The bohor reedbuck is one of Uganda’s most elegant small antelopes and one of the most consistently overlooked. It lacks the dramatic colouring of the topi, the sheer scale of the waterbuck, and the fame of the Uganda kob. What it has is a quiet, refined presence in the grasslands and reed beds of Uganda’s national parks — a slender, amber-coloured animal with distinctive forward-curved horns, an ability to vanish into tall grass that seems almost supernatural, and a whistle alarm call that is one of the characteristic sounds of Queen Elizabeth’s open areas at dawn. Here is what you need to know.
Physical Description
The bohor reedbuck (Redunca redunca) is a medium-small antelope, with adults weighing 35 to 65 kilograms. Males carry distinctive horns that curve forward at the tips — a characteristic shape among reedbucks — reaching 25 to 45 centimetres. The coat is a warm yellowish-brown, paler on the underparts, with a greyish face and a bare, glandular patch below each ear. The tail has a white underside that is flashed when the animal runs, serving as an alarm signal to conspecifics.
The reedbuck is built for concealment and sprinting in medium-height grass. Its crouching posture when alarmed — pressing close to the ground before erupting in a sudden bounding run — is a survival strategy for an animal whose primary defence is surprise rather than sustained speed. The distinctive rocking gallop, with the white tail conspicuously displayed, is one of the characteristic movements of grassland antelope.
Habitat and Distribution in Uganda
Bohor reedbuck inhabit open grassland, floodplain, and the edges of papyrus swamps and reed beds. They require grass cover tall enough to conceal them and are never found in bare, open terrain. In Uganda, they are present in Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls, and Lake Mburo national parks, as well as in various wetland habitats outside protected areas. They are more common than most visitors realise — their grass-concealment behaviour means they are easily overlooked even when abundant.
Reedbuck are often seen in pairs or small family groups — a territorial male with one or two females. They are most visible at dawn and dusk when they move to feeding areas from cover, and during the midday heat they retreat into dense grass or reed beds and are essentially invisible. A skilled guide scanning the edge of tall grass in the first light of a Queen Elizabeth morning will frequently spot reedbuck that most visitors walk or drive past without noticing.
The Whistle Call
The bohor reedbuck’s alarm call is a sharp, penetrating whistle — loud, sudden, and carrying far across open grass. It is one of the most distinctive sounds of the East African savanna at dawn, and once heard and identified, it becomes a reliable indicator of reedbuck presence even when the animal is invisible in cover. The whistle alerts other reedbuck in the area to potential danger and may also serve to startle predators, breaking the concentration of an ambush.
Behaviour and Ecology
Bohor reedbuck are primarily grazers, consuming medium-height grasses and sedges. They drink regularly and are seldom found far from water. Males hold territories year-round, marking boundaries with scent glands and the distinctive forefoot-scraping behaviour common to many antelope. Territorial boundaries are communicated and maintained through display — the erect posture and horn presentation that says “this ground is taken” — and, when necessary, physical combat.
Reedbuck calves are born after a gestation of around 7.5 months and are hiders — concealed in dense grass for the first weeks of life while the mother returns to nurse them. Predation on calves is significant: servals, jackals, pythons, and raptors all take young reedbuck. Adult survival is primarily threatened by leopards and lions, with hyenas and wild dogs taking animals in poorer condition.
Spotting Reedbuck on Safari
The key to seeing reedbuck on a Uganda safari is knowing where to look and when. Early morning game drives in Queen Elizabeth’s Kasenyi area, scanning the edges where short grass meets taller reed beds and grassland, consistently produce reedbuck sightings for guides who know the species. Lake Mburo is equally productive — the park’s intimate scale and the way grassland, wetland, and acacia woodland interdigitate creates abundant reedbuck habitat. The animal rewards patience and attention: once your eye learns the amber shape in the grass, the forward-curved horns, the white tail as it bounces away — you start seeing them everywhere you previously walked past empty-handed.
