Cuc Phuong National Park

The first protected area in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Cuc Phuong National Park comprises 22,000 ha of limestone forest on the borders of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces. Cuc Phuong attracts large numbers of domestic tourists, so avoid weekends and public holidays.

Birding highlights: Silver Pheasant, Red-vented Barbet, Green-eared Barbet, Bar-bellied Pitta, Ratchet-tailed Treepie and Limestone Wren Babbler.

Star rating: éé

Bird fauna: To date, over 300 species of bird have been recorded at Cuc Phuong National Park. Cuc Phuong supports an abundant forest bird community including a good selection of woodpeckers, mynas, starlings, corvids and flycatchers. The site supports a number of South-East Asian endemics, including Red-vented Barbet, Bar-bellied Pitta and Limestone Wren Babbler.

Other features: Endangered Primate Rescue Centre. 

Transportation: Car or motorbike. Cuc Phuong National Park is about 135 km by road from Hanoi.

Accommodation: Visitor accommodation is available at the park headquarters and inside the national park near the Bong ranger station. The forest is accessible on foot from both locations but some birding trails (such as the Cave of the Early Man for Limestone Wren Babbler) are only accessible by car.

Permission: Cuc Phuong is a well established tourism site. Entrance fees are charged and guides are available but not compulsory.

Birding routes: 

Main  Road: from headquarters to Bong

Dracontomelum Route:

Tetrameles Route:

