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Taiwan

Taiwan Blue Magpie Urocissa caerulea ŠTropical Birding http://www.tropicalbirding.com

There are more than 9,000 species of birds in the world. Taiwan, with an area of 36,000 sq. km, has records of more than 450 species of birds, forming the second highest bird density anywhere in the world.

Taiwan belongs to the Oriental zoogeographical region, and the entire ecosystem here is very special. The birds found in Taiwan are related to those in mainland China and the Himalayas. Every autumn and winter, thousands of migratory birds fly south to the island, while some of the summer migrants from south China remain there the entire season. Some of our most valued birds are the residents, including 14 endemic species, unique, national treasures of Taiwan which have attracted great concern and admiration of many foreign biologists and nature lovers.

Birding is closely related to the seasons. In general in summer we watch the resident birds and summer visitors of Taiwan, and in the other seasons we look for the winter migrants from the north. It easy to find evidence of birds almost everywhere on the island. Therefore, if you are patient and go outdoors to the mountains or seashores, you will be able to see many lovely birds hopping, flying and singing around you.

The ecosystems in Taiwan

Taiwan is an island surrounded by the sea, with 42% of the land area comprised of mountain ranges. Among these mountains, there are more than 100 peaks over 3,000 meters high. Because of this topography, Taiwan incorporates numerous ecological zones, and a wide variety of ecosystems, and a correspondingly wide diversity of flora and fauna.

There is the coastal zone with its marine ecosystem which includes coral reefs, beaches, estuaries, etc. Within various zones there are ecosystems associated with lakes and streams. There are a variety of tropical rainforest canopy, woodland, and forest ecosystems also within a variety of ecological zones ranging from sea level to over 3,000 meters in altitude; in addition, there are a number of ecosystems that have emerged as a result of the spread of the presence of man from rural farmlands to large cities.

contributor

Wayne Hsu
Regular link contributor
WayneHsu@birdlover.com

June Hsieh
j_hsieh@ms16.url.com.tw

numbers

Number of bird species:486

numbers

Number of endemics:14
Taiwan Partridge Arborophila crudigularis Swinhoe`s Pheasant Lophura swinhoii Mikado Pheasant Syrmaticus mikado Formosan Magpie Urocissa caerulea Formosan Whistling-Thrush Myophonus insularis Collared Bush-Robin Tarsiger johnstoniae Yellow Tit Parus holsti Flamecrest Regulus goodfellowi Styan`s Bulbul Pycnonotus taivanus White-whiskered Laughingthrush Garrulax morrisonianus Steere`s Liocichla Liocichla steerii Formosan Barwing Actinodura morrisoniana White-eared Sibia Heterophasia auricularis Formosan Yuhina Yuhina brunneiceps

useful reading

* Field Guides & Bird Song

For a comprehensive list of recommended titles covering Asia as a whole - please see the Asia page of Fatbirder

A Field Guide to the Birds of China, Tibet and Taiwan

Paul Leader, Geoff Carey and Phil Round c. 600 pages, 120 col plates, maps. Christopher Helm 2007
ISBN: 9780713660326
Buy this book from NHBS.com

A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia

Craig Robson Hardcover - 504 pages ( 1 February, 2000) New Holland Publishers (UK)
ISBN: 1843307464
Buy this book from NHBS.com

A Field Guide to the Birds of Taiwan (Chinese Edition)

James Wan-fu Chang 300 pages, 1258 col illus, maps. Taiwan Wild Bird Information Centre 1992
ISBN: 9579578001
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Guide to the Threatened Birds of Taiwan

Woei-horng Fang 162 pages Owl Publishing House
ISBN: 160467
Buy this book from NHBS.com

useful information

Proact

Coordinator: none (why not apply?) see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: 4
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team

clubs

Kauhsiung Wild Bird Society

http://www.kwbs.org.tw
In Chinese - E-mail: kwbs.bird@msa.hinet.net

Organisations - Wild Bird Federation Taiwan

http://www.birdingintaiwan.com/
The Wild Bird Federation Taiwan was founded in 1988. Currently, WBFT consists of 18 member groups scattered island-wide, and the number is increasing. In 1994, WBFT became a member of the BirdLife International. WBFT currently is the biggest non-governmental organisation in Taiwan dedicated to the protection of wild birds and their habitats. Find more about us at: Judy Yen e-mail acc@ms4.url.com.tw Wild Bird Federation Taiwan, 110 1F, No. 34, Alley 119, Lane 30, Yung-Chi Road, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. TEL:886-2-87874551 FAX:886-2-87874547

