About the Shoebill Stork and Birding Tours in Mabamba Swamp
Known locally as “Bbulwe”, the Shoebill Stork gets its name from it huge shoe-shaped bill. The Shoebill stork is the most sought out bird in Uganda. It is a shy and intriguing bird with a mysterious physical appearance. Its most striking feature is a massive, uneven, large and yellow colored bill. Shoebill Storks are considered by some to be an ugly bird which looks like a creature straight out of the Jurassic age. Regardless what some think, tourists and seasoned birders find them very fascinating. Hundreds of birders flock to Uganda purposely to see these large birds.
Shoebills are found in the papyrus swamps of Sub-Saharan Africa including DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan. Uganda has about 1000 individuals. The Shoebill Storks in Uganda can also be sighted in Queen Elizabeth National Park (Ishasha Sector), Nabajuzi Swamp (in Masaka), Murchison Falls Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Lake Mburo National Park, Semliki Wildlife Reserve and around Lake Kyoga. Shoebill Storks love Lungfish but will also feed on smaller water birds, water snakes, frogs, lizards, Turtles, Crocodiles (young), Snails and Rodents. Their favorite food in Mabamba is Lungfish. The fish thrive here because many Baganda people do not eat them. One of the Baganda clans is named after the lungfish.
The Shoebill Stork is a solitary bird. Two pairs only get together during the breeding season. The breeding season generally occurs during the dry season – perhaps to prevent the nests from getting damaged by heavy floods. Females lay between one to three eggs. The male and female both share incubation roles until the chicks hatch. After hatching, the pair has a task of feeding their young until they are can look for food on their own. It takes between 3 to 4 years for the young ones to start breeding. Usually only one survives up to adulthood (the strongest one). Adult Shoebills weigh about 14 pounds and can live for more than 50 years.
Shoebills are found in the papyrus swamps of Sub-Saharan Africa including DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan. Uganda has about 1000 individuals. The Shoebill Storks in Uganda can also be sighted in Queen Elizabeth National Park (Ishasha Sector), Nabajuzi Swamp (in Masaka), Murchison Falls Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Lake Mburo National Park, Semliki Wildlife Reserve and around Lake Kyoga. Shoebill Storks love Lungfish but will also feed on smaller water birds, water snakes, frogs, lizards, Turtles, Crocodiles (young), Snails and Rodents. Their favorite food in Mabamba is Lungfish. The fish thrive here because many Baganda people do not eat them. One of the Baganda clans is named after the lungfish.
The Shoebill Stork is a solitary bird. Two pairs only get together during the breeding season. The breeding season generally occurs during the dry season – perhaps to prevent the nests from getting damaged by heavy floods. Females lay between one to three eggs. The male and female both share incubation roles until the chicks hatch. After hatching, the pair has a task of feeding their young until they are can look for food on their own. It takes between 3 to 4 years for the young ones to start breeding. Usually only one survives up to adulthood (the strongest one). Adult Shoebills weigh about 14 pounds and can live for more than 50 years. 
28 thoughts on “About the Shoebill Stork and Birding Tours in Mabamba Swamp”
+256775311333
info@mabambashoebillwatching.com
The best place to see the shoebills in Entebbe Uganda
A prehistoric bird in the marshes of Lake Victoria
We began our tour from Entebbe using a wooden motorised canoe
The Mabamba landing site and parking area welcomes you with some nice birding even before going out into the wetland. The tall trees, shrubs and thickets host quite a number of birds and can surprise you with a lifer or special sighting. So, you can spend some minutes or an hour scanning the habitats before taking the boat trip to explore the water channels of the Mabamba wetland.
The striking Superb Sunbird has been a common sighting here often seen in short trees and shrubs picking insects on tree branches before running into an aggressive Red-chested Sunbird (Lake Victoria biome endemic) which is all over the place.
Other birds often sighted include Yellow-breasted Apalis, Weyn’s Weaver, Village Weaver, Vieillot’s Black Weaver, Grey-capped Warbler, Yellow-throated Greeenbul, Splendid Starling, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Lesser Striped Swallow, Swamp Flycatcher, etc…
Mabamba shoebills watching site is one of the best sites everyone must visit before leaving this beautiful earth ✍️✍️✅,visit it…. you’ll tell👋👋👋
It has been my first time to see the shoebill and at least I have a story to tell
Kudos Livingstone for the honesty
The experience at mabamba swamp for shoebill watching is magical
The morning breeze can not be compared on Lake Victoria
I recommend it 100%
Super experience going with Livingstone at Mabamba! The trip to the swamp was gorgeous, so an exciting start. Then, changing boats and going deep into the swamp with two very competent guides, Eric and Reagan, they found two beautiful pre-historic looking Shoebills. One male and one female. Such a wonderful day well-spent.
