taiwan: formosan endemics - tropical birding...yellow-bellied & plain prinias, japanese...

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Taiwan: Formosan Endemics Matsu migration extension: 13th–18th April, 2019

Set departure tour: 18th– 27th April, 2019

Tour leader: Charley Hesse (main tour) Keith Barnes (extension) Report and photos by Charley Hesse. (All photos were taken on this tour)

This was our first new, streamlined Taiwan tour

with added Matsu migration extension. The Asian migration occurs along the Chinese coast, and the perfect place to see migrants are the Matsu islands of Dongyin and Nangan where we saw some fantastic birds like Yellow-breasted & Yellow Buntings, Mugimaki, Blue-and-white, Narcissus & Yellow-rumped Flycatchers, plus numerous species of thrushes, pipits & wagtails. After our successful pretour, we began the main endemics tour in style at Shimen dam with the spectacular Taiwan Blue-Magpie and tricky Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler. The first 3 days of the tour were spent at Taiwan’s premier birding site, Daxueshan. The majority of Taiwan’s endemics are found here, the foremost of which were the Mikado & Swinhoe’s Pheasants. The mammals were fantastic too with Taiwan Serow, Masked Civet and Red-and-white Flying-Squirrel. We later visited a ‘bat museum’ where we also added 3 bat species including the Formosan Golden (or Hodgson’s) Bat. Other mountain sites of Qingjing & Yushan finished off most of the endemics plus some great scenery too. One day we went up and over the Wuling Pass which is the highest road in the region and down to the scenic town of Tianxiang for the endemic Styan’s Bulul. We finished off the tour with some great shorebirding including Black-faced Spoonbill around Tainan and the amazing Fairy Pitta at Huben. We even went to see a Collared Scops-Owl roosting in the ceiling of a temple. Taiwan was an enjoyable and eye-opening tour for all, with a wonderful mix of migration & endemic birding, great food and beautiful scenery. It was also one of our most successful Taiwan tours to date with a whopping 233 species.


MATSU MIGRATION EXTENSION 14th April, 2019 – Nangang to Dongyin, Matsu islands After boarding the ferry from Keelung last night, we docked at the island of Nangang. This was not actually our destination, but the boat didn’t leave port for a couple of hours, so we were allowed to disembark and we went for an hour’s birding in the immediate vicinity of the port. We took a short walk along a road lined with trees and scrub and found Manchurian & Brownish-flanked Bush Warblers, Yellow-browed & Dusky Warblers, Japanese White-eye, Oriental Magpie-Robin and Black-faced Bunting. We scanned down to a running track below and saw that the central lawn was filled with pipits, so went closer to investigate. We ended up seeing 4 species, with Richard's, Olive-backed, Red-throated & Buff-bellied form of American Pipit, along with our first leucopsis White Wagtails. Before getting back on the boat, we also had a flyover of Eurasian Kestrel. The ride to our destination of Dongyin island was only short, but allowed us some good sea-watching, on which we saw several Red-necked Phalaropes, Black-tailed & Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Common & Great Crested Terns, plus a few random Barn and a single Bank Swallow. We arrived late morning and after a quick lunch went straight out birding.

Little Buntings were common on the Matsu Isands.

Our first site was the visitors centre which produced Red Collared-Dove, Common Greenshank, several Red-throated Pipits, Black-faced & our first Little Bunting. One of the best spots for migrants on the island is known as the vegetable farm, which despite its small size seems to produce an inordinate amount of birds. There were several Taiwanese bird photographers, and the place turned out to be loaded with flycatchers, including Gray-streaked, Ferruginous, Asian Brown, Narcissus, Mugimaki & Taiga Flycatchers. We also added our first Pacific Swift, Brown-rumped Minivet, Daurian Redstart, Siberian Stonechat, Pale Thrush, plus Chestnut & Tristram's Buntings. Next, we went to a valley filled with lush, overgrown farmland. The path was a bit steeper than Keith remembered but there were certainly plenty of birds around, with House Swift, Gray-headed Lapwing, Intermediate Egret, Peregrine Falcon, Black Drongo, Brambling plus Little & Yellow-browed Buntings. After a long walk, we drove to a small pond, where we saw Eurasian Wigeon, Little Ringed Plover, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Oriental Pratincole, Gray Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron and a fly-over of Osprey. It had been a very productive first day and we finished off with a nice hot Chinese meal in town.


15th April - Dongyin We started the day back at the running track and hoping to see if any new birds had come in overnight. As we hoped, there was nobody about to disturb the birds. On the track itself, we immediately found a couple of Little Ringed Plovers, and then a larger plover which was turned out to be a Greater Sand-Plover. Our next find was even better. We had a stunning male Yellow-breasted Bunting fly out of the grass and perch on a wall. This is now a critically endangered species and a stunning one at that. There were the usual Red-throated Pipits, some Eastern Yellow Wagtails on the grass and also several shorebirds, including Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Wood Sandpiper plus some Oriental Pratincoles. Nearby we heard the unmistakeable call of a Rufous-tailed Robin but seeing this tricky bird was another matter. Next, we drove down to the vegetable garden again. It had been great yesterday and we hope for some new birds there too. We had a very productive time and saw Manchurian & Brownish-flanked Bush Warblers, Yellow-browed, Dusky & Eastern Crowned Warblers. We found a feeding site with Forest Wagtail hanging about, plus several Asian Brown, Narcissus & Taiga Flycatchers. We also saw Siberian Blue Robin, Red-flanked Bluetail, a female Japanese Thrush plus Chestnut & Tristram's Buntings.

The beautiful Yellow-breasted Bunting is now one of the most threatened birds in Asia.

We drove back up to the visitor’s centre where we saw our first Gray-faced Buzzard, had great views of Daurian Redstart and another fantastic male Yellow-breasted Bunting. We drove down to a small pond where we added Common Kingfisher and nearby Eastern Buzzard, Ashy Minivet and our first Pallas's Leaf Warbler. At one final stop before lunch, we found an interesting female flycatcher which we identified as Blue-and-white Flycatcher. In the afternoon, we took a drive to the other side of the island. We stopped to take in our first Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and Brown-headed Thrush. We drove out to a viewpoint with some heavy artillery where we saw Eastern Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon and Gray-backed Thrush. The final stop of the afternoon was the lighthouse. We parked and took a walk out to the point where we had some final birds, with our first Eurasian Hoopoe, Eurasian Wryneck plus better views of


Narcissus Flycatcher and Brown-headed Thrush. It had been a very productive day, but we returned to the hotel to rest and enjoy our last dinner here.

Forest Wagtail & Narcissus Flycatcher.


