Bird-watching at Doi Inthanon National Park can be a fun and an interesting way to discover nature at a leisurely pace. As you read this article you will learn more about Doi Inthanon than just birds but also about the environment in which they live.

Of the total of 382 species of birds and 1600 species and subspecies of Butterflies are so far known from Doi Inthanon, at least 266 bird species are resident or were formerly resident on the mountain. The status of a further 12 bird species is unclear, but breeding is suspected in many of these. The remainder (104 species) are non-breeding winter bird visitors or passage migrants.

Here is my up to date list of birds I have spotted in the park. You can go to our Thailand birds pictures page to see photos of some of the birds at Doi Inthanon National Park.

See the video of us birding in the park and many colorful birds found only at Doi Inthanon. Included are the Golden Throated Barbet, Chestnut-crowned Laughing Thrush, Green-tailed Sunbird, Siberian Blue Robin, Oriental Magpie Robin, Yellow-cheeked Tit, maroon Oriole, Grey-chinned Minivet, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Streaked Spiderhunter, Common Buzzard, Red-throated Flycatcher, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Grey Wagtail, Blue Whistling Thrush, Grey-backed Shrike, White-throated Kingfisher, Flavesent Bulbul, Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Dark-backed Sibia, White-capped Water Redstart, Dark-sided Thrush, Duarian Leafbird, Blue-throated Barbet, Blue-winged leafbird, Pied Bushchat, Plumbeous Redstart, Short-billed Minivet, Black-crested Bulbul.

Here is the lastest video taken Feb. 11 and 12, 2009. Got a real good shot of the Blue-whistling Thrush and Green-tailed Sunbird. Other birds include the Grey-cheeked Fulveta, Asian Emerald Cuckoo (female), Blue-winged Leafbird, Grey-eyed Bulbul, Rufous-backed Sibia, Scarlet Minivet, Ashy Drongo, Ashy Bulbul, Black-crested Bulbul, Pale-blue Flycatcher, Blue-throated Barbet, Crested Serpent Eagle and Barn Swallow.

If the known distribution of species is examined in relation to ecological zone, it can be seen that by far the highest species total has been recorded in the moist, tall hill evergreen forest lying between 1500 and 2000 meters (Zone 2). While this may be partly due to coverage (some other vegetation types, for example, pine forest, are less frequently visited by birdwatchers and certainly support a few more species than recorded here) this nevertheless does appear to accurately reflect the real differences in bird species diversity among these various zones. The small area of hill evergreen forest above 2000 meters (Zone 1), has probably been covered even more intensively than Zone 2 and although it supports a number of rare and local high elevation species which are not found elsewhere, it yet supports fewer species overall than does Zone 2.

A surprisingly large total (139 species) has been recorded from deforested areas and cultivation above 1000 m (Zone 4). However, only 59% of the species in this zone are resident, compared with 78% in Zone 2. Fewer species still have been recorded from the deciduous habitats (Zones 6 and 7).

Doi Inthanon is of particular conservation importance for those species which inhabit the moist hill evergreen forests of the upper slopes. Some, such as the Chestnut-tailed Minla and White-browed Shortwing, which are abundant around the summit of Doi Inthanon, occur in Thailand only on those few higher mountain summits which have considerable areas of hill evergreen forest above 1800 m. Doi Inthanon contains the only significant protected populations of such species in Thailand. The Ashy-throated Leaf-Warbler is found nowhere else in Thailand while an endemic race of the Green-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga nipa/ensis angkanensis) is also completely confined to the summit of Doi Inthanon. Both species are among the more abundant birds found around the summit of the mountain.

Doi Inthanon comprises some of the tallest and best preserved montane forest found anywhere in the entire country. The predominance of massive, huge-boled trees may be of particular significance for trunk-foraging species such as the Brown-throated Treecreeper. The profusion of epiphytes and the lush, moist understorey also contribute to the great variety of foraging niches for small, insectivorous birds.

Many larger birds, such as the white-winged wood duck and most hornbills, have probably been extirpated due to hunting pressure. Great hornbills were last reported by Dickinson ( 1964) and although a single rufous-necked hornbill (a species which is threatened throughout its world range from the Himalayas across to Northern Indochina) was reliably seen as recently as 1986, it is however, appear to have fared better: black eagle, rufous-bellied eagle, and mountain hawk-eagle are all frequently seen. Although both galliformes and pigeons have also suffered adversely from illegal hunting, some species are still fairly common.

WHEN TO WATCH BIRDS ON DOI INTHANON

Doi Inthanon is good for birdwatching throughout the year though perhaps the best time is from February through to April when most resident species are breeding and, in addition, a full complement of winter visitors is usually present. Also, during the early part of the breeding season many of the resident species are more inclined to be singing or calling and are therefore more easily located.

The early wet season, during May to July, is also a very interesting time for the birdwatcher, especially since many species are still feeding fledged young. In addition, some ground feeding species such as pittas and thrushes, which favor wetter conditions, now start to breed. Though showers are fairly frequent at this time, the weather is seldom bad enough to interfere too much with birdwatching, unless you are unlucky enough to time your arrival on the mountain with the passage of a deep monsoon trough. Later in the wet season, however, rain is more of a problem, particularly around the summit, which can be blanketed in mist and rain for days on end. This period, from July onwards to October, is usually the quietest period for birds, though even then, many interesting observations can be made. It is a particularly good time to look out for passage migrants and for the return of the first winter visitors.

Here is the detailed information about the park and where to spot the different species