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.

White-breasted waterhen 
(Cuốc ngực trắng, Amaurornis phoenicurus)
The species name phoenicurus is from Ancient Greek phoinix, "red", and -ouros -"tailed".

The white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) is a waterbird of the rail and crake family, Rallidae, that is widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia. 


Gruiformes, Gruidae: from the Latin word grus meaning "crane".
Rallidae: from rallus new Latin for rail, an aquatic bird.
Amaurornis: the Greek amauros, meaning "dusky" or "brown", and ornis, meaning "bird".

The slaty-breasted rail (Gallirallus striatus, Gà nước vằn) is a species of rail found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Thick-Billed Green Pigeon 
(Cu xanh mỏ quặp, Treron curvirostra)

The thick-billed green pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.


Columbidae, Columba: Latin columba (“dove, pigeon”). Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kólumbos, “a diver”), from κολυμβάω (kolumbáō, “dive, plunge headlong, swim”).
Pigeon is a French word that derives from the Latin pīpiō, for a "peeping" chick;
Dove is an ultimately Germanic word that refers to the bird's diving flight.
The genus name Treron is from the Ancient Greek trērōn meaning "pigeon" or "dove".
curvirostra is Latin for "curved bill".

The common emerald dove (Emerald Dove, Chalcophaps indica, Cu luồng), also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Red collared dove 
(Cu ngói, Streptopelia tranquebarica), also known as the red turtle dove

The red collared dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica), also known as the red turtle dove, is a small pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in the tropics of Asia.

Columba, Columbidae: Latin columba (“dove, pigeon”). Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kólumbos, “a diver”), from κολυμβάω (kolumbáō, “dive, plunge headlong, swim”).
The genus name Streptopelia is from Ancient Greek: streptos meaning "collar" and peleia meaning "dove". 
The specific epithet is from the town Tranquebar, now Tharangambadi, on the Coromandel Coast in southern India.

Spotted dove (Cu gáy, Cu đất, Spilopelia chinensis)
Another name was Streptopelia chinensis.
Formerly included in the genus Streptopelia with other turtle-doves, but studies suggest that they differ from typical members of that genus. 

The spotted dove or eastern spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis) is a small and long-tailed pigeon, a common resident across its native range on the Indian subcontinent and in East and Southeast Asia.

Columba, Columbidae: Latin columba (“dove, pigeon”). Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kólumbos, “a diver”), from κολυμβάω (kolumbáō, “dive, plunge headlong, swim”).
The name Spilopelia combines the Ancient Greek spilos meaning "spot" and peleia meaning "dove".

The oriental turtle dove or rufous turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis, Cu sen) is a member of the bird family Columbidae. The species has a wide native distribution range from Europe, east across Asia to Japan.

Pacific swift or fork-tailed swift 
(Yến hông trắng, Apus pacificus)

The Pacific swift (Apus pacificus) is a species of bird that is part of the Swift family. 
The bird breeds in eastern Asia and is strongly migratory, spending the northern hemisphere's winter in Southeast Asia and Australia. 

The name Apus is Latin for a swift, thought to be a type of swallow with no feet (from Ancient Greek a meaning "without", and pous meaning "foot").
pacificus refers to the Pacific Ocean.

House Swift
(Nepal House Swift) 
(Apus nipalensis)

The house swift (Apus nipalensis) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. 
The bird is found in Japan, Nepal, and Southeast Asia.

The family name, Apodidae, is derived from the Greek apous meaning "footless", a reference to the small, weak legs of these most aerial of birds.
The name Apus is Latin for a swift, thought to be a type of swallow with no feet (from Ancient Greek a meaning "without", and pous meaning "foot").
Nipalensis means from Nepal.

Little swift (Yến cằm trắng, Apus affinis)

The little swift (Apus affinis) is a small species of swift found in Africa and southwestern Asia, and a local breeder in southern Europe.

The name Apus is Latin for a swift, thought to be a type of swallow with no feet (from Ancient Greek a meaning "without", and pous meaning "foot").
The Latin word affinis means "related," "neighboring," "akin to," or "connected," derived from the roots "ad" ("to, toward") and "finis" ("border, end").

Lesser coucal 
(Bìm bịp nhỏ, Centropus bengalensis) 

The lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae.
The species is widely distributed west from the Indian subcontinent (except for Sri Lanka) extending east across Southeast Asia. 

Compare:
- The greater coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis): red-eyed, big-sized;
- The lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis): black-eyed, medium-sized;

Cuculus: Latin for cuckoo.
The genus Centropus name combines the Ancient Greek: kentron meaning "spur" or "spike", pous meaning "foot".

Greater coucal 
or crow pheasant 
(Bìm bịp lớn, Centropus sinensis)

The greater coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis), is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. 
The bird is a widespread resident in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

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