Sichuan Birding Tour Report

2-21 May 2025

Bird guide : Summer Wong (Wenjuan Wang)

Participants: Christian Dortu, Denis Parkes, Stefan Ambs, Anita Marie Ambs, Theresa Duna, Stefan Hage, Morgan Svensson, Pontus Gronvall, Anders Kornestedt

Gold-fronted Fulvetta photographed in May 2025 at Longcanggou, Sichuan

Gold-fronted Fulvetta © Summer Wong

Birding spots on this tour: Chengdu Qinglong Lake, Dujiangyan, Pingwu, Chuanzhusi ( Gonggangling forest ), Ruoergai ( Baxi forest & Flower Lake), Maerkang ( Mengbishan ), Wolong ( Balangshan ), Wawushan NP, Labahe NR, Erlangshan NR, Longcanggou NR, Hailuogou NP, Kangding (Lianghekou), Pingshan (Tanshi Village)

On our scheduled Sichuan birding tour from May 2–21, 2025, we recorded 322 species, including 37 endemics, as well as other breeding endemics, near-endemics, and highlight birds such as:

16 species of pheasants: Chinese Monal (E), White-eared Pheasant (E), Blue-eared Pheasant (E), Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Golden Pheasant (E), Temminck’s Tragopan (E), Verreaux’s/Chestnut-throated Monal-partridge (E), Tibetan Partridge, Chinese Grouse (E), Snow Partridge, Tibetan Snowcock, Blood Pheasant, Sichuan Partridge (E, heard), Silver Pheasant, Chinese Bamboo Partridge (heard), Common Pheasant

9 species of parrotbills: Grey-hooded Parrotbill (E), Spectacled Parrotbill (E), Golden Parrotbill, Fulvous Parrotbill, Great Parrotbill, Brown Parrotbill, Ashy-throated Parrotbill, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Three-toed Parrotbill (E)

Tawny Fish Owl, Himalayan Owl, Streaked Barwing, Grandala, Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush (E), Plain/Pere David’s Laughingthrush (E), Elliot’s Laughingthrush (E), Barred Laughingthrush (E), Giant Laughingthrush (E), Emei Shan Liocichla (E), Buffy Laughingthrush (E), Black-faced Laughingthrush, Red-winged Laughingthrush, Spotted Laughingthrush, Chinese Babax, Sichuan Jay (E), Salim Ali’s Swift (E), Tibetan Lark, Black-necked Crane, Saker Falcon, Chinese Rubythroat, Siberian Rubythroat, Firethroat, Przevalski’s Finch/Pinktail (E), Three-banded Rosefinch (E), Chinese White-browed Rosefinch, Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch, Pink-rumped Rosefinch, Vinaceous Rosefinch, Sharpe’s Rosefinch, Chinese Long-tailed Rosefinch (E), White-bellied Redstart, Indian Blue Robin, Golden Bush Robin, White-browed Bush Robin, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, Chinese Blue Flycatcher, Pere David’s Tit (E), Sichuan Tit (E), White-browed Tit (E), Yellow-bellied Tit (E), Fire-capped Tit , Ground Tit (E), Sooty Bushtit (hybrid with Black-browed Bushtit), Giant Grey Shrike, Tiger Shrike, Snow Pigeon, Speckled Wood Pigeon, White-backed Woodpecker, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Necklaced Woodpecker, Brown Bullfinch, Gray-headed Bullfinch, Chinese Nuthatch, Przevalski’s Nuthatch, Hodgson’s Treecreeper, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Sichuan Treecreeper (E), Gold-fronted Fulvetta (E), Chinese Fulvetta (E), Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Spectacled Fulvetta, White-browed Tit Warbler, Crested Tit Warbler (E), Maroon-backed Accentor, Pygmy Cupwing, Scaly-breasted Cupwing, Yellow-streaked Warbler, Bianchi’s Warbler, Marten’s Warbler, Grey-crowned Warbler, Alstrom’s Warbler, Emei Leaf Warbler (E), Sichuan Leaf Warbler, Alpine/Tickell’s Leaf Warbler , Humes Leaf Warbler, Claudia’s Leaf Warbler, Kloss’s Leaf Warbler, Chinese Leaf Warbler, Sichuan Bush Warbler (E), Brown Bush Warbler, Grey-sided Bush Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler, Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler, Abberant Bush Warbler, Little Forktail, Sichuan Forest Thrush, Chinese Blackbird (E), Rufous-necked Snowfinch, White-rumped Snowfinch, Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler, Moupinia/ Rufous-tailed Babbler (E), Slaty Bunting (E)

Top five birds on tour (turned out to be many):

No.1 : Chinese Monal, Gold-fronted Fulvetta, Verreaux’s Monal-partridge, Temminck’s Tragopan, Parrotbills (all of them!)

No.2 : Gradala, White-browed Tit Warbler, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Tibetan Lark , Firethroat , Przevalski’s Finch

No.3 : Sharpe’s Rosefinch, Tawny Fish Owl

No.4 : Tibetan Snowcock, Sichuan Jay, Scaly-breasted Cupwing

2-21 May 2025 Sichuan bird tour list with photos: https://ebird.org/tripreport/374628

Sensitive species recorded during the tour but not included in the public ebird trip list: Red-billed Blue-Magpie, Saker Falcon, Emei Shan Liocichla, Buffy Laughingthrush, Ural Owl (Sichuan Wood Owl), Chinese Hwamei