Birding, Lists

The 5 Best Chinese Provinces For Birding

January 2, 2025 by Kai Pflug 1 Comment

It is not true that voting is not allowed in China. I asked about 10 Chinese birders about the best Chinese provinces for birding and did not run into any problems whatsoever. So, here are the results.

1 – Yunnan (892 species on eBird)

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 either only be found in Yunnan, or have a bigger 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.

Here are a few personal favorites among the Yunnan species:

  • Babblers such as the Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Cachar Wedge-billed Babbler
  • White-speckled Laughingthrush
  • Fire-tailed Myzornis
  • Great Barbet
  • Blue-winged Minla
  • Blue-bearded Bee-eater
  • Common Green Magpie
  • Greater Flameback
  • Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler

2 – Sichuan (669 species on eBird)

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.

Some favored species:

  • Blood Pheasant
  • Blue-fronted Redstart
  • Giant Laughingthrush
  • Chinese Monal
  • Chinese Rubythroat
  • Grandala
  • Golden Pheasant
  • Snow Partridge
  • Ashy-throated Parrotbill
  • Lady Amherst’s Pheasant

Blood Pheasant

3 – Qinghai (426 species on eBird)

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 the Qinghai Lake, the area around Chaka, and Dulan country.

Some personal species highlights:

  • Bearded Vulture
  • Ala Shan Redstart
  • Black-necked Crane
  • Chinese White-browed Rosefinch
  • Daurian Partridge
  • Ibisbill
  • Ground Tit
  • White-browed Tit-warbler
  • Mongolian Ground-jay
  • Przevalski’s Finch
  • Pale Rosefinch
  • Tibetan Bunting,
  • Tibetan Rosefinch
  • Bar-headed Goose

Mongolian Ground-jay

4 – Fujian (568 species on eBird)

Fujian is a coastal province somewhat south of Shanghai, and part of its attraction comes from its coastal location and relatively mild climate. Personally, I probably would not have included it in my personal top 5, but maybe I just have not realized its potential yet (I have only been there twice, and not to Wuyishan yet).

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.

Species I saw and enjoyed in Fujian:

  • Fork-tailed Sunbird
  • Orange-bellied Leafbird
  • Elliot’s Pheasant
  • Cabot’s Tragopan
  • Silver Pheasant
  • Red-headed Trogon

Elliot’s Pheasant

5 – Xinjiang (409 species on eBird)

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.

And a few species I hope to see there eventually:

  • Black-throated Accentor
  • Blue-capped Redstart
  • Great White Pelican
  • Golden Eagle
  • Montagu’s Harrier

To be a bit more specific, 60% of the respondents voted for Qinghai, 50% for Fujian, and 40% for Xinjiang (it is safe to assume that almost everyone would have voted for Yunnan and Sichuan).

Which other provinces were mentioned as well?

  • Guangxi (30%)
  • Jiangxi (20%)
  • Hainan (20%)
  • Shanghai (20%)
  • Xizang (10%)
  • Jiangsu (10%)
  • Shaanxi (10%)

Apart from 10 birders (thus the round numbers in the results), I also asked ChatGPT. Its choices are quite similar to the results of my straw poll – it only replaces Xinjiang with Guangdong, a slightly weird choice if you ask me.

So, for those birders coming to China for the first time, Yunnan or Sichuan are probably the best choices. While Sichuan has fewer species, the province might turn out to be more interesting to those birders already familiar with some of the birds of Southeast Asia, as these are also a major attraction of Yunnan.

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai Pflug has been living in Shanghai for 20 years. He only became interested in birds in China – so he is much more familiar with birds in China than with those in Germany. While he will only ever be an average birder, he aims to be a good bird photographer and has created a website with bird photos as proof. He hopes not too many clients of his consulting company read this blog, as they will doubt his dedication to providing consulting services related to China`s chemical industry. Whenever he wants to shock other birders, he tells them his (indoor) cats can distinguish several warblers by taste.