Wildlife on the Ranch
A Wild Variety
The Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch is first and foremost a safe haven for rhinos. However, we have 27 square miles of woodland, swamps and savannah, so we attract all sorts of fantastic wildlife. Below are just some of our regular visitors that can be found here at Ziwa. If you’re coming for a visit, just remember one thing… Bring your camera!
For more information on the birds and wildlife that can be found here, scroll to the bottom of the page. You’ll find two comprehensive reports that details the mammals and bird life on the ranch.
White Rhino
White Rhinos are the most social of all rhino species and are happy to form large groups. With their short legs, long head and wide front lip, they are perfectly designed to help them eat grass. They can grow to 6 feet high and have been known to weigh up to 350 stone.
Male Rhinos are called bulls and female rhinos are called cows. The don’t have very good eyesight and will not be able to see you if you stand still. They do, on the other hand, have a very good sense of smell.
If you’d like to experience the thrill of seeing these magnificent animals in their natural habitat, why not check out our Rhino Trek?
Shoebill Stork
It’s pretty obvious how the Shoebill gets its name, but these prehistoric-looking birds live to around 35 years old. It may look clumsy, but its hooked bill is quite sharp and allows it to catch its prey. Typically they will eat fish, eels, snakes and reptiles. If you’d like to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat, why not book onto our Shoebill Trek?
Waterbuck
The horns on a male Waterbuck can reach up to 3 feet long. They graze on coarse grass and leaves, but are more water-dependent than other mammals and must remain close to water. The savannah grasslands of Ziwa are a perfect habitat for them.
Black & White Colobus
Colobus monkeys have a very laid-back attitude and are one of the few primates not to have opposable thumbs. They spend most of their time in the tree-tops, so live almost exclusively in wooded areas and forests. They can live for up to 20 years, but are frequently hunted by chimpanzees.
Golden Crested Crane
Also known as the Grey Crowned Crane, this is the national bird of Uganda. Their natural habitat is grasslands and wetlands, where they forage for grass seeds, insects and small amphibians. The can roost in water and, thanks to its long hind toe, they can also roost in trees.
Aardvark
The Ziwa savannahs and woodlands are perfect for Aardvarks as there is a good supply of ants and termites. They are nocturnal creatures with flat feet that are perfectly suited for digging. During the day, they sleep in underground networks of burrows that can be up to 30 feet in length.
Common Duiker
The Common Duiker is a very small antelope species that likes lots of vegetation which allows it to hide. They mainly eat leaves and fruit. However, they do also eat insects and scavenged meat, making them one of the few omnivore antelope species.
African Leopard
African leopards can run up to 36 miles per hour and can jump distances of over 20 feet. They are not fussy eaters and will eat pretty much anything from insects to deer. They tend to spend most of their days resting in trees, coming out at night in search of food.
Ugandan Kob
The Ugandan Kob is a medium sized golden-brown antelope with a white belly that thrives in open and wooded savannah. They are herbivores, eating mainly grasses and reeds and always like to feed near a water source. They often group together in large herds and can live for up to 17 years.
Warthogs
Warthogs sleep underground at night in burrows that they steal from other animals, such as aardvarks. They have tusks for defending themselves and can live up to 17 years old. They love rolling in mud to help protect their skin from parasites and the sun.
Crested Porcupine
Porcupines are the largest rodents that you will find in Africa. Their quills raise and spread out when they feel threatened. They work like fishhooks attaching themselves to any animal foolish enough to get near them. For the porcupine, though, they just grow new ones.
Genet
Ziwa is the perfect home for genets. They love woodlands, savannahs and dense vegetation. With their spotty bodies and stripy tails, they can grow up to 2 feet long. They are very agile, great at climbing trees and hunt rodents, birds, bats, fish, lizards and insects. Although they look like cats, they are not part of the cat family.
Bushbuck
Bushbucks are a small species of antelope that grow up to 3 feet tall. They are very common across Africa but are not social, preferring a solitary life. Male bushbucks begin growing twisting horns after just 10 months which can reach lengths of up to 20 inches.
300+ Bird Species
The woodlands, wetlands and savannahs of Ziwa make a perfect home for many, many species of birds. In fact, we have over 300 species of bird that visit us here. Which is why our birding tours are so popular. Here’s a list of some of the more frequent visitors that we have:
African Green Pigeon / African Harrier Hawk / African Pied Wagtail / African Wattled Lapwing / Black Headed Gonolek / Black-Billed Barbet / Black-Headed Batis / Black-Headed Heron / Black-Headed Weaver / Blue-Headed Coucal / Broad-Billed Roller / Brown Headed Parrot / Brown-Backed Scrub Robin / Brown-Throated Wattle Eye / Bruces Green Pigeon / Collared Sunbird / Common Bulbul / Double-Toothed Barbet / Fork-Tailed Drongo / Golden-Breasted Bunting / Green Wood-Hoope / Green-Winged Pytilia / Klaas’s Cuckoo / Little Sparrow Hawk / Lizzard Buzzard / Long-Tailed Starling / Nubian Woodpecker / Piapiac / Plantain Eater / Purple Starling / Red-Headed Weaver / Red-Shouldered Cuckoo Shrike / Speckled Mouse Bird / Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike / Tawney Eagle / Tropical Boubou / Vineceous Dove / White-Crested Turaco / Yellow-Fronted Tinkerbird / Yellow-Throated Longclaw
Wildlife Reports
Ground Counts for Mammals
This survey reports on the population estimates for medium to large mammals and their distribution patterns here at Ziwa. The results show the presence of rhinoceros, giant pangolin, leopard, oribi, Ugandan kob, waterbucks, bushbuck, bohor reedbuck, common duiker, warthog, vervet monkey, bushpig, aardvark and scrub hare.
Vervets (2,967) were the most abundant species recorded. These were followed by bushbucks (1,315), Uganda kob (713), waterbucks (611), warthogs (574) and common duiker (253). In total, nineteen mammal species were recorded during the survey. Of these, seven are “protected species” as per the Ugandan law – Uganda Wildlife Act 2019. Click here to read the pdf report.
Rapid Bird Survey
This study was created to demystify the bird species at Ziwa and to help promote further knowledge on bird conservation. The study aims to determine the status of bird species at Ziwa and assesses the diversity of birds. It contains information on the spatial distribution of selected bird species and also provides information for monitoring birds.
The report found the presence of 146 bird species, of which 49 are protected by Ugandan law. Four of the species found are red-listed as threatened.
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