10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2021

A typical description of the family is that of “a tropical African and Asian songbird that typically has a melodious voice and drab plumage”, another is “small, dull-colored passerine birds of Asia and Africa”, yet another states that they are “often rather plain” Individual species get even harsher reviews.

South Africa 223

South Africa Malaysia Africa China 223

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2020

Shanghai is located on the coast of the East China Sea and lies right on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. This means that every year, millions of birds fly by the city on their way between their breeding grounds in Northern Asia and their wintering spots in Southeast Asia and Australia. And yet it is. So, there is some hope.

Wildlife Reserve 165

Wildlife Reserve Asia China Birds 165

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2022

While I am still not so sure about China’s sense of humor – though admittedly, the issue is mostly a mismatch between what I think is funny and what the average Chinese thinks is funny, an issue that I have had in other countries as well – the country sure has its fair share of Laughingthrushes. This post shows some of them.

San Diego 205

San Diego Malaysia China Zoos 205

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. While it is listed as Least Concern, it is rare in China – the range map in the HBW barely touches Chinese territory.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

Critter News

JULY 13, 2009

From the China Daily. Eating wild animals is also a traditional practice in southern China. Illegal trade in tiger meat and bones is also alive, continuing to threaten the extinction of an already depleted species, he said. The Chinese want them for exotic foods and for medicine.

China 100

China Wildlife Tigers Endangered Species 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2014

Big news about a small bird broke earlier this month when bird researchers from several nations announced that the species formerly known as Spotted Wren-Babbler ( Spelaeornis formosus ) — a tiny, secretive bird of montane forests from the eastern Himalayas to southeast China — is not a Spelaeornis wren-babbler at all.

Family 269

Family Comoros Asia Birds 269

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2022

Being an island, Mauritius has its share of endemics, extinct endemics (the dodo again), and introduced species. The Red Fody is an introduced species, though from nearby, sort of (Madagascar). Of course, the Common Myna is not a native species either. I saw a few of each group, with the obvious exception of the second one.

Mauritius 223

Mauritius Birds 2000 South Africa 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2018

It divides countries into categories, where the next category has 200 more species. In some cases the data are outdated, e.g. Costa Rica has 900 and not 800 species, but I made no corrections, remaining faithful to the original map data. Shown as a list, it looks like this: Less than 200 bird species: Antarctica; oceanic islands.

Equatorial Guinea 194

Equatorial Guinea Costa Rica Guyana Central African Republic 194

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2019

Despite not being rare in China, this was the first time for me to see Carrion Crow at Nanhui. Always interesting to see the same species both in Germany (in my parents’ garden) and in Shanghai. Grey-faced Buzzards are also on migration in October, passing Nanhui on the way to their wintering grounds in South East Asia.

2019 190

2019 Japan Birds Owls 190

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2022

The new Guide to the Birds of China (John MacKinnon) has been published. This is partly due to hunting in China, where about 90% of the species winter (HBW). I guess it would be wise for Shanghai not to make this species its city bird, as it may not be around for much longer. And it does not even live in reeds.

Raccoons 213

Raccoons Birds Oregon China 213

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

We saw a lot of great birds but only one truly rare one, a species that everyone on that trip will long remember. Unfortunately for me, that special species spotted in the bay separating Hong Kong from China was Red-breasted Merganser. I can spot that bird perfectly well at home!

2014 186

2014 Feral Asia China 186

Critter News

JANUARY 26, 2010

Again, the China connection. I can't read such stuff without being sickened by my species. Thank Animals Asia for the rescue. Tags: taiwan Traditional Chinese Medicine bear bile china asia. Please note that the illegal bile farm was Taiwanese-owned. They are an amazing organization that we support financially.).

Bears 100

Bears Rescue Farming Vietnam 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

Other species probably breeding here – judging from their presence in pairs during the summer months – include Black-winged Cuckooshrike … … Black-naped Oriole … … Lesser Coucal … … And Pied Kingfisher. As a consequence, it was felt that the bird’s name needed to be changed.

