Country Profile for Birders – China

By Kai Pflug

Kai is a regular contributor to and editor of 10,000 Birds, who has been living in Shanghai for more than two decades, and started birding there.

Overview

China is a country with a large number of bird species. About 1450, to be exact, though only about 50-60 are endemic to China. That puts China somewhere in the top ten of countries by species number, and probably at number 2 after Indonesia if one excludes South America.

Anyway, what does this mean for birders – should they come to China? China is probably the best place in the world to encounter several exciting bird families. And visiting China has become easier as tourists from many countries can enter visa-free for shorter stays.

China map with key provinces for birding

Map has some issues, to be regarded as design dummy for now

Birding Highlights

  • Large number of species, some endemic
  • China is at the core distribution area of several bird families 
  • Rapidly developing infrastructure for birders, as birdwatching and particularly bird photography become more popular among local residents
  • Huge diversity of habitats and climates
  • Some locations offer good opportunities for bird photography (popular among the Chinese) via multiple bird hides

 Blood Pheasant (Sichuan)

Key Bird Species and Families

  • Spoon-billed Sandpiper: A small sandpiper with a spoon as a beak, possibly the cutest critically endangered bird species in the world
  • Parrotbills: Like pandas, they mostly thrive on bamboo, are small, social, big-headed, and charming. China has the most species, many found only here.
  • Cranes: China is a key location for several species, including Hooded and Siberian Cranes. They look elegant to the point of being obnoxious.
  • Laughingthrushes: They are everywhere in China’s mountains, especially in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Hainan. Many, like Biet’s Laughingtrush, are endemic and difficult to see outside of designated bird hides. They seem to generally distrust their ability to fly, preferring to hop on the ground. 
  • Pheasants: China is home to many species that ChatGPT would probably call “iconic” – some like the Blue Eared Pheasant and Elliot’s Pheasants are endemics.
  • Rosefinches: Pretty, colorful, not too big, and many species – what’s not to like?
  • Montane Raptors: China has a rich mix of resident and migratory raptors. Some species, like Himalayan Vultures, are easier to see here than anywhere else.
  • Owls: As these are personal favorites of mine, I want to mention them here as well. China offers a choice between those in the Arctic, such as Snowy or Ural, or Great Grey, or tropical ones.

Reed Parrotbill (Shanghai)

Best Regions for Birding

China has 34 provinces (or the equivalent of provinces, some with slightly different categorizations). Here is a quick rundown of the five probably most interesting to birders.

Yunnan has by far the largest number of bird species in China, as its landscape and habitat include East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Tibetan Plateau. Some attractive bird families, such as hornbills, barbets, and pittas, can only be found in Yunnan, or have a larger number of species than in other Chinese provinces. Yunnan is a particularly good place to go to from December to March. Attractive locations include Baihualing, Hongbenghe, Lijiang, and Xishuangbanna, many of which also offer bird hides for dedicated bird photography – though, as this is China, don’t be surprised if everyone in a bird hide except yourself is a smoker.

Sichuan has quite a few endemic and/or threatened birds, particularly pheasants and parrotbills. Probably it is most attractive for birders in spring (April to June). Good locations include Balangshan, Wolongshan, Kangding, Wawushan, Longcanggou, Tangjiahe, Yibin, and Ruoergai.

Qinghai is not a place where you will see a lot of birds in one place, but almost all the birds you see will be interesting. In particular, it is a good place to encounter birds living on the Tibetan plateau without the restrictions imposed on foreigners traveling to Tibet. July seems to be the best time for birding in Qinghai – good locations include Qinghai Lake, the area around Chaka, and Dulan County.

Fujian is a coastal province somewhat south of Shanghai, and part of its attraction comes from its coastal location and relatively mild climate. I have been to Sanming (for Cabot’s Tragopan and Elliot’s Pheasant) and to the Fuzhou National Forest Park (more for general birding than for particular species, though it is a good place for Fork-tailed Sunbird and Orange-bellied Leafbird). Wuyishan is also recommended frequently, as is the Minjiang Estuary for Chinese Crested Tern, and Quanzhou is an important wintering spot for Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Spring is supposedly the best season, here meaning March to May.

I have not been to Xinjiang for birding yet, but the province was mentioned frequently by the birders I asked. It is closest to Europe and thus has species that are not easily found elsewhere in China. It also has some extreme deserts and open areas, providing habitat for specialists, raptors, and vultures. I cannot really recommend locations yet, but it seems May to July are the best months to go birding in Xinjiang.

 Siberian Crane (Jiangxi)

Best Birding Season

China has too many provinces and birding locations to indicate a universal best birding month or season, but this can be an advantage, as most months offer good birding somewhere in the country. Some of these have already been mentioned in the previous section.

  • Tropical Yunnan (Xishuangbanna, Baihualing, Hongbenghe): December to March
  • Sichuan (Balangshan and others): April to June
  • Qinghai: June, July
  • Fujian: March to May
  • Xinjiang: May to July
  • Shanghai: during migration, particularly May and September/October
  • Inner Mongolia: winter (for owls)

(probably more dates to be added for different locations)

Himalayan Vulture (Sichuan)

Example of a Birding Itinerary

Not done yet. Might need to look at some old trips, or get input from Alpinebirding

 Oriental Scops Owl (Shanghai)

Practical Tips

  • China has a fast and reliable train network and good flight connections; however, the most interesting birding locations tend to be at least a few hours by car away from traffic hubs. Distances between the birding locations can be relatively vast, even inside provinces
  • Self-driving is not an option for birders from outside of China, as international driving licenses are not recognized
  • In addition, as birding locations are mainly in rural, undeveloped places, English is not widely spoken – the best option is to either go with a local or international birding company
  • Some locations offer bird hides, particularly catering to bird photographers, as these are the most important clients to birding-related business activities in China
  • Some accommodations can be fairly rustic and not too well-heated in winter
  • Food tends to be very local – usually quite edible, but rice-based and unsophisticated. Breakfast is generally horrible – just the same as all other meals – so bring cookies if you are a whimp like me
  • Same for coffee – it may not always be available, though hot water is. Best bring some instant coffee if you need this drink in the morning

Black-faced Laughingthrush (Yunnan)

Books

By far the best English-language guide to the birds of China is the Princeton guide.

Compared to this one, the McKinnon guide – long regarded as a classic – is inferior despite receiving a second edition a few years ago. It is also much more expensive.

For China’s East coast, the Brazil guide was long a good choice, but nowadays the Princeton guide is also superior for this area.

To see some good photos and basic information on Chinese birds, consider the Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of China, but it is not comprehensive at all.

Links

10,000 Birds has many posts on China’s bird life, most of which have been written by me – so if you do not like my writing style, bad luck.

Check the following:

 Red-fronted Rosefinch (Sichuan)

P.S. As we hopefully we will get more sophisticated in the future, we will aim to split this country report into several parts covering different provinces or regions. Any help from bird guides, bird experts or birding companies is welcome.