Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

National Park · Uganda

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Photo © USAID Biodiversity & Forestry

Photo © USAID Biodiversity & Forestry — CC0 1.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where the Virunga Mountains rise steeply from the Uganda–Rwanda–Democratic Republic of Congo frontier, montane forest cloaks the volcanic slopes in a dense, moisture-laden embrace. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park protects one of Africa's most dramatic landscapes: a compact yet ecologically complex terrain where steep ravines, bamboo thickets, and high-altitude grasslands create distinct vertical zones of habitat. The park's centerpiece is the Cyanika region, where deep gorges carve through the slopes and ancient lava flows support a remarkably rich mosaic of forest types. At lower elevations, broad-leaved montane woodland harbors small forest mammals, woodland songbirds, and insectivorous species that exploit the dense understory; as altitude increases, the forest transitions into bamboo zones where specialist foliage-eaters thrive, and finally opens onto subalpine meadows where alpine birds and montane raptors patrol the exposed ridges. This vertical stratification means that a walk of just a few hundred meters can encompass the wildlife communities of multiple climatic zones, a rarity that concentrates biodiversity into a remarkably small footprint.

For wildlife photographers and serious birders, Mgahinga demands respect and preparation—but rewards both in abundance. The park's steep terrain and high elevation mean that morning light spills across gorge walls in spectacular fashion, while the frequent mists that cling to the forest canopy create ethereal photographic conditions. Visitors encounter forest birds at close quarters thanks to the dense habitat and relatively predictable movement patterns; raptors and mountain eagles hunt the open slopes in predictable patterns, especially during clear weather. The best months align with the regional dry seasons, when canopy cover thins and wildlife visibility improves, though the park's equatorial location means that some form of birdlife remains active year-round. Access is demanding—the terrain is steep, trails are often muddy, and the altitude approaches 3,500 meters—but this very inaccessibility preserves the park's wilderness character and ensures that visitors who do reach its gorges encounter wildlife largely undisturbed by human pressure.