Cats 216

Cats Birds Kittens Transported 216

Critter News

OCTOBER 9, 2010

A coordinated international law enforcement operation has led to the arrest of 25 individuals suspected of taking part in the illicit trade of tigers, one of the world's most endangered species. Tags: wildlife smuggling tigers interpol asia endangered species.

International Fund For Animal Welfare 100

International Fund For Animal Welfare Tigers IFAW Nepal 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2012

Oriental Plovers Charadrius veredus are a species of shorebird that we see in varying numbers around Broome and they may be on the beach, feeding on insects across the plains or at the ephemeral lakes. During February there have been astonishingly high numbers some years and this has been as a result of insect activity.

Mongolia 180

Mongolia Asia China Shelters 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2011

The Black Stork ( Ciconia nigra ) has a very wide distribution in the Old World, ranging from Spain (an isolated population) and northern France through central and eastern Europe all across northern and central Asia to the Pacific coast of Russia and China.

Germany 151

Germany Asia China Russia 151

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2015

Admittedly, I might be tempted to compare Temminck’s, Buettikofer’s, Horsfield’s, Abbott’s, or Vanderbilt’s Babblers to Audubon’s, Townsend’s, Kirtland’s and MacGillivray’s Warblers by pointing out that dull scientists went to Asia while more colourful personalities went West.

Vietnam 159

Vietnam Timor Myanmar Asia 159

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2019

The 125 Best Bird Watching Sites in Southeast Asia, edited by Yong Ding Li & Low Bing Wen. And now I am holding the “The 125 Best Bird Watching Sites in Southeast Asia” – an expanded and fully updated second edition of “The 100 Best Birdwatching Sites in Southeast Asia”. As a rule, I like second editions better.

Asia 225

Asia Laos Myanmar Indonesia 225

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2012

Are you or do you know someone who is currently anywhere between the north of Australia and the Bohai Sea in China? Even if you are somewhere on the coast in China…have you seen any Red Knot ? Some appear to go directly to China, but are they stopping somewhere like Sarawak? Have you seen any Red Knot ?

China 170

China New Zealand Australia Asia 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Its natural range in Europe was restricted the the surroundings of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, and in Asia it ranged from Asia Minor to central China. Mute Swans are large, white, and decorative, and as such their natural range has been significantly altered by humans who generally enjoy having them around.

Feral 169

Feral Europe Asia North America 169

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Did I dare dip my toe into this catalog of tantalizing species? Kinabalu (at 13,455 feet the highest peak in southeast Asia), and human development that has resulted in freshwater rice fields, secondary forest, and oil palm plantations, this means that Borneo offers an incredibly high degree of biodiversity. Now, I’m not so sure.

Brunei 174

Brunei Birds Asia China 174

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2014

From a birder’s perspective however, this is both a shame and a blessing, as I will show below based on my observations of the species on the island of Java in November. The prinias are a group of around 25 Old World warbler species found in Africa and Asia. The Brown Prinia is an Asian species with a very peculiar range.

Burma 161

Burma Laos Birds Indonesia 161

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2015

And, of course, the reputation of certain species of birds as troublemakers for humans is a problem in bird conservation, so this is worth watching. H5N2 is a subtype of Influenza A, and infects many species of birds including those mentioned as well as ducks (domestic and wild). Will H5N2 Kill Wild Birds? So, what about wild birds?

Mississippi 175

Mississippi Fowl Turkey Minnesota 175

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

The fins are then utilized in a wide variety of ways, especially in areas of Asia. For example, shark fin soup is a delicacy in most of Asia, especially China. While there are laws in place protecting endangered species of shark from shark finning, international waters are rarely regulated when it comes to the practice.

