25 MARCH – 09 APRIL 2025
By Andrew Walker
Bar-bellied Pitta gave excellent views while we were birding in Vietnam.
Overview
This exciting Vietnam bird tour covered the southern and central regions of the country and resulted in many great birds, some excellent photographic opportunities, and was a great deal of fun. The tour started in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on the 25th of March 2025 and ended back there on the 9th of April 2025. We visited some of the best birding sites in Vietnam, such as Ma Da Forest, Cat Tien National Park, Da Lat plateau, Deo Nui San pass, Mang Den forests, Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, the picturesque Son Tra Nature Reserve near Da Nang, and Hoi An beach.
Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant was a much hoped for target that indeed showed very well.
We recorded 320 bird species (11 heard only), including many endemic and near-endemic species, the trip list follows the report (you can also click here for the eBird trip report). Some non-passerine tour highlights seen included Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant, Green Peafowl, Silver Pheasant, Lesser Adjutant, White-faced Plover, Oriental Plover, Great Eared Nightjar, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Banded Kingfisher, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Orange-breasted Trogon, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Indochinese Barbet, Necklaced Barbet, and Collared Falconet. We also apparently found Vietnam’s first confirmed (documented) record of Siberian Sand Plover (see Day 15 account)!
Vietnamese Cutia was a highlight and we enjoyed watching a family group of four birds.
Some of the passerine highlights seen on the tour included Bar-bellied Pitta, Blue-rumped Pitta, Blue Pitta, Long-tailed Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Black-and-red Broadbill, Dusky Broadbill, Vietnamese Cutia, Grey-crowned Crocias, White-browed (Dalat) Shrike-babbler, Scaly-crowned (Indochinese) Babbler, Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Golden-winged Laughingthrush, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Black-crowned Barwing, Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler, Black-headed Parrotbill, (Black-crested) Sultan Tit, Black-throated (Grey-crowned) Bushtit, Spotted Forktail, Dalat Bush Warbler, Annam Prinia, Mrs. Gould’s (Annam) Sunbird, Black-throated (Langbian) Sunbird, Vietnamese Greenfinch, and Red (Dalat) Crossbill.
Silver-breasted Broadbills gave unparalleled and extremely close views during the tour.
Detailed Report
Day 1, 25th March 2025. Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Most of the group assembled at our comfortable hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. We met for a welcome dinner in the evening and discussed, with much excitement, the plans for the next two weeks of birding in Vietnam.
Day 2, 26th March 2025. Travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Cat Tien National Park
We met up with our excellent local guide and departed Ho Chi Minh City with a packed breakfast, with the plan of spending the morning and early afternoon birding at Ma Da Forest, which is well situated halfway between Ho Chi Minh City and Cat Tien National Park.
After leaving the city we stopped in a café, where we carried out some incidental birding over breakfast and a drink (which essentially turned into birding with an incidental breakfast!). This stop proved great fun and we saw White-browed Crake, Slaty-breasted Rail, Cinnamon Bittern, Oriental Darter, Little Cormorant, Greater Coucal, Asian Koel, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Malaysian Pied Fantail, Oriental Reed Warbler, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Eastern Red-rumped (Daurian) Swallow, Pied Bush Chat,and Plain-backed Sparrow.
We then went to a bird blind (bird hide) in Ma Da Forest, where we waited in anticipation to see what came into view. We didn’t need to wait too long, with several great birds in very quickly. The highlights were a pair of Blue-rumped Pittas and a pair of Banded Kingfishers (the former present for around five minutes and the latter present for around two hours!).
A pair of Banded Kingfisher gave prolonged views (this is the male).
Other birds seen at the blind in the morning included Common Flameback, Laced Woodpecker, Ashy (Chinese White-faced) Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Ochraceous Bulbul, Grey-eyed Bulbul, Buff-breasted Babbler, Puff-throated Babbler, Indochinese Blue Flycatcher, Siberian Blue Robin, and White-throated Rock Thrush.
Shortly before lunch our two latecomers caught up with us, after some rather unfortunate flight delays, and we were all glad to get the full group together. After lunch, we visited a different hide in Ma Da Forest, where we found more good birds. Both Common Flameback and Laced Woodpecker showed extremely well, again. Silver-breasted Broadbills increased in number throughout our watch period, giving incredible views (see photo in trip report summary), and Racket-tailed Treepie, White-bellied Erpornis, Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, White-crested Laughingthrush, Scaly-crowned (Indochinese) Babbler, Abbott’s Babbler, Buff-breasted Babbler, Little Spiderhunter, Black-crested Bulbul, Stripe-throated Bulbul, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Orange-headed (Buff-throated) Thrush, and White-rumped Shama all showed well and at close range. Banded Broadbill, Blue-eared Barbet, Green-eared Barbet, Eastern Jungle Crow, and Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher were heard or glimpsed distantly.
In the late afternoon we continued our drive to Cat Tien National Park, where we were greeted by several Black-crowned Night Herons and a few calling Great Eared Nightjars flying over the river as we crossed to reach our rooms. It had been a great first day of birding on the tour and we were relieved to finally have the full group together for the rest of the tour!
Great views of Blue-rumped Pitta from our first blind provided a highlight of the first day.
Day 3, 27th March 2025. Birding Cat Tien National Park
We started the day with an early breakfast in the national park and then made our way to our first blind of the day, where we were to spend the morning. A Laced Woodpecker was straight in to view and was also accompanied by Siberian Blue Robin, Oriental Magpie Robin, and White-rumped Shama. A Greater Coucal hoovered up plenty of food and made several long appearances during the morning. After about an hour in the blind we were blown away by a stunning male Bar-bellied Pitta that came out nicely into the open (see cover image)! He paraded around for a while and then repeated the showing sporadically, with the female of the pair also coming in for some food occasionally, though she appeared shier than him. After another hour or so we saw one of our main targets for the morning, when first a female, and then a male Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant walked in to view, such a spectacular bird (see photo in trip report summary).
After enjoying our peacock-pheasant sighting, we also noted Common Emerald Dove, Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, and Indochinese Blue Flycatcher coming to the food. A pair of Green-legged (Scaly-breasted) Partridges walked into view briefly before melting away into the undergrowth. Numerous species were heard from the blind, but were not able to be seen as we focused our attention on the birds in front of us. Some of the heard only species that we’d have to look for later included Black-and-red Broadbill, Banded Broadbill, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Violet Cuckoo, Grey-faced Tit-Babbler, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, and Crested Serpent Eagle. While driving back to our accommodation for lunch and a siesta during the heat of the day we picked up a Collared Falconet busily eating a large-winged insect (a dragonfly or cicada).
Laced Woodpeckers were fond of the free food provided at the blinds!
Our afternoon birding session saw us visiting a different blind and witnessing yet more close views of a range of fantastic target species (we also saw an Orange-breasted Trogon along the way). Great sightings were enjoyed once in the blind of another pair of Bar-bellied Pittas, along with Green-legged (Scaly-breasted) Partridges, Red Junglefowl, Common Emerald Dove, Laced Woodpecker, Common Flameback, Black-naped Monarch, Black-crested Bulbul, Black-headed Bulbul, and many other species seen during our time in the blinds on previous sessions. The big highlight, however, was a family group of four Black-and-red Broadbills showing to a matter of feet at eye-level or below. On our drive back to our accommodation for dinner we spotted another Collared Falconet in some glorious late afternoon sunlight.