Taitung Wild Bird Society

http://bird.loxa.edu.tw/taitung
In Chinese - E-mail: totaitung520@yahoo.com.tw

Wild Bird Association of Taiwan

http://myweb.hinet.net/home13/birdtw/
In Chinese - birdtw.a1@msa.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Chang Hua

http://eagle.org.tw
In Chinese - E-mail: chwbs@ms18.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Chiayi

http://www.msjh.cy.edu.tw/special/bird/bird.htm
In Chinese - E-mail: ufwuli@ms5.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Chiayi County

http://www.sedu.cyc.edu.tw/wbs
In Chinese - E-mail: 21bird@pchome.com.tw

Wild Bird Society of Hsinchu

http://bird.url.com.tw
In Chinese - E-mail: bird.hsinchu@msa.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Hua-lien

E-mail: bird.h1@msa.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Keelung

http://tea.kmvs.km.edu.tw/~bird
In Chinese - E-mail: keelung.bird@msa.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Kinmen

http://tea.kmvs.km.edu.tw/~bird
In Chinese - E-mail: hoopoeee@mail.km.edu.tw

Wild Bird Society of Mazu

E-mail: ma525500@ms47.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Nantou

http://home.kimo.com.tw/birdnt
In Chinese - E-mail: garrulax@ms24.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Peng-hu

http://www.gogoph.com.tw/bird
In Chinese - E-mail: penghu@bird.org.tw

Wild Bird Society of Ping Tung

http://www.bird.org.tw/pingtung
In Chinese - E-mail: heron@ms16.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Tainan

http://www.tnbird.org.tw
In Chinese - E-mail: tnbird@ksmail.seed.net.tw

Wild Bird Society of Taipei

http://www.taipeibird.org.tw/English/redirect.asp
The Wild Bird Society of Taipei (WBST) is a non-government organization of people who share common interests in the protection of wild birds and their habitats. The society was founded in 1973 with the name Taipei Wild Bird Watcher...

Wild Bird Society of Yilan

E-mail: wbsi@ms45.hinet.net

Wild Bird Society of Yunlin

E-mail: wbsyl.drongo@msa.hinet.net

Wildbird Society of Taoyuan

http://tybird.myweb.hinet.net
In Chinese - E-mail: taoyuan.bird@msa.hinet.net

reserves

National Park Ecological Protection Areas

http://park.org/Taiwan/Government/Theme/Environmental_Ecological/env50.htm
Info on all the national parks and a map...

Taiwan`s Parks

http://www.lsu.edu/student_organizations/tsa/exploretaiwan/napark.html
There are six National Parks (N.P.) in Taiwan. All have different features as a National Park. Kenting NP, the first designated National Park in Taiwan, was established in 1984 and features its marine ecosystem and uplifted coral reefs. Yushan National Park was named after Taiwan`s highest peak, and is famous for its mountainous terrain. Yangmingshan National Park is located in the northern part of the Capital city, Taipei. It is easily accessible and features a unique volcanic landscape and hot springs. Taroko National Park had been the most attractive tourist area in Taiwan even before it became a National Park. Its marble gorges and sheer cliffs are the most famous features which attract millions of tourists each year. Shei-Pa National Park was named after two high peaks, the Sheishan and Tapachienshan, or Mount Snow and Mount Great Bold Tip. Besides its high mountains, Shei-Pa N. P. has beautiful mountain streams. The sixth National Park, Jinman, was just announced in 1995. It was designated for its battlefields, beautiful countryside, and as important stopover sites for many migratory bird species. It is actually a military base of Taiwan off the southeastern coast of mainland China...

Wetlands and Water Birds in Taiwan

http://www.sinica.edu.tw/tit/environment/0896_Birds.html
The majority of birds found in these areas belong to the wader family and include herons, egrets, sandpipers, and plovers, to name a few. Most of these birds stop in Taiwan when migrating from northern areas such as Siberia, Manchuria, Japan, and Korea on the way to Indonesia or the Philippines - their southern wintering areas.

