Shanghai Municipality
Shanghai is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowing through it. The population of the city proper is the second largest in the world after Chongqing, while the urban area is the most populous in China, with over 30 million residents. It is one of the world’s major centres for finance, business and economics, research, science and technology, manufacturing, transportation, tourism, and culture. The Port of Shanghai is the world’s busiest container port.
Shanghai is located on the Yangtze Estuary of China’s east coast, with the Yangtze River to the north and Hangzhou Bay to the south, with the East China Sea to the east. The land is formed by the Yangtze’s natural deposition and modern land reclamation projects. As such, it has sandy soil, and skyscrapers have to be built with deep concrete piles to avoid sinking into the soft ground. The provincial-level Municipality of Shanghai administers both the estuary and many of its surrounding islands. It borders the provinces of Zhejiang to the south and Jiangsu to the west and north. The municipality’s northernmost point is on Chongming Island, which is the second-largest island in mainland China after its expansion during the 20th century. It does not administratively include an exclave of Jiangsu on northern Chongming or the two islands forming Shanghai’s Yangshan Port, which are parts of Zhejiang’s Shengsi County.
Shanghai is located on an alluvial plain. As such, the vast majority of its 6,340 km2 (2,448 square miles) land area is flat, with an average elevation of 13 feet asl. A tidal flat ecosystem exists around the estuary; however, it has long been reclaimed for agricultural purposes. The city’s few hills, such as She Shan, lie to the southwest, and its highest point is the peak of Dajinshan Island 338 feet in Hangzhou Bay.
Shanghai has many rivers, canals, streams, and lakes, and it is known for its rich water resources as part of the Lake Tai drainage basin. Central Shanghai is bisected by the Huangpu River, a man-made tributary of the Yangtze. The historic centre of the city was located on the west bank of the Huangpu (Puxi), near the mouth of Suzhou Creek, connecting it with Lake Tai and the Grand Canal. The central financial district, Lujiazui, has been established on the east bank of the Huangpu (Pudong). Along Shanghai’s eastern shore, the destruction of local wetlands due to the construction of Pudong International Airport has been partially offset by the protection and expansion of a nearby shoal, Jiuduansha, as a nature preserve.
Jiuduansha – ©Jiangmy CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate with an average annual temperature of 17 °C. The city experiences four distinct seasons. Winters are temperate to cold and damp as northwesterly winds from Siberia can cause nighttime temperatures to drop below freezing. Each year, there are an average of 5 days with snowfall and 2 days with snow cover. Summers are hot and humid, and occasional downpours or thunderstorms can be expected. On average, 15 days exceed 35 °C annually. In summer and the beginning of autumn, the city is susceptible to typhoons. The most pleasant seasons are generally spring, although changeable and often rainy, and autumn, which is usually sunny and dry. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 28% in June to 46% in August, the city receives 1,754 hours of bright sunshine annually.
Xujiahui Park – ©Morgenmauer CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Shanghai has an extensive public park system with 670 parks, of which 280 have free admission. The People’s Square Park, located in the heart of central Shanghai, is especially well known for its proximity to other major landmarks in the city. Fuxing Park, located in the former French Concession, features formal French-style gardens and is surrounded by high-end bars and cafes. Zhongshan Park, in western central Shanghai, is famous for its monument of Chopin, the tallest statue dedicated to the composer in the world. The park features sakura and peony gardens and a 150-year-old platanus and it also serves as an interchange hub in the metro system. One of Shanghai’s newer parks is the Xujiahui Park, which has an artificial lake with a sky bridge running across the park. Shanghai Botanical Garden is located 12 km southwest of the city centre, but the largest botanical garden in Shanghai is Shanghai Chen Shan Botanical Garden. Other notable parks in Shanghai include Lu Xun Park, Century Park, Gucun Park, Gongqing Forest Park, and Jing’an Park.
Birding Shanghai
Despite the density and sheer size of Shanghai’s population and urbanisation there are still places to see birds. Top is still, despite encroaching reclamation etc, is Cape Nanhui. Its tiny forest is a natural migrant trap for flycatchers, robins and thrushes in particular, with Japanese Paradise Flycatcher being regular. The remaining wetland areas are good for herons and waders such as Asian Dowitcher and, if you are lucky, Black-faced Spoonbill. Off the cape is the Zhouyshan Archipeligo with Lesser Yangshen Island another great area during migration, moreover there are breeding Meadow Buntings.
Siberian Rubythroat Calliope calliope – ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA
In built-up Shanghai proper there are many city parks with common resident species and migrants if you are in the right place at the right time. Century Park in Pudong stands out. Target species are Red-flanked Bluetail, Daurian Redstart, Yellow-bellied Tit, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler and White’s Thrush in winter. The park has breeding Chinese Blackbird, Vinous-throated Parrotbill and Azure-winged Magpies among others. Bayside National Forest Park, Hangzhou Bay, is the most extensive woodland in Shanghai, lots of the birds here can be seen nowhere else in the municipality treepies, cuckoos and cuckoo-shrikes among them.
Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus – ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA
Binjiang Forest Park, a great place to see Japanese Waxwings in winter is another good birding area as are Gongqing Forest Park where Fairy Pitta has occasionally been spotted and Shanghai Botanical Gardens.
The most important nature reserve is Chongming Dongtan National Bird Sanctuary and Nature Reserve, which is a large alluvial island in the mouth of the Yangtze. Access is limited but with luck you may see Hooded Cranes in winter.
To the west of the actual city Qingpu and Songjiang have different habitat with patches of wetland and wooded areas. Top targets here are Orange-bellied Leafbird and Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher.
