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.

Black-capped kingfisher 
(Sả đầu đen, Halcyon pileata) 

The black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) is a tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in tropical Asia from India east to China, Korea and Southeast Asia.


Alcedo, Alcedinidae: Latin word for kingfisher. 
Halcyon: a name for a bird in Greek mythology generally associated with the kingfisher. 
The specific epithet pileata: from the Latin pileatus meaning '-capped'.

Collared kingfisher
(Sả khoang cổ, Todiramphus chloris)

Collared kingfisher(Sả khoang cổ, Todiramphus chloris), also white-collared kingfisher, black-masked kingfisher or mangrove kingfisher.
The collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) is a medium-sized kingfisher belonging to the subfamily Halcyoninae, the tree kingfishers.

Alcedo, Alcedinidae: Latin word for kingfisher. 
Halcyon: a name for a bird in Greek mythology generally associated with the kingfisher. 

White-throated kingfisher 
(Sả đầu nâu, Halcyon smyrnensis)

The white-throated kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) also known as the white-breasted kingfisher is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in Asia from the Sinai east through the Indian subcontinent to China and Indonesia.

Oriental Dollarbird
Also known as Asian dollarbird, dark roller, dollar roller, dollarbird, eastern broad-billed roller and oriental broad-billed roller.
(Yểng Quạ, Eurystomus orientalis)

The Oriental dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) is a bird of the roller family Coraciidae.

Coracia, Coracias: Greek: korakias: crow (korax raven).
The name Eurystomus means ‘broad mouth’, from the Greek eurus (‘broad, wide’) and stoma ( ‘mouth’).

Eurasian wryneck or northern wryneck 
(Vẹo cổ, Jynx torquilla)

Eurasian wryneck, or northern wryneck (Vẹo cổ, Jynx torquilla) is a species of wryneck in the woodpecker family, yet it does not peck wood. This species mainly breeds in temperate regions of Europe and Asia.


Piciformes, picidae, picus: Latin woodpecker.
Jynx is from the Ancient Greek iunx, the Eurasian wryneck.
torquilla: Latin torquere to twist.

Little buttonquail (Cun cút bé, Turnix velox) 

The little buttonquail (Turnix velox) is a species of buttonquail family Turnicidae.

Charadriidae, Charadrius: Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate; from Ancient Greek kharadrios a bird found in ravines and river valleys (kharadra, "ravine").

Turnicidae is from Turnix abbreviation from genus Coturnix, quail(Coturnix is the Latin for the common quail); coined to reflect the quail-like appearance and lack of hind-toe.
The genus name Turnix is an abbreviation of the genus Coturnix.

The family Turnicidae is also referred to as hemipodes which , in Greek, means hemi half, semi; podes from Greek pous, podos foot (Latin pes).

Velox is a Latin word meaning "swift, quick, rapid,speedy" or "fleet" deriving from a root related to motion; it's the source of English words like "velocity".

Yellow-legged buttonquail (Cun cút chân vàng, Cun cút lưng hung, Turnix tanki)
resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quails.

The yellow-legged buttonquail (Turnix tanki) is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quails.

The genus name is an abbreviation of the genus Coturnix.
Turnicidae is from Turnix abbreviation from genus Coturnix, quail(Coturnix is the Latin for the common quail); coined to reflect the quail-like appearance and lack of hind-toe.
hemipodes: Greek hemi half, semi; podes from Greek pous, podos foot (Latin pes).

Common buttonquail 
(Cun cút nhỏ, Turnix sylvaticus), 
also called Kurrichane buttonquail, small buttonquail, or Andalusian hemipode 

The small buttonquail (Cun cút nhỏ, Turnix sylvaticus) is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds that resemble but are not closely related to the true quails. This bird is not related to the Common Quail.

This bird species is resident from southern Spain and Africa through India and tropical Asia to Indonesia. 


Turnicidae is from Turnix abbreviation from genus Coturnix, quail(Coturnix is the Latin for the common quail); coined to reflect the quail-like appearance and lack of hind-toe.
The genus name Turnix is an abbreviation of the genus Coturnix.
The specific epithet sylvaticus is Latin meaning "of the woods" or "amidst the trees", sylva:'forest'.
hemipodes: Greek hemi half, semi; podes from Greek pous, podos foot (Latin pes).

Barred buttonquail or common bustard-quail 
(Cun cút lưng nâu, Cun cút vằn,Turnix suscitator) 

The barred buttonquail or common bustard-quail (Turnix suscitator) is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are not closely related to, the true quails. 
This species is resident from India across tropical Asia to south China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Turnix is a genus of birds commonly known as Buttonquail or hemipodes of the family Turnicidae, of the order Charadriiformes referred to as shorebirds.
The genus name is an abbreviation of the genus Coturnix which is the Latin for the common quail.
The specific epithet suscitator is Latin and means "awakening".

Red-breasted merganser (Vịt cát ngực đỏ, Mergus serrator) 

The Red-breasted Merganser (Vịt mỏ nhọn ngực đỏ, Mergus serrator) is a diving duck, one of the sawbills. Its breeding habitat is freshwater lakes and rivers across northern North America, Greenland, Europe, and the Palearctic.

anas, anatis: Latin duck.
The genus name Mergus is a Latin word to refer to an unspecified waterbird.
Mergus is a Latin word meaning "diver" or "waterfowl," derived from the verb mergere, which means "to dip" or "plunge". It was used by ancient authors to refer to an unspecified diving seabird.

The term serrator is derived from the Latin word "serra," meaning "saw," and the related verb "serrare," meaning "to saw". In Latin, serrator can refer to a person who saws, or more commonly, it appears in the adjective form serratus, which means "sawed," "notched like a saw," or "toothed like a saw". 

Tufted duck or tufted pochard (Vịt mào, Aythya fuligula)

The tufted duck (or tufted pochard) (Aythya fuligula) is a small diving duck found in northern Eurasia. 
The duck is migratory in most of the range, and winters in the milder temperatures in southern and western Europe, southern Asia.

The name Aythya comes from the Ancient Greek word authuia, which may have referred to a sea-dwelling duck or an auklet.
The epithet fuligula is Latin fuligo 'soot' and gula 'throat' meaning sooty-throated. 

Baer's pochard (Vịt đầu đen, Aythya baeri) 

Baer's pochard (Aythya baeri) is a diving duck found in eastern Asia. 
The bird is a resident bird in North and Central China, and formerly bred in southeast Russia and Northeast China, migrating in winter to southern China, Vietnam, Japan, and India. 


The name Anseriformes comes from the Latin word "anser," meaning "goose," and the Greek-derived suffix "-iformes," meaning "having the form of". Therefore, "Anseriformes" literally means "goose-shaped"
anas, anatis: Latin duck.
The name Aythya comes from the Ancient Greek word authuia, which may have referred to a sea-dwelling duck or an auklet.

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