Birding Safaris

Birding Safaris

Birding Safaris

Birding safaris for travelers that travel to Kidepo National Park are very interesting as they tend to spot some of the rare bird species easily. The Karamoja region marks the extreme ends of the Somali-Masai semi arid conditions with unique landscape and vegetation cover. It is a region with grassland, montane forest vegetation features. Temporary wetland vegetation emerges with the rains and patches of swamp do exist in the oases along the Narus river. These unique habitat conditions host unique birding safaris with bird species and a dream destination for Uganda birding safaris. The birding safaris experts have sighted in excess of 450 bird species in Kidepo valley national park, a record 50 of the birds of prey in Uganda are resident in this territory while a dozen of the birds of prey is not easy to sight in any other region in Uganda.

Though the number of bird species in Kidepo valley national park is generally high, the diversity of the habitat is generally low. There are no large permanent open water bodies in Karamoja region, nor is it having massive rainforests the two habitats that host a large variety of bird species. The bird species in Kidepo valley national park are from a small pool of habitats of semi arid climatic conditions, open savanna grasslands, woods and montane forests. It is generally fair to say that Kidepo valley national park is the Uganda birding safari destination with the highest population density of bird species in relation to limited set of habitats. Little wonder that Kidepo valley national park is an Important Birding safaris Area in Uganda and a dream Uganda safari destination to most bird watching enthusiasts.     

The balanced combination of flat plains and short vegetation cover in Kidepo valley national park, gives bird watching travelers on safari into Uganda an opportunity to spot bird species at a distance from all angles. The scattered trees in the Karamoja plains are ideal guidelines for pinpointing particular spots birds are resting in with maximum accuracy.

The lack of rich diversity in habitat for birds that Kidepo valley National Park lacks, it compensates for in bird species. This region has a very rich diversity of bird species than any other national parks in Uganda. Unique climatic changes bring with them a brand of unique bird species. The Karamoja region stands between extreme arid conditions of the Somali-Masai region and the rest of East African grassland region.

By natural design, Kidepo valley national park is an ideal periodic point of call for migratory bird species in transit to either breeding or incubating zones. Many travelers on tour to Kidepo valley national park spot unique bird species and large swarms than in many other places. There are high opportunities of spotting Egyptian vulture, Pygmy falcon, Ostrich, Verreaux’s eagle, Black coucal, Yellow-rumped Seedeater, Clapperton’s Francolin, Karamoja apalis, Black-breasted barbet, Broad-tailed warbler, Silverbird, Yellow-billed Shrike, Marsh Tchagra, Crimson-rumped Waxbill. African Moustached francolin, Black-headed Plover, Red-winged Pytilia, Yellow-spotted Petronia, White-billed Buffalo Weavers, Straw-tailed Whydahs, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Red-billed Oxpecker, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Superb Starlings, Nubian Woodpecker, Standard-winged Nightjars, African Grey Flycatcher, Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk.  Steel-blue Whydah, Little Green Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Singing Bush lark, Ethiopian Swallow, Orange-winged Pytilia, Abyssinian Ground hornbill, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, Fan-tailed Raven amongst others on tour of Kidepo valley national park.