Website mgahinganationalpark.com

Photography WorkshopEasy

Binary Safari Adventures

3-Days Gorilla Trekking Safari in Uganda

Binary Safari Adventures·Uganda

3 Days 6 EN Mountain Gorilla

Great Blue Turaco

Corythaeola cristata

Nectarinia kilimensis

Baglafecht Weaver

Ploceus baglafecht

Red-billed Firefinch

Lagonosticta senegala

African Paradise Flycatcher

Terpsiphone viridis

Speckled Mousebird

Colius striatus

Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat

Cossypha niveicapilla

Variable Sunbird

Cinnyris venustus

Grey Crowned Crane

Balearica regulorum

Pied Kingfisher

Brown-throated Wattle-eye

Platysteira cyanea

Red-chested Sunbird

Cinnyris erythrocercus

Black-headed Heron

Ardea melanocephala

African Blue Flycatcher

Elminia longicauda

African Harrier-Hawk

Polyboroides typus

African Sacred Ibis

Threskiornis aethiopicus

Long-crested Eagle

Lophaetus occipitalis

Slender-billed Weaver

Ploceus pelzelni

Green-backed Camaroptera

Camaroptera brachyura

White-necked Raven

Corvus albicollis

Streptopelia semitorquata

White-headed Wood Hoopoe

Phoeniculus bollei

Northern Grey-headed Sparrow

Grey-throated Barbet

Gymnobucco bonapartei

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird

Pogoniulus bilineatus

Northern Puffback

Dryoscopus gambensis

Rwenzori Apalis

Oreolais ruwenzorii

Black-billed Turaco

Tauraco schuettii

African Olive Pigeon

Columba arquatrix

Olive-bellied Sunbird

Cinnyris chloropygius

Bar-tailed Trogon

Apaloderma vittatum

Cardinal Woodpecker

Dendropicos fuscescens

Handsome Spurfowl

Pternistis nobilis

Little Greenbul

Eurillas virens

Speckled Pigeon

Grey-capped Warbler

Estrilda astrild

Yellow-fronted Canary

Crithagra mozambica

Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbird

Cinnyris stuhlmanni

Cinnamon Bracken Warbler

Bradypterus cinnamomeus

Yellow-billed Duck

Dusky Turtle Dove

Streptopelia lugens

Chestnut-throated Apalis

Apalis porphyrolaema

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Chalcomitra senegalensis

Carruthers's Cisticola

Cisticola carruthersi

Ploceus alienus

White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher

Melaenornis fischeri

Streaky Seedeater

Crithagra striolata

Mackinnon's Shrike

Lanius mackinnoni

Northern Double-collared Sunbird

Cinnyris reichenowi

African Stonechat

Saxicola torquatus

Green White-eye

Zosterops stuhlmanni

Pale-throated Greenbul

Atimastillas flavigula

Ploceus cucullatus

Tropical Boubou

Laniarius major

Mountain Wagtail

Motacilla clara

Hirundo angolensis

Swamp Flycatcher

Muscicapa aquatica

Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater

Merops oreobates

Lesser Striped Swallow

Cecropis abyssinica

Pycnonotus barbatus

Yellow-bellied Waxbill

Coccopygia quartinia

African Dusky Flycatcher

Muscicapa adusta

Golden-breasted Bunting

Emberiza flaviventris

Malachite Kingfisher

Corythornis cristatus

Chubb's Cisticola

Cisticola chubbi

Lühder's Bushshrike

Laniarius luehderi

Psalidoprocne pristoptera

Yellow-whiskered Greenbul

Eurillas latirostris

Black-billed Weaver

Ploceus melanogaster

African Pied Wagtail

Motacilla aguimp

Pin-tailed Whydah

Scopus umbretta

White-browed Robin-Chat

Cossypha heuglini

Cinnyris regius

Mountain Masked Apalis

Apalis personata

White-starred Robin

Pogonocichla stellata

White-tailed Blue Flycatcher

Elminia albicauda

Bostrychia hagedash

Black-crowned Waxbill

Estrilda nonnula

Crithagra frontalis

Black-necked Weaver

Ploceus nigricollis

Brown-capped Weaver

Ploceus insignis

Petit's Cuckooshrike

Campephaga petiti

Black-headed Weaver

Ploceus melanocephalus

Green-headed Sunbird

Cyanomitra verticalis

Motacilla capensis

Kikuyu Mountain Greenbul

Arizelocichla kikuyuensis

Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher

Melaenornis ardesiacus

Northern Fiscal

Lanius humeralis

Bronze Mannikin

Spermestes cucullata

Collared Sunbird

Hedydipna collaris

Black Bee-eater