16th April – Dongyin to Nangang, Matsu We were leaving this morning, but we couldn’t resist checking out the Dongyin Visitor Center one last time. In just a short time, we picked up Eurasian Wryneck, Red-rumped Swallow, Yellow-browed Warbler, Red-flanked Bluetail, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue Rock-Thrush, Olive-backed Pipit and Black-faced Bunting so it seemed as if the weather overnight had brought some new arrivals. We also saw Pacific & House Swifts, Chinese Pond-Heron and an Osprey. We really hoped that there would be as many birds on Nangang, where we were going next. We boarded the boat, dumped our bags, and went straight up on deck. As we were pulling out, we started seeing birds and on our short crossing, we saw Peregrine Falcon, a flock of Garganey, flocks of Whimbrel, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-tailed Gull, Common & Great Crested Terns. After docking, we dropped our bags at the hotel and went straight out birding. We first checked out the Jinshan Reservoir which was pretty active and we had Wood Sandpiper, Gray-faced & Eastern Buzzards, Yellow-browed & Dusky Warblers, Japanese White-eye, Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Olive-backed Pipit, Yellow-billed Grosbeak, Oriental Greenfinch and Little & Black-faced Buntings. We also heard another Rufous-tailed Robin, way down in the valley with no chance of seeing it. Next, we went to Shengtian Park, which had Oriental Turtle-Dove, an unidentified cuckoo, our first Arctic Warbler, and numerous Eyebrowed & Brown-headed Thrushes. In between sites, we found our first flock of Black-throated Tits and a Red-billed Starling.

Chinese Pond-Herons are common on the Matsu Islands.

After lunch at a great restaurant back in town, we checked out another well known migrant trap nearby; another vegetable farm. Despite its small size, we found a large variety of birds, with Manchurian Bush Warbler, Daurian Redstart, Blue Rock-Thrush, Siberian Stonechat, plus Little, Black-faced, Chestnut and our first Yellow Bunting which is quite a rarity. Our next site was called the Nangan Animal Shelter, but it only held a few species including Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, plus our first Eastern Crowned Warblers, Blue Whistling-Thrush and White-shouldered Starlings. On our way back to town, we hit our last site of the day, the Qingshui Wetland. It was a small inlet of water, but it was low tide and packed with birds foraging on the mud. Here we saw Black-winged Stilt, Lesser Sand- & Little Ringed Plovers, Sharp-tailed, Common, Marsh & Wood Sandpipers, Common Grenshank, Chinese Pond-Heron, Common Kingfisher and Crested Myna. It was also wagtail heaven and we had 6 races of 4 species,


including Gray, 2 races of Eastern Yellow, Citrine and 2 races of White Wagtail. It had been a really productive day! 17th April – Nangang to Jinshan It was our last morning on Nangang Island and we intended to make the most of it. We were up well before dawn and enjoyed a surprisingly varied convenience store breakfast before setting off to explore the sites on the west of the island. We stopped at a couple of reservoirs, but it soon became obvious that a lot of the birds present yesterday had cleared out. We had a few nice birds though and saw Black-cowned Night-Heron, Manchurian Bush-Warbler and Oriental Greenfinch. We moved up to the picturesque Siwei village, where we saw Yellow-billed Grosbeak, Black Bulbuls, Black Drongo, Narcissus Flycatcher and the highlight of the morning, Japanese Sparrowhawk, which flew towards us allowing us to get some good ID shots. We didn’t have too much time left but stopped in at Shengtian Park on the way back and saw Brown-headed & Eyebrowed Thrushes, Olive-backed Pipits and Crested Mynas. We drove back to our hotel where we checked out and had a second breakfast before heading to the airport for our flight back to the main island of Taiwan.

Brown-headed Thrush was numerous on Nangan island.

After arriving at Songshan airport in Taipei, we were met by our bus driver and went straight for lunch. In the afternoon, we visited the Guangdu Nature Reserve in Taipei. On the drive to the reserve we saw our first Oriental Magpie and some soaring Crested Serpent-Eagles. We entered the reserve and quickly started picking up new birds, including a soaring Crested Goshawk, Light-vented & Black Bulbuls, Yellow-bellied & Plain Prinias, Japanese White-eye, Oriental Turtle-Dove, Black-crowned & Malayan Night-Herons, Common Kingfisher and Gray Treepie. Many of these birds were endemic subspecies, different to those seen on Matsu. We went in the visitor’s centre which offered a great view over the wetland and provided the largest pairs of binoculars you have seen in your life. Here we saw a wide variety of shorebirds and other water birds, including Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt, Long-toed & Red-necked Stint, Common Snipe, Common Greenshank, Sharp-tailed, Marsh & Wood Sandpipers, Sacred Ibis and Black-faced Spoonbill. We


were also in the mood for an endemic, and we tracked down the Taiwan Barbet which we all had scope views of, followed amazingly by our first Brown Shrike of the trip. Our time was up here, and we boarded our bus and drove to the town of Jinshan and a nice hot spring hotel. 18th April – Jinshan, Yeliu to Taoyuan We started the day at the nearby Jinshan Youth Centre which can be great for migrant birds given the right conditions. Unfortunately, the weather had remained good and we feared that many birds that had been here over the last few days may have left. We picked up a handful of common residents easily, including Oriental Turtle-Dove, Gray Heron, Black Kite, Oriental Magpie, and Japanese White-eye. We also saw the endemic Taiwan Barbet, endemic races of Black Drongo, Gray Treepie and Black Bulbul plus the introduced but attractive Black-collared Starling. It was indeed a bit quiet for migrants but we did pick up a small spattering with Manchurian Bush Warbler, Red-flanked Bluetail, Brown-headed Thrush, White-cheeked Starling, Olive-backed Pipit, Brambling plus numerous Black-faced Buntings. Next, it was off to the well-known tourist site of Yeliu Geopark. There was a peninsular that jutted out into the ocean that could be good for migrants, but it also had some interesting geological features to attract general tourists.

Taiwan Blue Magpie is Taiwan’s national bird.