Mabamba swamp is a hidden gem in the heart of Uganda, known for it’s diverse wildlife and unique bird spiecies. Among them the majestic stork stands out as areal treat for nature lovers and bird enthusiasts. My recent visit to this breath taking location was made even more memorable
Thanks to the knowledgeable and passionate guide , Livingstone
As we embarked on our journey Livingstone’s Keen eye and expertise came into play .He could spot the smallest movement and sound, and before I knew it we were approaching a shoebill perched in the near by Marsh
I was in awe of this maginificent creature and Livingstone’s knowledge about it later behavior and habitant made the experience even more informative and enjoyable
Apart from being an exceptional guide Livingstone also serves as a conservationist. He educated me about the threats that this precious wetland faces such as illegal fishing and habitant destruction
I highly recommend Livingstone as your guide for the shoebill watching experience at mabamba swamp. His passion and professionalism elevated my entire experience
Livingstone gave us a memorable experience on our travel to mabamba swamp and I just imagined how cheap this guy’s tour can cost
Much respect Livingstone
Although I am not an avid bird watcher, I thoroughly enjoyed our morning excursion with Livingstone.
Great guides and a fair price. Definitely recommend. And we saw multiple Shoebills! 10/10
amazing experience，see the shoebill
Great afternoon!
We managed to see so many birds especially the famous Shoe Bill !!!!
Excellent place for birding. Within 3 hours from 6:30am you can be guaranteed to spot a minimum of 26 different species of birds.
A place every birding evangelist must not miss
Livingstone and his crew are lovely, they really go the extra mile (literally!) to make sure you have a good time and see the birds, highly recommended!
Had a really good time at lake Victoria. Was able to spot shoebill and other birds in mabamba swamp. Definitely recommend livingstone for the shoebill tour.
It was an excellent experience. Livingstone is an honest guy who will charge you a fair price of currently around 60 USD. We made the plan for the tour the day before and he also showed me around where the local market is…
The tour was great. Tons of birds including the Shoebill and even some otters. I got some amazing pictures.
We enjoyed the shoebill cruise in the swamp. The guides were very friendly and were able to show us one shoebill plus loads of other bird species.
We had a great experience with Livingston and his friends. We saw a lot of birds including two magnificent shoebills. Highly recommend!
It was a very exciting trip to Mabamba swamp near Lake Victoria in Uganda. At first we travelled in a big personal motor boat to the swamp. Then a smaller motor boat took us to the Shoe-billed stork. The boat sometimes stuck to the mud and grass,but the two boatmen successfully pushed the boat to the open. Very nice trip
We had THE BEST DAY with Livingstone, our guide. We spent a half a day out on Lake Victoria going to the equator sign and the swamp. He was so friendly and knowledgeable. We certainly got more than our money’s worth on this tour. 10/10 recommend for anyone looking to do a boat tour.
A very unique experience! Our guide Winston is a local tour guide, and we had an amazing time exploring the swamp in the search of a Shoebill. Highly recommended!
A serene boat ride on a wooden boat , & then transferring to a smaller wooden boat through the marshland in Mabamba Swamp is nature at its best. We were very lucky to see a male & female shoebills.
Thank you, Livingstone & team! The boat excursion to see the Shoebill was amazing. The Shoebill was a highlight, but the boat trip itself was a wonderful experience and all the other birds were really impressive. We appreciate your knowledge and expertise! Thank you thank you thank you!! Iam so glad we got up early and did it!
Great experience! Went out of the port around 3pm and were lucky to find 2 storks fairly quick once we reached the swamp. All of the guides were very enthusiastic, fun, and knowledgeable. Livingston was our main guide and he was amazing.
Great morning with Livingstone. The shoebill and the swamp is a must see when visiting Entebbe.
Perfect organization, reactivity via whatsapp and over all ….we saw Shoebill! Strongly reccomended!!!