Euplectes capensis

Yellow-crowned Canary

Serinus flavivertex

Mountain Oriole

Oriolus percivali

Red-faced Woodland Warbler

Phylloscopus laetus

Slender-billed Greenbul

Stelgidillas gracilirostris

Brimstone Canary

Crithagra sulphurata

Kandt's Waxbill

Estrilda kandti

Black-throated Apalis

Apalis jacksoni

White-chinned Prinia

Schistolais leucopogon

Holub's Golden Weaver

Ploceus xanthops

Thick-billed Seedeater

Crithagra burtoni

Red-throated Rock Martin

Ptyonoprogne rufigula

Stripe-breasted Tit

Melaniparus fasciiventer

Grey-headed Nigrita

Nigrita canicapillus

Cape Robin-Chat

Dessonornis caffer

Black-and-white Mannikin

Spermestes bicolor

Blue-headed Sunbird

Cyanomitra alinae

Grey Cuckooshrike

Ceblepyris caesius

Mountain Buzzard

Buteo oreophilus

Mountain Yellow Warbler

Spot-flanked Barbet

Tricholaema lacrymosa

Doherty's Bushshrike

Telophorus dohertyi

Trilling Cisticola

Cisticola woosnami

Rwenzori Hill Babbler

Sylvia atriceps

Sharpe's Starling

Scarlet-tufted Sunbird

Nectarinia johnstoni

Fan-tailed Widowbird

Euplectes axillaris

Dusky Crimsonwing

Cryptospiza jacksoni

Malachite Sunbird

Nectarinia famosa

White-faced Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna viduata

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna bicolor

Spur-winged Goose

Plectropterus gambensis

Knob-billed Duck

Sarkidiornis melanotos

Alopochen aegyptiaca

Blue-billed Teal

Spatula hottentota

Red-billed Teal

Anas erythrorhyncha

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

Crested Francolin

Ortygornis sephaena

Pternistis squamatus

Red-necked Spurfowl

Pternistis afer

Montane Nightjar

Caprimulgus poliocephalus

Pennant-winged Nightjar

Caprimulgus vexillarius

African Palm Swift

Cypsiurus parvus

Tachymarptis melba

African Black Swift

White-rumped Swift

Bare-faced Go-away-bird

Crinifer personatus

Eastern Plantain-eater

Crinifer zonurus

Blue-headed Coucal

Centropus monachus

White-browed Coucal

Centropus superciliosus

Levaillant's Cuckoo

Clamator levaillantii

Clamator jacobinus

Diederik Cuckoo

Chrysococcyx caprius

Chrysococcyx klaas

African Emerald Cuckoo

Chrysococcyx cupreus

Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo

Cercococcyx mechowi

Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo

Cercococcyx montanus

Red-chested Cuckoo

Cuculus solitarius

Cuculus gularis

Cuculus canorus

Western Bronze-naped Pigeon

Columba iriditorques

Aplopelia larvata

Ring-necked Dove

Streptopelia capicola

Spilopelia senegalensis

Emerald-spotted Wood Dove

Turtur chalcospilos

Blue-spotted Wood Dove

Tambourine Dove

Turtur tympanistria

African Green Pigeon

Red-chested Flufftail

Sarothrura rufa

Crecopsis egregia

Gallinula chloropus

Red-knobbed Coot

Fulica cristata

African Swamphen

Porphyrio madagascariensis

Zapornia flavirostra

Water Thick-knee

Burhinus vermiculatus

Long-toed Lapwing

Vanellus crassirostris

Spur-winged Lapwing

Vanellus spinosus

Senegal Lapwing

Vanellus lugubris

African Wattled Lapwing

Vanellus senegallus

Actophilornis africanus

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Tringa glareola

African Openbill

Anastomus lamelligerus

Leptoptilos crumenifer

Yellow-billed Stork

Microcarbo africanus

African Spoonbill

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Egretta garzetta

Rufous-bellied Heron

Ardeola rufiventris

Ardeola ralloides

Western Cattle Egret

Pink-backed Pelican

Pelecanus rufescens

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

African Cuckoo-Hawk

Aviceda cuculoides

European Honey Buzzard

Pernis apivorus

Lappet-faced Vulture

Torgos tracheliotos

Necrosyrtes monachus

White-backed Vulture

Terathopius ecaudatus

Brown Snake Eagle

Circaetus cinereus

Stephanoaetus coronatus

Polemaetus bellicosus

Wahlberg's Eagle

Hieraaetus wahlbergi

Ayres's Hawk-Eagle

Hieraaetus ayresii

Hieraaetus pennatus

Cassin's Hawk-Eagle

Aquila africana

African Hawk-Eagle

