Introduction
A trip to Vietnam is a convenient and relatively inexpensive way to see a good range of Southeast Asian birds as well as a number of Indochinese specialities. We undertook a fairly standard itinerary, visiting well known sites in the south before flying to the north to visit areas around Hanoi. Although a visit to Bach Ma in central Vietnam could also be included in a 3-4 week trip, we decided to omit this area as we felt it did not offer many species in addition to those that could be seen elsewhere (though the exceptions are notable, if difficult to see!).
In common with many birders before us, we organized our trip through Vietnam Travel (vietntn@hcm.fpt.vn). Our three-week trip cost US$1,090 each, which included private car transfers between airports, hotels and birding locations, a flight from Sai Gon to Ha Noi, all accommodation, permits to the national parks and the hire of a boat at Xuan Thuy. Vietam Travel provided an excellent and faultless service, tailoring their standard itinerary to meet our needs, and we can certainly recommend them to anyone seeking a well-organised and hassle-free trip to Vietnam. We flew with Singapore Airlines from Heathrow to Sai Gon, returning from Ha Noi, for £583 plus £62 taxes each. A visa must be obtained before arrival in Vietnam, costing £38/person plus £5 return postage, which is valid for one month.
February and March are towards the end of the dry season. As a consequence we had very little rain and quite hot and sunny weather in the south but almost continually overcast and cold conditions in the north (certainly cold enough to require a warm jacket and perhaps even gloves at Tam Dao). The main difficulty we had with the weather in the north was occasional fog. We found surprisingly few biting insects and, although we took malaria tablets, they were probably unnecessary as we didn’t encounter any mosquitoes after dark. Leeches were also largely absent, with just two seen after a brief spell of drizzle at Cuc Phuong.
We found the people to be very friendly and, especially in those areas in the north less visited by western tourists, quite enthusiastic about practicing their English. Having said that, very few people knew more than a few words in English, although we managed to get by with sign language most of the time. The quality of accommodation provided by Vietam Travel was generally basic but clean, with the exception of the notorious ‘guesthouse’ at Xuan Thuy which was damp, draughty and had toilet facilities which were best avoided. Unfortunately there may be little alternative accommodation at this remote site. The food ranged from average to poor, although there were one or two notable exceptions. Noodle soup or fried eggs for breakfast and various bland sticky rice dishes with chicken, beef, very fatty pork or prawns seemed to be the main choice. The currency exchange was roughly 16,000 Dong for US$1 during our visit, with accommodation ranging from US$20-30 for a double and meal for two plus beers (Tiger or Ha Noi) costing about US$5.
We used the trip reports by Brian Gee (1996), Paul Holmes (1999) and Sam Woods and Andy Aldcock (2002) (all available from OBC), along with some more recent accounts off the internet. We found these reports extremely useful, if a little dated for some of the sites. In the following account I will attempt to update some of the detail in these reports and will describe the apparently poorly known trail at the Di Linh pass.
Da Lat
The journey from Sai Gon to Da Lat takes 5-6 hours. We stayed at the Hotel Lam Son close to the centre of town, which was comfortable though very noisy due to the volume of traffic passing by on the adjacent main road. During our stay here we spent a day each at the Ta Nung Valley, Ho Tuyen Lam and Mount Lang Bian, our driver picking us up at dawn, taking us to each site and returning at a prearranged time (usually mid-afternoon as we found the birding activity dropped off very quickly at this time). We found the Ta Nung Valley to be excellent, despite the small scale of the rather fragmented habitat here. We saw some good species in the pines on route to the remnant forest in the valley bottom, including a party of White-cheeked Laughing-thrushes, White-throated Rock Thrushes and Blue-bearded Bee-eater. In the forest itself we had a surprising amount of activity (given our experience of birding in other Southeast Asian forests) and quickly saw a single Grey-crowned Crocias, White-spectacled and Grey-cheeked Warblers, Rufous-capped Babblers, a single Indochinese Green Magpie (the only one of the trip) as well as a lone Cutia.
The next day we visited Ho Tuyen Lam, taking a boat to the far end of the reservoir for US$10. As suggested by recent accounts, the trails identified in Gee’s report have become overgrown and are now difficult (if not impossible) to find. We gave up in the end, using instead the numerous elephant tracks through the tall grass and spending most of our time in the pine forest. As a consequence we saw little here that was not seen elsewhere in the Da Lat area, with the exception of Cinnamon and Yellow Bitterns and several Burmese Shrikes.
Finally we visited Mount Lang Bian, taking a jeep ride up through the pines to the start of the summit trail. Despite reading that this site can be popular amongst the locals and therefore noisy, we found it to be very quiet during our week-day visit, with very few people seen or heard. The star bird here was, without question, Collared Laughing-thrush. We heard some calling almost immediately on approaching the forest in the ‘saddle’ area between the pines and the rise to the summit. Unfortunately the birds were some way off the path and we could only obtain unsatisfactory glimpses of silhouettes in the dense vegetation. However, we later happened across a group foraging quietly in shrubs right next to the path, where they gave splendid views, even flying across the path in front of us. These birds were seen on a trail on the north or left-hand side of the main trail to the summit. This is described as nothing more than a muddy trail made by buffalo in the trip reports, but is now an established path providing access to a reasonable area of forest (although affected by charcoal burners). Other species seen here were Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, White-tailed Robin, Chestnut-fronted Shrike-babbler, Eye-browed Wren-babbler and, in the pines, Vietnamese Greenfinch and the very pale-headed subspecies of Eurasian Jay.
