The Birds of Lake Mburo National Park

Uganda is well known to be a birders haven with over 1,061 species of birds. This is because of the countries flora and fauna which provide the ideal habitats for various species of birds to flourish.

Lake Mburo alone is home to 350 species of birds and some of the spots where you can find the birds include swampy valleys, the forest and the viewing platform near the salt licks.

Some of the birds l got to see at Lake Mburo National Park include:

African Fish Eagle

Just near the lake lived the magnificent African Fish Eagle with its best half as they are known to live in pairs.

The African Fish Eagle has a white head and throat the chestnut shoulder and tail are more of dark brown with black patches.
It’s mostly found near the lake because of its love for fish.
Another place where you can easily see the African Fish Eagle in Uganda is at Mabamba wetland.

Immature Little Bee-Eater

The Immature Little Bee -Eater is a beautiful brightly coloured slender bird. It has a green upper part, yellow throat, black gorget and rich brown upper breast fading to buffish ocre on the belly.
Its wings are green with a brown touch and a black beak.
They like eating insects and bees, wasps and hornets are their best delicacies.
Unlike other bee-eaters, the little bee-eaters are solitary nesters. They make tunnels in sandy banks

Malachite Kingfisher

They are mostly blue above and rufous below with a slightly shaggy blue-green and black-barred crown that extends down to the eyes and bright red bill.
They mostly live near lakes and rivers and are mostly found in pairs.
They feed on fish and aquatic insects.
Other places where you can find them is at the shores of Lake Victoria and the Bigodi wetland sanctuary.

Pied Kingfisher

The well designed black, white plumage and crest bird loves to hover over clear lakes and rivers before making that awesome dive to catch fish.
The bird is mostly resident. It rarely migrates and that’s only too short distances.
It feeds mainly on fish and insects as well.
The Pied Kingfisher nests in holes excavated in a vertical mud bank five feet bovver water.

African Fin foot

The African Finfoot is a large brownish-black bird with red-billed legs that likes staying in quiet lakes and rivers overhanging vegetation.
It swims low and often slips quietly into dense cover.
The African Fin Foot Bird is a very secretive bird.
It likes to feed on overhanging vegetation and small insects.

Egyptian goose

The Egyptian goose looks and moves more like a duck
It’s a large bird with a head, neck, chest and belly in buffy grey. A dusky ring surrounds the eyes starting from the beak with a chocolate stripe surrounding the neck.
They mostly feed on leaves, grains, vegetables and insects.
They float on water and occasionally dive the head into the water.
They do not build permanent areas for nesting and often times nest in abandoned nests by other bird species.

Other birds that can be found at Lake Mburo National park are the Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Saddle-billed Stork, Brown-chested Lapwing, African-wattled Lapwing, Red-faced Barbet and many others.

Credit: chimpreports.com