Fauna of the Rwenzori Mountains

Rwenzori inhabits a variety of animals namely 70 different mammals and 177 bird species and most of the birds are endemic to the Albertine rift. Rwenzori is the only national park in Uganda in possession of the Angola colobus. One may mistaken these monkey species with the commonly spread white and black colobus so one has to be so critic for clear identification.

Due to its different zones of altitude, different species of animals find life on different zones in that for the forest zone which is 1800 meters has the most population of animals with the colobus and blue monkeys, the several large mammals including the elephants, golden cats, servalline genet, yellow backed duiker, giant forest hog and the chimpanzees are present. In addition the forest zone is a home to multiple of bird species namely the barred long tailed cuckoo, long eared owl, rwenzori turacos, handsome francolin, blue headed sunbird, montane sooty boubou to mention but a few. At an above altitude of about 2500m where the bamboo forests lie, there are few animals found namely bearded vulture and black eagle are seen on a rare spot. The alpine and scarce swifts and scarlet tufted malachite sunbird are usually restricted to high altitudes of the mountains.