Sharks 100

Sharks Asia Endangered Species Hunters 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2017

Species searches on eBird reveal that both species might be found in Tokyo, though White’s is much more common, with a few contemporary sightings. Birds of South Asia. So I resorted to the internet. How I wish now that I had not. Further reading brought; page 404, Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma. Reference: Rasmussen, P.C.,

Sri Lanka 100

Sri Lanka Japan India 2005 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2023

Which made the rest of the trip a bit of a waiting period for contracting covid … Apparently, the Large Niltava is Asia’s largest flycatcher. Even in China’s slightly more remote provinces, one is never far away from species with treacherously pornographic names such as Japanese Tit. End of side note). End of side note).

China 147

China Hunting Birds illegal 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2017

I was given my first real field guide to the birds of Europe by my parents, a guide beyond the species found at backyard feeders and city ponds. In 1996, during my university days at Greifswald, I was invited to join an excursion to eastern Kazakhstan, travelling along the Chinese border from Almaty to lake Zaissan and back. For better.

Europe 100

Europe Birds Kazakhstan Russia 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2014

Many of these migratory shorebirds will be heading into the Arctic to breed and some will make a stopover in Asia on their way to their breeding grounds. I have observed Red-necked Stint with an orange flag from Victoria and also blue and yellow flags from Bohai Bay in China, but suddenly I saw two blue flags.

Japan 173

Japan 2012 2013 China 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2016

An article in Birding Asia from 2010 put forward that the bunting could be the next east Asia species to go extinct. The Birdlife International factsheet makes depressing reading and suggests that the IUCN Red list entry for the Jankowski’s Bunting could be uplisted from endangered to critically endangered.

Asia 102

Asia Campaign 2010 Suffering 102

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2014

The species you will shake your fist at after reading this post is the Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka. This handsome little bird has a wide distribution, roaming from north of the Black Sea over central Asia and way, way into China and Mongolia. And isn’t the Kumlien’s Gull an interesting species?

Kazakhstan 165

Kazakhstan Iceland Mongolia Wisconsin 165

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2014

Nick finds a bird-shaped protrusion at the top of the rock – Black-eared Wheatear , not exactly a species I expect to observe from a boat deck. It lives from the Peloponnese and the Aegean Islands across the whole of Asia to the shores of the East China Sea and here I stand at the very edge of the range of this species.

Greece 232

Greece Malta Croatia Birds 232

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

I do not get too many comments on my blog posts, but it seems that whenever I write about jacanas – whether in Africa, Australia, or Asia – there is an unusually high number of reactions (well, maybe one or two rather than the usual zero) from female readers. This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway).

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2022

At this moment, Baihualing is the eBird hotspot in China which has by far the largest number of species – 486. With 398 species, Nanhui is trailing far behind despite being covered by a much larger number of checklists (2225 compared to 608). So, it is certainly justified to cover this spot in more than one post.

Litter 210

Litter China Species Abandon 210

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2021

Instead, I want to talk about those bird species that look like being drawn by a talented cartoonist even when in fact it is just me having taken a photograph. Finally, in my current home continent of Asia, specifically in China’s Yunnan province, broadbills are another example of the adaptability of Larsonidae to different habitats.

Birds 230

Birds China Penguins Asia 230

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2022

When you think of the best birding in the south of Asia, it is Malaysia that comes to mind, although you are likely not to even think of the country as such: you are dreaming of the (Malaysian) province of Sabah, in the north of the island of Borneo. And yet, it easily fits the largest pocket of my reporter’s vest.

Malaysia 238

Malaysia Singapore Asia Birds 238

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2022

On the other hand, for every disturbed Nanhui, there are probably at least 10 coastal places in China that are completely undisturbed, so it all evens out. It seems that at Nanhui, somebody is trying to kill even more than 2 bird(s) (species) with one stone (to be more accurate, not a single stone but a massive amount of concrete).

Cattle 147

Cattle Portugal Buffalo Humane 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2021

These characteristics (well, not the pagoda, I guess) make it an interesting location for birdwatching in Shanghai, with some species that are difficult to find elsewhere. Red-billed Leiothrix are a popular cage bird in China, though I imagine its popularity has declined after the introduction of color television.

China 160

China Hawaii Asia Hunting 160