Aquila spilogaster

Kaupifalco monogrammicus

Ovambo Sparrowhawk

Accipiter ovampensis

Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk

Accipiter rufiventris

African Marsh Harrier

Circus ranivorus

African Fish Eagle

Icthyophaga vocifer

Pearl-spotted Owlet

Glaucidium perlatum

Spotted Eagle-Owl

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl

African Wood Owl

Strix woodfordii

Blue-naped Mousebird

Urocolius macrourus

Apaloderma narina

Green Wood Hoopoe

Phoeniculus purpureus

Crowned Hornbill

Lophoceros alboterminatus

African Grey Hornbill

Lophoceros nasutus

Blue-throated Roller

Eurystomus gularis

Broad-billed Roller

Eurystomus glaucurus

Striped Kingfisher

Halcyon chelicuti

Woodland Kingfisher

Halcyon senegalensis

African Pygmy Kingfisher

Shining-blue Kingfisher

Alcedo quadribrachys

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Merops hirundineus

Little Bee-eater

Merops pusillus

Blue-breasted Bee-eater

Merops variegatus

White-throated Bee-eater

Merops albicollis

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Merops persicus

Olive Bee-eater

Merops superciliosus

European Bee-eater

Merops apiaster

Trachyphonus vaillantii

Speckled Tinkerbird

Pogoniulus scolopaceus

Yellow-throated Tinkerbird

Pogoniulus subsulphureus

Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird

Pogoniulus chrysoconus

Yellow-spotted Barbet

Buccanodon duchaillui

White-headed Barbet

Lybius leucocephalus

Double-toothed Barbet

Pogonornis bidentatus

Brown-backed Honeybird

Prodotiscus regulus

Lesser Honeyguide

Indicator minor

Scaly-throated Honeyguide

Indicator variegatus

Greater Honeyguide

Indicator indicator

Red-throated Wryneck

Jynx ruficollis

Buff-spotted Woodpecker

Pardipicus nivosus

Fine-banded Woodpecker

Campethera taeniolaema

African Grey Woodpecker

Dendropicos goertae

Olive Woodpecker

Dendropicos griseocephalus

Falco tinnunculus

Falco ardosiaceus

Falco biarmicus

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Poicephalus meyeri

Western Black-headed Batis

Batis erlangeri

Chestnut Wattle-eye

Dyaphorophyia castanea

Black-throated Wattle-eye

Platysteira peltata

Lagden's Bushshrike

Malaconotus lagdeni

Many-colored Bushshrike

Chlorophoneus multicolor

Bocage's Bushshrike

Chlorophoneus bocagei

Orange-breasted Bushshrike

Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus

Brown-crowned Tchagra

Tchagra australis

Black-crowned Tchagra

Tchagra senegalus

Albertine Sooty Boubou

Laniarius holomelas

Willard's Sooty Boubou

Laniarius willardi

Papyrus Gonolek

Laniarius mufumbiri

Black-headed Gonolek

Laniarius erythrogaster

African Shrike-flycatcher

Megabyas flammulatus

Black Cuckooshrike

Campephaga flava

Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike

Campephaga phoenicea

African Golden Oriole

Oriolus auratus

Fork-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus adsimilis

Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher

Terpsiphone rufiventer

Grey-backed Fiscal

Lanius excubitoroides

White-bellied Crested Flycatcher

Elminia albiventris

White-winged Black Tit

Melaniparus leucomelas

Melaniparus funereus

Grey Penduline Tit

Anthoscopus caroli

Joyful Greenbul

Chlorocichla laetissima

Shelley's Greenbul

Arizelocichla masukuensis

Eurillas curvirostris

Little Grey Greenbul

Eurillas gracilis

White-throated Greenbul

Phyllastrephus albigularis

Cabanis's Greenbul

Phyllastrephus cabanisi

Phyllastrephus scandens

Yellow-streaked Greenbul

Phyllastrephus flavostriatus

White-headed Saw-wing

Psalidoprocne albiceps

Grey-rumped Swallow

Pseudhirundo griseopyga

Neophedina cincta

Brown-throated Martin

Riparia paludicola

Riparia riparia

Hirundo rustica

Wire-tailed Swallow

Hirundo smithii

Western House Martin

Delichon urbicum

Red-breasted Swallow

Cecropis semirufa

Cecropis senegalensis

Moustached Grass Warbler

Melocichla mentalis

Red-faced Crombec

Sylvietta whytii

