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.

Ashy-headed Green Pigeon 
(Treron phayrei)
Cu xanh đuôi đen

The ashy-headed green pigeon is a pigeon in the genus Treron of 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".
phayrei: personal name.

Chestnut-Capped Babbler 
(Hoa mi nhỏ, Timalia pileata)

The chestnut-capped babbler is a passerine bird of the family Timaliidae.

Timaliidae, Timalia: The word "Timalo" originates in the Greek "Thimalos", which means "bird". 
This Greek root was adapted to Latin as "Timalus" and later to Portuguese as "Timalo".
pileatus, pileata: From the Latin pileatus meaning capped.

Black-Hooded Oriole 
(Vàng anh đầu đen, Oriolus xanthornus)

The black-hooded oriole is a member of the oriole family of passerine birds of the family Oriolidae.


"Oriole" derives from the Latin word aureolus meaning "golden".
The specific epithet xanthornus is from the Ancient Greek xanthos "yellow" and ornis "bird".

Red-Wattled Lapwing 
(Te vặt,Vanellus indicus)

The red-wattled lapwing is an Asian lapwing or large plover, a wader in the family Charadriidae.

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").
The name "vanellus" is Latin for "little fan", vanellus being the diminutive of vannus ("winnowing fan").
indicus: India.

Northern lapwing 
(Te mào, Vanellus vanellus), 
also known as the peewit or pewit, tuit or tewit, green plover, or (in Ireland and Great Britain) pyewipe or just lapwing

The northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) is a bird in the lapwing subfamily.
The bird species is highly migratory wintering south as far as North Africa, northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and parts of China. 

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 family name Charadriidae has the same origin as the order name from the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines").

Vanellus is a Latin word meaning "little fan". The name refers to the sound of the wings in flight, which was compared to the sound of a winnowing fan. It is a diminutive of the Latin word vannus (“fan for winnowing grain”). 

River lapwing (Te cựa, Vanellus duvaucelii)

The river lapwing (Vanellus duvaucelii) is a lapwing species which breeds from the Indian subcontinent eastwards to Southeast Asia.
Its range includes much of northern and northeastern India, and extends through Southeast Asia to 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 family name Charadriidae has the same origin as the order name from the Greek word kharadrios ("a bird of river valleys" or "a bird of ravines").

Vanellus is a Latin word meaning "little fan". The name refers to the sound of the wings in flight, which was compared to the sound of a winnowing fan. It is a diminutive of the Latin word vannus (“fan for winnowing grain”). 

Grey-Faced Tit-Babbler 
(Chích chạch má xám, Mixornis kelleyi)

The grey-faced tit-babbler, found in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, is a species of bird in the family Timaliidae. 

Timaliidae, Timalia: The word "Timalo" originates in the Greek "Thimalos", which means "bird". This Greek root was adapted to Latin as "Timalus" and later to Portuguese as "Timalo".
The genus name Mixornis combines the Ancient Greek mixis meaning "mixed" or "mingling" with ornis meaning "bird".
kelleyi: a person's name.

Black-and-Buff Woodpecker
(Gõ kiến đầu rắn, Meiglyptes jugularis)

The black-and-buff woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae.

Meiglyptes comes from the Ancient Greek: meiōn meaning "smaller" or "lesser" with gluptēs meaning "carver".
jugularis Latin jugularis of the throat, -throated.

Heart-Spotted Woodpecker 
(Gõ kiến đen họng trắng, Hemicircus canente)

The heart-spotted woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family.

Piciformes, picidae, picus: woodpecker.
The genus name Hemicircus is from the Ancient Greek: 'hemi meaning "half" or "small", kerkos meaning "tail".
canente: from Roman mythology: Canens was a sweet-voiced nymph, her husband was Picus.

Bronze-Winged Jacana 
(Metopidius indicus)

The bronze-winged jacana is a wader in the family Jacanidae.

The name Metopidius is from the Ancient Greek word metopidios meaning "on the forehead", referring to the frontal lappet. 
Greek metopon for forehead, brow.
The specific epithet indicus is the Latin word for "Indian".

Cinnamon Bittern 
(Cò lửa, Botaurus cinnamomeus) or chestnut bittern

The cinnamon bittern or chestnut bittern is a small Old World bittern of the family Ardeidae of the order Pelecaniformes.


Ardeidae, Ardea: Latin word meaning "heron".
The genus name Botaurus is derived from Medieval Latin butaurus, Bos (ox) and taurus (bull), because the bittern's call resembles the bellowing of a bull.
In Latin, cinnamomeus means "cinnamon-colored" or "cinnamon-brown". 

Osprey, also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk

(Ó cá, Pandion haliaetus)

The osprey, also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey of the family Pandionidae of the order Accipitriformes.

Accipitriformes, Accipitridae from Latin accipiter/accipitri- "hawk", and Neo-Latin -formes "having the form of".
Pandionidae, Pandion: from Pandíōn, the mythical Greek king of Athens and grandfather of Theseus, Pandion II.
The species name haliaetus (Latin: haliaeetus)comes from Greek haliáetos "sea-eagle" (also haliaietos) from the combining form - hali- of  hals "sea" and  aetos, "eagle".

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