China
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This short trip is designed with one major goal in mind: to connect participants with the monotypic family, China-endemic Przevalski’s Pinktail. This uniquely lovely, long-tailed, pink-breasted bird of subalpine scrub was long “hidden” within other bird families. Recent research supports its placement in its own bird family, and this makes it a major target for a growing cohort of bird family listers. The problem is that this is among the trickier of the families to find. This trip is a solution to that “problem”! There will also be some excellent general Himalayan and Tibetan Plateau birding filled with plenty of Chinese endemics, and some beautiful scenery. China is more accessible than ever. The local communities are filled with friendly faces, the food is diverse and delicious, modern highways allow for easier travel, and even the bathrooms at most hotels have been converted to western style “sit-down” toilets. Most importantly, the visa process is much easier than it was in past years. Traveling to China has never been easier, so now is the time to see one of the world’s most intriguing nations, and to connect with the enigmatic, monotypic family, Pinktail.
Price
From $3950
Length
8 days
Physical Difficulty
Moderate
Pace
Moderate
Focus
Birding
Group size
10 + 1 leader + local guide(s)/interpreter(s)
30 May – 6 June
$3950; single supplement: $395
Starting City
Chengdu
Ending City
Chengdu
After arrival in Chengdu, we will transfer to a hotel in the city for one night. For early arrivals, we can visit a city park in the afternoon, which may see us encounter our first parrotbill of the tour (Vinous-breasted), in addition to Oriental Greenfinch, David’s Fulvetta, Chinese Blackbird, and White-browed Laughingthrush.
We will travel to Loncanggou via Ya’an. Here we will look for birds like Brown-rumped (Swinhoe’s) Minivet, Forest Wagtail, Rufous-faced Warbler, and Ashy-throated Parrotbill. In the late afternoon, we shall check in to our lodging for the next three nights, on the edge of Longcanggou Forest Park. There may be some time in the late afternoon to search for our first specialties of the area, like Brown Bullfinch and Sichuan Bush-Warbler. Three nights will be spent in Loncanggou. (Note – The entry policy changes every year. If this site is not accessible, an alternative site will be substituted.)
We will spend two full days working this park, which has only recently been uncovered as a birding hotspot; mixed forest and woodland types within the park offer up a varied and long bird list. The area is especially rich in parrotbills, with Great, Brown, Golden, and even the rare Gray-hooded all possible there. Longcanggou is also home to some very local species like the shy Gray-faced (Emei) Liocichla, and Emei Leaf Warbler, in addition to Chinese Blue Flycatcher, Pere David’s Tit, Slaty Bunting, and the gorgeous Golden-breasted Fulvetta. With luck, Temminck’s Tragopan, can also be seen too. These nights will also be at simple lodging on the edge of the park.
Today will be a long driving day, but we will make some brief roadside stops en-route. After some final birding at Longcanggou, we will backtrack to Chengdu, then head west into the mountains and onto our rustic lodge in Wolong situated at 1900m (6200ft) elevation. We will spend the next three nights here, below Balang Shan, arguably the most spectacular site of the tour.
We will have two full days to bird the varied localities and elevations on Balang Shan. Once again, our attentions will be drawn to pheasants on these days, as we spend early mornings searching for some of the most highly-prized Sichuan birds, like White Eared-Pheasant, Chinese Monal, and Tibetan Snowcock. The surroundings to our birding on these days are simply magnificent, often involving snow clad peaks as a backdrop to some of Sichuan’s best birding. Other species we will be searching for include Chinese Rubythroat , Rufous-breasted and Alpine Accentors, the indigo-colored Grandala, Chinese Fulvetta, Black-headed (Brandt’s) Mountain-Finch, Blue-fronted Redstart, and an assortment of rosefinches, including Red-fronted, Dark-breasted and Chinese White-browed. We will have two nights at a rustic lodge in Wolong.
