
Global Big Day 2025 in Kibale National Park, Uganda : Red-chested Owlet sightings, birding in Kibale Forest
The Global Big Day is an annual celebration that brings together birders and bird enthusiasts from across the world, they get to spend the day birding and celebrating birds. The event usually involves local birding communities, birders at home birding in their back yard and other interested birders. The goal is to celebrate birds by birding and submitting their birding checklists into eBird. This article is going to recap how we participated in the Global Big Day 2025 in Kibale National Park in Uganda on 10th May, 2025.
We started our day in Fort Portal as we had to drive from Fort Portal to Kibale National Park. The morning started off misty but we drove steadily till we got to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary at the KAFRED offices, this was our meeting point. After meeting with other birders and exchanging greetings. We started the journey into Kibale Forest, birding started right away from Bigodi and we went on birding along the way.
Interestingly, as we had just started entering the forest one of our members saw an elephant moving about in the bushes, we stopped here for a bit but we were only able to see the foot prints as the thick canopy would not allow us see it clearly.
We continued with our journey driving past Kanyanchu visitor centre and heading further into Kibale Forest, we parked along the road and then started our day. Our plan on this day was to bird along the forest edges and then enter into the forest and bird along the Njojo trail. The Njojo trail is one of the birding trails in Kibale Forest.
We started our day with sightings/calls of the Narina Trogon, Blue Malkoha, Afep Pigeon, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Great Blue Turaco, African Green-Pigeon, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Speckled Tinkerbird, Alpine Swift, Cassin’s Honeybird, African Emerald Cuckoo, Chestnut-wattle eye, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Purple-headed Starling, Western Nicator, Red-tailed Ant-Trush, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Fire-crested Alethe, Grosbeak Weaver and Gray-headed Nigrita.
After spending about one and a half hours here, we then headed into the forest along the Njojo trail.
Some of the birds that we were able to see/hear calling while on this trail included Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Green Crombec, Honeyguide Greenbul, Sooty Flycatcher, Olive Sunbird, White-breasted Nigrita and Tambourine Dove.
The main highlight while birding along this trail was seeing the Red-chested Owlet. This is not a bird that you usually see as it is restricted to highland forests so being able to see it and hear it call was a major highlight for us. We spent time watching the Red-chested Owlet as it called and hopped from one tree branch to another. It hopped about 3 times and would spend time on one tree branch, calling. The time spent watching this bird was worth it!

A photo of a Red-chested Owlet that we saw while on the Njojo trail in Kibale Forest
We continued birding along this trail and by this time it was approaching mid-day, so we walked back to the road side, ending our Global Big Day 2025 with a major highlight and also feeling accomplished for participating in this important celebration of birds worldwide.
Our day ended with transfer to KAFRED offices in Bigodi, bid farewell to our colleagues and then started the journey back to Fort Portal.
Kibale National Park is one of the most rewarding birding destinations in Uganda and is known for the Green Breasted Pitta, an endemic specie that lives in the deep forest of Kibale. This elusive specie is one of only two pitta species in Africa and is the most sought after specie in Kibale Forest. About 375 species of birds have been recorded at Kibale National Park making it a rich birding destination.