Birds & Birding
Shoebill in Uganda: Where and How to See Africa’s Most Sought-After Bird
Where and how to see the shoebill in Uganda: canoe trips at Mabamba Swamp near Entebbe, Murchison Falls, the best time of day and photography tips.
The shoebill is the bird that many birders travel to Uganda to see, and with good reason. Standing more than a metre tall, slate grey, with a huge clog-shaped bill and an unblinking stare, it looks almost prehistoric. Uganda is the most accessible place in the world to see one.
About the shoebill
Shoebills live in large papyrus swamps and floodplains in central and eastern Africa. They hunt by standing motionless at the edge of open water, sometimes for a long time, waiting for a fish such as a lungfish or catfish to come near the surface, then lunging forward with the whole body. The species is listed as vulnerable, with only a few thousand left in the wild, threatened by the loss of wetlands, disturbance and the capture of chicks.
Mabamba Swamp
Mabamba Swamp, on the shore of Lake Victoria about an hour from Entebbe, is the best-known place to see shoebills. Local guides take you by small canoe or motorboat through channels in the papyrus, searching for the birds. Sightings are good on most trips, though never guaranteed, as the shoebills move around the swamp. Early morning is the best time. The trip takes half a day and fits easily into the first or last day of a Uganda safari.
Murchison Falls
The boat trip from Paraa downstream to the delta, where the Nile enters Lake Albert, is another good place to look for shoebills, combined with excellent game viewing in the park.
Other places
Shoebills are also occasionally seen in the wetlands of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo and other swamps, but sightings there are less predictable.
Photography tips
A lens of 300 to 500 millimetres is ideal. Shoebills often stand still for long periods, which gives you time to compose, but be ready for the moment they strike or fly. The soft morning light is best.
Planning your trip
A shoebill morning at Mabamba combines well with gorilla trekking in Bwindi and chimpanzee trekking in Kibale. Read our Bwindi guide and our guide to the shoebill in Tanzania.
We plan private safaris across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, and write from time spent in these parks.
