Winged Wonders of the Mountain Kingdom

 

Bhutan has been protected by both its isolation within the Himalayas and the topography of its mountainous land, resulting in over 70% of the land remaining forested with approximately 25% protected by 10 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. The diverse range of environments varies from sub-tropical at 150 m to alpine over 4,500 m, supporting a natural habitat and wide range of ecosystems with rich and varied bird-life, flora and fauna. Our Bhutanese tour leader is a birding expert and an accredited naturalist who will ensure that your trip through this varied and beautiful landscape is full of birding excellence.

Birdwatchers will find themselves in breathtaking surroundings looking for legendary species in pristine and seemingly endless forests, such as Himalayan Monal, Satyr Tragopan, Blood Pheasant, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Ward’s Trogon, Beautiful Nuthatch, Himalayan Cutia, Black-necked Crane, White-bellied Heron, and a whole host of other spectacular species, including the recently split Black-rumped Magpie.

The birding journey begins as you enter the country at Samdrup Jongkhar. Along this drive one can keep an eye out in the fields for the rare Lesser and Greater Adjutants, Little Cormorant, White-throated Kingfisher, or spend time birding once you reach, looking for Indian Pond and Striated Herons, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little and Eastern Cattle Egret, Pied Myna, Common Myna, Great Myna, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Common and Mountain Tailorbirds, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Black-hooded Oriole, Common Iora, Green Bee-eater and with a bit of luck the very rarely seen Blyth’s Kingfisher, Dark-rumped Swift and Black-backed Forktail.

From there, you can spend time exploring the tropical forest between Samdrup Jongkhar and Deothang. Here, one can look for species such as Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Little and Streaked Spiderhunters, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Blue-eared Barbet, Coppersmith and Lineated Barbets, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Green-billed Malkoha, Long-tailed Sibia, White-rumped Shama, Thick-billed Warbler, Pin-striped Tit- and Grey-throated Babblers, Black-naped Monarch, Asian Fairy-bluebird, Oriental Dollarbird, Oriental Pied, Wreathed & Great Hornbills, Violet Cuckoo, and more.

Birding along Morong and Narphung valleys on the way to Trashigang is also memorable. These superb forests are filled with birds such as Himalayan Shrike-babbler, Himalayan Cutia, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Long-tailed Sibia, Beautiful Nuthatch, Red-tailed and Blue-winged Minlas, Hill Partridge, Kalij Pheasant, Bay and Crimson-breasted Woodpeckers, Greater and Lesser Yellownapes, Golden-throated and Great Barbets, Mountain Tailorbird, Red- headed Trogon, Himalayan Swiftlet, Blyth's and House Swifts, Collared and Asian Barred Owlets, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Besra, Northern Goshawk, Steppe and Bonelli’s Eagles, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Long-tailed and Grey-backed Shrikes, and many more.

 

The warm broadleaf forests of Yongkola provide the perfect environment for many avian species including many of Bhutan’s sought-after birds. It is here in this birding hotspot that one can look for: Ward’s Trogon, Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler and Rufous-throated Wren-babbler , Black-headed Shrike-babbler, Satyr Tragopan, Bar-winged Wren-babbler, Blue-winged Laughingthrush, White-breasted Parrotbill and perhaps Gould’s Shortwing.