Top 10 birds in Mgahinga.
The top ten birds in Mgahinga The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is situated near the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in southwest Uganda. With a total size of 33.7 square kilometers, the park was gazetted in 1991 and is the smallest in the nation. Although Mgahinga National Park was initially gazetted to safeguard the forest’s mountain gorillas, it now safeguards more than just the endangered species.
The Batwa used to live in Mgahinga and now serve as tour guides for guests entering the jungle. Additionally, the country’s only golden monkey habitat is the forest. The three of the five Virunga mountains that abut Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also its most alluring features.
In terms of wildlife, Mgahinga National Park is home to 179–184 species of birds and 76 species of animals, including gigantic forest fogs and bush pigs. Among the top ten birds in Mgahinga are the dusky turtle dove, buff-spotted flufftail, brown-crowned tchagra, odd weaver, cinnamon bracken warbler, cinnamon chested bee eater, scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird, lagden’s bushshrike, and white-starred robin.
Dark turtle dove
This dove has a black patch on its neck and is dark, as its name suggests. When viewed properly, its legs and feather edges are crimson, and its tail has gray corners. After hatching, the female and male doves both produce crop milk, which is lumpy and pale yellow.
The top ten birds in Mgahinga: Cape Robin Chat, Dusky Turtle Dove
The cape robin chat can weigh up to 28g and is 16–17 cm length. It has secondary feathers that are dark olive and grey top parts. Much of the chin, throat, middle breast, and outer tail feathers are covered with orange. The belly is pale grey, while the center tail feathers are rusty. Like other robins, the bird sings a beautiful song and makes a loud, low alarm call that sounds like “wadeda.”
These birds often nest in pairs and are monogamous and territorial. The nest is typically located against a tree trunk, 0–2 feet above the ground. Typically, nesting takes place from August to January. The top 10 birds in Mgahinga are females, who lay two to three eggs each day and incubate them for 14 to 19 days.
Tchagra capped in brown
The tchagra australis, also known as the brown-crowned tchagra, gets its name from its well-known brown crown. It also has reddish wings, a pretty strong whitish eyebrow, and a grey-brown bushshrike. They skulk near the ground, munching on insects, and make a “prrp” sound with their wings.
Bracken warbler with cinnamon
The bird has a cinnamon-like rufous tint. It features a light eyeline, a white neck, and a long tail. The cinnamon bracken warbler, like other timid birds, likes alone in bracken undergrowth, deep scrub, heath, or the border of a forest. It creates a tune called “tree-aat.”
Malachite-tufted scarlet-tufted sunbird
The male tail of this huge sunbird can reach a length of 20 cm. From a distance, their dark green upper bodies appear black, while their heads are black. The female has brownish grey upperparts, a dark brown tail, and brownish black wings. The underparts are green. The birds typically breed from late November to early January and nest in thick, dead lobelia leaves.
Robin with a white star
It has “white stars” on its throat and in front of its eyes. The white-starred robin weighs between 18 and 25 grams and is just 15 to 16 centimeters long. Its head feathers are bluish-grey, while some of its wings are green and the remainder are dark gray. The legs are pink, the breasts are yellow, and the tail is black with yellow stripes.
The only food sources for the starred robin are fruits and insects, particularly beetles, moths, and ants. Among these fruits are ficus, rhus, and canthium. Only the females construct their nests using moss lined with fine plant debris, dead leaves, tendrils, and rootlets. It takes seven days to build the nest, which is typically leaning against a rock or trunk.
Fluff tail with buff spots
Due to its shy nature, this specific fluff tail is rarely seen unless actively sought for. The female’s back is plain and brown, whereas the male’s is black. Both the male and female have tails that are stripped. The forest’s underbrush is where the buff-spotted fluff tail is most commonly found.
Lagden’s bushshrike
The lagden’s bushshrike has a stocky blackbill and is 23 cm long. It has orange breasts, yellow underparts, and green top parts, such as the wings and tail. The song of the lagden’s bushshrike is characterized as “hoop hoop.” The top ten birds in Mgahinga are those that inhabit the understory and midstory of tropical forests.
The top ten birds in Mgahinga are the strange weaver, Langden’s bushshrike, and others.
It is distinguished by its dark olive back, yellow abdomen, and black head. In females, the chestnut patch on the male’s breast reaches the throat. The weird weaver typically travels in couples and is typically found in the forest’s underbrush. “Chyet” notes are the term used to characterize their call.
Eater of cinnamon chest bees.
This bird has a golden chin and throat, bright green upper parts and tail, and cinnamon-colored breasts that deepen toward the belly. It weighs between 17 and 38g and reaches a maximum length of 22cm. The bird eats flying insects, especially wasps and bees, and removes their venom by striking them firmly before eating. For 20 days, the male and female construct their nests in tunnels buried in the ground. After that, the female lays five eggs, one every day, and incubation starts as soon as the first egg is laid. Both sexes undergo a 20-day incubation period.
Among the other birds found in Mgahinga are the archer’s robin chat, Chubb’s cisticola, nrina trogon, black head waxbill, streaky seed eater, and numerous others. If you make a reservation before 10 a.m., birdwatching in Mgahinga is free from 5 to 6 p.m. Although the activity can be done year-round, the optimum months to do it are March through May and September through November, which are the wet and breeding seasons.