Di LinhPass
We found it difficult to bird from the roadside here as much of the forest is quite distant, being above and below steep embankments, and conditions are noisy due to the frequent passage of buses and mopeds. However, there is a trail that gives access to some reasonable forest away from the road. To find this, proceed about 2 kilometres beyond the pass (travelling away from Di Linh) and look for a little wooden kiosk on the left. This was the only building in the area at the time of our visit. A small path runs alongside the kiosk and steeply up the hill into the forest behind it. This continues for a few hundred metres, eventually levelling off along the course of a stream before reaching an open area with an old wooden shelter. Unfortunately, at this point the trail is met by a wide, very recently bulldozed track which runs from further up the hill (presumably from some access point on the far side of the hill). This worrying development perhaps spells the beginning of the end for this tract of, until recently, reasonably undisturbed forest. We found a small group of Hooded Laughing-thrushes here, but not Orange-breasted Laughing-thrush (though others have seen them, perhaps with the aid of a tape). Other species of interest were at least two Green Cochoas, Great Hornbill and Eye-browed Wren-babbler.
Nam Bai Cat Tien National Park
We found this to be an excellent site, with good birding on the doorstep, great accommodation, reasonable food and helpful staff. While here we explored the loop trail which starts near the accommodation, the trail to Crocodile Lake, the grassland on route to Nuoi Trung village and the Dac Lua area. We also found the main road from the HQ to Dac Lua to be very rewarding, providing a good opportunity to see pigeons, barbets and woodpeckers in the adjacent tree-tops. During our visit the Crocodile Lake trail was excellent early morning for pheasants and pittas. Green Peafowl is perhaps most easily seen in the Nuoi Trung grasslands – ask to be dropped at an observation tower which is a few hundred metres from the road on the right (when heading away from the HQ) and about 10-15 minutes drive from the HQ. Alternatively you could view this area from the road, looking along the firebreaks and in small trees in particular. We tried both techniques on separate afternoons and eventually saw six birds from the tower between about 16.00 and 17.00 as they crossed a firebreak.
When visiting the Dac Lua area, follow an obvious, fenced path through the village, eventually bearing right towards the low bamboo-covered hills and, on reaching the base of the first of these hills, head left (away from a small grassy field) and then keep right as an obvious cattle path proceeds through an open area between the hills. This leads to open expanse of grassland (or wetland depending on the time of year) surrounded by hills which might be good for peafowl early morning. We attempted to explore the bamboo for Orange-necked Partridge but could not find any good paths and our progress was so noisy that there seemed little chance of success.
Other notable species seen at Cat Tien were Black-and-red and Dusky Broadbills, White-browed Piculet, Siamese Fireback, Wreathed Hornbill, Golden-crowned Mynah, Pompadour and Thick-billed Green Pigeons and Red-vented Barbet from the road, Germain’s Peacock-pheasant, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Blue-rumped and Bar-bellied Pittas, Grey-faced Babbler and Orange-breasted Trogon on the Crocodile Lake trail and Lesser Adjutant, Black-browed and Oriental Reed Warblers at the lake itself. The pittas were surprisingly easy to see on the Crocodile Laketrail (especially as we saw none on the loop trail the day before). Although none were calling, we saw several on the path and heard others rustling in the dead leaves on the forest floor. The forest understorey at Cat Tien was relatively open during our visit and this certainly helped us obtain good and prolonged views. From 06.00 to 08.00 and 16.00 to 18.00 are perhaps the best times to see pittas.
Xuan Thuy National Park
The Xuan Thuy Ramsar Site on the Red River Delta has now attained national park status. Whilst here we stayed at the grim ‘guesthouse’ at the Ramsar Centre itself – a shabby concrete building at the end of a muddy road overlooking the shrimp lagoons and adjacent mangroves. We birded the lagoons from the adjacent bunds and hired a small boat from the Ramsar Centre to visit the delta proper in search of Spoon-billed Sandpipers. High tide was at 05.00 during our stay and so we planned to get out at first light during our second day. Unfortunately, it was very foggy in the mornings throughout our time here and our boatmen had great difficulty finding their way across the delta to the sandpiper area. As a consequence it took us nearly four hours to reach the right place, by which time the tide had dropped, the roosting waders had dispersed, and we had little time to search through them before we were forced to leave or be stranded. Not surprisingly we failed to see the sandpipers, though six had been recorded by the Ramsar Centre staff a few weeks before. A useful tip for those attempting to see this species at Xuan Thuy in future: don’t rely on the Ramsar Centre staff to take you to exactly the right place. The Spoon-billed Sandpipers are on the most distant island to the west (Con Tan) and tend to roost on the western end of this island. The boatmen seem to drop people at the nearer, eastern end of the island, necessitating a walk to opposite end to find the target species.