This page is sponsored by Alpine Birding
This page is sponsored by Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA
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Birding Sites around Shanghai
InformationThis page describes some of the major birding areas in the Shanghai region. On the map below, click on any of the markers for brief details about the location. More information about sites is presented below. Hyperlinks to locations take you to pages with even more details.
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Philip He
Alpine Birding
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Wikipedia
Information
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Number of bird species: 536
(As at June 2025)
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Avibase
PDF ChecklistThis checklist includes all bird species found in Shanghai , 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 ChecklistThis 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.
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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 -
Birds of Nanhui Shanghai
| By Kai Pflug | Huayu Nature Book Trade Co.Ltd | 2018 | Paperback | 184 pages, 380 colour photos | Text Chinese & English | ISBN: 9787202126158 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Chongming Dongtan Habitats for Birds
| By Shanghai Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve | Huayu Nature Book Trade Co.Ltd | 2009 | Paperback | 108 pages, colour photos | ISBN: 9787503854026 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 -
HKBWS Field Guide to the Birds of Hong Kong and South China [English / Chinese]
| By Hong Kong Birdwatching Society | HKBS | 2022 | Edition 9 | Paperback | 372 pages, plates with colour illustrations | ISBN: 9789627508342 Buy this book from NHBS.com
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Shanghai Birding
WebsiteWelcome to Shanghai Birding, a Web site dedicated to the study and celebration of the birds of Earth’s largest city. Amid the daily activity of 24.2 million people in China’s economic heart, and despite unremitting environmental pressure, a rich collection of birds exists here–445 species in the municipality alone. Parks in the urban center hold many species, but it is the areas along the East China Sea and mouth of the Yangtze River that show the most diversity, especially during migration season. Nearby coastal sites such as Yangkou in Jiangsu and mountainous areas in Zhejiang add to the birding richness of the Shanghai region. -
Wild Bird Society of Shanghai
Website[Site in Chinese] Wild Bird Society of Shanghai was founded voluntarily by a group of people who care about the protection of wild birds in 2005. It is an independent organization under the leadership of Shanghai Wildlife Conservation Association with 41 members. It is committed to conducting surveys and monitoring wild birds in Shanghai and the surrounding areas, saving wild birds and the promotion of bird-watching and the protection of habit
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IBA Cape Nanhui Marsh
InformationSatellite View...home of Reed Parrotbill and dozens of other species, and part of the large reed beds on the Dazhi River at Cape Nanhui. In the face of manic development, and in spite of being under no protection, Cape Nanhui conserves the best reed beds on the Shanghai Peninsula as well as mudflats critical to tens of thousands of migrating shorebirds. To save these treasures, Shanghai people must act now. -
NNR Chongming Dongtan
InformationSatellite ViewAn extensive area of fresh and salt water marshes, tidal creeks, and intertidal mudflats at the eastern end of Chongming Island, a lowlying alluvial island in the mouth of the Yangtze River, which supports farmland, fish and crab ponds, and extensive reedbeds. The site is a staging and wintering site for millions of birds… -
NR & IBA Jiuduansha
InformationSatellite ViewLocated on the eastern coast of Shanghai. The IBA is an estuary in the outmost part of the Yangtze, which includes four sandy islands and the adjacent water. There are no permanent human residents, only occasional visits by fishermen. The reserve aims to protect the estuarine ecosystem. The area is located in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, and large numbers of shorebirds occur on passage. It is also the major wintering area for ducks and geese in Shanghai.
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eBird
SightingseBirding This Month
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Alpine Birding
Local Tour OperatorBirding 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 -
Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA
Tour OperatorBird-Photo-Tours ASIA is the specialists in bird photography tours on the Asian continent with a portfolio of 50 bird photography tours across 26 countries and a particular specialism in bird photography in China including the municipality of Shanghai. -
BirdQuest
Tour OperatorOur Eastern China birding tour will begin at the city of Shanghai, China’s largest, where we will go looking for the localized endemic Reed Parrotbill and the rare, range-restricted Marsh Grassbird. At this time of year, we could easily find some interesting migrant passerines along the shore. -
China Birding Tours
Local Tour OperatorBird Tours Throughout China Including Tibet Plateau -
Shanghai Birding
Local Tour OperatorWe take business travellers to the hot spots in and around Shanghai. -
Summer Wong Bird Tours
Local Tour OperatorBirding in Shanghai & Rudong for Migratory and Resident Birds
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2016 [02 February] - Craig Brelsford
ReportShanghai-area Autumn & Winter Birding, 2015-16 By Craig Brelsford and Elaine Du -
2018 [12 December] - Måns Grundsten
PDF Report...Century Park, Shanghai. We birded mainly the forested western part of the park. 1 White's Thrush. 2 Good area. Grey-backed Thrush... -
2019 [12 December] - Summer Wong
PDF ReportSE China birding tour - Shanghai, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Henan, Fujian -
2025 [03 March] - Summer Wong
ReportEastern China Report -
2025 [03 March] - Summer Wong
ReportEastern China Report 2
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The Birds of Shanghai
WebsiteEvery birder in the Shanghai region should have three field guides: Birds of East Asia by Mark Brazil, A Field Guide to the Birds of China by John MacKinnon and Karen Phillipps, and the Collins Bird Guide by Lars Svensson, Dan Zetterström, and Killian Mullarney. If you do most of your birding around Shanghai and can have just one, then make it Brazil.
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Photographer - Kai Pflug
GalleryAs I am based in Shanghai, the section "Birds of Shanghai" has by far the largest number of photos. In particular, there are many photos taken at Nanhui, a coastal location at the southeast of Shanghai.