Eye-level views of Black-and-red Broadbill provided a highlight at Cat Tien National Park.
Over the course of the day we picked up numerous interesting mammals and reptiles, including Black-shanked Douc Langur, Red-cheeked (Yellow-cheeked) Gibbon, Northern Pig-tailed Macaque, Yellow-throated Marten, three species of squirrels, two species of treeshrews, Lesser Dog-faced Fruit Bat, Javan (Indochinese) Rat Snake, Vietnamese Blue Crested Lizard, Changeable Lizard, Common Water Monitor, two species of skinks, and three species of geckos.
Day 4, 28th March 2025. Birding Cat Tien National Park
We spent the morning birding the first 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) of the nice flat road out from national park headquarters and back. First up was some birding around our rooms, where we saw a roosting Collared Scops Owl (getting mobbed by multiple species, including Ruby-cheeked Sunbird and assorted bulbuls). Near the restaurant a Blue-bearded Bee-eater showed nicely (and was the first of four individuals seen during the morning). A fruiting tree here also gave us Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Lesser (Himalayan) Yellownape, Green-eared Barbet, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Black-hooded Oriole, Large Woodshrike, and Scarlet-backed Flowerpeker. As we commenced our walk away from the national park offices we picked up a family group of noisy Red-cheeked (Yellow-cheeked) Gibbons, these gave great views as they moved through the trees. Woodpeckers were the order of the morning though, and in addition to the two aforementioned species, we also found several other great species, these being Pale-headed Woodpecker, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Grey-headed (Black-naped) Woodpecker, Laced Woodpecker, Greater Flameback, and Common Flameback.
The tough Pale-headed Woodpecker was one of eight woodpecker species seen on our morning walk in Cat Tien National Park.
As we continued our walk along the national park road, we noted several Green-billed Malkohas, Crested (Indomalayan) Honey Buzzard, Orange-breasted Trogons (a nest-building pair and a couple of others), Eurasian Hoopoe, Oriental Dollarbird, Coppersmith Barbet, Blue-eared Barbet, Red-breasted Parakeet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Collared Falconet, Black-and-red Broadbill, Banded Broadbill, Black-naped Oriole, Great Iora, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Golden-crested Myna, Asian Fairy-bluebird, Blue-winged Leafbird, and lots more!
During the afternoon we drove a road back and forth looking through some open habitat and it provided us with the opportunity for a few different birds. Our top target was Green Peafowl, and we got some good views of a pair of birds with three young, a rather nice sight. During this drive we also found Siamese Fireback (a female), Lesser Adjutant, Red-wattled Lapwing, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Red Collared Dove, Green Imperial Pigeon, Lesser Coucal, White-throated Kingfisher, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Lineated Barbet, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Indochinese Cuckooshrike, Vinous-breasted Myna, Brown Shrike, and Burmese Shrike. Mammals were well represented during the afternoon, with a pair of Yellow-throated Martens, three Northern Red Muntjacs, many Sambar, along with Long-tailed Macaques, and Black-shanked Douc Langurs all seen well.
As dusk approached, we staked out a clearing and noted a few Black-crowned Night Herons overflying the nearby river, we then enjoyed a fantastic sighting of two Great Eared Nightjars.
We saw a pair of Green Peafowls with three chicks on our afternoon drive.
Day 5, 29th March 2025. Cat Tien National Park to Da Lat
We enjoyed a final short birding session in Cat Tien National Park, where one of the highlights was a family group of Red-cheeked (Yellow-cheeked) Gibbons that showed extremely well in the beautiful early morning light – watching them move through a bare tree was incredible. While watching the gibbons we also noted a few Oriental Pratincoles flying over, along with Black-and-Red Broadbill, Grey-faced Tit-Babbler, and three Heart-spotted Woodpeckers all nearby in a stand of bamboo.
We drove deeper into some more dense forest with some impressive larger trees and big stands of bamboo, where we found more woodpeckers to add to our growing collection, including the massive Great Slaty Woodpecker and much smaller Black-and-buff Woodpecker. In this area of the park we also found a vociferous group of Dusky Broadbills, and also recorded more Black-and-red Broadbills, Banded Broadbill, Banded Kingfisher, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Indochinese Roller, Oriental Dollarbird, Common Hill Myna, Golden-crested Myna, Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, Yellow-bellied Warbler, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, Scaly-crowned (Indochinese) Babbler, Asian Fairy-bluebird, Crimson Sunbird, and nest-building White-rumped Munia.
After leaving Cat Tien behind we drove across to Da Lat (Dalat), our base for the next three nights, stopping for lunch and some refreshments in a nice café along the way, excited for tomorrow.
Day 6, 30th March 2025. Birding Da Lat Plateau
We spent a long day birding around the Da Lat Plateau and it was packed full of fantastic birds, many of which were locally endemic species or subspecies. Our first stop was at a garden near the city and we saw our main target, a distant pair of Grey-crowned Crocias. As we walked the grounds we picked up Silver-eared Mesia, Black-headed (White-spectacled) Sibia, Rufous-backed Sibia, White-browed (Dalat) Shrike-babbler, Clicking Shrike-babbler, Speckled Piculet, Bay Woodpecker, Collared Owlet, Black Eagle, Indochinese Barbet, Flavescent Bulbul, Verditer Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Black-throated (Langbian) Sunbird, Mrs. Gould’s (Annam) Sunbird, and Vietnamese Greenfinch. We had two mega species that we heard only, these being a distant Vietnamese Cutia and the increasingly rare (and even more rarely seen) Orange-breasted Laughingthrush that was singing from an inaccessible area of forest surrounding the garden. We would have to hope to connect with both species later in the tour, though the chances of that for the latter were extremely slim given its current rarity status.
In the late morning we visited a different area near the city to target the localized endemic, Dalat Bush Warbler, which we found, though they remained typically tough to see, giving only brief views. A flurry of activity gave us close up sightings of Speckled Piculet, Green-backed (Langbian) Tit, Eurasian (White-faced) Jay, Hill Prinia, Black Bulbul, Black-throated (Grey-crowned) Bushtit, Kloss’s Leaf Warbler, Black-headed Parrotbill, Swinhoe’s White-eye, Rufous-capped Babbler, and Chestnut-vented Nuthatch. A huge Black Eagle also flew low overhead. It was a great end to our morning’s birding, with a flurry of new birds and good sightings.
The tiny Grey-bellied Tesia was bouncing around like a ping-pong ball!