Despite our disappointment at missing the main attraction, we found some consolation in other species seen here, not least a group of a 37 Black-faced Spoonbills on the lagoons (a star attraction in their own right) as well as Light-vented Bulbul, Spot-billed Duck and Heuglin’s Gull.
Cuc Phuong National Park
Although the weather was generally cold and overcast, with some mist, drizzle and denser fog, which made the birding frustratingly slow at times, we managed to see many of the target species during our three days here. We stayed in one of the chalets at the Bong Substation, which was quite comfortable (though cold) and certainly a luxury after Xuan Thuy. The food was also pretty good, though standards seemed to drop at the weekend when the staff had to cater for many day-trippers as well as the residents. The loop and valley trails are certainly worth avoiding on weekends from about 10.00 to 16.00 as they tend to be disturbed by many noisy day-trippers. Instead, we concentrated on the entrance road at these times, which we found to be generally good and more active than the trails. We also visited the HQ area at the entrance gate, largely on the advice of others who found some species (in particular Pied Falconet, White-winged Magpie and Fork-tailed Sunbird) easier to see here and in the adjacent Botanical Gardens than at Bong. A key is needed to enter the Gardens and this should be available from the HQ reception staff. A national park bird guide, Quach Viet Phuong, is available for $20/day – he knows his stuff and speaks good English. He also knows a location for Blyth’s Kingfisher, though we didn’t have time to look for this sought-after species.
Notable species seen here included an unexpected Grey-headed Lapwing on the grassy area outside the accommodation, Brown Hornbill, Rufous-tailed Robin, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Limestone Wren-babbler, Blue-rumped Pitta and White’s Thrush from the valley and loop trails and Japanese Thrush, a single Red-vented Barbet, White-winged Magpie, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Bar-bellied Pitta and Fork-tailed Sunbird from the road between the accommodation and staff buildings/restaurant area and a few kilometres beyond. We also saw the magpies and three Pied Falconets in the Botanical Gardens. The falconets arrive regularly at around 16.00 in the same large trees just to the left of the entrance gate to the Gardens. This species can also be seen in a conspicuous dead tree at the start of the trail grid next to the accommodation at Bong (again at around 16.00). An unexpected find was a single Black-throated Laughing-thrush in the forest just inside the entrance gate. We found Blue-rumped Pittas to be surprisingly easy to see here, with nearly all birds found on paths or roads around Bong, and some allowing approach to within a few metres. By comparison, Bar-bellied Pittas were much more secretive, staying in the denser forest and, although abundant and heard everywhere, we saw only two. This is in contrast to our experience at Cat Tien and quite different to the experiences of other birders at Cuc Phuong who, a few weeks earlier, had seen many Bar-bellied but no Blue-rumped Pittas!
Tam Dao National Park
Tam Dao was experiencing something of a building boom while we were there, with new hotels and road construction works taking place in and around the town and an enormous new golf-course under construction at the bottom of the hill. It seems that Tam Dao is set to be a major tourist venue in the future and this can only be bad news for wildlife habitats; we were to discover just how bad during our visit. We stayed at the Greenworld Hotel which overlooks the rest of the town and is located just a few 100 metres from the start of the steps up to the transmitter station. The hotel was basic but clean, with plenty of hot water but no other form of heating. This was unfortunate because it was astoundingly cold (for a tropical country!). The food was also very mediocre and we eventually discovered a much better restaurant at the nearby Mela Hotel.
During our stay here we spent our time, almost exclusively, on the steps to the transmitter station. This was because we found our access to the famous ‘Water Tank’ trail barred during most of our time at Tam Dao due to major construction works, including blasting with dynamite. We were shocked and depressed to discover that a new road is being built along the trail, apparently to allow tourists to visit Tam Dao’s second highest peak. This will allow vehicles to reach an area previously only accessible by foot, thus encouraging greater disturbance and exploitation (trapping, charcoal-burning) of the forest. Even worse, the method of road construction employed by the Vietnamese labourers, involving the dumping of thousands of tons of soil and rocks down the mountainside, is causing enormous damage to the forest below.
Not surprisingly then, we saw little on the Water Tank trail and had to content ourselves with the steps up to the transmitter station. Although we were initially concerned that we might miss species because of this, we quickly discovered this trail and the forest along the road below to be very productive. During three days on this trail we found most of the Tam Dao specialities, including Grey Laughing-thrush (seen and heard on nearly every visit), the skulking Spot-necked Babbler,
Coral-billed Scimitar-babbler (in mixed species flocks with fulvettas, yuhinas and Red-billed Scimitar-babblers), Chestnut Bulbul, Short-tailed Parrotbill, Striated and Black-chinned Yuhinas and Japanese and Black-breasted Thrushes. We also heard two Blue-naped Pittas from the lower steps on our final morning here. We were fortunate indeed that our time at Tam Dao did not coincide with the weekend rush of tourists, as the transmitter station steps are surprisingly popular (they simply end at the entrance to the scruffy concrete station, without even the luxury of a commanding view) and this would have severely interfered with birding.
