Wildlife of Murchison Falls National Park
A growing guide to the birds and animals around Nile Safari Lodge: what each one looks like, where to find it and when.
Shoebill
Balaeniceps rex
The shoebill is a tall, blue-grey waterbird with a huge shoe-shaped bill, and the bird most visitors to Murchison Falls hope to see. It lives in the…
African Fish Eagle
Icthyophaga vocifer
The African fish eagle is a large eagle with a white head, chestnut body and black wings, seen perched in riverside trees all along the Nile in Murch…
Goliath Heron
Ardea goliath
The Goliath heron is the largest heron in the world, standing up to a metre and a half tall. In Murchison Falls it hunts alone in the shallows of the…
Grey Crowned Crane
Balearica regulorum
The grey crowned crane is Uganda's national bird and appears on the national flag. It is a tall grey crane with a crown of stiff golden feathers, fou…
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill
Bucorvus abyssinicus
The Abyssinian ground hornbill is a turkey-sized black bird that walks through the grassland in pairs or small family groups. Murchison Falls is one…
Saddle-billed Stork
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis
The saddle-billed stork is the tallest stork in Africa: black and white, with a red bill crossed by a black band and topped by a yellow "saddle". In…
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
Merops nubicus
The northern carmine bee-eater is a brilliant pinkish-red bee-eater with a blue-green head and long tail streamers. It moves within Africa with the s…
Red-throated Bee-eater
The red-throated bee-eater is a small green bee-eater with a scarlet throat and buff underparts. It nests in colonies in the sandy cliffs of the Nile…
Pied Kingfisher
The pied kingfisher is a black-and-white kingfisher that hovers over the water before diving for fish. It is one of the commonest birds on the Nile i…
Malachite Kingfisher
The malachite kingfisher is a tiny, jewel-bright kingfisher with a metallic blue back, orange underparts and a red bill. It sits low on reeds and pap…
African Skimmer
The African skimmer is a tern-like bird whose lower bill is longer than the upper. It feeds by flying low with the lower bill slicing through the wat…
Rock Pratincole
The rock pratincole is a small, dark, swallow-like wader that lives on rocks in fast-flowing rivers. In Murchison Falls it is found on the boulders a…
Secretarybird
The secretarybird is a long-legged bird of prey that hunts on foot in open grassland, killing snakes and other prey with powerful kicks. It is thinly…
Denham's Bustard
Denham's bustard is a large, long-legged ground bird of open grassland. Males are much bigger than females and puff out their white throat and chest…
Standard-winged Nightjar
The standard-winged nightjar is a night bird famous for the breeding male's wing feathers: one bare shaft on each wing, ending in a broad flag that t…
Piapiac
The piapiac is a slim, glossy black member of the crow family with a long tail. In Murchison Falls small flocks follow buffalo, elephants and other l…
Osprey
The osprey is a fish-eating bird of prey that breeds in Europe and Asia and spends the northern winter in Africa. It can be seen fishing over the Nil…
African Jacana
The African jacana is a chestnut waterbird with very long toes that let it walk on floating plants. It is common on the quiet, weedy edges of the Nil…
See them for yourself
Our guides know where each of these lives. Tell us what you most want to see and we will plan your days around it.