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 Wagtail
(Chìa vôi trắng, Motacilla alba)

The white wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae.

Passeriformes, Passerina, passerina: Latin passerinus sparrow-like, (i.e. sparrow-sized) (passer sparrow).
Motacillidae, Motacilla: From Latin motacilla (“wagtail”).
alba, albo, albus: white.

Barred Cuckoo-Dove 
(Gầm ghì vằn, Macropygia unchall) 

The barred cuckoo-dove (Macropygia unchall) is a bird species in the family Columbidae.

Columbidae, Columba: Latin columba (“dove, pigeon”). Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kólumbos, “a diver”), from κολυμβάω (kolumbáō, “dive, plunge headlong, swim”).
Macropygia: the Ancient Greek makros meaning "long" or "deep" and "-pugios" meaning "-rumped").
unchall: The inhabitants of Java called the cuckoo-doves Burong-unchall.

Little cuckoo-dove 
(Gầm ghì đầu hung, Macropygia ruficeps) 

The little cuckoo-dove (Macropygia ruficeps) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. 
The bird is a reddish brown pigeon, and is found in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Macropygia is a genus of bird in the pigeon and dove family Columbidae. The genus is one of three genera known as cuckoo-doves.
Columbidae, Columba: Latin columba (“dove, pigeon”). Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kólumbos, “a diver”), from κολυμβάω (kolumbáō, “dive, plunge headlong, swim”).
Macropygia: the Ancient Greek makros meaning "long" or "deep" and "-pugios" meaning "-rumped").

Ruficeps is a Latin term meaning "red-headed," derived from rufus ("red," "ruddy") and -ceps (from caput, meaning "head").

Black-Eared Barbet 
(Psilopogon duvaucelii)
Cu rốc tai lam

The black-eared barbet (Psilopogon duvaucelii) is a barbet in the family Megalaimidae native to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. 

Megalaima means ‘large throat’ in Greek.
The name Psilopogon combines the Ancient Greek psilos meaning "bare" and pōgōn meaning "beard".
duvaucelii: A French naturalist.

Asian Golden Weaver 
(Ploceus hypoxanthus)

The Asian golden weaver (Ploceus hypoxanthus) is a species of passerine bird in the family Ploceidae. 


Ploceidae, Ploceus: from Ancient Greek plokeus meaning "weaver" derived from the Greek word pleko "to entwine".
hypoxantha, Hypoxanthus (syn. Piculus): hypoxanthus Greek hupo beneath; xanthos yellow.

Asian Fairy-Bluebird 
(Chim lam, Irena puella)

The Asian fairy-bluebird (Irena puella) is a medium-sized, arboreal passerine bird. 

Irena, Irenidae: A modern Greek spelling of the girls' name Irene, meaning 'peace'. The name is originally spelt Eirene or Eirini in Greek. In Ancient Greek Mythology, Eirene is the Greek goddess of peace.
"puella" is a Latin noun that primarily means "girl" in English.

Purple-naped spiderhunter 
or purple-naped sunbird 
(Hút mật bụng vạch, Kurochkinegramma hypogrammicum)
formerly placed in the genus Hypogramma.

The purple-naped spiderhunter or purple-naped sunbird (Kurochkinegramma hypogrammicum) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae.

Nectariniidae: New Latin, from Nectarinia, type genus + -idae.
Kurochkinegramma: unknown origin/meaning.
hypogrammica, hypogrammicum, hypogrammicus: Greek hupo beneath; grammikos lined, linear (gramme line).

Van Hasselt's sunbird 
(Leptocoma brasiliana)
Hút mật họng hồng


Van Hasselt's sunbird (Leptocoma brasiliana), is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. 


Nectariniidae: New Latin, from Nectarinia, type genus + -idae.
The name Leptocoma combines the Ancient Greek words leptos "delicate" or "fine" and kome "hair".
Brasiliana, general term for things, collections related to Brazil (mistakenly for this species).

Copper-throated sunbird 
(Hút mật lưng đen, Leptocoma calcostetha)
The copper-throated sunbird (Leptocoma calcostetha) is a small passerine within the Nectariniidae family.
The bird is found in south-eastern Asia, predominantly in coastal regions: Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia and western Indonesia (i.e. Java Island).


The name Leptocoma combines the Ancient Greek words leptos "delicate" or "fine" and kome "hair".
The species name calcostetha originates from the words khalkos which means bronze; and stēthos which means breast.

Purple-throated sunbird (Hút mật họng hồng, Leptocoma sperata)
Earlier considered conspecific with Van Hasselt's sunbird (Leptocoma brasiliana)

The purple-throated sunbird (Leptocoma sperata), is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae.


The name Leptocoma combines the Ancient Greek words leptos "delicate" or "fine" and kome "hair".
The specific name sperata is Latin for "bride" or "betrothed".

Plain flowerpecker (Dicaeum minullum)
Chim sâu bình nguyên

The plain flowerpecker (Dicaeum minullum) is a bird in the family Dicaeidae.
The bird is found in the central Himalayas, through western Indonesia to Taiwan, from northeastern India, extending into Myanmar, Laos and southern China, Vietnam.


The name Dicaeum is from the Ancient Greek dikaion. Cuvier claimed that this was a word for a very small Indian bird.
minullum: minulus very small.

Yellow-bellied flowerpecker 
(Pachyglossa melanozantha)
Chim sâu bụng vàng

The yellow-bellied flowerpecker (Pachyglossa melanozantha) is a species of bird in the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae.
The bird is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The name Dicaeidae is from the Ancient Greek dikaion. Cuvier claimed that this was a word for a very small Indian bird.
The genus name Pachyglossa combines the Ancient Greek παχυς/pakhus meaning "thick" with γλωσσα/glōssa meaning "tongue", "mouth" (or "bill").
melanozantha: Greek melas black; xanthos yellow.

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