We also explored some other woodcutters’ trails a little further along the road from the steps (marked as Contour Trail B in Gee’s report). We found these to be initially very steep and slippery before gradually levelling off higher up. We spent little time on these trails mainly because of the difficult access but also because we felt they had nothing to offer that could not be seen more easily from the transmitter station trail. As well as these trails, we also visited the ‘Silver Falls’ trail next to the Mela Hotel a few times (White-browed Piculet and White-capped Water-redstart) and the gardens in Tam Dao itself (where others had seen Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush).
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
6 Ho Tuyen Lam and 1 Xuan Thuy
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
1-50 on five dates at Cat Tien, Xuan Thuy and in paddy fields while in transit
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
1-20 on four dates at Cat Tien and Xuan Thuy
Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
4 Xuan Thuy
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
1-15 on six dates at Ho Tuyen Lam, Cat Tien, Xuan Thuy and in paddy fields while in transit
Intermediate Egret (Mesophoyx intermedia)
1 Cat Tien and 5 Xuan Thuy
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
2-10 on three dates in paddy fields while in transit
Chinese Pond-heron (Ardeola bacchus)
1-20 on eleven dates in wetlands and paddy fields throughout
Striated Heron (Butorides striatus)
1 Ho Tuyen Lam
Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis)
1 Ho Tuyen Lam
Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus)
1 Ho Tuyen Lam
Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus)
1-2 on two dates at Cat Tien
Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) Vulnerable
1-15 on three dates at Cat Tien
Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) - Endangered
At least 37 at Xuan Thuy
Lesser Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna javanica)
20 Ho Tuyen Lam and 400 on Crocodile Lake, Cat Tien
Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)
30-60 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)
15-20 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Spot-billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha)
2-10 on three dates at Xuan Thuy
Black Baza (Aviceda leuphotes)
1-2 on three dates at Cat Tien
Crested Honey-buzzard (Pernis (apivorus) ptilorhyncus)
3 in the Dac Lua area of Cat Tien
Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
1-2 on three dates at the Ta Nung Valley and Cat Tien
Crested Serpent-eagle (Spilornis cheela)
1-2 on four dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus (aeruginosus) spilonotus)
5-10 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus)
1 Cuc Phuong
Shikra (Accipiter badius)
1-2 on four dates at Mount Lang Bian and Cat Tien
Indian Black Eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis)
Singles on six dates at Ta Nung Valley, Mount Lang Bian, Di Linh and Cuc Phuong
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
1 Crocodile Lake, Cat Tien
Pied Falconet (Microhierax melanoleucus)
3 in large, bare tree near entrance to Botanical Gardens at Cuc Phuong headquarters
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
1-2 on two dates hunting over paddy fields while in transit
Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus)
Heard and occasionally seen on six dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Siamese Fireback (Lophura diardi)
Near Threatened
3 on the loop trail, a family group the on Crocodile Lake trail and singles on the main road at Cat Tien
Germain's Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron germaini)
Vulnerable
3 on the Crocodile Lake trail, Cat Tien
Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus) - Vulnerable
A group of 6 in the Nuoi Trung grasslands, Cat Tien
Barred Buttonquail (Turnix suscitator)
1 Ho Tuyen Lam
Slaty-breasted Rail (Gallirallus striatus)
2 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
2-5 on three dates at Ho Tuyen Lam and Xuan Thuy
Indian Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio poliocephalus)
4 Crocodile Lake, Cat Tien
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Singles on two dates at Cat Tien and Xuan Thuy
Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus)
3 Crocodile Lake, Cat Tien
Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
7-50 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
20-200 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus)
20-50 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Grey-headed Lapwing (Vanellus cinereus)
1 in paddy fields on route to Xuan Thuy and 1 in grassy area by chalets at Cuc Phuong
Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)
2 Nuoi Trung grasslands, Cat Tien
Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)
1 Transmitter Station trail, Tam Dao
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
15-20 on three dates at Xuan Thuy
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
1 heard Xuan Thuy
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
10-20 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)
1-2 on three dates at Xuan Thuy
Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
10-100 on three dates at Xuan Thuy
Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
1-7 on three dates at Xuan Thuy
Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
10-100 on three dates at Xuan Thuy
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
2 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Sanderling (Calidris alba)
10-50 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis)
1 Xuan Thuy
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
200 Xuan Thuy
Heuglin's Gull (Larus (fuscus) heuglini)
10 Xuan Thuy
Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
5-30 on three dates at Xuan Thuy
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia 'feral')