On this day we will have our last birding in the Balang Shan area, before heading to the city of Maerkang. En route we will be on the lookout for Wallcreeper, Przevalski’s Nuthatch, Gray-headed Bullfinch, Black-browed, Gray-crested and Rufous-vented Tits. After the drive, we may have time to bird Mengbishan in the afternoon, which is home to a long list of birds, including Crested Tit-Warbler and Sichuan Jay. The next two nights will be spent at a comfortable hotel in the town of Maerkang, situated at 2400m (7800ft) elevation.
A full day will be spent combing the spruce-covered slopes of yet another scenic mountain, something that Sichuan can genuinely lay claim to a plentiful supply of! While the jay and tit-warbler will be the undoubted main focus, there are many other exciting avian offerings here, including Verreaux’s (Monal) Partridge, Blood Pheasant, Pink-rumped, Chinese Beautiful, and Three-banded Rosefinches; the mighty Black Woodpecker, Collared and White-winged Grosbeaks, Himalayan Bluetail, Hodgson’s Treecreeper, and White-throated Redstart. At the end of the day we will return to Maerkang for the night, passing some fascinating local Tibetan architecture along the way.
While this comprises another long driving day, it will not be without avian rewards, as we climb up onto the Tibetan Plateau, with its whole new suite of birds. Along the way we hope to find Ground Tits (formerly Hume’s Groundpecker), regal Black-necked Cranes, beautiful Azure-winged Magpies (now considered a different species from the one found in Europe), and handsome Ruddy Shelducks. Stopping at shallow, scrub-filled valleys in this area may also provide two stunning birds, in the form of White-browed Tit, and White-browed Tit-Warbler, often sharing the same stand of scrub together! The same area will also be where we could find one of the main attractions of the tour, Przevalski’s Pinktail, which occupies its own family. At the end of the day, we will arrive at the Tibetan town of Ruoergai, where will stay in a large hotel for the next two nights.
Our day will start overlooking a picturesque spruce-laden valley. Our main target at this site will be the Blue Eared-Pheasant, although there will be plenty more besides, with other birds found in this area including Ring-necked Pheasant, the elusive Sukatschev’s (Snowy-cheeked) Laughingthrush, Pere David’s Laughingthrush, Snowy-browed (Chinese) Nuthatch, Hodgson’s Redstart, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, and Sichuan Tit. After lunch, we will move onto an area of the Tibetan Plateau itself, Flower Lake. While Black-necked Cranes will have likely already featured, another chance comes here too. White-rumped and Rufous-necked Snowfinches can be found among the pika colonies near the entrance to the lake, while Tibetan Larks are often on the wing in display flights at this time of year. Flower Lake itself plays host to waterfowl like Ferruginous Duck and Red-crested Pochard, and birds like Citrine Wagtail, and can be a good place to sight raptors, like Saker Falcon and Upland Buzzard.
After a final morning in the valley of Baxi, where further chances at Blue Eared-Pheasant or Sukatschev’s (Snowy-cheeked) Laughingthrush may be needed, we shall hit the road, heading to our final site of the tour, Gonggangling. A single night will be spent in nearby Chuanzhusi.
The high spruce-laden pass near Gonggangling is another site for Blue Eared-Pheasant, the rare Sichuan Jay, endemic Chinese Fulvetta and Three-banded Rosefinch, but also offers a host of other species like Hodgson’s Treecreeper, Crested Tit-Warbler, Maroon-backed Accentor, Goldcrest, and Tibetan Serin (Siskin). If we are lucky we may also find Ural Owl, which is seen at this site more than any other. After a morning in this area, we’ll head back to Chengdu for the last night.
You will be transferred this morning to the airport for departure.
