Birds of Vietnam, Bird Species in Vietnam

Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Let's join AdventureGreen on our bird quests to learn about the different birds and bird species in Vietnam. Here you can find out more about the birding spots that these bird species are found.

Phaenicophaeus is a genus of 6 species of cuckoos in the family Cuculidae. The birds are mostly known as Malkoha. 
The English name is derived from the Sinhala word for the red-faced malkoha; mal-koha meaning flower-cuckoo. 
The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek: phoiniko- crimson, and phaes meaning "eyes" or "face", referring to the red-faced malkoha. 

1/ Black-bellied malkoha (Phướn nhỏ, Phaenicophaeus diardi)
diardi New Latin, formed as the genitive singular of a Latinization of Diard, after Pierre-Médard Diard (1794–1863), French naturalist and explorer.

2/ Green-billed malkoha (Phướn lớn, Phaenicophaeus tristis)
tristis sad, unhappy, melancholy

Coral-billed ground cuckoo 
(Phướn đất, Carpococcyx renauldi), also known as Renauld's ground cuckoo

The coral-billed ground cuckoo (Carpococcyx renauldi), also known as Renauld's ground cuckoo, is a large terrestrial species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae.
The bird is found in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Cuculidae: the Latin word cuculus for "cuckoo".
Carpococcyx Greek karpos fruit ( karpos wrist);
kokkux cuckoo.

Carpococcyx is a genus of large terrestrial cuckoos in the family Cuculidae.

1/ Coral-billed ground cuckoo (Phướn đất, Carpococcyx renauldi), also known as Renauld's ground cuckoo

Clamator is a genus of large brood-parasitic cuckoos with crests and graduated tails. The name Clamator is Latin for "shouter" from clamare, "to shout".

1/ Chestnut-winged cuckoo or red-winged crested cuckoo (Khát nước, Clamator coromandus)

Surniculus is a small genus of birds in the cuckoo family whose four members are found in tropical Asia and the Philippines. 

1/ Square-tailed drongo-cuckoo (Cu cu đen, Surniculus lugubris) 
2/ Fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus dicruroides)

Surniculus: possibly from French Surnicou: sournois deceitful; Coucou cuckoo. It is also likely a portmanteau of the genus name Surnia (owl) and Cuculus (cuckoo). It can also be interpreted from Latin as a combination of surnos (or sournos) for "deceitful" and cuculus for "cuckoo," referencing the bird's deceptive nature. 
culus: In Latin, "culus" is a vulgar word meaning "buttocks," "posterior," or "anus". The Latin suffix -culus is a diminutive suffix used to mean "little" or "small," similar to the function of suffixes in both Latin and English. 

Hierococcyx or hawk-cuckoos is a genus of birds in the family Cuculidae. The resemblance to hawks gives this group the generic name of hawk-cuckoos.
The genus is sometimes included in the genus Cuculus.

1/ Large hawk-cuckoo (Chèo chẹo lớn, Hierococcyx sparverioides)
previously assigned as Cuculus sparverioides
2/ Malaysian hawk-cuckoo or Malay hawk-cuckoo (Bìm bịp nhỏ, Hierococcyx fugax)
previously assigned as Cuculus fugax

3/ Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx nisicolor, Chèo chẹo Hodgson)
also known as the whistling hawk-cuckoo

4/ Northern hawk-cuckoo, rufous hawk-cuckoo, or Horsfield's hawk-cuckoo (Chèo chẹo hung, Hierococcyx hyperythrus) 

Cuculiformes, cuculidae: Latin cuculus cuckoo.
Hierococcyx Greek hierax hawk and kokkux cuckoo.

A coucal is one of about 30 species of birds in the cuckoo family. All of them belong in the subfamily Centropodinae and the genus Centropus. 
The genus name combines the Ancient Greek: kentron meaning "spur" or "spike", pous meaning "foot".


1/ Greater coucal or crow pheasant (Bìm bịp lớn, Centropus sinensis)
2/ Lesser coucal (Bìm bịp nhỏ, Centropus bengalensis) 

Cuculus is a genus of cuckoos which has representatives in most of the Old World with the greatest diversity in tropical southern and southeastern Asia. The genus name is the Latin word for "cuckoo".

1/ Indian cuckoo ( Bắt cô trói cột, Cuculus micropterus)
2/ Common cuckoo ( Cu cu, Cuculus canorus)
3/ Lesser cuckoo ( Cu cu nhỏ, Cuculus poliocephalus) 
4/ Himalayan cuckoo (Cu cu Himalaya, Cuculus saturatus)
5/ Oriental cuckoo or Horsfields cuckoo (Cu cu phương đông, Cuculus optatus), formerly classified as a subspecies of the Himalayan cuckoo (Cuculus saturatus)

Cuculidae is the larger family in the order Cuculiformes. The family includes bird species such as Anis, Cuckoos, Roadrunners, Koels, Malkohas, Couas, and Coucals. 

Cuculiformes originated from New Latin: Cuculi meaning cuckoo, formes meaning forms. 
The bird order contains only one family: the cuckoos (Cuculidae).
The family Cuculidae includes bird species such as the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis.

Formerly the family hoatzin (Opisthocomidae) was included in the order Cuculiformes but is now split to be in a separate order: Opisthocomiformes.

Athene is a genus of owls, containing nine living species, depending on classification. 

1/ Spotted owlet (Hù trán trắng, Athene brama)

Strix is a genus of owls in the typical owl family (Strigidae). Common names are earless owls or wood owls, though they are not the only owls without ear tufts, and "wood owl" is also used for forest-dwelling owls. Neotropical birds in the genus Ciccaba are sometimes included in Strix.

Strigidae: The family for all Owls except Barn Owls, derived from "Strix", a Latin word for owl (also the same in Greek).

1/ Brown wood owl (Hù, Strix leptogrammica)
2/ Tawny owl (Hù nivicon, Cú vàng nâu, Strix aluco), also called the brown owl
3/ Spotted wood owl  (Hù phương đông, Strix seloputo)

Page 88 of 121