Abundant in built-up areas throughout
Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis)
2-10 on four dates at Ho Tuyen Lam and Cat Tien
Red Collared-dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica)
50-100 on two dates at Cat Tien
Orange-breasted Green-pigeon (Treron bicincta)
1-2 on two dates at Cat Tien but probably overlooked
Pompadour Green-pigeon (Treron pompadora)
2-30 on five dates at Cat Tien
Thick-billed Green-pigeon (Treron curvirostra)
4-10 on four dates at Cat Tien
Wedge-tailed Green-pigeon (Treron sphenura)
4 Mount Lang Bian
Green Imperial-pigeon (Ducula aenea)
1-10 on four dates at Cat Tien
Mountain Imperial-pigeon (Ducula badia)
2 Ta Nung Valley
Vernal Hanging-parrot (Loriculus vernalis)
2-6 on four dates at Cat Tien
Red-breasted Parakeet (Psittacula alexandri)
10-30 daily at Cat Tien and 3 distant birds at Mount Lang Bian presumed to be this species
Large Hawk-cuckoo (Cuculus sparverioides)
Singles at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Banded Bay Cuckoo (Cacomantis sonneratii)
Heard daily and 2 seen at Cuc Phuong
Asian Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx maculatus)
1 Cuc Phuong
Violet Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus)
1 juvenile bird at Cat Tien
Drongo Cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris)
1 Cat Tien
Green-billed Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus tristis)
1-3 on ten dates at Ta Nung Valley, Di Linh, Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)
Heard daily and 3 seen at Xuan Thuy
Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis)
Singles on two dates at Cat Tien
Mountain Scops Owl (Otus spilocephalus)
Heard only at Cuc Phuong
Collared Owlet (Glaucidium brodiei)
Heard daily at Cuc Phuong
Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides)
2 Cuc Phuong
Brown Hawk-owl (Ninox scutulata)
Heard daily and 1 seen at Cat Tien
Great Eared-nightjar (Eurostopodus macrotis)
At least 2 daily at Cat Tien
Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus)
1 Di Linh and 2-5 daily at Cat Tien
German's Swiftlet (Collocalia germani)
2-4 on three dates at Cat Tien
Brown-backed Needletail (Hirundapus giganteus)
2-20 on two dates at Cat Tien
Asian Palm-swift (Cypsiurus (parvus) balasiensis)
20 Ho Tuyen Lam and 2 Cat Tien
House Swift (Apus (affinis) nipalensis)
At least 10 daily in Da Lat
Orange-breasted Trogon (Harpactes oreskios)
2 on Crocodile Lake trail at Cat Tien
Red-headed Trogon (Harpactes erythrocephalus)
1-8 on five dates at Ta Nung Valley, Di Linh and Cuc Phuong
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
1-5 on five dates at Ho Tuyen Lam and Xuan Thuy
Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis)
1 Crocodile Lake, Cat Tien
White-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
1-5 on eight dates at Cat Tien, Xuan Thuy and Cuc Phuong
Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata)
2-3 on two dates at Cuc Phuong
Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
Singles on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Blue-bearded Bee-eater (Nyctyornis athertoni)
1 Ta Nung Valley and 2 Cat Tien
Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis)
1 Cat Tien
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti)
3-6 on three dates at Di Linh and Cat Tien
Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)
1-4 daily at Cat Tien
Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis)
1-8 daily at Cat Tien
Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
1 Cat Tien and 1 Tam Dao
Oriental Pied-hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris)
2-4 on three dates at Cat Tien
Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
Near Threatened
2 Di Linh
Tickell's Brown Hornbill (Anorrhinus tickelli) Near Threatened
2 Cuc Phuong
Wreathed Hornbill (Aceros undulatus)
2 Cat Tien
Red-vented Barbet (Megalaima lagrandieri)
Singles at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Lineated Barbet (Megalaima lineata)
2-4 on three dates at Cat Tien
Green-eared Barbet (Megalaima faiostricta)
1-2 on two dates at Cat Tien
Golden-throated Barbet (Megalaima franklinii)
5 Mount Lang Bian and heard daily with 2 seen at Tam Dao
Black-browed Barbet (Megalaima oorti)
1-10 on four dates in the Da Lat — Di Linh area
Blue-eared Barbet (Megalaima australis)
Singles seen and others heard on three dates at Cat Tien
Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)
1-2 on three dates at Cat Tien
White-browed Piculet (Sasia ochracea)
1 Cat Tien and 1 at Silver Falls, Tam Dao
Grey-capped Woodpecker (Dendrocopos canicapillus)
1-4 on three dates at Ho Tuyen Lam and Cuc Phuong
Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus)
1 Cuc Phuong
Greater Yellownape (Picus flavinucha)
1-4 on three dates at Ta Nung Valley, Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Laced Woodpecker (Picus vittatus)
Singles on three dates at Cat Tien
Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus)
2 Ho Tuyen Lam and 1 Cat Tien
Common Flameback (Dinopium javanense)
1 Cat Tien
Greater Flameback (Chrysocolaptes lucidus)
1-5 on five dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Bay Woodpecker (Blythipicus pyrrhotis)
1-3 on five dates at Cat Tien, Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Heart-spotted Woodpecker (Hemicircus canente)
Singles on two dates at Cat Tien
Dusky Broadbill (Corydon sumatranus)
A group of 4 at Cat Tien
Black-and-red Broadbill (Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos)
1-2 on two dates at Cat Tien
Silver-breasted Broadbill (Serilophus lunatus)
5 Cuc Phuong and 2 Tam Dao
Blue-naped Pitta (Pitta nipalensis)
Two heard only from the Transmitter Station trail at Tam Dao
Blue-rumped Pitta (Pitta soror)
2 on Crocodile Lake trail at Cat Tien and 1-6 on three dates at Cuc Phuong; rather conspicuous at the latter site, being frequently seen on paths where they would often allow close approach. Not calling at Cat Tien and only heard calling at Cuc Phuong on our last morning.