Our next stop was to have a picnic lunch in some higher elevation forest, where we had a couple of Oriental Cuckooshrikes fly over us. We spent the afternoon sat in a blind, which was really exciting. The area was full of squirrels (many individuals of three species, Maritime Striped Squirrel, (Asian) Red-cheeked Squirrel, and Pallas’s Squirrel) and their movements were rather distracting, however we saw many new birds. We enjoyed close views of Grey-bellied Tesia, male Mugimaki Flycatcher (singing!), Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Large Niltava, White-tailed Robin, Black-headed (White-spectacled) Sibia, and Mountain Bulbul. A Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler (Indochinese Wren-Babbler) made a brief and vocal appearance for some in the group, but the top species (and main reason for our visiting the blind), was Silver Pheasant, of the local Annam subspecies. We had some brief, but excellent looks at two beautiful male pheasants (an adult and immature bird) as they fed in the open. Delighted with our haul for the day we headed back into the city for dinner.
Day 7, 31st March 2025. Birding Da Lat Plateau
We spent the morning in the mountains above Da Lat city, it was overcast with occasional drizzle. Our first roadside stop in the pine forest was quite slow, but we found Vietnamese Greenfinch, Green-backed (Langbian) Tit, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Kloss’s Leaf Warbler, Little Pied Flycatcher, and Asian Barred Owlet. A small flock of vocal Red (Dalat) Crossbills flew over.
Our first blind started in sensational style before we’d even got settled, with a stunning Spotted Forktail parading around out in the open right in front of us while we watched in awe, at the same time as a pair of Short-tailed Scimitar Babblers (Indochinese Wren-Babblers) were also out in the open feeding, what a start! Later during our watch session, a second forktail even came in and joined the first bird, which was a real treat. Forktails are well renowned for being shy, so being a few feet from them was so exhilarating. As we focused on the feeders, we enjoyed close views of many other species, which included White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Grey-throated Babbler, Mountain Fulvetta, Black-headed (White-spectacled) Sibia, Little Pied Flycatcher, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Large Niltava, Verditer Flycatcher, Grey-bellied Tesia, Lesser (Langbian) Shortwing, and White-tailed Robin.
A stunning Spotted Forktail showed well (photo by tour participant Paul Newman).
After a short break in the middle of the day we kicked off our afternoon birding at a small wetland near the city, finding Cinnamon Bittern, Little Egret, Little Cormorant, Little Grebe, Common Moorhen, Little Ringed Plover, Plaintive Cuckoo, Paddyfield Pipit, (Siberian) White Wagtail, and Black-collared Starling.
Later, we took a walk on the edge of Da Lat city, but the weather was far from ideal with persistent light rain showers. We picked up a few birds, such as Blue-winged (Plain) Minla, Black Bulbul, Ashy (Sooty) Drongo, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, and Barred Cuckoo-Dove. One of the highlights of the afternoon was finding a family group of Vietnamese Cutias, a big target which gave reasonable views (see photo in trip report summary). As dusk approached, we continued our exploration of the forest and had sightings of both Grey Nightjar and Oriental Scops Owl. A distant Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl was heard, but because the weather was rapidly deteriorating we made the tough call to abandon it and head into the city for dinner.
Day 8, 1st April 2025. Da Lat Plateau to Di Linh (Birding at Deo Nui San Pass)
We spent a couple of hours at a forest patch near Da Lat City, where we enjoyed some pre-breakfast birding and a few new species for our trip, this despite the disturbance from people with leaf-blowers, construction work, tourists, and feral cats! The highlights included wonderful views of nesting Long-tailed Broadbill, along with White-cheeked Laughingthrush (a pair feeding young), Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, (Yellow-billed) Blue Whistling Thrush, nest building Orange-headed (Orange-headed) Thrush, Indochinese Barbet, Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, Kloss’s Leaf Warbler, Blyth’s Leaf Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Black-throated (Grey-crowned) Bushtit, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, and Streaked Spiderhunter.
We had some nice views of a gorgeous pair of Long-tailed Broadbills tending to their nest.
After a later than usual breakfast, we left Da Lat mid-morning and drove to Di Linh (after grabbing a picnic lunch to take away from our favorite bakery in town!). On arrival at our birding site in Di Linh, we went straight to a bird blind where we planned to sit and wait patiently through the afternoon and hope that some good birds would show themselves.
The hide was busy with Mugimaki Flycatchers and Orange-headed Thrushes (both the Orange-headed and Buff-throated subspecies). In addition to the many Mugimaki Flycatchers, we also saw Blue-and-white Flycatcher and Hainan Blue Flycatcher. While other species seen included Silver-breasted Broadbill, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Common Emerald Dove, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Ashy (Brown-backed) Bulbul, Ochraceous Bulbul, Grey-eyed Bulbul, White-bellied Erpornis, White-throated Rock Thrush, Alström’s Warbler, and many of the birds seen previously on the trip, though unfortunately no pittas.
Day 9, 2nd April 2025. Di Linh area and travel to Ho Chi Minh City
We awoke to a wet and wild morning in Di Linh and attempted some birding around our accommodation. Given the conditions it was tough going, but we saw a pair of Black-winged Kites (goodness knows what they were doing out in that weather!), five species of starling (White-shouldered Starling, Chestnut-tailed Starling, Black-collared Starling, Vinous-breasted Myna, and Common Myna), several bulbuls (including Yellow-vented Bulbul, Sooty-headed Bulbul, and Stripe-throated Bulbul), a pair of often showy Blue-and-white Flycatchers, a skulking Lanceolated Warbler, a pair of Chestnut-capped Babblers out in the open, a couple of Burmese Shrikes, along with singles of Eurasian Hoopoe, White-throated Kingfisher, Asian Green Bee-eater, Coppersmith Barbet, and overflying vocal Indian Cuckoo.
We had a pair of Blue Pittas visit a blind near Di Linh while birding the Deo Nui San Pass.
After our wet early morning birding session around the accommodation area, and breakfast, we drove out to another blind, where (in improved weather conditions) we had a fantastic time watching a pair of Blue Pittas that came out into the open to feed for a short while. Several Orange-headed (Buff-throated) Thrushes were busily feeding and were joined by a flock of Siberian Thrushes with two subspecies present, the nominate sibirica and the much rarer and unexpected davisoni (anadult male), also known as Sakhalin Thrush. A few other species came in to feed and showed well, and included White-throated Rock Thrush, Siberian Blue Robin, and Hainan Blue Flycatcher. Meanwhile, Red-headed Trogon, Long-tailed Broadbill, Maroon Oriole, and Red-vented Barbet were all heard but with little chance to see them from the blind.
After our birding we departed Di Linh (stopping briefly to see an Annan Prinia), and made our way back to Ho Chi Minh City, where we arrived in the late afternoon for some time relaxing and sorting out arrangements for our flight to Pleiku the following day.
Day 10, 3rd April 2025. Ho Chi Minh City to Pleiku then travel to Mang Den
Our planned morning flight out of Ho Chi Minh City to Pleiku in central Vietnam was rescheduled to later in the day, so we spent the morning relaxing around our comfortable hotel. After our arrival in Pleiku, we drove north to Mang Den, where we checked into our hotel for the next two nights.
