Rutembe Bay

Location:

23 km from Entebbe via Kampala – Entebbe Express.

17 km South of Kampala

Coordinates: 0.1548384, 32.5687981

From Ngamba Island on your way to Kampala, you can visit Lutembe Bay. Lutembe, at the mouth of Lake Victoria’s Murchison Bay is a Ramsar site and one of the 30 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Uganda. Lutembe is a globally, regionally, nationally and locally an important biodiversity area with over 300 of both water and non-water bird species.

The bay supports globally threatened species of birds, the endangered Cichlid fish, and over 100 butterfly species. Lutembe is also a breeding ground for Clarias and lungfish, and regularly supports more than 52% of the global population of White-winged Black Terns- Chlidonias leucopterus.

For centuries, Lutembe has been hosting both native and millions of Palearctic migrant birds that originate mainly from the arctic regions including mainland Europe and Scandinavian countries.

Apart from White-winged Black Terns, large numbers of Grey-headed Gulls- Larus cirrocepharus, Black-headed Gulls – Larus ridibundus and Gull-billed Terns- Sterna nilotica can be seen roosting on muddy islets when the water level is low, especially between September to March. The biggest congregations of the European birds at Lutembe are Gulls and Terns.

Uganda receives the biggest share of all Palearctic birds in Africa due to the country’s big water masses.

Apart from Palearctic migrant birds, Lutembe is also home to seven globally threatened species like; Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Shoebill, African Skimmer, Great Snipe, and Madagascar Squacco among others.

Birdlist for Lutembe Bay and surrounding areas

1. Bronze Sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis)
2. Red-chested Sunbird (Cinnyris erythrocercus)
3. Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus)
4. Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
5. Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo)
6. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
7. Olive-bellied Sunbird (Cinnyris chloropygius)
8. Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
9. Red-necked Falcon (Falco chicquera)
10. European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
11. White-rumped ( SwiftApus caffer)
12. Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala)
13. African Hobby (Falco cuvierii)
14. Wattled Starling (Creatophora cinerea)
15. Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
16. Sanderling (Calidris alba)
17. Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola)
18. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
19. Gray-capped (WarblerEminia lepida)
20. Winding Cisticola (Cisticola marginatus)
21. Greater Swamp Warbler (Acrocephalus rufescens)
22. Papyrus Gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri)
23. Gray-hooded Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)
24. White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)
25. Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
26. Black Crake (Zapornia flavirostra)
27. Gray Crowned-Crane (Balearica regulorum)
28. Water Thick-knee (Burhinus vermiculatus)
29. African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
30. Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
31. Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
32. Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
33. Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
34. Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
35. Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
36. Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
37. Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
38. African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus)
39. Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis)
40. Little Bittern (Botaurus minutus)
41. Striated Heron (Butorides striata)
42. Pink-backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens)
43. Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
44. Palm-nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)
45. Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
46. Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)
47. Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus)
48. Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis)
49. Broad-billed Roller (Eurystomus glaucurus)
50. Gray Parrot (Psittacus erithacus)
51. Pied Crow (Corvus albus)
52. Carruthers’s Cisticola (Cisticola carruthersi)
53. Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)
54. Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
55. Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)
56. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
57. Angola Swallow (Hirundo angolensis)
58. Swamp Flycatcher (Muscicapa aquatica)
59. Slender-billed Weaver (Ploceus pelzelni)
60. Northern Brown-throated Weaver (Ploceus castanops)
61. Black-headed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus)
62. Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild)
63. Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
64. African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp)
65. White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)
66. Knob-billed Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos)
67. Yellow-billed Duck (Anas undulata)
68. Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
69. Tambourine Dove (Turtur tympanistria)
70. Ross’s Turaco (Tauraco rossae)
71. Blue-headed Coucal (Centropus monachus)
72. Dideric Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius)
73. African Palm Swift (Cypsiurus parvus)
74. Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
75. Long-toed Lapwing (Vanellus crassirostris)
76. African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris)
77. Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
78. Western Cattle-Egret (Ardea ibis)
79. Bronze Mannikin (Spermestes cucullata)
80. Red-eyed Dove (Streptopelia semitorquata)
81. Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis)
82. Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata)
83. Eastern Plantain-eater (Crinifer zonurus)
84. Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
85. Spur-winged Lapwing (Vanellus spinosus)
86. Yellow-billed Egret (Ardea brachyrhyncha)
87. Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
88. African Marsh Harrier (Circus ranivorus)
89. African Fish-Eagle (cthyophaga vocifer)
90. White-throated Bee-eaterMerops albicollis
91. Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)
92. Double-toothed Barbet (Pogonornis bidentatus)
93. Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher (Bias musicus)
94. Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
95. Rüppell’s Starling (Lamprotornis purpuroptera)
96. Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat (Cossypha niveicapilla)
97. Scarlet-chested Sunbird (Chalcomitra senegalensis)
98. Copper Sunbird (Cinnyris cupreus)
99. Vieillot’s Black Weaver (Ploceus nigerrimus)
100. Reed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus)
101. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
102. Black Heron (Egretta ardesiaca)
103. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
104. Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)
105. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
106. Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea)
107. Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
108. Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)
109. Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
110. Green-backed Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura)
111. Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
112. Greater Honeyguide (Indicator indicator)
113. African Gray Woodpecker (Dendropicos goertae)
114. Gray Kestrel (Falco ardosiaceus)
115. Fiery-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus pectoralis)
116. Red-chested Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius)
117. African Harrier-Hawk (Polyboroides typus)
118. Crowned Hornbill (Lophoceros alboterminatus)
119. Congo Pied Hornbill (Lophoceros fasciatus)
120. Grosbeak Weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons)
121. Northern Gray-headed Sparrow (Passer griseus)
122. Splendid Starling (Lamprotornis splendidus)
123. African Thrush (Turdus pelios)

Source: eBird and Snap Uganda