1. Chinese Francolin

2. Bar-backed Partridge

3. Chestnut-necklaced Partridge*

4. Red Junglefowl

5. Silver Pheasant

6. Grey Peacock Pheasant

7. Garganey

8. Yellow-legged Buttonquail

9. Barred Buttonquail

10. White-browed Piculet

11. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

12. Great Spotted Woodpecker

13. Rufous Woodpecker

14. Lesser Yellownape

15. Greater Yellownape

16. Red-collared Woodpecker

17. Common Flameback

18. Greater Flameback

19. Bay Woodpecker

20. Great Barbet

21. Red-vented Barbet

22. Green-eared Barbet

23. Oriental Pied Hornbill

24. Brown Hornbill

25. Common Hoopoe

26. Red-headed Trogon

27. Dollarbird

28. Common Kingfisher

29. Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher

30. Ruddy Kingfisher

31. White-throated Kingfisher

32. Black-capped Kingfisher

33. Blue-bearded Bee-eater

34. Chestnut-winged Cuckoo

35. Large Hawk Cuckoo

36. Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo

37. Indian Cuckoo

38. Oriental Cuckoo

39. Banded Bay Cuckoo

40. Plaintive Cuckoo

41. Drongo Cuckoo

42. Asian Koel

43. Green-billed Malkoha

44. Greater Coucal

45. Lesser Coucal

46. Red-breasted Parakeet

47. Silver-backed Needletail

48. Brown-backed Needletail

49. Asian Palm Swift

50. Fork-tailed Swift

51. House Swift

52. Oriental Bay Owl

53. Mountain Scops Owl

54. Oriental Scops Owl

55. Collared Scops Owl

56. Spot-bellied Eagle Owl

57. Collared Owlet

58. Asian Barred Owlet

59. Brown Hawk Owl

60. Spotted Dove

61. Barred Cuckoo Dove

62. Emerald Dove

63. Thick-billed Green Pigeon

64. Pin-tailed Green Pigeon

65. Yellow-vented Green Pigeon

66. White-breasted Waterhen

67. Eurasian Woodcock

68. Common Moorhen

69. Common Greenshank

70. Green Sandpiper

71. Common Sandpiper

72. Little Ringed Plover

73. Northern Lapwing

74. Grey-headed Lapwing

75. Osprey

76. Black Baza

77. Oriental Honey-buzzard

78. Black-shouldered Kite

79. Black Kite

80. Crested Serpent Eagle

81. Eurasian Marsh Harrier

82. Pied Harrier

83. Crested Goshawk

84. Shikra

85. Japanese Sparrowhawk

86. Black Eagle

87. Imperial Eagle

88. Mountain Hawk Eagle

89. Pied Falconet

90. Common Kestrel

91. Oriental Hobby

92. Little Grebe

93. Little Egret

94. Grey Heron

95. Great Egret

96. Chinese Pond Heron

97. Little Heron

98. Malayan Night Heron

99. Cinnamon Bittern

100. Eared Pitta

101. Blue-rumped Pitta

102. Bar-bellied Pitta

103. Silver-breasted Broadbill

104. Long-tailed Broadbill

105. Asian Fairy Bluebird

106. Blue-winged Leafbird

107. Orange-bellied Leafbird

108. Tiger Shrike

109. Brown Shrike

110. Burmese Shrike

111. Long-tailed Shrike

112. Grey-backed Shrike

113. Red-billed Blue Magpie

114. White-winged Magpie

115. Common Green Magpie

116. Indochinese Green Magpie

117. Racket-tailed Treepie

118. Ratchet-tailed Treepie

119. Large-billed Crow

120. Maroon Oriole

121. Large Cuckooshrike

122. Black-winged Cuckooshrike

123. Scarlet Minivet

124. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike

125. White-throated Fantail

126. Black Drongo

127. Ashy Drongo

128. Crow-billed Drongo

129. Bronzed Drongo

130. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo

131. Spangled Drongo

132. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

133. Black-naped Monarch

134. Asian Paradise-flycatcher

135. Common Iora

136. Great Iora

137. Large Woodshrike

138. White-throated Rock Thrush

139. Blue Rock Thrush

140. Blue Whistling Thrush

141. Orange-headed Thrush

142. Siberian Thrush

143. Scaly Thrush

144. Black-breasted Thrush

145. Japanese Thrush

146. Eurasian Blackbird

147. Lesser Shortwing

148. Asian Brown Flycatcher

149. Yellow-rumped Flycatcher

150. Narcissus Flycatcher

151. Mugimaki Flycatcher

152. Red-throated Flycatcher

153. Snowy-browed Flycatcher

154. Blue-and-white Flycatcher

155. Verditer Flycatcher

156. Fujian Niltava

157. White-tailed Flycatcher

158. Hainan Blue Flycatcher

159. Pale Blue Flycatcher

160. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

161. Rufous-tailed Robin

162. Siberian Rubythroat

163. Siberian Blue Robin

164. Orange-flanked Bush Robin

165. Oriental Magpie Robin

166. White-rumped Shama

167. White-tailed Robin

168. Slaty-backed Forktail

169. White-crowned Forktail

170. Common Stonechat

171. Grey Bushchat

172. Chestnut-tailed Starling

173. White-shouldered Starling

174. Black-collared Starling

175. White-vented Myna

176. Crested Myna

177. Golden-crested Myna

178. Hill Myna

179. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

180. Great Tit

181. Sultan Tit

182. Black-throated Tit

183. Barn Swallow

184. Red-rumped Swallow

185. Black-crested Bulbul

186. Red-whiskered Bulbul

187. Light-vented Bulbul

188. Sooty-headed Bulbul

189. Stripe-throated Bulbul

190. Puff-throated Bulbul

191. Grey-eyed Bulbul

192. Black Bulbul

193. Rufescent Prinia

194. Yellow-bellied Prinia

195. Plain Prinia

196. Japanese White-eye

197. Asian Stubtail

198. Pale-footed Bush Warbler

199. Japanese Bush Warbler

200. Aberrant Bush Warbler

201. Russet Bush Warbler

202. Brown Bush Warbler

203. Lanceolated Warbler

204. Rusty-rumped Warbler

205. Blunt-winged Reed Warbler

206. Thick-billed Warbler

207. Common Tailorbird

208. Dark-necked Tailorbird

209. Dusky Warbler

210. Yellow-streaked Warbler

211. Yellow-browed Warbler

212. Arctic Warbler

213. Greenish Warbler

214. Eastern Crowned Warbler

215. Sulphur-breasted Warbler

216. Golden-spectacled Warbler

217. Yellow-bellied Warbler

218. Masked Laughingthrush

219. White-crested Laughingthrush

220. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush

221. Black-throated Laughingthrush

222. Buff-breasted Babbler

223. Puff-throated Babbler

224. Scaly-crowned Babbler

225. Large Scimitar Babbler

226. White-browed Scimitar Babbler

227. Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler