vietnam birds

Deciduous forests in Vietnam can be found in the dry low-lying areas of the west-central and southern regions, particularly near the border with eastern Cambodia. There are two types of deciduous forests in Vietnam: dry dipterocarp forest and mixed deciduous forest. Dry dipterocarp forest is found in drier areas on poor soil, with a canopy dominated by dipterocarp trees and an open grassy understory. It is not as rich in bird species as lowland evergreen or semi-evergreen forests due to the lack of a midstory. Typical species found in this forest type include woodpeckers and parakeets.

Mixed deciduous forest occurs in areas with more nutrient-rich soil, resulting in a more diverse vegetation mix of varied tree species and often some bamboo. This forest type is richer in bird species than dry dipterocarp forest, as it has a middle story, and bird communities are similar to those found in lowland evergreen forests.

Vietnam’s native coniferous forest on the Dalat Plateau, at the southern extremity of the Annamites, is dominated by Benguet pine, Pinus kesiya, also known as three-needled pine. Bird diversity in this forest type is low compared to most others, but some key species such as Slender-billed Oriole, Red Crossbill and the endemic Langbian Tit and Vietnamese Greenfinch are almost entirely restricted to this habitat. At higher elevations on the Dalat Plateau, conifer species including two endemic pines, Krempf’s pine Pinus krempfi and Dalat pine Pinus dalatensis, are mixed with montane evergreen forest, and bird communities here are very similar to those in montane evergreen forest. Conifer species such as the cypress Taiwania and the highly-prized Fokienia grow in montane forests of the Hoang Lien range in the far north-west of Vietnam.

This forest type is an evergreen forest that grows in areas of limestone and on limestone outcrops, often sculpted into striking karst formations with sharp jagged peaks. It is found in parts of northern and central Vietnam, and is an important habitat for several limestone specialists such as Limestone Leaf-warbler, Greyish Limestone-babbler and the near endemics Sooty Babbler and Nonggang Babbler.

Freshwater wetlands in Vietnam include rivers, lakes and marshes. The bird communities of all these habitats have suffered as a result of human exploitation and encroachment. Typical riverine birds such as River Lapwing, Masked Finfoot, White-winged Duck and Blyth’s Kingfisher are rare, and some are on the verge of extinction in the country.
Many artificial lakes and reservoirs have been created throughout the country in recent years, but perhaps due to pressure from hunting or simply being unsuitable, they attract few birds. Several protected areas incorporating fresh water wetlands throughout Vietnam provide an important refuge for waterbirds such as crakes, rails, storks, ibises, bitterns, herons, egrets, cormorants and Oriental Darter, as well as small numbers of wintering ducks.

One of the most threatened habitats in Vietnam, seasonally inundated grasslands, once covered large areas of southern Vietnam, particularly the Mekong Delta region bordering Cambodia. Much of the original grassland has been converted to agriculture and only a few fragments now remain. Bird species restricted to this habitat in Vietnam include dwindling numbers of wintering Sarus Cranes.