After a crowded initial section, we finally managed to lose the numerous mainland Chinese tourists and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. We enjoyed the scenery along the coast and even saw Pacific Reef-Heron and Blue Rock-Thrush, but there were very few migrants. Luckily one client, Lois, found us a male Japanese Paradise-Flycatcher which made the long walk worthwhile. We found little else but a Brown-headed Thrush and Red-flanked Bluetail plus a plethora of butterflies before heading back to the parking lot. We drove back to Taipei through the stunning Yangmingshan National Park and had a soaring juvenile Black Eagle. One little taster for the next section of our tour searching for endemics was a pair of stunning


Taiwan Blue-Magpies in the Shanqian Park. After a delicious local lunch, we drove to Taoyuan Airport hotel where everybody enjoyed a bit of downtime before we met the rest of the group at dinner. MAIN TOUR 19th April – Taoyuan to Daxueshan After an early breakfast at the hotel, the main tour was underway. We drove the 30 minutes to Shimen Dam, which is surrounded by some nice forest. Along the road in the lower section, we had great views of the endemic Taiwan Whistling-Thrush by the side of the road. We drove up to where I had seen the Taiwan Blue-Magpie before, a stunning endemic and the national bird. Scott spotted a large, long-tailed bird on top of a tree and I reversed to find it was our target. The spot turned out to be very productive and we also found both Taiwan & Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babblers, Gray Treepie, Black Bulbul, Rufous-capped Babbler, Morrison's Fulvetta and White-bellied Erpornis. As we were leaving, we scanned the dam to see our first Eastern Spot-billed Ducks, had some House Swifts flying over and our first Black Kite. We jumped back on the highway and drove south to the city of Taizhong, from where we headed east towards the mountains. Before starting our ascent, we visited another dam, this time Shigang Dam, where we picked up a lot of new birds for the trip, including Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Common Kingfisher, Gray-throated Martin, Japanese White-eye, Gray & White Wagtails and Scaly-breasted Munia.

Taiwan Whistling-Thrush posing by the roadside.

After a quick lunch, we started up the mountain and found some White-rumped Munias at the base. Imitating Collared Owlet calls higher up brought in our first forest birds, with Black-throated Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Rusty Laughingthrush, White-eared Sibia and Vivid Niltava and we also heard a response from the owlet although it didn’t come in. At a bridge we looked out over the spectacular scenery and saw numerous Asian House-Martins criss-crossing the sky. We checked in at the National Recreation Resort at Km43, but set straight off up to Km50 where we waited for the spectacular endemic Mikado Pheasant which sometimes come in to a feeding site there. Mist rolled in and it started raining, but luckily we were able to shelter under the roof of the visitors centre and continue our birding. We saw Coal Tit, Taiwan


Yuhina, White-whiskered Laughingthrush, Collared Bush-Robin and Gray-headed Bullfinch but the rain got very heavy and we even had some very close lightening. After dinner back at the lodge, we took our first night drive, on which we saw 6 Reeves’ Muntjacs, 4 Taiwan Serows, 3 Red-and-white Giant Flying Squirrels, a Masked Palm Civet and a Siberian Weasel. Not a bad haul at all!

Endemic mammals: Formosan Rock Macaque & Taiwan Serow.


20th April - Daxueshan After missing it yesterday, our main target of the day was Mikado Pheasant. After an early breakfast outside our cabins, we took an early drive hoping to find one along the road. It was overcast, a little misty and drizzly, but luckily we did find a spectacular male by the roadside. We backed up to give it some space, but the bird was obviously accustomed to people and walked closer and closer to us. We spent a good half an hour with the bird taking photos. At the same spot, we found some other great birds including Flamecrest, Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler, Taiwan Fulvetta and the rare Golden Parrotbill. We also heard a Eurasian Nutcracker, but in the thick mist we couldn’t see it. Despite having seen the Mikado, we continued up to Km 50 as there were still a few birds we hadn’t seen up there. One of these was the Taiwan Bush Warbler which came in nicely to the tape, running like a mouse through the grass. Next, we took a walk along a trail where we found Taiwan Barwing, Ferruginous Flycatcher and some of us saw the endemic race of White-browed Shortwing which is split by the IOC as Taiwan Shortwing. We started birding our way down and saw an Oriental Cuckoo perched on an overhead wire. We picked up the attractive Little Forktail at a beautiful roadside waterfall, then hit a great patch of activity where we found Coal, Green-backed & Black-throated Tits, Rufous-faced Warbler plus Taiwan Yuhina, and further down still, a flock of the tricky endemic Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush.

This Mikado Pheasant was very accustomed to people.

The mist and rain lessened as we lost altitude and we found our target endemic Taiwan Yellow Tit, and more great birds like Eurasian Nuthatch, Morrison's Fulvetta, Rusty Laughingthrush, White-eared Sibia and Ferruginous Flycatcher. The bad weather seemed to be following us down the slope so we tried to get ahead of it and drove down all the way to Km 23 where we found our second spectacular endemic pheasant for the day, Swinhoe's Pheasant. This one too was very habituated and came too close for pictures at times. After this we made our way back up to the main park entrance where they had a hot water dispenser we used to make our surprisingly good instant noodles. Here too, another Swinhoe's Pheasant came out into the parking lot and a beautiful male White-tailed Robin behind the bathrooms. A thick mist had really set in now, and after a few attempts to try and see some more birds, we called it a day until dinner and another great night drive on which we had great views of Red-and-white Flying Squirrels and Taiwan Serows.


Red-and-white Giant Flying Squirrel.


-21st April – Daxueshan to Dongshi After another early breakfast, we packed up and left our mountain lodge. On the way out, we added another endemic species to our list, in the form of Steere's Liocichla. We also saw again the endemics, Taiwan Yuhina, Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush and Taiwan Barwing, plus a flyby of Ashy Wood-Pigeon. Leaving the lodge, we drove down the road a bit and encountered a female Mikado Pheasant strutting about on a lawn outside the police station. On the drive down, we found a male Swinhoe's Pheasant in the road and also picked up Eurasian Jay and Taiwan Whistling-Thrush. We got down to km23 where there was a feeding site for Swinhoe’s Pheasant but partridges also sometimes come in. After an hour wait, we had seen Gray-capped Woodpecker, Gray-chinned Minivet and Rufous-faced Warbler, but no partridges. We continued own to Km15 which is always a productive birding spot. The road was partially blocked off and a guy with his car parked there told us we would have to park and walk down. We failed to find our target Dusky Fulvetta but did see plenty of other good birds, including Oriental Honey-buzzard, the endemic race of Crested Goshawk, Pacific Swallow, Collared Finchbill, Steere's Liocichla, and on the river, Plumbeous Redstart and Brown Dipper.

Swinhoe’s Pheasant doing is characteristic wing flutter.

We walked back up to the road and continued our drive down, picking up our first Taiwan Bamboo-Partridge, Dusky Fulvetta, Taiwan Hwamei and more Rusty Laughingthrushes. We also had an incredibly close flyby of Crested Serpent-Eagle. We found a nice restaurant on the way down where we had a huge Chinese meal, after which we continued birding our way down the road, seeing Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Black-naped Monarch, Collared Finchbill, Taiwan Hwamei and some White-rumped Munias. After checking in and taking a rest down at our hotel in town, we headed back up in the late afternoon to set ourselves up for some owling on the lower part of the road. While we waited, we saw Black-crowned Night-Heron, some Gray-chinned Minivets and Brown Dipper. At a secret location, we waited for a chance to see Taiwan’s rarest owl, the Tawny Fish-Owl. We waited until dusk, then almost dark. I had just about given up, and one last scan with the spotlight flushed our target owl and we had brief but sufficient views of this rare bird. We had dinner at a wonderful, local dumpling restaurant which was quite an experience. Savanna Nightjars were calling around the hotel during the night.


