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.

Niltava (from niltau, Nepali for the rufous-bellied niltava) is a genus of passerine birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.
The genus name is from the Nepali word Niltau for the rufous-bellied niltava.

1/ Large Niltava (Đớp ruồi lớn, Niltava grandis)

2/ Small niltava (Đớp ruồi trán đen, Niltava macgrigoriae)

3/ Fujian niltava (Đớp ruồi cằm đen, Niltava davidi)

4/ Rufous-bellied niltava (Niltava sundara)
The specific epithet sundara is a Latinised version of the Hindi word sundar, meaning "beautiful".

A male Fujian Niltava at Cuc Phuong National Park
A male Fujian Niltava at Cuc Phuong National Park

The shortwings are colourful, medium-sized, mostly insectivorous, Old World Flycatcher family Muscicapidae. Some taxonomists place the birds in the in the genus the thrush family Turdidae.

The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. 

The Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), or often simply Redstart, formerly classed as a member of the thrush family, (Turdidae), but is now known to be a flycatcher, family Muscicapidae.

Redstart means a red start or a red tail (start means an old name for tail English). The species is of the genus Phoenicurus.
The name Phoenicurus is from Ancient Greek φοινιξ (phoinix), "(Phoenician) crimson/purple", and ουροσ (-ouros) -"tailed".

1/ White-capped Redstart (Đuôi đỏ đầu trắng, Phoenicurus leucocephalus)
2/ Plumbeous Redstart (Đuôi đỏ đầu xám, Phoenicurus fuliginosus)
3/ Blue-fronted Redstart (Đuôi đỏ núi đá mày xanh, Phoenicurus frontalis)
4/ Black Redstart (Đuôi đỏ núi đá trán đen, Phoenicurus ochruros)
5/ Daurian Redstart (Đuôi đỏ núi đá trán xám, Phoenicurus auroreus)

Green Cochoa (Cochoa viridis)
Cô cô xanh

The green cochoa (Cochoa viridis), a bird species which was variously placed with the thrushes of family Turdidae or the related Muscicapidae (Old World flycatchers), is considered closer to the former.


Turdidae, Turdus is the Latin word for a "thrush".
cochoas (from cocho, Nepali for Cochoa purpurea).
Latin viridis: green, young, fresh, lively, youthful.

The forktails with a long forked tail are small insectivorous birds, genus Enicurus, formerly in the thrush family, Turdidae, but now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. 

The pipits are a cosmopolitan genus, Anthus, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails.

The genus name Anthus is from Latin and is the name for a small bird of grasslands.

1/ Rosy Pipit (Chim Manh Hồng, Anthus roseatus)
2/ Red-throated Pipit (Chim manh họng đỏ, Anthus cervinus)
3/ New Zealand Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae)
4/ Water Pipit (Chim manh Nhật Bản, Anthus spinoletta)
5/ Tree Pipit (Chim manh Vân Nam, Anthus trivialis)
6/ American-Pipit (Manh lưng đỏ, Anthus rubescens)
7/ Richard's pipit (Anthus richardi, Manh lớn)
8/ Paddyfield pipit or Oriental pipit (Anthus rufulus)
Chim Manh
9/ Olive-backed pipit (Anthus hodgsoni)
Chim manh Vân Nam
10/ Upland pipit (Anthus sylvanus)

Citrine Wagtail 
(Chìa vôi đầu vàng, Motacilla citreola)

The citrine wagtail (Motacilla citreola) is a small songbird in the family Motacillidae.

Passeriformes, Passerina, passerina: Latin passerinus sparrow-like, (i.e. sparrow-sized) (passer sparrow).
Motacillidae, Motacilla: From Latin motacilla (“wagtail”), the word is a diminutive of motare, "to move about".
The term citrine, and the specific name citreola, refers to its yellowish colouration, citreola is Latin for "lemon yellow".

Western Yellow Wagtail 
(Motacilla flava, Chìa vôi vàng Phuong Tay)

The western yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava) is a small passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae.

Passeriformes, Passerina, passerina: Latin passerinus sparrow-like, (i.e. sparrow-sized) (passer sparrow).
Motacillidae, Motacilla: From Latin motacilla (“wagtail”), the word is a diminutive of motare, "to move about".
The specific flava is Latin for golden-yellow.

Eastern yellow wagtail 
(Motacilla tschutschensis, Chìa vôi vàng Phuong Dong)

The eastern yellow wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) is a small passerine in the wagtail family Motacillidae.

Passeriformes, Passerina, passerina: Latin passerinus sparrow-like, (i.e. sparrow-sized) (passer sparrow).
Motacillidae, Motacilla: From Latin motacilla (“wagtail”), the word is a diminutive of motare, "to move about".
The specific epithet tschutschensis is from the locality, the Chukchi Peninsula is eastern Russia.

Mekong Wagtail
(Motacilla samveasnae)

The Mekong wagtail (Motacilla samveasnae) is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae.
The bird is found in the Mekong valley of Cambodia and Laos, and is a non-breeding visitor to Thailand and Vietnam.

Passeriformes, Passerina, passerina: Latin passerinus sparrow-like, (i.e. sparrow-sized) (passer sparrow).
Motacillidae, Motacilla: From Latin motacilla (“wagtail”), the word is a diminutive of motare, "to move about".

Motacilla is a genus of passerine birds commonly known as the wagtails in the family Motacillidae. 

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Golden rice terraces at Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai

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