Bulletin 375 - Uganda #19 - Pitta, Nicator and other songbirds

After the week in the Capetown area, the guide Casper Badenhorst, and I flew to Uganda and met a local guide. We started at Entebbe Airport on the southeast corner of Uganda and made a diagonal trip to Murchison Falls NP in the northwest corner. From there, we proceeded south through a chain of nature preserves and parks to the southwest corner at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We finished along the southern border back to the airport.

I always enjoy finding my first species in a new bird family and there are 3 in this bulletin.

The first is the 7" Green-breasted Pitta (Pitta reichenowi). It is one of 2 species of pitta in Africa. It is extremely rare to see this species as there are just a handful of birds in Kibale National Forest, along the Congo border. In fact it was first located in Uganda in about 2007. The rest are in inaccessible countries. It may be the #1 target bird to see in all of Africa. Here is a quote. "Obviously, this is one of Africa's most difficult and sought-after birds, and seeing one is a top highlight in any lifetime of birding." Wow - what is amazing is that we thought we were going with the ranger to see the common African Pitta.

This is a juvenile bird with the grayish breast.

Green-breasted Pitta - juvenile

Nicators are a small family of just 3 birds in Africa. On my first trip to South Africa, we tried for hours to see the species there. It was in the treetops singing and moving around but we never saw it. The 9" Western Nicator (Nicator chloris) is an olive bird with gray underside and bright white spots on the wings.

Western Nicator

The third new family is another small family called fairy flycatchers. The 5.5" African Blue Flycatcher (Eliminia longicauda). It is a cute blue bird with a long tail.

African Blue Flycatcher

His cousin is the 5.5" White-tailed Blue Flycatcher (Eliminia albicauda). He is similar, but the tail is edged with white.

White-tailed Blue Flycatcher

The rest of the bulletin are birds that are members of families I have seen before.

The 4.5" Northern Yellow White-eye (Zosterops senegalensis) is an all yellow bird with a bright white eye ring.

Northern Yellow White-eye

The 8" male Petit's Cuckoo-shrike (Campephaga petiti) is an all black bird with orange-yellow gape wattles. 

Petit's Cuckoo-shrike - male

The 8" male Red-bellied Paradise-Flycatcher (Terpsiphone rufiventer) is a reddish bird with a black head.

Red-bellied Paradise-Flycatcher

There are 6 species of orioles in Africa. These are a different family of birds than the orioles in the Americas. The 8" Western Oriole (Oriolus brachyrynchus) is yellow bodied with a black head and wings.

Western Oriole

The 8" Mountain Oriole (Oriolus percivali) is similar, but in a different habitat. This one caught a large caterpillar and we watched him beat it against the branch before eating it.

Mountain Oriole

I put the different bird and mammal families in single folders for easy viewing.

I have photos of 4 of the 129 species of white-eyes

I have photos of 5 of the 99 species of monarch flycatchers

I have photos of 4 of the 99 species of  cuckooo-shrikes

I have photos of 3 of the 37 species of  orioles

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2020 David McDonald

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