Day 1: Arrival in Chengdu; drive to Chuanzhusi
Flights arrive in Chengdu. After all the participants have gathered, we drive around 6 hours to the mountain town of Chuanzhusi. This town is situated at 2980m (9775 ft), so it’s a good place to acclimate to higher altitudes before pressing on to the higher haunts of the Pinktail, on the Tibetan Plateau. Chuanzhusi is nestled in a deep valley, surrounded by montane forest, which will be full of birds at the height of the breeding season in early June. This area has some great “chickens” including Tibetan Snowcock, Blue-eared Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, and Ring-necked Pheasant where it actually belongs! Although the Pinktail isn’t found here, there are lots of typical finches, including Chinese White-browed Rosefinch, Pink-rumped Rosefinch, and Streaked Rosefinch. Himalayan forest is brilliant for mixed flocks, which can contain birds like Crested Tit Warbler, White-browed Tit, Chinese Fulvetta, Sichuan Tit, Gray-crested Tit, Rufous-vented Tit, Przewalski’s Nuthatch, and Tickell’s Leaf Warbler. The scrub on the edge of the plateau also supports White-browed Tit Warbler. The Himalayas are rich in beautiful robins such as White-throated Redstart, and Chinese Rubythroat. A few other choice targets in the area include Lammergeier (aka Bearded Vulture), Himalayan Griffon, Snow Pigeon, Kessler’s Thrush, Great and Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrushes, Plain Mountain Finch, and Rosy Pipit. We’ll spend two nights in Chuanzhusi.
Day 2: Full day Chuanzhusi area
There are plenty of great birds to pursue during our full day here, and good photographic opportunities for those with cameras. In the morning we will visit the old Huanglong Road, up to a 4000m (13,000 ft.) pass. The big target at the higher elevations will be the Tibetan Snowcock. We might also encounter Blood Pheasant, Himalayan Buzzard, Rufous-vented, Sichuan, and Gray-crested Tits, Elliot’s Laughingthrush, Chestnut Thrush, and Rufous-breasted and Maroon-backed Accentors. Our afternoon destination will be a monastery where we have an excellent chance of seeing the magnificent Blue Eared-Pheasant, an unusual slate-gray bird with an ornate tail and white tufts on its red bare face.
Day 3: Chuanzhusi to Ruoergai
This is an exciting day, as we move into range for our main quarry, and the raison d’être of the trip! In the morning we drive about three hours up onto the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Along the way, we have a good chance to run into Black-necked Crane, with its tufty black tail, silvery body, and red crown. In the late morning and afternoon we have our first chances of encountering Przevalski’s Pinktail. Four nights will be spent in a hotel in Ruoergai.
Days 4-5: Ruoergai area
These days are all about Pinktail, of course, and our exact plan for each day will be aimed to maximize our chances of having good encounters with this unique beauty. But that is far from the only cool bird in the area. The plateau is rich in wetlands, which hold birds like Bar-headed Goose, Red-headed Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Pallas’s and Brown-headed Gulls, and Black-necked Crane. Drier alpine scrub and grassland support White-browed Tit, Ground Tit, Tibetan Partridge, Rufous-necked and White-rumped Snowfinches, Giant Shrike, Robin Accentor, Horned Lark, Oriental Skylark, Tibetan Lark, and Citrine Wagtail of the black-backed Tibetan subspecies. These open plains are great for raptors, which can soar overhead anytime. Possibilities include Himalayan Griffon, Lammergeier, Upland Buzzard, and the endangered Saker Falcon.
Day 6: Baxi
If we haven’t yet found Pinktail, this day will likely be spent in a final attempt at this bird. But by now it’s highly likely that we have had excellent views of our main target, and so we will venture farther afield to the Baxi forest, back in the Himalayan forests, just off the plateau. The birds of this area are similar to those of Chuanzhusi, but there are a couple tantalizing new possibilities, in the form of Sichuan Jay and Chinese Grouse and the local form of Ural Owl. Other birds that we’ll look for include Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, Maroon-backed Accentor, Long-tailed Thrush, Three-banded Rosefinch, Spectacled Parrotbill, Plain Laughinthrush, Chinese and Hume’s Leaf Warblers, and Yellow-streaked Warbler.
Day 7: Ruoergai to Pingwu
Leaving the Tibetan Plateau, and our monotypic family quarry behind, we’ll descend towards Pingwu, birding along the way. We’ll stop to visit a habituated troop of Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, a beautiful primate with a golden head and blue bare facial skin. In the Jiuzhaigou area we will target Snowy-browed Nuthatch and Pere David’s Tit. We have a single night in Pingwu.