Wildlife Refuges in Taiwan

http://park.org/Taiwan/Government/Theme/Environmental_Ecological/env56.htm
Map & write-ups on a number of sanctuary areas...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you cant find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page give them a try!

1999 [April] - Barry Wright

http://www.kentos.org.uk/Trip%20Reports/TaiwanBarryWright1999.htm
As part of a one-year trip birding abroad, Neil Bostock, Keith Turner and myself fitted in a two-week trip to Taiwan. The general lack of information on the country and a number of areas that simply seemed to be inaccessible initially hampered the trip...

2001 [March] - Garry George

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan1/taiwan2001.htm
Taiwan is 160 km across the Taiwan Straits from Mainland China and in the North-South migration path between Japan and the Philippines. Though the island is relatively small, its mountains are extremely high reaching 3952m at Yushan (Jade Mountain). The mountains rise straight out of the sea on the east coast, while the west side of the island is a flat and fertile plain, mostly developed agriculturally with rice paddies...

2001 [November] - Peter Collaerts

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan2/taiwan-oct2002.htm
Because we had still some free days we decided to visit Taiwan during a one week trip. When you are lucky it is possible to see all the endemics in such a short period. Autumn is probably not the best period of the year. A lot of birds are very quiet but you have a bonus like wintering Black-faced Spoonbills and Saunders` Gulls...

2003 [February] - Jon Hornbuckle

http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/trips/taiwan-jh-0203.html
...Arrived at CKS airport, Taipei at 11.25 on a cloudy day, and after checking in at the airport hotel, courtesy of Eva Air, took coach to the city, arriving at 1.25 pm. Rang Dr Fang who arrived at 1.45 and we walked to the Botanical Gardens. Here we saw 2 Malayan Night-Herons, a long-awaited species for me, apparently feeding on worms, and a Pale Thrush. We then walked through the snake-market (for eating) to Hua-Jing Wild Duck Nature Reserve, a fairly large wetland, where there were good numbers of wildfowl and a few other birds, but nothing outstanding. After a bowl of fish soup, we departed and I caught the 6 pm bus back to the airport and the shuttle to the hotel. Flew to Manila the next morning...

2003 [March] - Jo Ann MacKenzie

http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/trips/taiwan-0503.html
...Birders should be aware that while Taiwan has 15 endemic species, there are numerous endemic subspecies, some of which may be raised to full species level in the future...

2003 [November] - Noah Stryker

http://www.noahstrycker.com/tripreports/taiwan.htm
In November 2003 I spent nine days birding in Taiwan with Ted Floyd, Nathan Pieplow, Graham Etherington, and Tom Lowe, led by a Taiwanese guide, John Wu (author of the Field Guide to the Birds of Taiwan). The purpose of our visit was to aid the Taiwan Tourism Bureau in its efforts to attract more birders to their country, and to give them suggestions about how to eventually put together an official birding tour...

2003 [November] Graham Etherington

http://www.surfbirds.com/Trip%20Reports/ethertaiwannov03.html
In order to assist the Taiwan Bureau of Tourism with planning and organising birding tours in Taiwan, our group was flown out to Taiwan and taken to various proposed destinations. This is a report of the birds we saw at the various sites...

2004 [November] - Dennis Rogers - Taiwan

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan7/taiwan-nov-04.htm
This report will briefly detail a visit to central Taiwan aimed at finding the Brown Dipper and then as many Taiwan and E. Asia specialties as possible. Having seen the other dippers in Oregon, Venezuela, Spain, and Argentina respectively, it was time to get the last one. The Wushe area seemed to combine access and habitats in a workable manner...

2004 [November] - Simon Tonge

http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=588
I visited Taiwan to attend an international conference hosted by Taipei Zoo. Conference and other work demands meant that time for birding was always going to be tight but I was determined to try to see as many of the Taiwanese endemics and winter specialities as possible in the time available to me. Careful planning was required and I am grateful to all those, such as Peter Collaerts (2001), John Hornbuckle (2003), Gary and Marlene Babic (2003) and Jo Ann Mackenzie (2003), who have posted Taiwan trip reports on the web in recent years. Their information was absolutely crucial to my making the best use of my time, particularly as the most reliable site for most of the Taiwanese endemics, Anmashan, was badly damaged by typhoons in June 2004 and will remain closed to visitors until some time in 2005. In this report I have not tried to provide a fully comprehensive guide to birding in Taiwan as much has not changed since those earlier reports. I have merely tried to update current information e.g on the state of trails...

