the same time, ongoing habitat protection and community-led conservation are essential to keep these species thriving. Ultimately, celebrating and safeguarding the birds of Uganda supports biodiversity, local livelihoods, and unforgettable nature experiences for generations to come.