List of Birds of Thailand

List Of Birds Of Thailand

982 species of bird have been recorded in the wild in Thailand, of which three are endemic, one introduced by humans, and 45 rare or accidental. Seven species listed are extirpated in Thailand and are not included in the species count, and 49 species are globally threatened. The sequence of bird families and species follows Clements (2000); unless otherwise indicated, the species included are as in Robson (2004), and the status in Thailand is from Lekagul and Round (1991). Species with no indicated status are resident or partially resident non-rarities.

In 1991, it was estimated that 159 resident and 23 migratory species were endangered or vulnerable due to forest clearance, illegal logging, hunting and habitat degradation, especially in the lowlands. Those species most affected are large water birds whose wetland habitat has been largely lost to agriculture, and forest species, where deforestation for agriculture and logging have removed or degraded the woodlands.

The birds of Thailand are mainly typical of the Indomalaya ecozone, with affinities to the Indian subcontinent to the west, and, particularly in the southern Peninsular region, with the Sundaic fauna to the southeast. The northern mountains are outliers of the Tibetan Plateau, with many species of montane birds, and in winter the avifauna is augmented by migrants from the eastern Palearctic and Himalayas. The Java Sparrow has been introduced by man, and the Cattle Egret has naturally colonised.

Thailand's habitats are contiguous with those of neighbouring countries, so it has few endemic birds. Perhaps the most intriguing is the White-eyed River Martin, known only from its single wintering site in Thailand, but is now probably extinct.