2004 [November] - Tropical Birding

http://www.tropicalbirding.com/
...Undoubted highlights included a staggering 14 Swinhoes Pheasants in one hour. We think this is some kind of world record, and one we dont think we will ever repeat, but needless to say, we saw these birds exceptionally well. Some of the group also nailed Mikado Pheasant fleeing from the path and Taiwan Hill Partridge, both extremely tricky species. The bevy of endemic babblers were also fantastic including Steeres Liocichla, Taiwan Yuhina, White-whiskered Sibia, Taiwan Barwing and White-whiskered Laughing-thrush. The striking Taiwan Yellow Tit did not fail to mesmerise...

2005 [April] - Peter J Shen

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan10/taiwan-april-05.htm
Wayne Hsu and I managed to see all 15 of Taiwans endemic bird species in 4 days a pair of Mikado Pheasants being the last of the endemics, which was seen by about 6 a.m. on the morning of the fourth day. Special thanks goes to Wayne who was instrumental in making this trip wildly successful his hospitality is deeply appreciated. Needless to say, we had fantastic luck and, indeed, Wayne remarked that he had never seen all of Taiwans endemics on a trip of less than 5 days...

2005 [January] - Gruff Dodd

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan8/Taiwan-jan-05.htm
...We therefore made an early start, driving as far as km 32.5 where we parked the car, keeping it well back from construction traffic. We crossed the walkway and walked the 2.5 km from here to the park entrance in near-darkness. As it started getting light we enjoyed our first views of the many COLLARED BUSH-ROBINS we would see at this site. One bird, seen early on the walk when the light was still poor, looked different, and we were fairly sure that it was a WHITE-BROWED BUSH-ROBIN when we eventually saw one well later in the trip, we became even more certain that our initial identification was correct...

2005 [May] - Jo Ann MacKenzie

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan11/Taiwan-2005.htm
...Near Taichung, we picked up our co-leader, Ten-Di Wu, and assistants Linda Kao and Kite Liu. Heading southeast into the hills toward Wufeng, we found Light-vented Bulbul (abundant), Black-browed Barbet, Plain Prinia, Brownish-flanked Bush-Warbler, Collared Finchbill, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Crested Goshawk, and Malayan Night-Heron (on nest). Continuing farther into the hills, in the vicinity of Tunglin village, we found Formosan Magpie (E), Gray-spotted Flycatcher, Gray Treepie, Gray-cheeked Fulvetta, Rufous-capped Babbler, Gray-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, and Yellow-browed Warbler. Leaving the village, we came across a Japanese Sparrowhawk and a migrant Chinese Goshawk. Continuing on, we arrived at Kukwang on the Tachia River after dark, and settled into the Four Seasons Resort for the night...

2005 [November] - Jo Ann MacKenzie

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan14/taiwan-nov-05.htm
...we stopped in the small town of Chukuo, and found Collared Finchbill in the shrubbery above the rocky river behind the police station. On the rocks were White Wagtail and Common Sandpiper...

2005 [October] - Alan Miller

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan12/Taiwan-oct-05.htm
...We met Geoff at 6am and were taken straight to Taipei Botanical Gardens. Our first sightings were of Japanese White-eye and Light-vented (Chinese) Bulbuls. We soon connected with a pair of Crested Goshawk in the trees before locating the star of the Gardens, Malayan Night-Heron. We saw two birds feeding in the open close to dozens of people doing early morning exercises! We also found an unexpected treat in the form of a migrant Japanese Paradise-Flycatcher...

2006 [April] - Mark Beaman

http://www.birdquest.co.uk/tripreports.cfm?trip=523
No birders visiting Taiwan had ever seen every endemic and potential endemic bird species in a single trip, until we came along! Amongst the impressive birdlist of 214 species we recorded were all 29 endemic species, based on the latest taxonomy, and all the upcoming possible splits as well...