Day 11, 4th April 2025. Birding at Mang Den
We endured a long and mainly quiet day at Mang Den, however we did see our main target, the rare and highly sought-after Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush, after a lot of patience. What a cool bird to see though! Our day started with a stop on a road in the forest near Mang Den, where it was incredibly misty and birds were hard to see well. We saw a few Necklaced Barbets, at first they were just dark blobs, but eventually they dropped down (and much closer) into better light, allowing us to see just how beautiful they really were. A Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo was vocal and showing (albeit in the mist), but a newly arrived migrant Common Cuckoo was equally vocal and more showy, giving overhead flight views. Other species seen in the mist included Scarlet Minivet, Mountain Bulbul, and Black-throated Sunbird.
We moved to a makeshift rudimentary blind and then sat and waited, hoping the rare Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush would show. It didn’t. In the two hours we waited we saw a pair of Mountain Fulvettas, a female Fujian Niltava, and a pair of Rufous-faced Warblers. It was a tough wait.
We decided to check out some forest, but by this time the mist had burnt off and the temperatures were steadily increasing, and activity had further reduced. We didn’t really get views of much whilst in the forest, a few glimpses of birds moving away. We decided to take a break and have a picnic lunch and sit in some shade and keep a look out over a clearing. This was a good move. The food helped and we also picked up some nice birds, with lunchtime highlights including Orange-bellied (Greyish-crowned) Leafbird, Jerdon’s Baza, Crested (Indomalayan) Honey Buzzard, Mrs. Gould’s (Scarlet-breasted) Sunbird, and Brown-backed Needletail.
After finishing our lunch we took a drive to a different area of forest, hoping a change of scenery might give us some rewards. We walked into the forest along a slippery downhill trail and sat patiently in another makeshift blind. We didn’t see anything at all for almost two hours (we heard Red-headed Trogon and Silver-breasted Broadbill) but then just before the cut off time our main target called. After a nervous ten minutes, suddenly we were watching the stunning Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush right in front of us. We were extremely happy (and massively relieved to get this big and rare target in the bag!). After the bird departed, so did we, with a spring in our step as we headed back up the trail, what a great result.
As we drove back to our hotel we made a brief stop at some rice paddies which proved quite a bonus, giving us sightings of Cinnamon Bittern, Oriental Turtle Dove, Common Kingfisher, White-throated Needletail (a big flock), Pacific Swift, Eastern Jungle Crow, and Long-tailed Shrike.
Well worth the wait! The stunning and incredibly tough to see, and unpredictable, Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush was a clear highlight of our day birding at Mang Den.
Day 12, 5th April 2025. Travel from Mang Den to Dak To
We spent the morning back at the misty patch of forest from the previous day, but today it was clear and already getting hot. We stopped at our usual birding spot, where we had excellent views of (Black-crested) Sultan Tit (also known as Annam Sultan Tit), a pair of birds dropped nice and low and showed well. We also saw our first Black-chinned Yuhinas, Short-billed Minivets, and Puff-throated Bulbuls here. Pale Blue Flycatcher remained hidden and wouldn’t come into view and the same was true of Red-vented Barbet. We also heard Collared Owlet, Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo, and Indian and Common Cuckoos singing. Overhead we noted Brown-backed and White-throated Needletails and a few Grey-faced Buzzards. A brief sighting of Bay Woodpecker was not better than our previous sighting earlier in the tour.
We ventured inside a forested area to try and escape the glaring sun and heat. It was fairly quiet in the most part, though that was interrupted by a vociferous small flock of Black-hooded Laughingthrushes that tantalized us with repeated brief views. A small mixed species flock included Golden Babbler, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Black-throated (Grey-crowned) Bushtit, White-bellied Erpornis, Grey-chinned Minivet, Rufous-faced Warbler, Pale Blue Flycatcher (finally seen), Blue-winged (Blue-winged) Minla, Mrs. Gould’s (Scarlet-breasted) Sunbird, and Black-throated Sunbird. Yellow-billed Nuthatches were heard but right when we were trying to focus on seeing the Black-hooded Laughingthrushes. With the temperature rising, we needed to head back to the hotel to check out and get lunch.
Following lunch and checking out of the hotel we did some birding on the edge of town. It was rather hot, but surprisingly birdy in short bursts. We saw Eurasian (White-faced) Jay, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Grey-chinned Minivet, Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, Kloss’s Leaf Warbler, Black-throated (Grey-crowned) Bushtit, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, and Mrs. Gould’s (Scarlet-breasted) Sunbird.
After our final birding session at Mang Den we drove to Dak To, our basic accommodation (and the only option in this part of the country) for our remote birding tomorrow. After arriving at our hotel, we spent the final 30 minutes of the day looking out over some nearby rice paddies, where we saw a pretty sunset, along with Pin-tailed Snipe, Shikra, Wire-tailed Swallow, Eastern Red-rumped (Striated) Swallow, Zitting Cisticola, Red-whiskered Bulbul, and Amur Stonechat.
Day 13, 6th April 2025. Birding Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve
We left our accommodation early with a packed breakfast and lunch and set off for our day birding. However, halfway through our journey a burst water pipe connected to the radiator of our van resulted in some roadside birding and early breakfast! The local team worked quickly and impressively, given our location, to get us some vehicles from a nearby contact, and we were soon on our way, while our driver waited for the mechanic to arrive. Our slightly later arrival at Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve didn’t really impact on our day, thankfully, with the full day still being spent birding there.
Due to the steep and slippery trail, some members of the group stayed in the lower elevations of the reserve and some of the group hiked up the mountain to a blind. For those in the blind, the two key targets of Black-crowned Barwing (spectacular) and the highly localized and much sought-after Golden-winged Laughingthrush were both seen repeatedly. Both gave great views. Other species observed at and near the blind included Brown-crowned Scimitar Babbler, Rusty-capped Fulvetta, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Black-headed (Brownish-backed) Sibia, Rufous-capped Babbler, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Large Niltava, Pygmy Flycatcher, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Blyth’s Leaf Warbler, Kloss’s Leaf Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Grey-cheeked Warbler, Yellow-browed Tit, and Green-tailed Sunbird. Hiking down from the blind a Red-tailed Laughingthrush was vocal but only showed to a few.
The group who birded the lower areas of Noc Linh Nature Reserve also picked up many great birds, with their highlights being Black-crowned Barwing and Red-tailed Laughingthrush, both posing for photographs. They also saw many warblers and flycatchers, including Ashy-throated Warbler, White-spectacled Warbler, and Mugimaki Flycatcher. Other notable sightings included Red-tailed Minla, Black-headed (Brownish-backed) Sibia, Maroon Oriole, Yellow-browed Tit, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Green-tailed Sunbird, and Mrs. Gould’s (Scarlet-breasted) Sunbird. Both Crested Serpent Eagle and Crested Goshawk were seen overhead, the latter rather than the former with a snake!
The top target for the day was the near-endemic Golden-winged Laughingthrush. Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve offers the only realistic chance of seeing this bird anywhere in the world.
Our driver had reached us with a repaired van in plenty of time and as we drove the long way from the mountain back to our accommodation, we left the low cloud and rain behind (it had been perfect weather while we were birding at Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve for most of the day) and we made a couple of roadside stops. One such stop gave us a big flock of Eastern Red-rumped (Daurian) Swallows containing a few Asian House Martins, while another couple of stops at river crossings yielded Plumbeous Water Redstarts, Common and White-throated Kingfishers, Little Heron, and an all too brief male Narcissus Flycatcher. We eventually arrived back at our accommodation in time for dinner after a long but very rewarding day.