Bar-bellied Pitta (Pitta elliotii)
6 on Crocodile Lake trail, Cat Tien, where relatively easily seen in open forest. Only 2 seen (in response to playback) at Cuc Phuong, though many more heard calling.
Oriental Skylark (Alauda gulgula)
1 Xuan Thuy
Eurasian Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
5-100 on nine dates in the Da Lat area and at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica rufula)
4-20 on five dates at Ho Tuyen Lam and Cat Tien
Asian Martin (Delichon dasypus)
4 Di Linh and 2 Cat Tien
Richard's Pipit (Anthus (novaeseelandiae) richardi)
5 Dac Lua area of Cat Tien
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni)
1-9 on five dates at Ho Tuyen Lam, Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus)
5 in Dac Lua area of Cat Tien
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
1-2 on three dates at Cuc Phuong
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
1-2 on seven dates throughout
Large Cuckooshrike (Coracina macei)
2 on four dates throughout
Indochinese Cuckooshrike (Coracina polioptera)
1-2 on two dates at Ho Tuyen Lam and Di Linh
Black-winged Cuckooshrike (Coracina melaschistos)
Singles on two dates at Cat Tien
Grey-chinned Minivet (Pericrocotus solaris)
1-8 on four dates at Mount Lang Bian and Tam Dao
Long-tailed Minivet (Pericrocotus ethologus)
5 Di Linh
Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)
2-10 on seven dates at Ta Nung Valley, Ho Tuyen Lam, Di Linh and Cuc Phuong
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike (Hemipus picatus)
1-10 on seven dates at Ta Nung Valley, Mount Lang Bian, Di Linh and Cuc Phuong
Black-crested Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus)
2-10 on seven dates in Da Lat area, at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
2-30 on six dates at Ta Nung Valley, Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis)
2-5 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus (cafer) aurigaster)
2-10 on three dates at Ho Tuyen Lam and Cat Tien
Stripe-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus finlaysoni)
1-6 on six dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Flavescent Bulbul (Pycnonotus flavescens)
2-20 on three dates in Da Lat — Di Linh area
Streak-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus blanfordi)
1-2 on three dates in accommodation area at Cat Tien
Ochraceous Bulbul (Alophoixus ochraceus)
1-10 on 14 dates at Cat Tien, Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Grey-eyed Bulbul (Iole propinqua)
1-2 on four dates at Ta Nung Valley, Di Linh, Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Chestnut Bulbul (Hemixos castanonotus)
A group of three including one singing near the top of the Transmitter Station trail, Tam Dao
Mountain Bulbul (Hypsipetes mcclellandii)
1-2 on three dates in the Da Lat area
Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)
5-20 on six dates in the Da Lat-Di Linh area and at Tam Dao
Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)
1-4 on four dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Great Iora (Aegithina lafresnayei)
2-6 on seven dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Asian Fairy-bluebird (Irena puella)
Singles on four dates at Di Linh, Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Blue-winged Leafbird (Chloropsis cochinchinensis)
1-20 on five dates at Cat Tien, Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Golden-fronted Leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons)
2 on three dates at Cat Tien
Orange-bellied Leafbird (Chloropsis hardwickii)
2-8 on three dates at Tam Dao
Lesser Shortwing (Brachypteryx leucophrys)
1 Cuc Phuong
Rufous-tailed Robin (Luscinia sibilans)
1 Cuc Phuong
Siberian Blue Robin (Luscinia cyane)
2 females on Crocodile Lake trail at Cat Tien and 1 male Cuc Phuong
Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus)
1-2 on four dates at Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis)
1-3 on six dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
1-6 daily at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
White-capped Water-redstart (Chaimarrornis leucocephalus)
1 Silver Falls, Tam Dao
White-tailed Robin (Cinclidium leucurum)
1 Mount Lang Bian and 2 Cuc Phuong
Green Cochoa (Cochoa viridis)
At least two heard and one glimpsed in flight at Di Linh
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola torquata maura)
Singles on three dates at Cat Tien
Pied Stonechat (Saxicola caprata)
1-3 on two dates in the Nuoi Trung grassland, Cat Tien
Grey Bushchat (Saxicola ferrea)
1-4 on four dates at Ta Nung Valley, Mount Lang Bian and Tam Dao
White-throated Rock-thrush (Monticola gularis)
A male and female at Ta Nung Valley
Blue Whistling-thrush (Myiophonus caeruleus)
Singles at Ta Nung Valley, Mount Lang Bian and Tam Dao
White's Thrush (Zoothera dauma)
1 Cuc Phuong
Black-breasted Thrush (Turdus dissimilis)
A male and two females at Tam Dao
Japanese Thrush (Turdus cardis)
2 Cuc Phuong and 2 Tam Dao
Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
3 Cuc Phuong
Slaty-backed Forktail (Enicurus schistaceus)
2 Ta Nung Valley