2006 [May] - Jo Ann MacKenzie

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan-16/taiwan-may-06.htm
...Wu Ten-Di was waiting for us, having spent some time on previous days staking out a Fairy Pitta. We were lucky; after some effort, we saw 2 beautiful, jewel-like pittas. We also saw Brownish-flanked Bush-Warbler, Plain Prinia, Brown Shrike, Rufous-capped Babbler, Black-browed Barbet (endemic-to-be), Gray Treepie, Black Bulbul, Vinous-throated Parrotbill and Besra...

2006 [November] - Simon Liao & Jo Ann MacKenzie

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/taiwan/taiwan-17/Taiwan-nov-2006.htm
Taiwan is a mountainous island in the South China Sea, about 175 km (110 mi.) off the Chinese mainland. The forested beauty of the island led Portuguese sailors in 1590 to call it Ilha Formosa, meaning Beautiful Island. The tropic of Cancer passes through the southern part of the island...

Birding Taiwan

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9003/birdtrip.htm
Birding taiwan have a series of reports of trips to Taiwan.

China Bird Report

http://www.cnbirder.com/
For the most part these are just lists of birds seen on individual dates at locations across the whole of China - but none-the-less, useful... In Chinese and [mostly] English.

tour operators

Birding Pal

http://www.birdingpal.org/Taiwan.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

Bird Names in Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese

http://cjvlang.info/Birds/
What`s so great about a list of bird names? After all, the names that men give can never be more than just a pale reflection of the birds themselves. Well, bird-lovers may rejoice in bio-diversity, but in matters linguistic they tend to use common or garden English as a lowest common denominator. So, in the interest of lingua-diversity, here it is: the site where you`ll find hundreds of bird names in three East Asian languages. Happy birdwatching! Note: The scope of this site is limited to birds found in China (incl. Hongkong, Macau, and Taiwan); Japan, and Vietnam. As the site is still in development, information may be inaccurate or incomplete; any comments or corrections would be appreciated.

Birding in Taiwan

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9003/birding.htm
The biggest problems most people encounter when planning a trip to Taiwan is the lack of information in English. I have helped many people organize their birding trips here, and on some cases have even accompanied them to various places.

Birdwatching in Taiwan

http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/basiafeats/taiwan.html
Full text of a comprehensive article in BirdingASIA 2 on Birdwatching in Taiwan...

Checklist of the Birds of Taiwan

http://www.bird.org.tw/contents/5-1-2.php
A checklist of the birds of Taiwan

Endemic Birds of Taiwan

http://taiwan.wcn.com.tw/en/special/bird/bird8.shtml
There are 14 endemic species of birds on the island, accounting for about 9% of all resident birds. There are another 69 endemic subspecies, accounting for another 45% of the local resident population...

F B Magpie Homepage

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9003/
Welcome! You have reached the realm of birder Wayne Hsu! I am a 1999 graduate of Taipei American School and am now studying biology at Cornell University, picking up U.S. life birds here and there. Last year I published a 1999 desktop calendar featuring a special selection from over 1000 butterfly photos that I`ve taken in Taiwan. Over winter break I was 5 species closer to my goal of 300 birds on my Taiwan life list. Unfortunately I haven`t completed the section Birding in Taiwan yet; however, I`ve added many new additions so check it out!

Taiwan`s Ecological Conservation

http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/ecology/English/bow_e/birds_e/birds_e.htm
Section on birds with images and species accounts...

Ten Best Birdwatching Places

http://taiwan.wcn.com.tw/en/special/bird/bird23.shtml
Bird watching is possible during all four seasons in Taiwan. The following bird watching sites are among the best on the island. For other possible sites, please contact the Wild Bird Society of R.O.C...

Unofficial Checklist

http://homepage.seed.net.tw/web/cheer/
On this site is "An Unofficial Checklist of Birds in Taiwan" that is regularly updated. The most complete checklist available online to date. It is the fifth "bullet" on the page; the name changes with each update...

artists

Charles Lam

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kclama/sets/176595/
Some great pics from his birding travells...

Gallery

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9003/fotolist.htm
...variable quality photos...

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