22nd April – Daxueshan to Qinjing We still had a big target up the mountain, the Taiwan Partridge. Although there were other chances to see it later in the tour, none of these were guaranteed and we definitely felt it was worthwhile having one more visit to the feeding station. There were in fact 2 feeding sites, so we used walkie talkies to keep in contact between the 2. We waited an hour and saw Swinhoe's Pheasant, Steere's Liocichla, Taiwan Whistling-Thrush, plus a few more common species. We were just about to leave when Scott spotted one down slope. We rushed over but the partridge had disappeared. A few minutes later it was back, and this time we all got on it. It was a 2-hour drive to our next site which was Huisun Forest. Having seen so many birds at Daxueshan, we only had one target here, the endemic Chestnut-bellied Tit. On the way in, we had a soaring pair of Crested Serpent-Eagles.

Taiwan Barbet is known in Chinese as the ‘Five-coloured Bird’.

While searching for the tit, we saw a good variety of birds, including Gray-capped Woodpecker, Gray-chinned Minivet, White-bellied Erpornis, Black Bulbul, Japanese White-eye and Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, the latter which we had previously only heard. Despite all our efforts, we dipped on the Chestnut-bellied Tit and sat down to have lunch. Afterwards, we kept searching and had more great views of Taiwan Blue-Magpie, Taiwan Barbet and Malayan Night-Heron. We ran out of time and had to move on to the town of Puli where we visited a garden in search of the bright red race of Maroon Oriole. Another birding group was just leaving, and they hadn’t found it, but that didn’t stop us from trying. As we walked around the gardens, we found Bronzed Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, Gray Treepie & Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler, before we spotted the spectacular bright red Maroon Oriole. On the way out, we also saw Brown Shrike. It was about another hour before we got to our hotel at Qingjing, where tired after a long drive, we called it a day. At night we sat down to enjoy our first hotpots of the trip


23rd April – Hehuanshuan to Tianxiang We had a long drive today across the mountains on to the eastern side of Taiwan in order to see one of our last remaining endemics, the Styan’s, or Taiwan Bulbul. We had an early breakfast at a convenience store, where we picked up quite a few birds outside, including Oriental Turtle-Dove, Japanese White-eye, White-eared Sibia, Steere's Liocichla and White-bellied Pigeon which was new for the trip. We started our drive upslope, and at our next birding stop found Green-backed Tit, Taiwan Yuhina, Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler and another new endemic, the Taiwan Cupwing. We continued our search for the rare Taiwan Thrush in the Meifeng area, but there was no sign of this very difficult bird. Instead we saw plenty of Taiwan Yuhinas, White-eared Sibias and our first Snowy-browed Flycatcher. We continued our drive upslope. Just below the high point in the road, we stopped at a spot called Kunyang, where we picked up Eurasian Jay, Yellowish-bellied & Taiwan Bush Warblers, White-whiskered Laughingthrush & Collared Bush-Robin.

Taiwan Bulbul is threatened by hybridization with Light-vented Bulbul.

Wuling Pass is the highpoint in the road, and at an elevation of 3275m (10,745ft), it is the highest road in East Asia. We looked around for the Alpine Accentor which is often seen here, but only found Collared Bush-Robin, White-whiskered Laughingthrush and Taiwan Rosefinch. Below the pass we did find the endemic race of Eurasian Wren which cooperated and flew right in to pose for photos. The road wound down and down to the town of Tianxiang where we had lunch and easily found our target Styan's Bulbul, which was one of our few remaining endemics. It was a long drive back, so we didn’t dawdle, but we did stop again at the Wuling Pass and finally found our target Alpine Accentor. It had been a very long drive, and everybody was happy to knock off a bit early. One member of the group was keen for a night drive and we took a long drive back up and over the pass to look for the rare Himalayan Owl. At my secret stakeout, we heard it calling at a distance, but it came in no closer and we had to give up on it having to make do with a single Reeve’s Muntjac on the way back.


High elevation specialists, Taiwan Rosefinch & Alpine Accentor.


24th April – Qingjing to Alishan With our ever-shorter list of targets, we were back at the forest above Qingjing and the famous Blue Gate trail looking for the vey elusive Taiwan Thrush. This is Taiwan’s newest endemic and arguably its most difficult. This area is one of the better spots to find it and we searched diligently for it. There was plenty of activity and we saw many endemics including Taiwan Yellow Tit, Taiwan Yuhina, White-eared Sibia and Taiwan Barwing, but no thrush. After a convenience store breakfast, we headed downslope to an area near Puli where our only other remaining endemic, the Chestnut-bellied Tit, had been seen. We explored a beautiful forested valley, although the beautiful blue skies meant that it got hot very quickly, and the bird activity was starting to diminish. We did find a few pockets of activity and in the end found Crested Serpent-Eagle, Gray-chinned & Ashy Minivets, White-bellied Erpornis, Black-naped Monarch, Black Bulbul and Morrison's Fulvetta but unfortunately no tit.

Taiwan Partridge comes in to a feeding site.

We had to hit the road as we had a long way to go to get up to the high elevation Yushan National Park. We stopped to pick up some lunch supplies and when we got up to the high point of the road we enjoyed a nice picnic. Things were slow up here too and we saw little more than Collared Bush-Robin. We were aiming on getting to our lodge down in Alishan for 3pm so we could visit a blind for Taiwan Partridge. Although we had already seen this briefly at Daxueshan, we were hoping for better looks and some photos. After being dropped by the lodge owner and walking down a steep slope to the hide, we got ourselves settled in and started our vigil. First, a beautiful male Swinhoe's Pheasant showed up which we spent some time photographing and finally a single Taiwan Partridge came in to feed and cooperated well for photos. After a fun birthday party and dinner, we went down to the village nearby to see the spectacular fireflies.


25th April – Alishan to Tainan Outside our lodge at Alishan, Green-backed & Black-throated Tits and Grey Treepies were coming in to feed on moths that that had been attracted to a light overnight. Driving up the road, we had a couple of Taiwan Whistling-Thrushes and White-tailed Robins crossing and a short birding stop produced Gray-capped Woodpecker, Gray-chinned Minivet, Bronzed Drongo and Vivid Niltavas. We stopped for breakfast in a nearby village where we had Striated Swallow flying over and some of us had some Brown Bullfinches perched on a wire in a tea plantation. We explored some mountain roads for remaining endemics. We saw our first Asian Emerald Dove and at a viewpoint saw White-bellied Pigeon, White-eared Sibia, Steere's Liocichla and Morrison's Fulvetta. The most memorable part of the morning though was getting blocked by a cement truck coming up the steep and narrow mountain road. Once we had carefully manoeuvred our way free, we drove down to a site called Aogu. This is one of the best shorebirding sites in Taiwan, but unfortunately the tide was high. We did get a small selection of ducks, with Northern Shoveler, Falcated Duck, Eurasian Wigeon and Eastern Spot-billed Duck, plus Eurasian Moorhen and Eurasian Coot. We did have a small selection of shorebirds, with Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Pacific Golden-Plover, Common Greenshank and Marsh Sandpiper, plus a smattering of other water birds, with Little & Caspian Terns, Great Cormorant, Intermediate Egret and 18 Black-faced Spoonbills.