Day 8: Pingwu to Chengdu. Departure
In the morning we will bird a local park that has some lowland species that should be new for our trip list. These include Zappey’s Flycatcher, Chinese Blue Flycatcher, Kloss’s Leaf Warbler, Slaty Bunting, and Russet Sparrow. There is even a chance for the gorgeous Golden Pheasant. A drive of about four hours, mostly on a fast modern highway, will bring us back to Chengdu to catch our outbound flights.
PACE: Moderate. Expect early breakfasts in order to reach the birding locations at the ideal time. Lunch will be either at local restaurants or in the field. There are long drives on multiple days, with a six hour drive on Day 1, for example. However, most of these drives are on good paved, roads.
PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY: Moderate. Most of our walking will be in flat or moderately sloped areas, on roads. The main physical difficulty, at least for some, will be the high elevation of the Tibetan Plateau portion of the trip (sleeping at 11,000 ft. / 3300m).
CLIMATE: Chengdu will be warm and humid, with temperatures reaching as high as 28 C (82 F). However, much of the tour will be at higher altitudes (between 2980m/9775ft and 4000m/13,000ft, which will have much colder temperatures, which could feel below freezing at times due to the wind chill factor. Highs in the mountains may reach 16 C (60 F). Cold weather clothing, including gloves, warm hat and good raingear are essential on this mountain-based tour.
ACCOMMODATION: All city accommodations are excellent. In more remote areas, amenities may be limited, but all lodgings provide hot water showers. Western-style (“sit-down”) toilets are available in nearly all hotels, while eastern-style toilets are becoming less common. Most hotels offer Wi-Fi; however, service may be unreliable at times.
FOOD: Western-style food is generally not available on this tour. However, the local food is usually superb, and some past tour participants have mentioned the food as being a highlight of the trip.
PHOTOGRAPHY: There are very good photo opportunities, especially on the open habitats of the Tibetan Plateau.
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: A valid passport is required; the passport must be valid for at least six months past your intended stay and have at minimum of TWO BLANK PAGES. For most nationalities, a visa is required. You must obtain your visa from a Chinese embassy or consulate well in advance of the tour. There have been some short-term agreements of visa-free agreements to enter China for short stays (i.e., 30 days for UK and Australian citizens), although it is unclear if this will be extended beyond 2026 and so we currently recommend obtaining a visa. For most nationalities, it is required that you complete an ARRIVAL CARD before leaving home (24-72 hours before that). The platform for this can be found here: https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/entry-registation-home . Our office staff will provide needed support documents for you to get your visa.
Travel requirements are subject to change; it’s a good idea to double check well before you travel
WHAT’S INCLUDED?: Tips to drivers, local guides, and hotel/restaurant staff; accommodation from night of day 1 through to night of day 7; meals from lunch on day 1 to lunch on day 7; safe drinking water throughout; green tea is also typically provided with most dinners and some lunches at restaurants; Tropical Birding tour leader with audio gear from the morning of day 1 to afternoon of day 7; local bilingual Chinese guide(s) throughout; one arrival and one departure airport transfer per person (transfers may be shared with other participants of the same tour if they arrive at the same time); ground transport for the group to all sites in the itinerary in a suitable vehicle with driver; entrance fees to all sites mentioned in the itinerary.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?: Optional tips to the Tropical Birding tour leader; tips for luggage porters in city hotel; flights; visa and passport fees; snacks; additional drinks apart from those included; alcoholic beverages; travel insurance; excursions not included in the tour itinerary; extras in hotels such as laundry service, minibar, room service, telephone calls, and personal items; medical fees; other items or services not specifically mentioned as being included; expenses that could arise due to the delay, change, or extension of the trip due to circumstances beyond Tropical Birding’s control (weather, flight delays/cancellations, lost luggage, road closures, etc.).
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