Sylvietta virens

White-browed Crombec

Sylvietta leucophrys

Phylloscopus trochilus

Brown Woodland Warbler

Phylloscopus umbrovirens

Greater Swamp Warbler

Acrocephalus rufescens

Lesser Swamp Warbler

Acrocephalus gracilirostris

Common Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

African Yellow Warbler

Iduna natalensis

Icterine Warbler

Hippolais icterina

Evergreen Forest Warbler

Bradypterus lopezi

White-winged Swamp Warbler

Bradypterus carpalis

Grauer's Swamp Warbler

Bradypterus graueri

Red-faced Cisticola

Cisticola erythrops

Singing Cisticola

Cisticola cantans

Winding Cisticola

Cisticola marginatus

Zitting Cisticola

Cisticola juncidis

Tawny-flanked Prinia

Prinia subflava

Buff-bellied Warbler

Phyllolais pulchella

Yellow-breasted Apalis

Black-capped Apalis

Apalis nigriceps

Olive-green Camaroptera

Camaroptera chloronota

Black-faced Rufous Warbler

Bathmocercus rufus

Eurasian Blackcap

Sylvia atricapilla

Northern Yellow White-eye

Zosterops senegalensis

Mountain Illadopsis

Illadopsis pyrrhoptera

Arrow-marked Babbler

Turdoides jardineii

Black-lored Babbler

Turdoides sharpei

Wattled Starling

Creatophora cinerea

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Lamprotornis chalybaeus

Rüppell's Starling

Lamprotornis purpuroptera

Violet-backed Starling

Cinnyricinclus leucogaster

Slender-billed Starling

Onychognathus tenuirostris

Waller's Starling

Onychognathus walleri

Stuhlmann's Starling

Poeoptera stuhlmanni

Yellow-billed Oxpecker

Buphagus africanus

Brown-backed Scrub Robin

Cercotrichas hartlaubi

White-browed Scrub Robin

Cercotrichas leucophrys

Pale Flycatcher

Agricola pallidus

Grey-throated Tit-Flycatcher

Fraseria griseigularis

Grey Tit-Flycatcher

Fraseria plumbea

Ashy Flycatcher

Fraseria caerulescens

Northern Black Flycatcher

Melaenornis edolioides

Cassin's Flycatcher

Muscicapa cassini

Red-throated Alethe

Chamaetylas poliophrys

Brown-chested Alethe

Chamaetylas poliocephala

Red-capped Robin-Chat

Cossypha natalensis

Grey-winged Robin-Chat

Sheppardia polioptera

Saxicola rubetra

Myrmecocichla nigra

Myrmecocichla arnotti

Oenanthe familiaris

Grey-headed Sunbird

Deleornis axillaris

Western Violet-backed Sunbird

Anthreptes longuemarei

Little Green Sunbird

Anthreptes seimundi

Grey-chinned Sunbird

Anthreptes tephrolaemus

Cyanomitra olivacea

Purple-breasted Sunbird

Nectarinia purpureiventris

Cinnyris minullus

Beautiful Sunbird

Cinnyris pulchellus

Cinnyris mariquensis

Purple-banded Sunbird

Cinnyris bifasciatus

Cinnyris superbus

Cinnyris cupreus

Passer domesticus

Thick-billed Weaver

Amblyospiza albifrons

Ploceus luteolus

Northern Brown-throated Weaver

Ploceus castanops

Golden-backed Weaver

Ploceus jacksoni

Yellow-mantled Weaver

Ploceus tricolor

Cardinal Quelea

Quelea cardinalis

Red-billed Quelea

Pachyphantes superciliosus

Red-collared Widowbird

Euplectes ardens

White-collared Oliveback

Nesocharis ansorgei

Red-faced Crimsonwing

Cryptospiza reichenovii

Black-faced Waxbill

Brunhilda erythronotos

Fawn-breasted Waxbill

Estrilda paludicola

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu

Uraeginthus bengalus

Green-winged Pytilia

African Firefinch

Lagonosticta rubricata

Village Indigobird

Vidua chalybeata

Western Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla flava

Motacilla cinerea

Yellow-throated Longclaw

Macronyx croceus

Anthus cinnamomeus

Long-billed Pipit

Plain-backed Pipit

Anthus leucophrys

Linurgus olivaceus

Crithagra koliensis

Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

Emberiza tahapisi

Palm-nut Vulture

Gypohierax angolensis

Black-headed Waxbill

Estrilda atricapilla

Mountain Gorilla

Gorilla beringei beringei

Cercopithecus mitis

Cephalophorus kivuensis

Southern Tree Hyrax

Dendrohyrax arboreus

Northern Bushbuck

Tragelaphus scriptus

Southern Bushbuck

Tragelaphus sylvaticus

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