Slaty-breasted Rail is one of the most difficult endemic taxa to see.

On the way to the city of Taiwan for lunch, we stopped at a flooded field where we enjoyed a good number of stunning, breeding-plumaged Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, a pair of rare Greater Painted-Snipes, many Gray-throated Martins and our first Zitting Cisticolas of the trip. After a delicious lunch in Tainan, we rested for a while in our hotel before heading out to explore the area. In the afternoon, we explored the Yanshui River mouth where we saw Eurasian Wigeon, Pied Avocet, Pacific Golden-Plover, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Redshank and the introduced Chestnut-tailed Starling. Next, we went to the Sicao Nature reserve where we added Kentish & Black-bellied Plovers, Lesser Sand-Plover, Sharp-tailed & Curlew Sandpipers, Red-necked Stint and Gray-tailed Tattler, plus Yellow Bittern, Black-faced Spoonbill and Oriental Magpie. We had time for just one more birding site so we went to the Qigu area. Our main target here was the endemic race of Ring-necked Pheasant which we found easily, along with Long-toed Stint, Oriental Pratincole, Black-winged Kite, Oriental Skylark, Gray-streaked Flycatcher and several Eastern Yellow Wagtails. The highlight of the afternoon was


seeing the endemic race of Slaty-breasted Rail which we had several good views of crossing gaps in the grass. We had dinner at the same delicious restaurant near our hotel after which we heard Savanna Nightjar calling. 26th April - Tainan to Douliu Aogu had been good yesterday, but the tides had been high, so we had missed a few shorebird species. This morning was supposed to be low tide but as we got here, there was still no exposed mud. We had a few duck species, including Northern Shoveler, Eastern Spot-billed Duck and Tufted Duck which was new for the trip. Right at the end of the road we saw an area with a few shorebirds, including Black-winged Stilts with a fluffy chick, Pied Avocet, Pacific Golden-Plover, Kentish Plover, breeding-plumaged Curlew Sandpipers and Red-necked Stints. It was good for terns too, with Little, Caspian, Whiskered & White-winged Terns. Other water birds were Great Cormorant, Yellow Bittern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Black-faced Spoonbill and Common Kingfisher. A closer look at the numerous swallows produced Gray-throated Martins, Pacific & Striated Swallows. Other species seen included Long-tailed Shrike, Oriental Magpie, Eastern Yellow Wagtail and Scaly-breasted Munia. Next on the agenda was not a birding stop but rather a mammal one. We dropped in at the Formosan Golden Bat's Home in the town of Yunlin. As the name suggest, it is a site for the Formosan Golden Bat, but it turned out to be so much more. 10 years ago, an amateur bat enthusiast set up a bat museum next to a primary school. The educational exhibits were fascinating and incredibly well thought out and we really enjoyed our tour.

Formosan Golden Bat were a gret addition to our mammal list.

After the museum, we were taken into the school where we were shown a roost of the golden bats which were stunning. The curator of the museum couldn’t find the bats but the kids were on hand to point them out. We were also shown Japanese Pipistrelle and Lesser Asiatic Yellow House Bats in bat boxes. Just before we left, we also saw a Malayan Night-Heron on the lawn of the school. Our next target was Chestnut-bellied Tit, an endemic that we had missed earlier in the trip. We returned to the Huisun Forest Area where we enjoyed another picnic lunch under the trees. It was middle of the day, but we took a walk and soon came across Chestnut-bellied Tit which was to be our last endemic. The very difficult thrush now looked unlikely. We saw another Malayan Night-Heron and a Taiwan Blue-Magpie in the picnic site before we left for the city of Douliu where we would spend the night. It was hot in the early afternoon, so we


retired to the cool of our air-conditioned rooms before setting off to Huben to start our search for the Fairy Pitta. We went around a few known locations where we came across Bronzed Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, Collared Finchbill, Black Bulbul, Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler and Scaly-breasted Munia. We tracked down a couple of calling Fairy Pittas but they didn’t come in close enough to have a chance to see them. 27th April – Douliu to Taoyuan It was our last morning of the trip and we had only one thing on our minds; Fairy Pitta. We had received some info overnight on a site that pittas had been seen yesterday. After an early breakfast and check out, we drove the short distance to a neighbouring village at the base of some low hills. There was a road all the way to the site, but it got narrower and narrower until we only had a few inches on either side of the vehicle. The site looked suitable habitat and we soon had a distant Fairy Pitta calling. The road was busy with early morning walkers and trees swaying and crashing with Formosan Macaques, so the conditions weren’t ideal. We managed to coax the bird closer a few times but it was always out of view. In the end, eagle-eyed Scott worked his magic again and spotted a distant bird through the trees. We got the scope on it and all had good views before it hopped off into the foliage, not to reappear. What a relief! This bird is never easy, but we got it. An introduced White-rumped Shama also showed well and showed off its song. This left us with a bit of extra time on our hands, and I had just the way to spend it. There was a town nearby called Zhushan where there was a temple with a famous resident, a Collared Scops-Owl that roosted in the roof. Owls had been roosting here for over 10 years and had even stayed after earthquakes. People felt the owls were lucky and were protecting the temple. The staff were very friendly and took us straight to see the bird which was perched in the ornamental ceiling. After getting great scope views and photos, we sat down for tea and a long chat with one of the temple volunteers that spoke English. What a great final day it had been! All that remained now was to drive back to the international airport at Taoyuan where we had lunch at the luxury hotel where some of the group were staying tonight. We voted on our favourite birds of the tour, then said our goodbyes before driving to the terminal.

Collared Scops-Owl has roosted in the roof of this temple for many years.

