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Hunan Province

Red-billed Leiothrix Leiothrix lutea ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA Website

Hunan is an inland province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the provinces of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, and Guizhou and Chongqing to the northwest. Its capital and largest city at over 8 million people, is Changsha, which abuts the Xiang River. Hengyang, Zhuzhou, both with more than 3 million and Yueyang and Xiangtan with more than 2.5 million are among its most populous cities. With a population of just over 66 million residing in an area of approximately 210,000 km2 (81,000 square miles), it is China’s 7th-most populous province, the third-most populous among landlocked provinces (after Henan and Sichuan), the third-most populous in South Central China (after Guangdong and Henan), and the second-most populous province in Central China. It is the largest province in South Central China and the fourth-largest landlocked province.

Hunan’s nominal GDP is in the world’s top 20 largest sub-national economies, with its GDP (PPP) being over US$1.55 trillion. Hunan is the 9th-largest provincial economy in China. As of 2020, Hunan’s nominal GDP reached $605 billion, exceeding that of Poland and Thailand.

Wulingyuan – ©chensiyuan CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The name Hunan literally means south of the lake’. The lake in question is Dongting Lake, in the northeast of the province, the second largest freshwater lake of China. Hunan is on the south bank of the Yangtze River, about halfway along its length. The east, south, and west sides of the province are surrounded by mountains and hills, such as the Wuling Mountains to the northwest, the Xuefeng Mountains to the west, the Nanling Mountains to the south, and the Luoxiao Mountains to the east. Mountains and hills occupy more than 80% of the province, and plains less than 20%. Hunan’s highest point is Lingfeng. The Xiang, the Zi, the Yuan, and the Lishui Rivers converge on the Yangtze River at Lake Dongting in the north of Hunan. The centre and northern parts are somewhat low and a U-shaped basin, open in the north and with Lake Dongting as its center. Most of Hunan lies in the basins of four major tributaries of the Yangtze River. The Xiaoxiang area and Lake Dongting figure prominently in Chinese poetry and paintings.

Yuan River – ©Huangdan2060, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Changsha, which means ‘long sands’, was an active ceramics district during the Tang dynasty, its tea bowls, ewers and other products mass-produced and shipped to China’s coastal cities for export abroad. An Arab dhow dated to the 830s and today known as the Belitung Shipwreck was discovered off the small island of Belitung, Indonesia with more than 60,000 pieces in its cargo.

Hunan’s climate is subtropical; it is classified as humid subtropical, with short, cool, damp winters, very hot and humid summers, and plenty of rain. January temperatures average 3 to 8 °C, while July temperatures average around 27 to 30 °C. Average annual precipitation is 47 to 67 inches. The Furongian Epoch in the Cambrian Period of geological time is named for Hunan; Furong means ‘lotus’ in Mandarin and refers to Hunan, which is known as the ‘lotus state’.

Birding Hunan

This south-central China province is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and its topography is dominated by low mountains and hills. The fertility of the land and its well-developed water system formed by Xiangjiang River, Zijiang River, Yuan River and Lishui River, has led to Hunan becoming known as the ‘Land of Rice and Fish’ (the Chinese expression equivalent to the English ‘Land of Milk and Honey’). The capital of the province is Changsha, which has a 2000-year history.

The province has the second largest freshwater lake in China, Dongting Lake. Its subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest consists of 248 plant families, with over 5000 species including precious plants such as the silver fir, metasequoia, waterpine, ginkgo and dove trees. These are ideal habitat for water birds and forest birds. If you visit in winter, you can see some wintering migratory birds such as Taiga & Tundra Bean Goose, Bewick’s Swan, Falcated Duck, Kentish Plover, Caspian Tern, Chinese Pond Heron and Black Stork, etc. At other times, other birds include, Caspian Tern, Azure-winged Magpie, Yellow-bellied Tit, Mountain Bulbul, Chinese Blackbird, Red-throated Pipit, Yellow-billed Grosbeak and Oriental Greenfinch, etc.

Grey-backed Thrush Turdus hortulorum – ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA

Other decent birding areas in the province include Changsha Cemetery for the Revolutionary Martyrs, Yuelushan Hill and Juzhizhou Island, Daze Lake and Hupingshan. The latter is the boundary mountain between the two provinces of Hunan and Hubei. The elevation is generally more than 2,000 meters. More than 200 bird species have been recorded, such as Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Temminck’s Tragopan, Black Bulbul, Black Baza, Crested Serpent Eagle, Greater Coucal, Speckled Piculet, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Bay Woodpecker, Green Shrike Babbler, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Yellow-bellied Tit, Collared Finchbill, Mountain Bulbul, Chestnut Bulbul, Pygmy Wren-Babbler, Sooty Bushtit, Buff-throated Warbler, Sulphur-breasted Warbler, Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler, Moustached Laughingthrush, Spotted Laughingthrush, White-throated Laughingthrush, Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Black-headed Sibia, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Yellow-throated Bunting, etc.

Chestnut Bulbul Hemixos castanonotus – ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA

 Up to now, records in Hunan comprise at least seventy bird families, represented by more than 500 species (c.35% of the national total). Among them are 64 nationally protected. Red-billed Leiothrix Leiothrix lutea was chosen as the ‘state bird’ of Hunan Province.

