Colobus Monkeys in East Africa: Black-and-White and Red Colobus Profile

Colobus monkeys spend most of their lives in the canopy, where they move with long, athletic leaps and rest in loose groups while their stomachs digest tough leaves. Because they are quieter and less bold than baboons or vervets, they are often overlooked by first-time visitors, yet they reward patient watching.

This profile explains how to identify the two main groups found in East Africa, how they live, what threatens them and which forests give the best sightings.

This guide is part of our animals of Uganda and East Africa guide. When you are ready to plan, see our Uganda safari packages or the Ameera Africa Safaris Uganda tours homepage.

How to Identify a Colobus Monkey

The black-and-white colobus has glossy black fur, a white facial frame and a long white cape or fringe that streams behind it as it leaps. The tail may end in a white tuft or be largely white, depending on the species. Red colobus are quite different, with a slim body, reddish or chestnut coat, paler underparts and a tufted cap. All colobus lack a true thumb, a feature reflected in the name, which comes from a Greek word meaning mutilated. They also have a long, non-prehensile tail that serves as a balancing aid rather than a fifth hand.

Habitat and Range

Black-and-white colobus live in a wide band of forest, from lowland rainforest and riverine strips to highland forest and even small forest fragments. Red colobus are far more selective and usually depend on larger blocks of intact forest, which makes them important indicators of forest health. In East Africa, populations are found in western Uganda, parts of Rwanda, western Tanzania, the Udzungwa Mountains and the Tana River region of Kenya, while a distinct red colobus lives on Zanzibar. Colobus rarely come to the ground except to cross open gaps.

Diet and Digestion

Colobus monkeys are folivores. Their stomachs are divided into chambers, much like those of cattle, and host bacteria that ferment cellulose and neutralise some of the toxins in young leaves. This lets them live on a food that other primates cannot digest well, though it also means they spend long periods resting. They supplement leaves with unripe fruit, seeds, flowers and sometimes bark. Because their food is abundant, they travel less than fruit-eating monkeys and can be found in the same tree for hours, which helps photographers.

Social Life and Behaviour

Black-and-white colobus live in compact groups of a handful to a dozen or more animals, usually built around a few adult males, several females and their young. Troops defend a small territory and use deep, rolling roars at dawn and dusk to announce their presence, a sound often mistaken for a distant big cat. Infants are born with white fur and gradually darken, and other females in the group show intense interest in a newborn. Red colobus live in larger, noisier groups, sometimes with dozens of animals, and often share the canopy with other monkeys.

Threats and Conservation

Habitat loss is the principal threat, as forests are cleared for farming, charcoal and settlement. Red colobus are more vulnerable than their black-and-white relatives, and several forms are rare or endangered. Hunting for meat and for fur has also affected populations in some regions, and isolated groups can be vulnerable to disease and to predation by chimpanzees. Community conservation, forest protection and responsible tourism help by giving local people reasons to keep forests standing. See responsible and conservation travel.

Where to See Colobus in East Africa

In Uganda, Kibale Forest National Park offers both black-and-white and the Ugandan red colobus, often on the same morning as chimpanzee tracking. The nearby Bigodi wetland walk is an excellent, quiet place to photograph them. Budongo Forest and Bwindi also hold colobus. Nyungwe in Rwanda is known for large troops of Angolan colobus, described in the Nyungwe guide. Tanzania's Udzungwa and Zanzibar's Jozani Forest are the places to look for their own red colobus forms.

Viewing and Photography Tips

Look up and listen. A rustle of branches or a falling leaf often gives away a troop before the animals are seen. Early morning light is best, when they bask and feed at the tops of trees, and a lens of at least 200mm helps. Ask your guide to approach slowly, because jumpy animals will retreat. Bring binoculars and be patient. For general advice, read safari photography tips.

Related Species

Colobus monkeys share forests with blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, L'Hoest's monkeys and chimpanzees. Compare them in Uganda primates and monkeys, the wider East Africa primates guide, or the profiles of the blue monkey and vervet monkey.

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• Uganda travel guide
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