Endemic birds refer to those species that can only be found in specific geographical zones around the world. According to Birdlife International, the areas where those birds are found are known as Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) and there over 128 Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) which are grouped into six regions including North and Central America, South America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East; Continental Asia, South East Asian Islands, Papua New Guinea and Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Africa alone has over 37 EBAs both on mainland and along the coastal areas including the Albertine Rift Valley, Serengeti plains, Kenya highlands, the Upper Guinea forests, and the Lower Guinea forests that constitute the Guinea-Congo region and the Eastern Zaire lowlands.
The Albertine Rift Mountains
The Albertine rift, the western arm of the Great East African Rift Valley stretches from the southern end of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania through, Rwanda, Burundi, and DR Congo to Uganda at the northern shores of Lake Albert in Murchison Falls National Park. According to Wildlife Conservation Society Uganda, there are 41 Albertine rift endemics of which six are critically endangered including Golden-naped weaver, Itombwe Nightjar, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Kungwe Apalis, and Prigogine’s greenbul. Uganda Bwindi impenetrable national park alone is famous for harboring 23 Albertine rift endemics (AREs) which can be spotted in Ruhija and Buhoma sectors on your Uganda birding and gorilla safaris. In addition to Bwindi, Albertine rift endemics are also found in Murchison falls and Mgahinga gorilla national parks.
In Rwanda, Nyungwe forest national park is also home to 17 of the 41 AREs including Kungwe apalis, making for one of the best places to see Albertine rift endemic birds. Night walks are available in Nyungwe for those intending to spot the nocturnal species such as Congo bay owl and the Albertine Owlet.
Eastern Zaire lowlands
The Eastern Zaire constitutes both lowland and montane tropical forests between 700-1750 meters above sea level. The ecological zone lies adjacent to the Albertine rift valley on the eastern edge of the Lower Guinea Forest Biome and covers an area of 75,000 km2 which includes mainly the Orientale province (formerly Haut Zaire) with Kisangani capital city in north east DR Congo and western parts of Uganda including Semlikli valley. Given that the EBAs overlap, the species are known to occur in transitional forests and mountains including Bwindi Impenetrable forest; Semliki national park which is an extension of the Great Ituri Congo Basin Forest and the Itombwe Nature Reserve. In fact, two Eastern Zaire lowlands endemics which include Oberländer’s ground thrush (Zoothera oberlaenderi) and Sassi’s Olive greenbul (Phyllastrephus lorenzi) can be spotted in Uganda’s Semliki and Bwindi national park.
Among other species include the scarce swift (Schoutedenapus schoutedeni) in Itombwe nature reserve, Yellow legged weaver (Ploceus flavipes), the golden naped weaver (Ploceus aureonucha), Bedford’s Paradise flycatcher (terpsiphone bedfordi), Turner’s Eremomela (eremomela turneri), Nahan’s francolin, (francolin nahani), Congo peacock (afropayo congensis). Those intending to spot some of these can visit one of the important bird and biodiversity areas including Bwindi and Semliki in Uganda, and Forests west of Lake Edward, Kahuzi Beiga national park, Mount Hoyo, Okapi, and Itombwe nature reserves in DR Congo.
Serengeti ecosystem
The Serengeti plains endemic bird area spans an area of 160,000 sq. km in and comprises of open savanna grassland, Acacia-Commiphora woodland, and semi arid habitats. A relatively larger part of the EBA is under protected areas which include Serengeti national park, Masai Mara national reserve and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania and Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru national parks in Kenya’s rift valley area. However, the buffer zones including Maswa game reserve and Lake Eyasi that surround Serengeti and Ngorongoro are thought to be the most important habitat for the Serengeti Plain endemics including rufous tailed weaver, grey breasted francolin, Karamoja apalis (restricted to Southern Serengeti plains and Maswa game reserve), Fisher’s lovebird, Usambiro barbet, and the grey crested helmetshrike.
Kenya Mountains
A high altitude endemic bird area, Kenya Mountains encompasses an area of 48,000 sq. km and includes the peaks of Mount Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, and Mount Elgon. Among other protected areas within include Mount Elgon national parks along the border of eastern Uganda and western Kenya, Mount Meru game reserve, Tanzania, and Aberdare Mountain Ranges and Chyulu hills national park in Kenya. There are over 9 Kenya mountain endemics recorded including the critically endangered Abbott’s Starling (Arizelopsar) and Sharpe’s Longclaw (Macronyx sharpei) and the near threatened South Pare white-eye and Jackson’s widowbird; Hinde’s babbler, Aberdare cisticola, Kenrick’s starling, Hunter’s cisticola, and Jackson’s francolin. The species are widely distributed across a variety of habitats from Afromontane forests, bamboo, montane grasslands, and moorlands. So, your best chance to spot them is through undertaking mountain climbing safaris.