26
Jul

A Comprehensive Study about bird watching in Mabira Forest

A Comprehensive Study about bird watching in Mabira Forest

Introduction to Mabira Forest

Mabira Forest, an invaluable component of Uganda’s natural heritage, is the focal point of our ongoing research on avian density across the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA) within the Lake Victoria basin catchment. As one of the premier birding destinations in Uganda, Mabira Forest is frequented by both visiting birdwatchers and local members of the Uganda Bird Guides Club. This semi-deciduous forest, known for its dense concentration of Congo-Guinea flora, is a haven for a diverse range of avian species. The forest is characterized by its rich vegetation, including prominent species such as Croton, Paper Mulberry, Cola gigantea, and Meopsis eminii. In collaboration with the National Forest Authority (NFA), particularly with the dedicated efforts of Forest Sector Manager Christine, and our esteemed guides Paul and Tony, alongside research assistants Eric Bogere and Charismatic, we have meticulously conducted birding activities in Mabira Forest at various times throughout the day.

Ecological Significance of Mabira Forest

Mabira Forest is distinguished by its extensive variety of tree species that serve critical ecological functions. These trees provide perches, roosting sites, and fruit sources for numerous bird species, ranging from the smallest passerines to the apex raptors. The flora of the forest includes a notable assortment of trees, such as Cordia Africana, Paper Mulberry, Albizia coriaria, Warburgia ugandensis, Zanthoxylum chalebuem, Ficus ovata, and Terminalia superba. These species are not only of significant interest to botanists specializing in tropical ecology but also possess medicinal properties, addressing over 35 ailments and making Mabira Forest a prime location for medicinal tourism.

Threats to Mabira Forest

Despite its ecological richness, Mabira Forest faces several threats, primarily from human activities. Logging operations, involving the use of chainsaws, pose a severe risk to the forest’s integrity. Additionally, encroachment by local communities for settlement and agricultural purposes, along with charcoal production for energy, exacerbates the forest’s vulnerability. The dedicated patrol efforts by the National Forest Authority are crucial, yet there is a pressing need for enhanced conservation strategies to safeguard this vital ecosystem.

Birding Experience in Mabira Forest

Our recent and consistent visits to Mabira Forest have underscored its importance as a birding hotspot in Uganda. Birdwatching in this region has become increasingly popular, and the birding checklist compiled by our guides reflects the diverse avifauna of the area. The forest’s auditory landscape is alive with the calls of rare and elusive species. For instance, the rare forest robin, with its elusive nature, provides an exhilarating challenge for birdwatchers, as does the Green Crombec with its distinctive call. The Yellow White-eye’s lower pitch call is another auditory cue that enhances the birding experience.

Our Bird Population Programme in Uganda, spearheaded by the prominent conservation body NatureUganda, is instrumental in monitoring bird populations throughout the country. We employ the Line Transect Method as part of our monitoring strategy, utilizing the BPM (Bird Population Monitoring) programme scheme to document and analyze avian data.

Checklist of Birds in Mabira Forest

The following checklist, organized in taxonomic order, details the bird species commonly observed during our birding excursions in Mabira Forest:

  1. Reed Cormorant (Phalacrocorax africanus)
  2. Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala)
  3. Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus)
  4. Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
  5. Yellow-billed Kite (Milvus aegyptius)
  6. Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
  7. Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)
  8. European Honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
  9. African Harrier-Hawk (Polyboroides typus)
  10. Ayres’s Hawk Eagle (Hieraaetus ayresi)
  11. Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
  12. Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus)
  13. Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
  14. Crested Guineafowl (Guttera pucherani)
  15. White-spotted Flufftail (Sarothrura pulchra)
  16. Red-eyed Dove (Streptopelia semitorquata)
  17. African Green-pigeon (Treron calvus)
  18. Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
  19. Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus)
  20. Great Blue Turaco (Tauraco excuvieri)
  21. Eastern Grey Plantain-eater (Crinifer zonurus)
  22. Red-chested Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius)
  23. Black Cuckoo (Cuculus clamosus)
  24. Diederik Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius)
  25. Klaas’s Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas)
  26. African Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus)
  27. Little Swift (Apus affinis)
  28. African Palm Swift (Cypsiurus parvus)
  29. Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)
  30. Narina Trogon (Apaloderma narina)
  31. Striped Kingfisher (Halcyon chelicuti)
  32. Blue-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon malimbica)
  33. African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta)
  34. White-throated Bee-eater (Merops albicollis)
  35. Forest Wood-hoopoe (Phoeniculus castaneiceps)
  36. Crowned Hornbill (Tockus alboterminatus)
  37. African Pied Hornbill (Tockus fasciatus)
  38. Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill (Bycanistes subcylindricus)
  39. Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird (Pogoniulus bilineatus)
  40. Speckled Tinkerbird (Pogoniulus scolopaceus)
  41. Hairy-breasted Barbet (Tricholaema hirsuta)
  42. Yellow-spotted Barbet (Tricholaema lachrymosum)
  43. Double-toothed Barbet (Lybius bidentatus)
  44. Yellow-billed Barbet (Trachyphonus margaritatus)
  45. Least Honeyguide (Indicator exilis)
  46. Buff-spotted Woodpecker (Campethera nivosa)
  47. Brown-eared Woodpecker (Campethera caroli)
  48. Yellow-crested Woodpecker (Campethera walleri)
  49. Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)
  50. Lesser Striped Swallow (Cecropis abyssinica)
  51. Angola Swallow (Hirundo angolensis)
  52. Black Saw-wing (Psalidoprocne pristoptera)
  53. White-headed Saw-wing (Psalidoprocne albiceps)
  54. African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp)
  55. Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
  56. Yellow-throated Longclaw (Macronyx croceus)
  57. Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
  58. Yellow-whiskered Greenbul (Andropadus latirostris)
  59. Little Greenbul (Andropadus viridis)
  60. Slender-billed Greenbul (Andropadus gracilis)
  61. Cameroon Sombre Greenbul (Andropadus melanogenys)
  62. Red-tailed Bristlebill (Bleda syndactylus)
  63. Green-tailed Bristlebill (Bleda eximius)
  64. Red-tailed Greenbul (Phyllastrephus scandens)
  65. White-throated Greenbul (Phyllastrephus albigularis)
  66. Honeyguide Greenbul (Baeopogon indicator)
  67. Forest Robin (Stiphrornis pyrilepidotus)
  68. Fire-crested Alethe (Alethe diademata)
  69. White-browed Robin-Chat (Cossypha heuglini)
  70. Snowy-headed Robin Chat (Cossypha niveicapilla)
  71. Red-capped Robin-Chat (Cossypha ruficapilla)
  72. African Thrush (Turdus pelios)
  73. Rufous-flycatcher Thrush (Turdus rufitorques)
  74. Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)
  75. Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin)
  76. Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
  77. Green Hylia (Hylia prasina)
  78. Green Crombec (Sylvietta viridis)
  79. Red-faced Cisticola (Cisticola erythrops)
  80. Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava)
  81. Grey-capped Warbler (Sylvia cinereiceps)
  82. Grey-backed Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura)
  83. Buff-throated Apalis (Apalis rufogularis)
  84. Black-throated Apalis (Apalis jacksoni)
  85. Northern Black Flycatcher (Melaenornis edolioides)
  86. Pale Flycatcher (Melaenornis pallidus)
  87. African Dusky Flycatcher (Melaenornis cf. fischeri)
  88. Lead-coloured Flycatcher (Myioparus plumbeus)
  89. African Shrike-flycatcher (Hemipus hirundinaceus)
  90. Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher (Hemipus picatus)
  91. Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Platystictus bicolor)
  92. Chestnut Wattle-eye (Platystictus castaneus)
  93. Jameson Wattle-eye (Platystictus jamesoni)
  94. African Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsichore viridis)
  95. Red-billed Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsichore longirostris)
  96. African Blue Flycatcher (Elminia longicauda)
  97. Scaly-breasted Illadopsis (Illadopsis albipectus)
  98. White-shouldered Tit (Parus guineensis)
  99. Yellow White-eye (Zosterops senegalensis)
  100. Coppery Sunbird (Nectarinia cuprea)
  101. Scarlet-chested Sunbird (Nectarinia senegalensis)
  102. Olive-bellied Sunbird (Nectarinia olivacea)
  103. Red-chested Sunbird (Nectarinia superba)
  104. Green Sunbird (Nectarinia osea)
  105. Olive Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)
  106. Green-throated Sunbird (Nectarinia reichenowi)
  107. Collared Sunbird (Nectarinia chalybea)
  108. Bocage’s Bush-shrike (Telophorus bocagei)
  109. Velvet-mantled Drongo (Dicrurus modestus)
  110. Pied Crow (Corvus albus)
  111. Western Black-headed Oriole (Oriolus brachyrhynchus)
  112. Grey-headed Sparrow (Passer griseus)
  113. Baglafecht Weaver (Ploceus baglafecht)
  114. Compact Weaver (Ploceus superciliosus)
  115. Grosbeak Weaver (Ploceus grosvenori)
  116. Black-necked Weaver (Ploceus nigricollis)
  117. Black-bellied Seedcracker (Pyrenestes ostrinus)
  118. Violet-backed Weaver (Ploceus purpuratus)
  119. Black-necked Weaver (Ploceus nigricollis) – repeated
  120. Red-headed Malimbe (Malimbus rubricollis)
  121. White-breasted Negrofinch (Nigrita fusconotus)
  122. Fan-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes axillaris)
  123. Red-headed Bluebill (Spermophaga ruficapilla)
  124. Fawn-breasted Waxbill (Estrilda paludicola)
  125. Black-crowned Waxbill (Estrilda nonnula)
  126. Village Indigo Bird (Passerina cyanea)

The comprehensive list above highlights the remarkable avian diversity present in Mabira Forest. This ecological treasure, with its unique blend of flora and fauna, underscores the need for continued conservation efforts to preserve its rich biodiversity. The data collected through our birding expeditions not only enriches our understanding of avian populations but also contributes to broader conservation initiatives aimed at safeguarding this critical habitat.

 

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