White-crowned Forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti)
1-2 on three dates at bottom of Transmitter Station trail, Tam Dao
Hill Prinia (Prinia atrogularis)
1 Mount Lang Bian
Rufescent Prinia (Prinia rufescens)
4-20 daily at Cuc Phuong
Grey-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii)
1-2 on three dates at Cat Tien
Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata)
30-60 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Black-browed Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps)
5 Crocodile Lake, Cat Tien
Oriental Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus (arundinaceus) orientalis)
1 Crocodile Lake, Cat Tien
Grey-crowned Warbler (Seicercus (burkii) tephrocephalus)
1-2 on six dates at Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
White-spectacled Warbler (Seicercus affinis)
Singles at Ta Nung Valley and Mount Lang Bian
Grey-cheeked Warbler (Seicercus poliogenys)
2 Ta Nung Valley
Chestnut-crowned Warbler (Seicercus castaniceps)
Singles at Mount Lang Bian and Tam Dao
Yellow-bellied Warbler (Abroscopus superciliaris)
1 Dac Lua, Cat Tien
Mountain Tailorbird (Orthotomus cuculatus)
2 Mount Lang Bian
Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)
1-6 on 14 dates throughout
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus)
2 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Radde's Warbler (Phylloscopus schwarzi)
1-2 on four dates at Cat Tien
Chinese Leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus sichuanensis)
1 Tam Dao
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus)
1-20 on 16 dates throughout
Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides)
2 Cat Tien
Pale-legged Leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus tenellipes)
1 Cat Tien
White-tailed Leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus davisoni)
Singles seen on four dates in the Da Lat area and Cuc Phuong
Sulphur-breasted Warbler (Phylloscopus ricketti)
1 Cuc Phuong
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)
1-2 daily at Cat Tien
Red-throated Flycatcher (Ficedula parva albicilla)
1 Cat Tien
Little Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula westermanni)
1 Ta Nung Valley
Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassina)
Singles on three dates at Ho Tuyen Lam, Mount Lang Bian and Cuc Phuong
Small Niltava (Niltava macgrigoriae)
1 Ta Nung Valley
White-tailed Flycatcher (Cyornis concretus)
1 Tam Dao
Pale Blue-flycatcher (Cyornis unicolor)
Singles at Ta Nung Valley and Di Linh
Tickell's Blue-flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae)
2 Cat Tien
Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis)
1-8 on five dates at Ta Nung Valley, Mount Lang Bian, Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
White-throated Fantail (Rhipidura albicollis)
1-6 on five dates at Ta Nung Valley, Mount Lang Bian and Cuc Phuong
Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea)
1-4 on four dates at Cat Tien
Asian Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi)
2 Cat Tien
White-crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus)
1-8 seen and many more heard on eight dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Black-hooded Laughingthrush (Garrulax milleti) Near Threatened
A flock of 6 at Di Linh
Grey Laughingthrush (Garrulax maesi)
4-8 seen and others heard daily at Tam Dao
Black-throated Laughingthrush (Garrulax chinensis)
1 near headquarters at Cuc Phuong
White-cheeked Laughingthrush (Garrulax vassali)
A flock of 10 at Ta Nung Valley
Collared Laughingthrush (Garrulax yersini)
Endangered
A group heard and a separate group of at least 3 seen at Mount Lang Bian
Buff-breasted Babbler (Pellorneum tickelli)
2 on two dates at Cuc Phuong
Puff-throated Babbler (Pellorneum ruficeps)
Singles seen and others heard on two dates at Cuc Phuong
Scaly-crowned Babbler (Malacopteron cinereum)
2-5 on three dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler (Pomatorhinus ruficollis)
2 Tam Dao
Red-billed Scimitar-babbler (Pomatorhinus ochraceiceps)
1 Ta Nung Valley and at least 5 in a mixed-species flock at Tam Dao
Coral-billed Scimitar-babbler (Pomatorhinus ferruginosus)
Singles in mixed-species flocks on two dates on lower half of Transmitter Station trail, Tam Dao
Limestone Wren-babbler (Napothera crispifrons)
1-2 on two dates at Cuc Phuong
Streaked Wren-babbler (Napothera brevicaudata)
Singles on three dates at Cuc Phuong
Eyebrowed Wren-babbler (Napothera epilepidota)
1-2 on three dates at Mount Lang Bian, Di Linh and Cuc Phuong
Rufous-capped Babbler (Stachyris ruficeps)
3 Ta Nung Valley
Golden Babbler (Stachyris chrysaea)
2-8 on three dates at Tam Dao
Grey-throated Babbler (Stachyris nigriceps)
1-4 on three dates at Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Spot-necked Babbler (Stachyris striolata)
2-6 on two dates at Tam Dao
Striped Tit-babbler (Macronous gularis)
2-15 on ten dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Grey-faced Tit-babbler (Macronous (flavicollis) kelleyi)
2-4 on two dates at Cat Tien
Yellow-eyed Babbler (Chrysomma sinense)
3 Ho Tuyen Lam
Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris)
1 Mount Lang Bian and 2-6 daily at Tam Dao
White-browed Shrike-babbler (Pteruthius flaviscapis)
4 Ta Nung Valley
Chestnut-fronted Shrike-babbler (Pteruthius aenobarbus)
2 Mount Lang Bian
Blue-winged Minla (Minla cyanouroptera)
2-6 on four dates in the Da Lat — Di Linh area
Rufous-throated Fulvetta (Alcippe rufogularis)
2-4 on two dates at Cuc Phuong
Black-browed Fulvetta (Alcippe (peracensis) grotei)
6-20 on four dates at Cuc Phuong
Mountain Fulvetta (Alcippe peracensis)
2-10 on four dates in the Da Lat — Di Linh area
Grey-cheeked Fulvetta (Alcippe morrisonia)
10-50 daily at Tam Dao
Grey-crowned Crocias (Crocias langbianis) Endangered
1 Ta Nung Valley
Striated Yuhina (Yuhina castaniceps)
A flock of 20 at Tam Dao
Black-chinned Yuhina (Yuhina nigrimenta)
A flock of 10 at Tam Dao
White-bellied Yuhina (Yuhina zantholeuca)
4-10 on six dates at Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Short-tailed Parrotbill (Paradoxornis davidianus)
Two flocks of ten on the Transmitter Station trail, Tam Dao, one at the top and another by the ‘picnic’ area halfway up
Black-throated Tit (Aegithalos concinnus)
4 Ho Tuyen Lam and 2 Mount Lang Bian
Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus)
3 Mount Lang Bian
Yellow-cheeked Tit (Parus spilonotus)
1 Ho Tuyen Lam and 4 Mount Lang Bian
Sultan Tit (Melanochlora sultanea)
1-10 daily at Cuc Phuong
Chestnut-vented Nuthatch (Sitta nagaensis)
1 Ho Tuyen Lam and 1 Mount Lang Bian
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis)
1-2 on three dates at Di Linh, Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird (Anthreptes singalensis)
1-3 on four dates at Cat Tien
Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)
1-2 on three dates at Cat Tien
Gould's Sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae)
Singles on three dates at Ho Tuyen Lam, Mount Lang Bian and Di Linh
Fork-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga christinae)
1-2 on three dates at Cuc Phuong
Black-throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata)
5 Ta Nung Valley and 1 Di Linh
Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja)
Singles on two dates at Cuc Phuong headquarters
Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra)
1-2 on two dates at Cat Tien
Streaked Spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna)
1-3 on five dates at Ta Nung Valley, Di Linh and Cuc Phuong
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (Dicaeum ignipectus)
1-4 on five dates at Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum)
1-2 on three dates at Cat Tien
Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus)
1 Di Linh
Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus)
1-20 on five dates at Xuan Thuy and Cuc Phuong
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis)
1-4 on four dates at Cat Tien
Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus)
1-4 on four dates at Di Linh and Cat Tien
Maroon Oriole (Oriolus traillii)
3 Di Linh and 1 Cuc Phuong
Large Woodshrike (Tephrodornis gularis)
Singles at Di Linh and Cat Tien and 4-8 daily at Cuc Phuong
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)
2-3 on two dates at Cat Tien
Burmese Shrike (Lanius collurioides)
3 Ho Tuyen Lam
Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
4-8 on three dates at Xuan Thuy
Grey-backed Shrike (Lanius tephronotus)
1-2 on seven dates at Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
1-5 on six dates at Di Linh, Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus)
1-8 on seven dates in the Da Lat — Di Linh area and at Cat Tien
Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus remifer)
1-4 on six dates in the Da Lat — Di Linh area and at Cuc Phuong
Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus)
1-4 on seven dates at Cat Tien and Xuan Thuy
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus)
1-4 on seven dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
5 Mount Lang Bian
White-winged Magpie (Urocissa whiteheadi)
4 on two dates at Cuc Phuong
Indochinese Green/Yellow-breasted Magpie (Cissa (chinensis) hypoleuca)
1 Ta Nung Valley
Racket-tailed Treepie (Crypsirina temia)
1-4 on four dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Ratchet-tailed Treepie (Temnurus temnurus)
1-4 on four dates at Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao
Red-billed Starling (Sturnus sericeus)
A single bird at Xuan Thuy was considered to be a female of this species
Black-collared Starling (Sturnus nigricollis)
6 Ho Tuyen Lam
Vinous-breasted Starling (Sturnus burmannicus)
1-8 on three dates at Cat Tien
Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
4 at Saigon International Airport
Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus)
20-60 on two dates at Xuan Thuy
Golden-crested Myna (Ampeliceps coronatus)
2-12 on three dates at Cat Tien
Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa)
2-5 on seven dates at Cat Tien and Cuc Phuong
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
1-10 on five dates in larger towns and cities
Vietnamese Greenfinch (Carduelis monguilloti) Near Threatened
1-4 on three dates at Ho Tuyen Lam, Mount Lang Bian and Di Linh