Khao Yai National Park

Khao Yai National Park Thailand

This is one of South-East Asia�s most famous birding sites and has long been the most popular national park in Thailand with foreign visitors. The main habitat of the 2,168km2 park is dry evergreen and semi-evergreen dipterocarp forest which supports an excellent range of birds including such sought-after species as Scaly-breasted Partridge and Siamese Fireback-Pheasant, Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo, Green-eared Barbet and Eared and Blue Pittas. Other habitats include Podocarpus forest above 1,000, secondary-growth woodland and savanna.

Other birds to be seen here include a wide range of pigeon and parrots, owls, nightjars and hornills, kingfishers including Banded, barbets and woodpeckers such as Heart-spotted and Great Slaty. As well as South-East Asian forest birds the area attracts many wintering migrants from further north which include Forest Wagtail, Siberian Blue Robin and many species of warbler and flycatcher.

Mammlas at Khao Yai include Sambar and Barking Deer, Asiatic Elephant, Black Giant Squirrel, Pig-tailed Macaque and White-handed Gibbon. In addition there are carnivores including Tiger and Leopard Cat, Asian Black and Sun Bears, Hog Badger and Binturong.

Khao Yai is situated about 160km north-east of Bangkok and the HQ can be reached by bus from the capital. For those with their own transport leave Bangkok on Highway 1, turning onto Highway 2 about 1km before Saraburi and then onto Highway 2090 about 5km before Pak Chong. The park entrance is at km23 on this road and the HQ at km37. Many species can be seen in the HQ area but the trails need to be taken for the more elusive species. Trail 1 is good for Eared Pitta, Trail 6 for Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo and Trail 7 for Banded Kingfisher. Hotel accommodation can be found at Pak Chong but it is hoped the accommodation vithin the park, which was closed in the early 1990s, will be reopened.

Birds

Birds you can see here include:

Little Grebe, Spot-billed Pelican, Asian Darter, Purple Heron, Little Green Heron, Chinese Pond Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Malasian Night-Heron, Yellow Bittern, Cinnamon Bittern, Greater Adjutant Stork, Lesser Adjutant Stork, Cotton Pygmy-Goose, Jerdon's Baza, Black Baza, Oriental, Black-shouldered Kite, Black Kite, Grey-headed Fishing-Eagle, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Pied Harrier, Northern Goshawk, Besra Sparrowhawk, Asian Crested Goshawk, Shikra, Grey-faced Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Indian Black Eagle, Booted Eagle, Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle, Crested, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Collared, Common Kestrel, Oriental Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Chinese Francolin, Blue-breasted Quail, Scaly-breasted Partridge, Silver Pheasant, Siamese Fireback-Pheasant, Red Junglefowl, Yellow-legged Buttonquail, Barred Buttonquail, Slaty-legged Crake, Ruddy-breasted Crake, White-breasted Waterhen, Common Moorhen, Masked Finfoot, Black-winged Stilt, Oriental Pratincole, Pacific Golden Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Spotted Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Pintail Snipe, Eurasian Woodcock, White-winged Tern, Pin-tailed Green-Pigeon, Wedge-tailed Green-Pigeon, Thick-billed Green-Pigeon, Pompadour Green-Pigeon, Orange-breasted Green-Pigeon, Green Imperial-Pigeon, Mountain Imperial-Pigeon, Feral Rock Dove, Pale-capped Pigeon, Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Oriental Turtle-Dove, Red Turtle-Dove, Spotted Turtle-Dove, Emerald, Red-breasted Parakeet, Blossom-headed Parakeet, Vernal Hanging-Parrot, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Large Hawk-Cuckoo, [[Hodgson�s Hawk-Cuckoo]], Oriental Cuckoo, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Plaintive Cuckoo, Asian Emerald-Cuckoo, Drongo Cuckoo, Green-billed Malkoha, Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo, Greater Coucal, Lesser Coucal, Bay Owl, Mountain Scops-Owl, Oriental Scops-Owl, Collared Scops Owl, Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Buffy, Collared Owlet, Asian Barred Owlet, Brown Hawk-Owl, Spotted Owlet, Brown Wood-Owl, Javan Frogmouth, Great Eared-Nightjar, Jungle Nightjar, Long-tailed Nightjar, Himalayan Swiftlet, White-throated Spinetail Swift, White-vented Spinetail, Brown, Fork-tailed Swift, House Swift, Asian Palm-Swift, Orange-breasted Trogon, Red-headed Trogon, Common Kingfisher, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Black-backed Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Banded Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, White-breasted, Black-capped Kingfisher, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Indian Roller, Eastern Broad-billed Roller, Brown Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Indian Pied Hornbill, Great Hornbill, Lineated Barbet, Green-eared Barbet, Moustached Barbet, Blue-eared Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, Eurasian Wryneck, White-browed Piculet, Rufous Woodpecker, Laced Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Greater Yellow-naped Woodpecker, Lesser Yellow-naped Woodpecker, Common Goldenback, Black-and-Buff Woodpecker, Great Slaty Woodpecker, White-bellied Woodpecker, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Greater Goldenback, Dusky Broadbill, Banded Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Long-tailed Broadbill, Blue-winged Pitta, Hooded Pitta, Blue Pitta, Eared Pitta, Sand Martin, Dusky Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Asian House Martin, Forest Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Richard's Pipit, Indochinese Cuckoo-Shrike, Dark-Grey, Rosy Minivet, Ashy Minivet, Small Minivet, Scarlet Minivet, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Large Wood-Shrike, Black-headed Bulbul, Black-crested Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Sooty-headed, Stripe-throated Bulbul, Olivaceous Bearded, Grey-eyed Bulbul, Ashy Bulbul, Black Bulbul, Common Iora, Great Iora, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Blue-winged Leafbird, Asian Fairy-Bluebird, Tiger Shrike, Brown Shrike, Burmese Shrike, Grey-backed Shrike, Long-tailed, Siberian Rubythroat, Siberian Blue Robin, Bluethroat, White-rumped Shama, Slaty-backed Forktail, White-crowned Forktail, Stonechat, Grey Bushchat, White-throated Rock-Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Blue Whistling-Thrush, Orange-headed Ground-Thrush, Siberian Ground-Thrush, White's Ground-Thrush, Eye-browed Thrush, Abbott's Babbler, Spotted, Scaly-crowned Babbler, Long-billed, Slaty-headed, Striped Tit-Babbler, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, Black-throated Laughingthrush, White-crested Laughingthrush, White-browed, Chestnut-fronted Shrike-Babbler, White-bellied Yuhina, Stub-tailed Bush-Warbler(Nov-Mar), Spotted Bush-Warbler, Lanceolated Warbler, Oriental Great Reed-Warbler, Thick-billed Reed-Warbler, Black-browed Reed-Warbler, Blunt-winged Reed-Warbler, Bright-capped Cisticola, Rufescent, Franklin's, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Common, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Dusky Warbler, Radde's Warbler, Pallas's Leaf, Yellow-browed Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Two-barred Greenish Warbler, Pale-legged Willow Warbler, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Blyth's Crowned Warbler, White-tailed Willow Warbler, Black-browed, Yellow-eyed, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher-Warbler, Siberian, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Ferruginous Flycatcher, Indian Verditer Flycatcher, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Red-throated Flycatcher, Little Pied Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Vivid Niltava, Hainan, Hill Blue Niltava, Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Black-naped Blue Monarch, Asian Paradise-Flycatcher, Sultan Tit, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Thick-billed Flowerpecker, Yellow-vented Flowerpecker, Plain Flowerpecker, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Green-backed, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Olive-backed Sunbird, Purple Sunbird, Black-throated Sunbird, Yellow-backed, Little Spiderhunter, Chestnut-flanked White-eye, Oriental Whte-eye, Yellow-breasted Bunting, Chestnut Bunting, Black-tailed, Scaly-breasted Munia, Pin-tailed Parrotfinch, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Plain-backed Sparrow, Ashy-headed, Black-collared Starling, White-shouldered, Common Mynah, White-vented Mynah, Golden-crested Mynah, Hill Mynah, Black-naped Oriole, Asian Black-headed Oriole, Maroon Oriole, Silver Oriole, Black Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Crow-billed Drongo, Bronzed Drongo, Lesser Racquet-tailed Drongo, Spangled Drongo, Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo, Ashy Woodswallow, Common Jay, Green Magpie, Black Racquet-tailed Magpie, Large-billed

Content and images originally posted by Steve