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.

Common greenshank (Choắt lớn, Tringa nebularia)

The Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia, Choắt lớn) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, sandpiper, Tringa genus.
The bird breeds from northern Scotland eastwards across northern Europe and east across the Palearctic. 
This species is a migratory species, wintering in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Australasia, usually on fresh water. 


The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle.
The specific nebularia is from Latin nebula "mist". 

Common redshank or simply redshank (Choắt nâu, Tringa totanus) 

Common Redshank (Tringa totanus, Choắt nâu) is an Eurasian wader, Scholopacidae family, tringa genus. 

The bird is found across temperate Eurasia; wintering on coasts around the Mediterranean, on the Atlantic coast of Europe from Ireland and Great Britain southwards, and in South Asia.
The Common redshank is a winter pass-through bird, commonly sighted at the Xuan Thuy National Park.


The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle.

The specific totanus is from Totano, the Italian name for this bird.

Far Eastern curlew 
(Choắt mỏ cong hông nâu, Rẽ mỏ cong hông nâu, Numenius madagascariensis)

The Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis, Choắt mỏ cong hông nâu) is a large shorebird in the large family Scolopacidae.

The bird spends its breeding season in northeastern Asia, Siberia to Kamchatka, and Mongolia. Most individuals spend the non-breeding season in coastal Australia; some wintering in Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and New Zealand...

The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The English name may have been influenced by the Old French corliu, "messenger", from courir , "to run".

Numenius (Νουμήνιος, noumēnios) comes from Greek, meaning "of the new moon" or related to the moon's first phase, derived from neos (new) + mene (moon), referencing the curlew's crescent-shaped bill, though it's also linked to "bird" or used by philosophers like Numenius of Apamea, making it a term with both biological and philosophical roots from Greek to Latin. 

Madagascariensis is a Latin-derived term meaning "belonging to or from Madagascar," indicating a species' origin from that island: the term is built from "Madagascar" plus the Latin suffix '-ensis' for origin. The term was an error or mistaken for Makassar on Sulawesi, Indonesia. This bird species has never been recorded in Madagascar.

Eurasian or common whimbrel 
(Choắt mỏ cong bé, Numenius phaeopus), also known as the white-rumped whimbrel 
formerly Scolopax phaeopus.

The Eurasian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), also known as the white-rumped whimbrel in North America, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae.

The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The bird breeds across much of subarctic Palearctic region and Europe; and winters in  Africa, South Asia and Australasia.

The whimbrel is a passthrough, winter bird commonly sighted at the Xuan Thuy National Park, northern Vietnam.

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The English name may have been influenced by the Old French corliu, "messenger", from courir , "to run".

Numenius (Νουμήνιος, noumēnios) comes from Greek, meaning "of the new moon" or related to the moon's first phase, derived from neos (new) + mene (moon), referencing the curlew's crescent-shaped bill, though it's also linked to "bird" or used by philosophers like Numenius of Apamea, making it a term with both biological and philosophical roots from Greek to Latin. 

Phaeopus comes from Ancient Greek, combining phaios (φaiós) meaning "dusky, gray, brown" and pous (ποῦς) meaning "foot" meaning "dusky-foot" or "gray-foot," used for the Whimbrel bird (Numenius phaeopus) due to its dull, brownish-gray legs and feet, contrasting its speckled brown body, and it's a Medieval Latin name. 

Bar-tailed godwit 
(Choắt mỏ thẳng đuôi vằn, Limosa lapponica)

The bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) is a large and strongly migratory wader in the family Scolopacidae.

The bird breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra from Scandinavia to Alaska, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of Australia and New Zealand. The migration routes includes: those breeding in Alaska across the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand; those breeding in Siberia along the coasts of Asia.

The bird is commonly found at the Giao Thuy National Park during the winter time.

The godwits can be distinguished from the curlews by their straight or slightly upturned bills, and from the dowitchers by their longer legs. 
The genus name Limosa is from Latin and means "muddy", from limus, "mud". The English name "godwit" is believed to imitate the bird's call.
The specific name lapponica refers to Lapland, "Laponia".

Wood snipe (Dẽ giun lớn, Rẽ giun lớn, Gallinago nemoricola)

The wood snipe (Gallinago nemoricola) is a species of snipe which breeds in the Himalayas of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and southern China.
In winter, it occurs at lower altitudes in the Himalayas, as a regular visitor in small numbers to north Vietnam.


The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The scientific name gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling".

Nemoricola is a Latin term that means "woodland-dweller" or "forest-dweller". It is derived from the Latin word nemus, nemoris meaning "forest" or "woodland," and the Latin suffix -cola, meaning "inhabitant" or "dwelling".

Common snipe (Rẽ giun, Gallinago gallinago)

The common snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World, belonging to the sandpiper family Scolopacidae.


The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The scientific name gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling".

Swinhoe's snipe, 
(Dẽ giun Swinhoe, Gallinago megala), also known as forest snipe or Chinese snipe

Swinhoe's snipe, (Gallinago megala) is a medium-sized, long-billed, migratory wader of the family.

The bird breeds mainly in central and southern Siberia and Mongolia. The entire population migrates and spends the non-breeding season principally in eastern and southern India, Sri Lanka, south-eastern China, South-East Asia and New Guinea.

The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The genus name gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling".

Solitary snipe (Gallinago solitaria)

The solitary snipe (Gallinago solitaria) is a small stocky wader of the family Scolopacidae. 
The bird is found in the Palearctic from northeast Iran to Korea and Japan.
The bird is sedentary in some regions and migratory in some other regions. The wintering grounds: northeastern Iran, Pakistan, northern India, Bangladesh, eastern China, Korea, Japan and Sakhalin...


The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The genus name gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling".

Solitaria comes from Latin, meaning "solitary," "alone," or "without a companion," derived from solitarius (the feminine form), stemming from solus ("alone"). 

Jack snipe or jacksnipe (Rẽ giun nhỏ, Lymnocryptes minimus)

The jack snipe or jacksnipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) is a small wader of the family Scolopacidae.

The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The genus name Lymnocryptes is from Ancient Greek limne, "marsh" and kruptos, "hidden". 
The species name minimus is from Latin and means "smallest".

Pin-tailed snipe or pintail snipe (Rẽ giun Á châu, Gallinago stenura)

The pin-tailed snipe or pintail snipe (Gallinago stenura) is a species of bird in the family Scolopacidae, the sandpipers.
The bird breeds in northern Russia and migrates to spend the non-breeding season in southern Asia from Pakistan to Indonesia. 
This bird species is the most common migrant snipe in southern India, Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia. 


The term Charadriiformes comes from New Latin, combining the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines") and the Latin suffix -formes meaning "forms" or "shaped like". Therefore, Charadriiformes translates to "birds shaped like or resembling the charadrius," which is a type of plover or stone curlew historically found in dry river beds or ravines. 

The word Scolopacidae is New Latin, derived from the genus name Scolopax (Latin for "snipe" or "woodcock") and the common zoological suffix for family names, -idae.

The genus name gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling".

stenura: From Ancient Greek στενός (stenós, “narrow”); -ouros -tailed.

Golden-winged laughingthrush 
(Khướu Ngọc Linh, Trochalopteron ngoclinhense)

The golden-winged laughingthrush (Trochalopteron ngoclinhense) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is endemic to Vietnam.

Leiothrix Leiothrichidae Ancient Greek leios meaning "smooth" and thrix meaning "hair".
Trochalopteron: the Ancient Greek trokhalos meaning "round" or "bowed" with pteron meaning "wing".

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