Uganda is arguably the most attractive country in Africa to birdwatchers, not only because of the
unusually high number of species recorded within its border, but also because it offers easy access
to several bird-rich habitats that are difficult to reach elsewhere. Uganda's remarkable avian
diversity - 1.008 species - can be attributed to its location at a transitional point between the East
African savanna, the West African rainforest and the semi-desert of the North
Most of these "Uganda specials" are West African and Congolese forest birds that would be verry
difficult to see elsewhere, for the simple reason that the other countries in which they occur are
poorly developed for tourism.
The official checklist of mammals found in Uganda numbers 342 species, with both West and East African
mammals being well represented. (132 of the species can be classified as large mammals and the remainder
are small animals, such as bats,rats and mice)
Primates are exeptionally well represented in Uganda. (about 19 species; such as Mountain gorilla's,
Chimpanzee, Baboons, Mangabey's and Colobus-species)
A total of 38 carnivores have been recorded in Uganda (most seen are Lion, Leopard, Jackals, Hyana, Otters
and Mongooses)
About one-third of the total African Antilope-species are included on the checklist for Uganda. (Among
them are Hartebeest, Busbuck, Waterbuck, Impala and Oribi)
Among the herbivores there are: Elephants, Hippopotamus, Buffalo, Giraffe, Zebra, Squirrels and Swine.
An astonishing 1.200 butterfly species have been recorded in Uganda, as compared with roughly 650 in
the whole of North Africa and a mere 56 in the British Isles.
Most spectacular of all butterflies are the Swallowtails of wich 32 can be seen in Uganda. Named
for the streamers that trail from the base of their wings, swallowtails are typically large and colourful,
and realy easy to observe when they feed on mammal dung deposited on forest trails and roads.
Another well-represented family in Uganda, with 370 species present, is the Nymphalidae, a diverse
coloured group off small butterflies, generally associated with forest edges and interiors. Among them
are the Commodore's and different kins off Pansy's.
An obstacle to developing a serious interest in Uganda's butterflies is the absence of a useful
literature and field guides to aid identification.