The Bwindi region’s raptor fauna is a product of its ecological diversity: the mix of closed montane forest, highland grassland, lake edge, and agricultural mosaic supports a wider range of birds of prey than any single habitat type could sustain alone. Visitors who are attentive to the sky and the canopy edges during the drive to and from the park, and during time spent at lodges positioned with views over the forest, will encounter species that range from the majestic African crowned eagle — Africa’s most powerful bird of prey — to the small, agile kestrels that hunt insects above the forest margin grasslands.
African crowned eagle
The African crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus) is the apex avian predator of Bwindi’s forest, capable of killing prey significantly larger than itself — including bushbuck, small forest duikers, and juvenile primates. It is a powerful, heavily built bird with a distinctive double crest on the head, barred underparts, and a wingspan of approximately 1.5 metres. The crowned eagle requires large, undisturbed forest for its territory — a single breeding pair typically needs several square kilometres of intact forest, which makes Bwindi’s continuous forest cover critical for the maintenance of a viable regional population.
Crowned eagle encounters in Bwindi are memorable rather than routine — the birds are present but not abundant, and their movements through the forest interior are difficult to observe from trail level. The best opportunities come from elevated lodge positions with views over the forest canopy, particularly in the early morning when the birds are active before the day heats up. The distinctive call — a loud, rising whistle-whistle-whistle sequence — typically announces the bird’s presence before it is visible, giving attentive observers time to scan the canopy before the bird moves on.
Verreaux’s eagle in the highland margins
Verreaux’s eagle (Aquila verreauxii) is a spectacular highland specialist found on the rocky outcrops and cliff faces adjacent to the park at higher elevations, particularly in the Ruhija sector and in the highland regions south of Bwindi toward the Rwandan border. This large eagle — black above with white rump and wing patches that create a striking pattern in flight — is highly specialised on rock hyrax as prey and is typically found only where hyrax colonies exist on suitable rocky terrain.
The flight style of Verreaux’s eagle is immediately recognisable: the wings are held in a distinctive bow shape with the primary feathers spread like fingers, and the bird soars along cliff faces and ridgelines with minimal wing movement. When hunting, it drops from elevation in a steep stoop that covers vertical distances rapidly — a predatory technique adapted to the hyrax’s response of diving into rock crevices that requires the eagle to catch its prey in the brief window between detection and concealment.
Martial eagle: the largest eagle of the open country
The martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is Africa’s largest eagle by weight — adults can reach 6 kilograms with wingspans of over 2 metres — and is occasionally seen soaring over the open country and lake margins accessible from the southern and eastern approaches to Bwindi. It is a bird of open woodland and savanna rather than closed forest, and encounters near Bwindi itself are limited to the forest margins and agricultural areas rather than the park interior. Near Lake Bunyonyi and in the open country between Kabale and the park boundary, it is a realistic sighting for visitors attentive to the sky.
Forest hawks and sparrowhawks
The closed forest interior supports several species of forest hawk and sparrowhawk that hunt the small bird, lizard, and large insect community of the understorey. The African goshawk (Accipiter tachiro), the Rufous-chested sparrowhawk (Accipiter rufiventris), and the Long-tailed hawk (Urotriorchis macrourus) are all recorded in Bwindi, and are most likely to be encountered as a sudden movement and flash of wings as they pursue prey through the lower vegetation at speed.
The long-tailed hawk is among the most desired bird sightings in the park for specialist birders: it is an uncommon Congo basin species at the eastern edge of its range in Bwindi, and its combination of striking appearance — rufous breast, blue-grey back, very long banded tail — and forest interior habitat makes it a genuine rarity. Most trekkers do not look for it specifically, but guides in the Ruhija sector who are requested to assist with birding are often able to locate this and other forest raptors through knowledge of their regular hunting perches and movement routes.
African fish eagle near the lakes
The African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) is not a Bwindi forest species but is encountered regularly by visitors who make the short detour to Lake Bunyonyi or who travel via the other lake systems of the region. Its call — the descending, haunting cry that is perhaps the most evocative sound associated with African lakes and rivers — is one of the defining sensory experiences of a Uganda wildlife trip, and its appearance — white head and chest, chestnut body, powerful taloned feet — makes it immediately recognisable. On Lake Bunyonyi, fish eagles can be heard calling across the water from the earliest hours of the morning, a sound that carries over the still water with remarkable clarity.