The charismatic Black-crowned Barwing was one of the most popular birds of the day.
Day 14, 7th April 2025. Dak To to Da Nang and mammal watching on the Son Tra Peninsula
Essentially a long travel day as we made our way from the remote town of Dak To, to the bustling city and bright lights of Da Nang, a bit of a culture shock! We left Dak To after our early breakfast and made it to Da Nang in the middle of the afternoon. We noted a few species along the way, such as Crested (Indomalayan) Honey Buzzard, Jerdon’s Baza, Ashy Woodswallow, and plenty of other common roadside birds, but the aim was to reach the city at a reasonable time.
A brief stop along Man Thai Beach, Da Nang gave us close sightings of a breeding plumaged Greater Sand Plover and a small flock of Great Knots. Interestingly, one of the knots was sporting a leg-flag (7XU), from the shorebird banding scheme at Eighty Mile Beach, in Western Australia, where it was originally banded on the 16th February 2024. It had first been resighted in Da Nang on the 4th April 2025 (unbeknownst to us). This was the first resighting of the bird since it was originally banded, and it was present here until we lucked into seeing it today. Spoiler alert, this bird was still present to at least the 8th of April 2025 (resighting information per Australasian Wader Studies Group). This bird was on its return migration north to breeding grounds in Siberia.
Great Knot 7XU on Man Thai Beach, Da Nang (photo by K.Q. Le).
After the shorebird excitement, we went straight out to the Son Tra Nature Reserve on the edge of the city. Here we searched for and found our main target – Red-shanked Douc Langur. We saw a family group of langurs feeding, which allowed great and lengthy views and excellent photo opportunities. We also saw several Rhesus Macaques that showed very well too, though they were not quite as spectacular!
The rare Red-shanked Douc Langur was a highlight of our time on the Son Tra Peninsula.
Day 15, 8th April 2025. Birding Hoi An, flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
Due to the result of our flight times being switched by the airline earlier in the tour, we gained some extra birding time this morning. We therefore spent the final morning of the tour undertaking some coastal birding at Hoi An. Our main target was to refind the White-faced Plovers we’d found on a private tour immediately prior to this set departure tour. As we walked out onto the beach it didn’t take us long before we were enjoying good views of a female, and a short while later, a pretty male White-faced Plover.
The plover flock contained a few surprises today, firstly a gorgeous breeding plumaged Oriental Plover, a bit of a nice bonus. The majority of the shorebird flock consisted of Greater Sand Plovers, with a scattering of Tibetan Sand Plovers, Kentish Plovers, and a couple of Little Ringed Plovers. All were in various stages of molt, to provide an ID challenge! However, the standout birds and the second surprise of the morning, were two breeding plumaged Siberian Sand Plovers, which showed closely. It soon transpired that these were the first confirmed (documented) records of the species in Vietnam and just the second record for continental South East Asia! Pretty exciting stuff. We also noted Ruddy Turnstone and Red-necked Stint on the beach, while a single Gull-billed Tern flew overhead while we were scanning the area. Passerines on and around the beach included Dusky Warblers, a flock of over 20 Red-whiskered Bulbuls, and several Paddyfield Pipits.
The Siberian Sand Plover discovered at Hoi An.
We drove back to our hotel, stopping briefly to look for Siberian Rubythroat. Two birds were present at the site, giving occasional calls, but only showed briefly in flight for most, unfortunately. Several Blue-tailed Bee-eaters were present and a pair of Blue Rock Thrushes completed our bird list for the trip as the final addition.
Our pushed back flight was further delayed, so it was a later than planned arrival into Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival at our hotel we went straight for our final dinner. We tried to pick the “bird of the trip”, but it wasn’t an easy task given the many high-quality birds we had seen over the previous two weeks. The bird that came out top, just, was Bar-bellied Pitta, with Golden-winged Laughingthrush and Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush hot on the heels of the pitta. Black-crowned Barwing and Banded Kingfisher completed the top five.
Day 16, 9th April 2025. Departure day from Ho Chi Minh City
Everyone departed from Ho Chi Minh City at their leisure as this successful and fun Vietnam birding tour concluded.
Bird List – Following IOC (Version 15.1/February 2025)
Birds ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen. The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae) | |
| Silver Pheasant | Lophura nycthemera |
| Siamese Fireback | Lophura diardi |
| Green Peafowl – EN | Pavo muticus |
| Green-legged Partridge | Tropicoperdix chloropus |
| Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant – VU | Polyplectron germaini |
| Red Junglefowl | Gallus gallus |
| Chinese Francolin (H) | Francolinus pintadeanus |
| Nightjars (Caprimulgidae) | |
| Great Eared Nightjar | Lyncornis macrotis |
| Grey Nightjar | Caprimulgus jotaka |
| Swifts (Apodidae) | |
| Edible-nest Swiftlet | Aerodramus fuciphagus |
| White-throated Needletail | Hirundapus caudacutus |
| Brown-backed Needletail | Hirundapus giganteus |
| Asian Palm Swift | Cypsiurus balasiensis |
| Pacific Swift | Apus pacificus |
| House Swift | Apus nipalensis |
| Cuckoos (Cuculidae) | |
| Greater Coucal | Centropus sinensis |
| Lesser Coucal | Centropus bengalensis |
| Green-billed Malkoha | Phaenicophaeus tristis |
| Asian Koel | Eudynamys scolopaceus |
| Asian Emerald Cuckoo (H) | Chrysococcyx maculatus |
| Violet Cuckoo | Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus |
| Banded Bay Cuckoo | Cacomantis sonneratii |
| Plaintive Cuckoo | Cacomantis merulinus |
| Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo | Surniculus lugubris |
| Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo | Hierococcyx nisicolor |
| Indian Cuckoo | Cuculus micropterus |
| Common Cuckoo | Cuculus canorus |
| Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae) | |
| Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) | Columba livia [dom.] |
| Oriental Turtle Dove | Streptopelia orientalis |
| Red Collared Dove | Streptopelia tranquebarica |
| Spotted Dove | Spilopelia chinensis |
| Barred Cuckoo-Dove | Macropygia unchall |
| Common Emerald Dove | Chalcophaps indica |
| Zebra Dove | Geopelia striata |
| Orange-breasted Green Pigeon | Treron bicinctus |
| Thick-billed Green Pigeon | Treron curvirostra |
| Green Imperial Pigeon | Ducula aenea |
| Mountain Imperial Pigeon | Ducula badia |
| Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae) | |
| Slaty-breasted Rail | Lewinia striata |
| Common Moorhen | Gallinula chloropus |
| White-browed Crake | Poliolimnas cinereus |
| White-breasted Waterhen | Amaurornis phoenicurus |
| Grebes (Podicipedidae) | |
| Little Grebe | Tachybaptus ruficollis |
| Plovers (Charadriidae) | |
| Little Ringed Plover | Charadrius dubius |
| Red-wattled Lapwing | Vanellus indicus |
| Oriental Plover | Anarhynchus veredus |
| Tibetan Sand Plover | Anarhynchus atrifrons |
| Siberian Sand Plover | Anarhynchus mongolus |
| Greater Sand Plover | Anarhynchus leschenaultii |
| Kentish Plover | Anarhynchus alexandrinus |
| White-faced Plover | Anarhynchus dealbatus |
| Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae) | |
| Pin-tailed Snipe | Gallinago stenura |
| Common Sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos |
| Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres |
| Great Knot – EN | Calidris tenuirostris |
| Red-necked Stint | Calidris ruficollis |
| Coursers, Pratincoles (Glareolidae) | |
| Oriental Pratincole | Glareola maldivarum |
| Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae) | |
| Gull-billed Tern | Gelochelidon nilotica |
| Whiskered Tern | Chlidonias hybrida |
| Storks (Ciconiidae) | |
| Lesser Adjutant | Leptoptilos javanicus |
| Anhingas, Darters (Anhingidae) | |
| Oriental Darter | Anhinga melanogaster |
| Cormorants, Shags (Phalacrocoracidae) | |
| Little Cormorant | Microcarbo niger |
| Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae) | |
| Cinnamon Bittern | Botaurus cinnamomeus |
| Black-crowned Night Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta |
| Little Heron | Butorides atricapilla |
| Chinese Pond Heron | Ardeola bacchus |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba |
| Medium Egret | Ardea intermedia |
| Eastern Cattle Egret | Ardea coromanda |
| Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae) | |
| Black-winged Kite | Elanus caeruleus |
| Jerdon’s Baza | Aviceda jerdoni |
| Crested Honey Buzzard | Pernis ptilorhynchus |
| Crested Serpent Eagle | Spilornis cheela |
| Black Eagle | Ictinaetus malaiensis |
| Crested Goshawk | Lophospiza trivirgata |
| Shikra | Tachyspiza badia |
| Grey-faced Buzzard | Butastur indicus |
| Owls (Strigidae) | |
| Collared Owlet | Taenioptynx brodiei |
| Asian Barred Owlet | Glaucidium cuculoides |
| Oriental Scops Owl | Otus sunia |
| Collared Scops Owl | Otus lettia |
| Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl (H) | Ketupa nipalensis |
| Trogons (Trogonidae) | |
| Orange-breasted Trogon | Harpactes oreskios |
| Red-headed Trogon (H) | Harpactes erythrocephalus |
| Hoopoes (Upupidae) | |
| Eurasian Hoopoe | Upupa epops |
| Hornbills (Bucerotidae) | |
| Oriental Pied Hornbill | Anthracoceros albirostris |
| Rollers (Coraciidae) | |
| Indochinese Roller | Coracias affinis |
| Oriental Dollarbird | Eurystomus orientalis |
| Kingfishers (Alcedinidae) | |
| Banded Kingfisher | Lacedo pulchella |
| White-throated Kingfisher | Halcyon smyrnensis |
| Common Kingfisher | Alcedo atthis |
| Bee-eaters (Meropidae) | |
| Blue-bearded Bee-eater | Nyctyornis athertoni |
| Asian Green Bee-eater | Merops orientalis |
| Blue-tailed Bee-eater | Merops philippinus |
| Chestnut-headed Bee-eater | Merops leschenaulti |
| Asian Barbets (Megalaimidae) | |
| Red-vented Barbet (H) | Psilopogon lagrandieri |
| Lineated Barbet | Psilopogon lineatus |
| Green-eared Barbet | Psilopogon faiostrictus |
| Necklaced Barbet | Psilopogon auricularis |
| Indochinese Barbet | Psilopogon annamensis |
| Blue-eared Barbet | Psilopogon cyanotis |
| Coppersmith Barbet | Psilopogon haemacephalus |
| Woodpeckers (Picidae) | |
| Speckled Piculet | Picumnus innominatus |
| Heart-spotted Woodpecker | Hemicircus canente |
| Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker | Yungipicus canicapillus |
| Lesser Yellownape | Picus chlorolophus |
| Laced Woodpecker | Picus vittatus |
| Grey-headed Woodpecker | Picus canus |
| Common Flameback | Dinopium javanense |
| Greater Flameback | Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus |
| Pale-headed Woodpecker | Gecinulus grantia |
| Bay Woodpecker | Blythipicus pyrrhotis |
| Black-and-buff Woodpecker | Meiglyptes jugularis |
| Great Slaty Woodpecker – VU | Mulleripicus pulverulentus |
| Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae) | |
| Collared Falconet | Microhierax caerulescens |
| Old World Parrots (Psittaculidae) | |
| Red-breasted Parakeet | Psittacula alexandri |
| Vernal Hanging Parrot | Loriculus vernalis |
| Typical Broadbills (Eurylaimidae) | |
| Long-tailed Broadbill | Psarisomus dalhousiae |
| Dusky Broadbill | Corydon sumatranus |
| Silver-breasted Broadbill | Serilophus lunatus |
| Black-and-red Broadbill | Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos |
| Banded Broadbill | Eurylaimus javanicus |
| Pittas (Pittidae) | |
| Blue-rumped Pitta | Hydrornis soror |
| Blue Pitta | Hydrornis cyaneus |
| Bar-bellied Pitta | Hydrornis elliotii |
| Australasian Warblers (Acanthizidae) | |
| Golden-bellied Gerygone (H) | Gerygone sulphurea |
| Vangas & Allies (Vangidae) | |
| Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike | Hemipus picatus |
| Large Woodshrike | Tephrodornis virgatus |
| Woodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies (Artamidae) | |
| Ashy Woodswallow | Artamus fuscus |
| Ioras (Aegithinidae) | |
| Common Iora | Aegithina tiphia |
| Great Iora | Aegithina lafresnayei |
| Cuckooshrikes (Campephagidae) | |
| Grey-chinned Minivet | Pericrocotus solaris |
| Short-billed Minivet | Pericrocotus brevirostris |
| Scarlet Minivet | Pericrocotus speciosus |
| Oriental Cuckooshrike | Coracina javensis |
| Black-winged Cuckooshrike | Lalage melaschistos |
| Indochinese Cuckooshrike | Lalage polioptera |
| Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers (Vireonidae) | |
| White-browed Shrike-babbler | Pteruthius aeralatus |
| Clicking Shrike-babbler | Pteruthius intermedius |
| White-bellied Erpornis | Erpornis zantholeuca |
| Figbirds, Old World Orioles, Piopios (Oriolidae) | |
| Maroon Oriole | Oriolus traillii |
| Black-hooded Oriole | Oriolus xanthornus |
| Black-naped Oriole | Oriolus chinensis |
| Drongos (Dicruridae) | |
| Bronzed Drongo | Dicrurus aeneus |
| Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo | Dicrurus remifer |
| Greater Racket-tailed Drongo | Dicrurus paradiseus |
| Hair-crested Drongo | Dicrurus hottentottus |
| Ashy Drongo | Dicrurus leucophaeus |
| Black Drongo | Dicrurus macrocercus |
| Fantails (Rhipiduridae) | |
| White-throated Fantail | Rhipidura albicollis |
| Malaysian Pied Fantail | Rhipidura javanica |
| Monarchs (Monarchidae) | |
| Black-naped Monarch | Hypothymis azurea |
| Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher | Terpsiphone affinis |
| Shrikes (Laniidae) | |
| Burmese Shrike | Lanius collurioides |
| Brown Shrike | Lanius cristatus |
| Long-tailed Shrike | Lanius schach |
| Crows, Jays (Corvidae) | |
| Eurasian Jay | Garrulus glandarius |
| Racket-tailed Treepie | Crypsirina temia |
| Eastern Jungle Crow | Corvus levaillantii |
| Fairy Flycatchers (Stenostiridae) | |
| Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher | Culicicapa ceylonensis |
| Tits, Chickadees (Paridae) | |
| Yellow-browed Tit | Sylviparus modestus |
| Sultan Tit | Melanochlora sultanea |
| Green-backed Tit | Parus monticolus |
| Yellow-cheeked Tit | Machlolophus spilonotus |
| Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae) | |
| Ochraceous Bulbul | Alophoixus ochraceus |
| Puff-throated Bulbul | Alophoixus pallidus |
| Grey-eyed Bulbul | Iole propinqua |
| Ashy Bulbul | Hemixos flavala |
| Mountain Bulbul | Ixos mcclellandii |
| Black Bulbul | Hypsipetes leucocephalus |
| Black-headed Bulbul | Brachypodius melanocephalos |
| Black-crested Bulbul | Rubigula flaviventris |
| Streak-eared Bulbul | Pycnonotus conradi |
| Stripe-throated Bulbul | Pycnonotus finlaysoni |
| Flavescent Bulbul | Pycnonotus flavescens |
| Red-whiskered Bulbul | Pycnonotus jocosus |
| Yellow-vented Bulbul | Pycnonotus goiavier |
| Sooty-headed Bulbul | Pycnonotus aurigaster |
| Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae) | |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica |
| Wire-tailed Swallow | Hirundo smithii |
| Asian House Martin | Delichon dasypus |
| Eastern Red-rumped Swallow | Cecropis daurica |
| Cupwings (Pnoepygidae) | |
| Pygmy Cupwing | Pnoepyga pusilla |
| Cettia Bush Warblers & Allies (Cettiidae) | |
| Yellow-bellied Warbler | Abroscopus superciliaris |
| Rufous-faced Warbler | Abroscopus albogularis |
| Mountain Tailorbird | Phyllergates cucullatus |
| Grey-bellied Tesia | Tesia cyaniventer |
| Bushtits (Aegithalidae) | |
| Black-throated Bushtit | Aegithalos concinnus |
| Leaf Warblers (Phylloscopidae) | |
| Ashy-throated Warbler | Phylloscopus maculipennis |
| Yellow-browed Warbler | Phylloscopus inornatus |
| Dusky Warbler | Phylloscopus fuscatus |
| White-spectacled Warbler | Phylloscopus intermedius |
| Grey-cheeked Warbler | Phylloscopus poliogenys |
| Alström’s Warbler | Phylloscopus soror |
| Two-barred Warbler | Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus |
| Pale-legged Leaf Warbler | Phylloscopus tenellipes |
| Chestnut-crowned Warbler | Phylloscopus castaniceps |
| Blyth’s Leaf Warbler | Phylloscopus reguloides |
| Kloss’s Leaf Warbler | Phylloscopus ogilviegranti |
| Reed Warblers & Allies (Acrocephalidae) | |
| Oriental Reed Warbler | Acrocephalus orientalis |
| Black-browed Reed Warbler | Acrocephalus bistrigiceps |
| Thick-billed Warbler | Arundinax aedon |
| Grassbirds & Allies (Locustellidae) | |
| Lanceolated Warbler | Locustella lanceolata |
| Dalat Bush Warbler | Locustella idonea |
| Cisticolas & Allies (Cisticolidae) | |
| Zitting Cisticola | Cisticola juncidis |
| Annam Prinia | Prinia rocki |
| Hill Prinia | Prinia superciliaris |
| Rufescent Prinia | Prinia rufescens |
| Yellow-bellied Prinia | Prinia flaviventris |
| Plain Prinia | Prinia inornata |
| Common Tailorbird | Orthotomus sutorius |
| Dark-necked Tailorbird | Orthotomus atrogularis |
| Parrotbills & Allies (Paradoxornithidae) | |
| Black-headed Parrotbill – VU | Paradoxornis margaritae |
| White-eyes (Zosteropidae) | |
| Black-chinned Yuhina | Yuhina nigrimenta |
| Swinhoe’s White-eye | Zosterops simplex |
| Indian White-eye | Zosterops palpebrosus |
| Babblers, Scimitar Babblers (Timaliidae) | |
| Chestnut-capped Babbler | Timalia pileata |
| Grey-faced Tit-Babbler | Mixornis kelleyi |
| Pin-striped Tit-Babbler | Mixornis gularis |
| Golden Babbler | Cyanoderma chrysaeum |
| Rufous-capped Babbler | Cyanoderma ruficeps |
| Brown-crowned Scimitar Babbler | Pomatorhinus phayrei |
| Red-billed Scimitar Babbler (H) | Pomatorhinus ochraceiceps |
| White-browed Scimitar Babbler | Pomatorhinus schisticeps |
| Large Scimitar Babbler (H) | Erythrogenys hypoleucos |
| Grey-throated Babbler | Stachyris nigriceps |
| Ground Babblers (Pellorneidae) | |
| Scaly-crowned Babbler | Malacopteron cinereum |
| Rufous-winged Fulvetta | Schoeniparus castaneceps |
| Rusty-capped Fulvetta | Schoeniparus dubius |
| Puff-throated Babbler | Pellorneum ruficeps |
| Buff-breasted Babbler | Pellorneum tickelli |
| Abbott’s Babbler | Malacocincla abbotti |
| Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler (H) | Napothera epilepidota |
| Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler | Napothera danjoui |
| Alcippe Fulvettas (Alcippeidae) | |
| Mountain Fulvetta | Alcippe peracensis |
| Laughingthrushes & Allies (Leiothrichidae) | |
| Vietnamese Cutia | Cutia legalleni |
| Grey-crowned Crocias | Laniellus langbianis |
| Red-tailed Laughingthrush | Trochalopteron milnei |
| Golden-winged Laughingthrush – EN | Trochalopteron ngoclinhense |
| Black-headed Sibia | Heterophasia desgodinsi |
| Blue-winged Minla | Actinodura cyanouroptera |
| Black-crowned Barwing | Actinodura sodangorum |
| Silver-eared Mesia – EN | Leiothrix argentauris |
| Red-tailed Minla | Minla ignotincta |
| Rufous-backed Sibia | Leioptila annectens |
| Orange-breasted Laughingthrush – EN (H) | Garrulax annamensis |
| Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush | Garrulax monileger |
| White-crested Laughingthrush | Garrulax leucolophus |
| Black-hooded Laughingthrush | Garrulax milleti |
| Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush | Ianthocincla konkakinhensis |
| White-cheeked Laughingthrush | Pterorhinus vassali |
| Fairy-bluebirds (Irenidae) | |
| Asian Fairy-bluebird | Irena puella |
| Nuthatches (Sittidae) | |
| Yellow-billed Nuthatch (H) | Sitta solangiae |
| Chestnut-vented Nuthatch | Sitta nagaensis |
| Starlings, Rhabdornises (Sturnidae) | |
| Golden-crested Myna | Ampeliceps coronatus |
| Common Hill Myna | Gracula religiosa |
| Great Myna | Acridotheres grandis |
| Common Myna | Acridotheres tristis |
| Vinous-breasted Myna | Acridotheres leucocephalus |
| Black-collared Starling | Gracupica nigricollis |
| White-shouldered Starling | Sturnia sinensis |
| Chestnut-tailed Starling | Sturnia malabarica |
| Thrushes (Turdidae) | |
| Siberian Thrush | Geokichla sibirica |
| Orange-headed Thrush | Geokichla citrina |
| Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae) | |
| Oriental Magpie-Robin | Copsychus saularis |
| White-rumped Shama | Copsychus malabaricus |
| Asian Brown Flycatcher | Muscicapa dauurica |
| Fujian Niltava | Niltava davidi |
| Large Niltava | Niltava grandis |
| Blue-and-white Flycatcher | Cyanoptila cyanomelana |
| Verditer Flycatcher | Eumyias thalassinus |
| Rufous-browed Flycatcher | Anthipes solitaris |
| Pale Blue Flycatcher | Cyornis unicolor |
| Hainan Blue Flycatcher | Cyornis hainanus |
| Indochinese Blue Flycatcher | Cyornis sumatrensis |
| White-tailed Robin | Myiomela leucura |
| Siberian Rubythroat | Calliope calliope |
| Spotted Forktail | Enicurus maculatus |
| Blue Whistling Thrush | Myophonus caeruleus |
| Lesser Shortwing | Brachypteryx leucophris |
| Siberian Blue Robin | Larvivora cyane |
| Narcissus Flycatcher | Ficedula narcissina |
| Snowy-browed Flycatcher | Ficedula hyperythra |
| Mugimaki Flycatcher | Ficedula mugimaki |
| Pygmy Flycatcher | Ficedula hodgsoni |
| Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher | Ficedula strophiata |
| Little Pied Flycatcher | Ficedula westermanni |
| Taiga Flycatcher | Ficedula albicilla |
| Plumbeous Water Redstart | Phoenicurus fuliginosus |
| White-throated Rock Thrush | Monticola gularis |
| Blue Rock Thrush | Monticola solitarius |
| Grey Bush Chat | Saxicola ferreus |
| Pied Bush Chat | Saxicola caprata |
| Amur Stonechat | Saxicola stejnegeri |
| Leafbirds (Chloropseidae) | |
| Blue-winged Leafbird | Chloropsis moluccensis |
| Golden-fronted Leafbird | Chloropsis aurifrons |
| Orange-bellied Leafbird | Chloropsis hardwickii |
| Flowerpeckers (Dicaeidae) | |
| Thick-billed Flowerpecker | Pachyglossa agilis |
| Fire-breasted Flowerpecker | Dicaeum ignipectus |
| Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker | Dicaeum cruentatum |
| Sunbirds (Nectariniidae) | |
| Ruby-cheeked Sunbird | Chalcoparia singalensis |
| Brown-throated Sunbird | Anthreptes malacensis |
| Ornate Sunbird | Cinnyris ornatus |
| Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird | Aethopyga gouldiae |
| Green-tailed Sunbird | Aethopyga nipalensis |
| Black-throated Sunbird | Aethopyga saturata |
| Crimson Sunbird | Aethopyga siparaja |
| Little Spiderhunter | Arachnothera longirostra |
| Streaked Spiderhunter | Arachnothera magna |
| Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae) | |
| Eurasian Tree Sparrow | Passer montanus |
| Plain-backed Sparrow | Passer flaveolus |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus |
| Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae) | |
| Scaly-breasted Munia | Lonchura punctulata |
| White-rumped Munia | Lonchura striata |
| Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae) | |
| Grey Wagtail | Motacilla cinerea |
| White Wagtail | Motacilla alba |
| Paddyfield Pipit | Anthus rufulus |
| Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae) | |
| Vietnamese Greenfinch | Chloris monguilloti |
| Red Crossbill | Loxia curvirostra |
| Total seen | 309 |
| Total heard only | 11 |
| Total recorded | 320 |
Mammal List
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| Old World Monkeys (Cercopithecidae) | |
| Long-tailed Macaque | Macaca fascicularis |
| Northern Pig-tailed Macaque | Macaca leonina |
| Rhesus Macaque | Macaca mulatta |
| Black-shanked Douc Langur | Pygathrix nigripes |
| Red-shanked Douc Langur | Pygathrix nemaeus |
| Gibbons (Hylobatidae) | |
| Red-cheeked (Yellow-cheeked) Gibbon | Nomascus gabriellae |
| Deer (Cervidae) | |
| Sambar | Rusa unicolor |
| Northern Red Muntjac | Muntiacus vaginalis |
| Squirrels (Sciuridae) | |
| Berdmore’s (Indochinese Ground) Squirrel | Menetes berdmorei |
| Pallas’s Squirrel | Callosciurus erythraeus |
| (Asian) Red-cheeked Squirrel | Dremomys rufigenis |
| Cambodian Striped Squirrel | Tamiops rodolphii |
| Maritime Striped Squirrel | Tamiops maritimus |
| Treeshrews (Tupaiidae) | |
| Northern Treeshrew | Tupaia belangeri |
| Northern Smooth-tailed Treeshrew | Dendrogale murina |
| Shrews (Soricidae) | |
| (Asian) Grey Shrew | Crocidura attenuata |
| Mustelids (Mustelidae) | |
| Yellow-throated Marten | Martes flavigula |
| Old World Fruit Bats (Pteropodidae) | |
| Lesser Dog-faced Fruit Bat | Cynopterus brachyotis |
| Bovids (Bovidae) | |
| Domestic Water Buffalo | Bubalus bubalis |
| Total | 19 |
Reptile List
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| Dragons (Agamidae) | |
| Vietnamese Blue Crested Lizard | Calotes bachae |
| Changeable Lizard | Calotes versicolor |
| Spotted Flying Dragon | Draco maculatus |
| Indochinese Flying Lizard | Draco indochinensis |
| Monitor Lizards (Varanidae) | |
| Common Water Monitor | Varanus salvator |
| Gekkonidae (Geckos) | |
| Common (Asian) House Gecko | Hemidactylus frenatus |
| Flat-tailed House Gecko | Hemidactylus platyurus |
| Tokay Gecko | Gekko gecko |
| Banded Lipinia | Lipinia microcerca |
| Skinks (Scincidae) | |
| Common Mabuya | Eutropis multifasciata |
| Spotted Forest Skink | Sphenomorphus maculatus |
| Colubrid Snakes (Colubridae) | |
| Javan (Indochinese) Rat Sanke | Ptyas korros |
| Brown Reed Snake | Calamaria pavimentata |
| Total | 13 |
This is a sample trip report. Please email us ([email protected]) for more trip reports from this destination.