Bird of the tour


1st place - Fairy Pitta 2nd place - Mikado Pheasant 3rd place - Taiwan Partridge 4th place - Collared Scops-Owl 5th place - Taiwan Blue-Magpie

Bird list Taxonomy follows ebird/Clements online checklist. Updated Aug 2018 DUCKS, GEESE and SWANS: Anatidae Garganey Spatula querquedula Seen on the Dongyin to Nangan Ferry. Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata Seen at Aogu. Falcated Duck Mareca falcata Seen at Aogu. Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope Seen at Dongyin, Aogu & Sicao. Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha Seen at Guandu & Shimen & Aogu. Green-winged (Eurasian) Teal Anas crecca crecca Seen at Guandu. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Seen at Aogu. PHEASANTS and PARTRIDGES: Phasianidae Taiwan Partridge Arborophila crudigularis Endemic Near-threatened. Seen at Daxueshan & Alishan. Heard at Shimen & Puli. Taiwan Bamboo-Partridge Bambusicola sonorivox Endemic Seen at Daxueshan & Huisun. Heard at Shimen Dam, Puli & Alishan. Mikado Pheasant Syrmaticus mikado Endemic Near-threatened. Seen at Daxueshan. Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus formosanus Endemic subspecies Seen at Qigu. Swinhoe's Pheasant Lophura swinhoii Endemic Near-threatened. Seen at Daxueshan & Alishan. GREBES: Podicipedidae Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Seen at Aogu & Sicao. PIGEONS and DOVES: Columbidae Rock Pigeon Columba livia Introduced. Commonly seen in urban areas throughout. Ashy Wood-Pigeon Columba pulchricollis Seen at Daxueshan. Heard at Qingjing. Oriental Turtle-Dove Streptopelia orientalis orii Endemic subspecies Seen at Nangan, Guandu, Jinshan, Shimen & Qingjing. Red Collared-Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica Seen at Dongyin, Jinshan, Shigang, Aogu & Sicao. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Seen at Nangan & Aogu.


Asian Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica Seen near Alishan. White-bellied Pigeon Treron sieboldii Seen at Qingjing & Alishan. CUCKOOS: Cuculidae Large Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx sparverioides Heard at Daxueshan & Alishan. Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus optatus Seen at Daxueshan. NIGHTJARS: Caprimulgidae Savanna Nightjar Caprimulgus affinis stictomus Endemic subspecies Seen at Douliu. Heard at Dongshi & Tainan. SWIFTS: Apodidae Pacific Swift Apus pacificus Seen on Dongyin. House Swift Apus nipalensis kuntzi Endemic subspecies The endemic race A.n.kuntzi seen at Shimen. A.n.nipalensis seen on Dongyin & Nangan. RAILS, GALLINULES and COOTS: Rallidae Slaty-breasted Rail Gallirallus striatus taiwanus Endemic subspecies Seen at Aogu. Eurasian Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Seen at Guandu, Aogu & Sicao. Eurasian Coot Fuica atra Seen at Aogu. White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus Seen on Nangan. AVOCETS and STILTS: Recurvirostridae Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Seen at Nangan, Guandu, Aogu & Sicao. Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Seen at Aogu & Sicao. PLOVERS and LAPWINGS: Charadriidae Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola Seen at Sicao. Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva Seen at Aogu & Sicao. Gray-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus Seen on Dongyin. Lesser Sand-Plover Charadrius mongolus Seen at Nangan & Sicao. Greater Sand-Plover Charadrius leschenaultii Seen on Dongyin. Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus Seen at Aogu & Sicao. Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Seen at Nangan, Dongyin & Shigang.


PAINTED-SNIPES: Rostratulidae Greater Painted-Snipe Rostratula benghalensis Seen near Tainan. JACANAS: Jacanidae Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus Seen near Tainan. SANDPIPERS: Scolopacidae Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Seen on Nangan ferry. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata Seen at Dongyin, Nangan, Guandu & Sicao. Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea Seen at Sicao & Aogu. Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta Seen at Guandu & Aogu. Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis Seen at Guandu, Sicao & Aogu. Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago Seen at Dongyin & Guandu. Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus Seen on the ferry to Dongyin. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Seen at Dongyin, Nangan, Shigang & Aogu. Gray-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes Seen at Sicao. Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Seen at Dongyin, Nangan, Guandu, Sicao & Aogu. Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Seen at Nangan, Guandu, Sicao & Aogu. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Seen at Dongyin, Nangan & Guandu. Common Redshank Tringa totanus Seen at Sicao. PRATINCOLES: Glareolidae Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum Seen at Dongyin & Aogu. GULLS & TERNS: Laridae Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus heuglini Seen on the ferry to Dongyin. Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris Seen on the ferry to Dongyin & Nangan. Little Tern Sternula albifrons Seen at Aogu. Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Seen at Aogu, White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus Seen at Aogu. Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida Seen at Aogu,


Common Tern Sterna hirundo Seen on the ferry from Dongyin to Nangan. Great Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii Seen on Dongyin to Nangan ferry. CORMORANTS: Phalacrocoracidae Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Seen at Aogu. HERONS, EGRETS and BITTERNS: Ardeidae Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis Seen at Sicao & Aogu. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Seen at Dongyin, Guandu, Jinshan, Aogu & Sicao. Great Egret Ardea alba Seen at Dongyin, Guandu, Shimen & Aogu. Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia Seen at Dongyin, Puli & Aogu. Little Egret Egretta garzetta Commonly seen in aquatic habitats throughout. Pacific Reef-Heron Egretta sacra Seen on Yeliu. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Seen at Dongyin, Guandu, Shimen & Aogu. Chinese Pond-Heron Ardeola bacchus Seen on Dogyin & Nangan. Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Seen at Dongyin, Nangan, Guandu, Daxueshan & Aogu. Malayan Night-Heron Gorsachius melanolophus Seen at Guandu, Huisun & Yunlin. IBISES and SPOONBILLS: Threskiornithidae Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus Introduced. Seen at Guandu & Aogu. Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor Endangered. Seen at Guandu, Sicao & Aogu. OSPREY: Pandionidae OSPREY Pandion haliaetus Seen on Dongyin. HAWKS, EAGLES and KITES: Accipitridae Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus Seen at Qigu. Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus Seen at Daxueshan. Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela hoya Endemic subspecies Seen at Guandu, Daxueshan, Huisun & Puli. Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis Seen at Yangmingshan. Gray-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus formosae Endemic subspecies Seen at Guandu & Daxueshan.


Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis Seen on Nangan. Black(-eared) Kite Milvus migrans formosanus Seen at Taipei, Jinsan & Shimen. Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. OWLS: Strigidae Mountain Scops-Owl Otus spilocephalus hambroecki Endemic subspecies Heard at Alishan. Collared Scops-Owl Otus lettia glabripes Endemic subspecies Seen at Zhushan. Tawny Fish-Owl Ketupa flavipes Seen at Daxueshan. Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei pardalotum Endemic subspecies Heard at Daxueshan. Himalayan Owl Strix nivicola yamadae Endemic subspecies Heard at Hehuanshan. HOOPOES: Upupidae Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops Seen on Dongyin. KINGFISHERS: Alcedinidae Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Seen at Dongyin, Nangan, Guandu, Shigang & Aogu. ASIAN BARBETS: Megalaimidae Taiwan Barbet Megalaima nuchalis Endemic Seen or heard at most lowland & mid-elevation forest sites. WOODPECKERS: Picidae Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla Seen on Dongyin. Gray-capped Woodpecker Yungipicus canicapillus Seen at Daxueshan, Huisun, Alishan & Huben. Gray-faced Woodpecker Picus canus Heard at Daxueshan. FALCONS: Falconidae Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Seen on Nangan & heard at Yeliu. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Seen at Dongyin & on Nangang ferry. PITTAS: Pittidae Fairy Pitta Pitta nympha Vulnerable. Seen at Linnei & heard at Huben. CUCKOO-SHRIKES: Campephagidae Gray-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus solaris Seen at Daxueshan, Huisun, Puli & Alishan.


Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus Seen on Dongyin & at Puli. Brown-rumped Minivet Pericrocotus cantonensis Seen on Dongyin. SHRIKES: Laniidae Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus Seen at Guandu, Puli & Aogu. Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach Seen at Aogu. VIREOS: Vireonidae White-bellied Erpornis Erpornis zantholeuca Seen at Shimen, Huisun & Puli. ORIOLES: Oriolidae Maroon (Red) Oriole Oriolus traillii ardens Endemic subspecies Seen at Puli. This is a very distinctive subspecies and potential split. DRONGOS: Dicruridae Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus harterti Endemic subspecies D.m.harterti was seen at Jinshan, Shimen & Aogu. D.m.cathoecus seen on Dongyin & Nangan. Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus braunianus Endemic subspecies Seen at Puli, Alishan & Huben. MONARCH-FLYCATCHERS: Monarchidae Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea oberholseri Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan, Puli & Huben. Japanese Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone atrocaudata Near-threatened. Seen at Yeliu. CROWS: Corvidae Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius taivanus Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan & Hehuanshan. Taiwan Blue-Magpie Urocissa caerulea Endemic Seen at Yangmingshan, Shimen & Huisun. Gray Treepie Dendrocitta formosae formosae Endemic subspecies Seen at Guandu, Jinshan, Shimen, Daxueshan, Puli, Huisun & Huben. Oriental Magpie Pica serica Seen at Guandu, Jinshan, Sicao & Aogu. Eurasian Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes owstoni Endemic subspecies Heard at Daxueshan. Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Seen at Shimen, Hehuanshan & Puli. LARKS: Alaudidae Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula Seen at Qigu. SWALLOWS: Hirundinidae Grey-throated Martin Riparia chinensis Seen at Shigang, Aogu & Tainan.


Bank Swallow Riparia riparia Seen on Nangan ferry. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Commonly seen throughout. Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica Seen at Daxueshan, Aogu & Huben. Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica japonica Seen on Dongyin. Striated Swallow Cecropis striolata Seen in Aogu & Alishan. Asian House-Martin Delichon dasypus Seen at Daxueshan & Hehuanshan. TITS: Paridae Coal Tit Periparus ater ptilosus Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. Chestnut-bellied Tit Sittiparus castaneoventris Endemic Seen at Huisun. Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus insperatus Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan, Qingjing & Alishan. Taiwan Yellow Tit Machlolophus holsti Endemic subspecies Near-threatened. Seen at Daxueshan & Qingjing. LONG-TAILED TITS: Aegithalidae Black-throated Tit Aegithalos c. concinnus Seen at Nangan, Daxueshan & Alishan. NUTHATCHES: Sittidae Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea Seen at Daxueshan. WRENS: Troglodytidae Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes taivanus Endemic subspecies Seen at Hehuanshan. DIPPERS: Cinclidae Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii Seen at Daxueshan. BULBULS: Pycnonotidae Collared Finchbill Spizixos semitorques cinereicapillus Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan & Huben. Styan's Bulbul Pycnonotus taivanus Endemic Vulnerable. Seen at Tianxiang. Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis formosae Endemic subspecies P.s.sinensis was seen on the Matsu islands. Endemic P.s.formosae was seen on Taiwan. Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus nigerrimus Endemic subspecies H.l.leucocephalus was seen on the Matsu islands. The endemic H.s.nigerrimus was commonly seen on Taiwan KINGLETS: Regulidae Flamecrest Regulus goodfellowi Endemic Seen at Daxueshan.


CUPWINGS: Pnoepygidae Taiwan Cupwing Pnoepyga formosana Endemic Seen at Qingjing. Heard at Daxueshan. BUSH-WARBLERS: Cettidae Rufous-faced Warbler Abroscopus albogularis Seen at Daxueshan.

Brownish-flanked Bush-Warbler Horornis fortipes davidianus Commonly seen or heard on the Matsu Islands. Yellowish-bellied Bush-Warbler Horornis acanthizoides concolor Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan & Hehuanshan. LEAF WARBLERS: Phylloscopidae Yelloow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus Commonly seen on the Matsu Islands. Pallas’s Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus Seen on Dongyin. Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus tenellipes/borealoides Seen on Dongyin. Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis Seen at Nangan. GRASSBIRDS & ALLIES: Locustellidae Taiwan Bush-Warbler Locustella alishanensis Endemic Seen at Daxueshan & Hehuanshan. CISTICOLAS: Cisticolidae Striated Prinia Prinia crinigera striata Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris Seen at Guandu, Sicao & Aogu. Plain Prinia Prinia inornata flavirostris Endemic subspecies Seen at Guandu, Shigang, Daxueshan, Sicao, Aogu & Huben. Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis Seen at Tainan & Qigu. PARROTBILLS & ALLIES: Paradoxornithidae Taiwan Fulvetta Fulvetta formosana Endemic Seen at Daxueshan. Vinous-throated Parrotbill Paradoxornis webbianus bulomachus Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. Golden Parrotbill Paradoxornis verreauxi morrisonianus Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. YUHINAS, WHITE-EYES & ALLIES: Zosteropidae Taiwan Yuhina Yuhina brunneiceps Endemic Seen at Daxueshan, Qingjing & Alishan. Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus


Commonly seen throughout. BABBLERS: Timaliidae Rufous-capped Babbler Cyanoderma ruficeps praecognitum Endemic subspecies Seen at Shimen, Daxueshan, Qingjing, Puli & Huben. Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler Pomatorhinus musicus Endemic Seen at Shimen, Alishan, Puli & Huben. Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler Megapomatorhinus erythrocnemis Endemic Seen at Shimen & Qinjin. Heard at Alishan. FULVETTAS & GROUND BABBLERS: Pellorneidae Dusky Fulvetta Schoeniparus b. brunneus Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. Heard at Alishan & Huben. LAUGHINGTHRUSHES: Leiothrichidae Morrison’s Fulvetta Alcippe morrisonia Endemic Seen at Shimen, Daxueshan, Puli & Alishan. Taiwan Hwamei Garrulax taewanus Endemic Near-threatened. Seen at Daxueshan. Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush Ianthocincla ruficeps Endemic Seen at Daxueshan. Rusty Laughingthrush Ianthocincla poecilorhynchus Endemic Seen at Daxueshan. White-whiskered Laughingthrush Trochalopteron morrisonianum Endemic Seen at Daxueshan & Hehuanshan. White-eared Sibia Heterophasia auricularis Endemic Seen at Daxueshan, Qingjing, Puli & Alishan. Steere's Liocichla Liocichla steerii Endemic Seen at Daxueshan, Qingjing & Alishan. Taiwan Barwing Actinodura morrisoniana Endemic Seen at Daxueshan & Qingjing. FLYCATCHERS: Muscicapidae Gray-streaked Flycatcher Muscicapa griseisticta Seen on Dongyin & Aogu. Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea Seen at Dongyin & Daxueshan. Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica Seen at Dongyin. Orental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis Seen at Nangan & Aogu. White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus Seen at Linnei. Vivid Niltava Niltava v. vivida Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan & Alishan. Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomeana Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. White-browed Shortwing Brachypteryx montana goodfellowi Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. Rufous-tailed Robin Larvivora sibilans Heard on Dongyin & Nangan. Siberian Blue Robin Larvivora cyane Seen on Dongyin. Taiwan Whistling-Thrush Myophonus insularis Endemic Seen at Shimen, Daxueshan & Alishan,


Blue Whistling-Thrush Myophonus caeruleus Seen on Nangan. Little Forktail Enicurus scouleri fortis Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. White-tailed Robin Cinclidium leucurum montium Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan & Alishan, Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus Seen on Dongyin, Yeliu & Jinshan. Collared Bush-Robin Tarsiger johnstoniae Endemic Seen at Daxueshan & Hehuanshan. Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia Seen on Dongyin. Narcisssus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. Mugimaki Flycatcher Ficedula mugimaki Seen on Dongyin. Snowy-browed Flycatcher Ficedula hyperythra innexa Endemic subspecies Seen at Qingjing. Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla Seen on Dongyin Plumbeous Redstart Phoenicurus fuliginosa affinis Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan & Alishan. Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus aurorius Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. Blue Rock-Thrush Monticola solitarius phillipensis Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus Seen on Dongyin, Nangan & Yeliu. THRUSHES & ALLIES: Turdidae Japanese Thrush Turdus cardis Seen on Dongyin. Gray-backed Thrush Turdus hortulorum Seen on Dongyin. Eyebrowed Thrush Turdus obscurus Seen on Nangan & Daxueshan. Brown-headed Thrush Turdus chrysolaus Seen on Dongyin, Nangan & Jinshan. Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. STARLINGS : Sturnidae Black-collared Starling Gracupica nigricollis Introduced. Seen at Guandu & Jinshan. White-shouldered Starling Sturnia sinensis Seen on Nangan. Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnia malabarica Introduced. Seen at Sicao. Red-billed Starling Spodiopsar sericeus See on Nangan. White-cheeked Starling Spodiopsar cineraceus Seen at Jinshan. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Introduced. Seen at Jinshan, Sicao & Aogu.


Javan Myna Acridotheres javanicus Introduced. Commonly seen in the lowlands. Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus Endemic subspecies Endemic A.c.formosanus seen along highways on Taiwan. A.c.cristatellus seen on Nangan. FLOWERPECKERS: Dicaeidae Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectum formosum Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan & Huisun. ACCENTORS: Prunellidae Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris fennelli Endemic subspecies Seen at Hehuanshan. WAGTAILS and PIPITS: Motacillidae Forest Wagtail Dendroanthus indicus Seen on Dongyin. Gray Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Seen at Nangan, Jinshan, Shimen, Shigang & Huisun. Eastern Yellow Wagtail Motacilla tschutschensis M.t.tschutschensis seen on Dongyin. M.t.taivana seen on Matsu Islands & Aogu. White Wagtail Motacilla alba M.a.leucopsis, lugens & ocularis races seen at Dongyin, Nangan, Shigang & Huisun. Richard's Pipit Anthus richardi Seen at Nangan. Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni Seen at Dongyin, Nangan & Jinshan. Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus. Seen at Dongyin & Nangan. American (Buff-bellied) Pipit Anthus rubescens japonica Seen on Nangan. FINCHES, SISKINS, CROSSBILLS: Fringillidae Brambling Fringilla montifringilla Seen at Dongyin & Jinshan. Yellow-billed Grosbeak Eophona migratoria Seen at Nangan. Taiwan Rosefinch Carpodacus formosanus Endemic Seen at Daxueshan & Hehuanshan. Brown Bullfinch Pyrrhula nipalensis uchidae Endemic subspecies Seen at Alishan. Gray-headed Bullfinch Pyrrhula erythaca owstoni Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. Oriental Greenfinch Chloris sinica Seen on Nangan. BUNTINGS: Emberizidae Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola Seen on Dongyin. Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla Seen on Dongyin, Nangan & Tianxiang. Yellow Bunting Emberiza sulphurata Seen on Nangan. Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala Seen at Dongyin, Nangan & Jinshan.


Chestnut Bunting Emberiza rutila Seen on Dongyin & Nangan. Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza chrysophrys Seen on Dongyin. Tristram’s Bunting Emberiza tristrami Seen on Dongyin. SPARROWS: Passeridae Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Commonly seen throughout. WAXBILLS and ALLIES: Estrildidae White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata Seen at Daxueshan. Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata Seen at Shigang, Tianxiang & Aogu.

Mammal list - Taxonomy follows en.wikipedia.org

VESPER BATS: Vespertillionidae Japanese Pipistrelle Pipistrellus abramus Seen at Formosan Golden Bat Home. Lesser Asiatic Yellow House Bat Scotophilus kuhlii Seen at Formosan Golden Bat Home. Hodgson’s Bat Myotis formosus flavus Seen at Formosan Golden Bat Home. OLD WORLD MONKEYS: Cercopithecidae

Formosan Rock Macaque Macaca cyclopsis Endemic Seen at Daxueshan, Yushan & Huben.

SQUIRRELS: Sciuridae

Red-and-white Flying-Squirrel Petaurista alborufus lena Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. Indian Giant Flying-Squirrel Petaurista philippensis grandis Endemic subspecies Seen at Huben. Maritime Striped Squirrel Tamiops maritimus formosanus Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. Perny's Long-nosed Squirrel Dremomys pernyi owstoni Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan. Pallas's Squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus taiwanensis Endemic subspecies Seen at Taipei botanical gardens & Huben.

WEASELS: Mustelidae

Siberian Weasel Mustela sibirica taivana Endemic subspecies Seen briefly at Daxueshan.

DEER: Cervidae Reeve's Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi micrurus Endemic subspecies Seen at Daxueshan.

BOVIDS: Bovidae

Formosan Serow Capricornis swinhoei Endemic Seen at Daxueshan.

taiwan: formosan endemics - tropical birding...yellow-bellied & plain prinias, japanese...

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