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This page is sponsored by Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA

Top Sites

  • Dongting Lake Wetlands

    InformationSatellite View
    Dongting Lake is the third largest lake in China made up of East, South and West Dongting Lake, Dongting Lake Wetlands Reserve was established in 1982 and upgraded to national level reserve in 1994. It was accepted in the list of Ramsar sites in 2002. According to the survey of 2007, 297 species of birds were recorded in East Dongting Lake, 164 species of birds were recorded in South Dongting Lake and 217 species of birds were recorded in West Dongting Lake. A Bird-watching Festival is held at Dongting Lake each year.

  • Huping Shan Reserve

    InformationSatellite View
    Hupingshan Reserve was granted National Reserve status in 1994. In 1996 the reserve recorded 143 bird species. Among them there are 49 species of summer breeders, 14 species of over-wintering birds and 80 residents. Endangered bird species here include Reeve’s Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii, Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher Rhinomyias brunneata and Silver Oriole Oriolus mellianus.

  • Jiangkou Niaozhou Nature Reserve

    InformationSatellite View
    Jiangkou Niaozhou Nature Reserve, which is 41 kilometers from Hengyang City, is the smallest protected area in the province but has the richest bird fauna. There are 181 regularly recorded bird species here, including the internationally endangered Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus. Endangered bird species include Oriental Stork Cicnia boyciana, Swan Goose Anser cygnoides and Baikal Teal Anas formosa.

  • Wulingyuan

    InformationSatellite View
    Wulingyuan, which UNESCO listed as world heritage site in 1992, lies in the Zhangjiajie region of Hunan Province. It consists of 5 nature reserves: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Zhangjiajie Nature Reserve, Zhangjiajie Giant Salamander Reserve, Tianzishan Nature Reserve and Suoxiyu Nature Reserve. In 1999 this region recorded 31 species of summer breeders and 58 resident birds. Endangered bird species in this region are Elliot’s Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti and Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher Rhinomyias brunneata.
Contributors
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 553

    (As at May 2025)

    tate Bird: Red-billed Leiothrix Leiothrix lutea

Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Hunan , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them.

  • E-Bird

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide.
Useful Reading

  • Birds of China

    | By Liu Yang & Chen Shuihua | Princeton University Press | 2023 | Flexibound | 672 pages, plates with 4000 colour illustrations, colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9780691237527 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Guide to the Birds of China

    | By John MacKinnon | OUP | 2022 | Edition 2 | Paperback | 513 pages, 164 plates with colour illustrations; colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9780192893673 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Useful Information

  • Birding info of Hunan

    Webpage
    The rich geographical types form a rich variety of different habitats, providing a habitat for many wildlife. About 500 bird species have been recorded in Hunan.
Festivals & Bird Fairs

  • 13th Dongting Lake International Bird Watching Festival

    Information
    This year's bird watching festival aims to showcase the beauty of the Dongting Lake, the natural scenery of bird watching spots, the new achievements of the comprehensive treatment of the ecological environment of the Dongting Lake, and Yueyang's progress in ecological civilization construction. The event will continuously help increase the popularity of the ecological brand—the Dongting Lake International Birdwatching Festival, and further promote the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature.
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • NFP Zhangjiajie

    InformationSatellite View
    …there are 27 species of beasts, 41 species of birds. Musk deer, civet, blue sheep, giant salamander and other animals are listed under the state protection…

  • NNR Dupangling

    InformationSatellite View
    The protected area mainly protects the most typical and representative vegetation and forest ecosystems in the subtropical transitional zone, it is a forest ecosystem.

  • NNR Huping Shan

    InformationSatellite View
    Hupingshan Reserve was granted National Reserve status in 1994. In 1996 the reserve recorded 143 bird species. Among them there are 49 species of summer breeders, 14 species of over-wintering birds and 80 residents. Endangered bird species here include Reeve’s Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii, Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher Rhinomyias brunneata and Silver Oriole Oriolus mellianus.

  • NNR Nanyue Hengshan

    InformationSatellite View

  • NR Dongdong Tinghu

    InformationSatellite View
    The Reserve has been listed as a Wetland of International Importance. Its main protection targets are wetland and rare bird species. A freshwater lake with numerous smaller lakes and ponds, marsh, swamp and wet grassland fed by flooding from the Yangtze and four other rivers…

  • NR Jiangkou Niaozhou

    InformationSatellite View
    The nature reserve is 35 km from Hengyang City, on the lower Lai He River, and is formed by the islands of Chenzhou, Zhangzhou and Longzhou.

  • NR Suoxi Valley

    InformationSatellite View
    The Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve is situated in the northeast section of the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area of Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province. China’s largest karst cave is located here as well as a lake among the narrow gorges, and the rolling mountains of different shapes...

  • NR Tianzishan

    WebpageSatellite View
    The Tianzi Mountian is located in between Sangzhi County, Suoxi Valley and Zhangjiajie and is one of the four scenic zones in Wulingyuan.

  • WWT Nan Dongting

    InformationSatellite View
    Located in the southern part of Dongting Lake, the largest lake on the plains of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the site supports important numbers of endangered Oriental Stork Ciconia boyciana and Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus…
Sightings, News & Forums
Guides & Tour Operators

  • Alpine Birding

    Tour Operator
    Birding trips here are made for avid birders including yearly-run trips and new China birding trips developed by AlpineBirding team and guided by our bird experts in the best.

  • Zhangjiajie Tours

    Local Guiding
    The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is a unique national forest located in Zhangjiajie City in northern Hunan Province in China, about 32km away from the downtown of Zhangjiajie City. Covering an area of of 4,810 ha. It is one of several national parks within the Wulingyuan Scenic Area.

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