Birding in Rwenzori Mountains National Park

The magical “ Mountains of The Moon ” lie in Western Uganda on the Congolese border, with snow-covered, equatorial peaks rising to height of 5110 meters and lower slopes blanketed in moorland and rich montane forest with bamboo on the lower slopes. It is located in South Western Uganda on the edge of western rift valley shared by Kabale, Rukungiri and Kisoro Districts. The Rwenzori Mountains were previously Ruwenzori Range sometimes the Mountains of the Moons. It is 996 Kilometers squared with an elevation of 1700meters to 5109meters on top of Margherita peak on Mountain Stanley. It is accessible from Kasese.

The park is one of the world's Endemic Bird Areas (EBA). There are up to 241 species of birds which is about 27% of Uganda's total. Close to 177 bird species live in the Afromontane forest and 19 species are endemic to the Albertine rift. The common bird species include the Ruwenzori turaco Bamboo warbler, Shelley's crimson-wing and four sunbird species. Other bird species include the dwarf honey guide, Grauer's cuckooshrike, Lagden's bush-shrike and ground robin. There are many species in the lower zones but the density decreases with increasing altitude. The species include the Ruwenzori turaco, a brightly coloured red, green and blue bird with a strident cackling cry. Francolins are often heard going noisily to roost in the evenings, and the olive pigeon is heard momentarily, whirring swiftly down the forest slopes.

There are countless bird species to watch out for among which include Albertine Rift endemics like Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco, Montane (Rwenzori) Nightjar, Dwarf Honeyguide, Archer's Robin-Chat, Red-throated Alethe, Kivu Ground Thrush, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Montane Masked and Collared Apalises, Stripe-breast Tit, Rwenzori Batis, Grauer's Cuckoo-shrike, Blue-headed, Regal and Purple-breasted Sunbirds, Strange Weaver, Lagden's bush-shrike, White-necked raven and Mountain buzzard, Dusky and Shelley's Crimson wings and the Kivu Ground thrusts. There are a few other birds of the Alpine zone, the only conspicuous ones being Black duck which are sometimes seen on the lakes, and the Alpine Swift which nest on rocky cliffs and twitter loudly at night, visiting the plains by day to feed.

Mountains of the moon are better for visitation during January-February and July-August and takes 6 days for the mountain loop and 3 days for a hike. Margherita is the highest peak of Mount Rwenzori and it can take a nine to twelve day trek to reach the peak.