Southern Thailand
has an increasingly Sundaic avifauna as one travels down the
peninsula making the region unique within Thailand. In the
past it was almost entirely covered in rainforest, but widespread
deforestation with conversion to palm oil and rubber now restricts
forest habitat to the hill slopes with almost no plains level
lowland forest remaining. Mangroves are another important
bird habitat in this region with some sites on the Andaman
coast being quite rich in species. Several shorebird sites
are also important and there are several wetlands that add
variety to birding options here. There may be nowhere left
in southern Thailand that has a complete lowland avifauna,
but by visiting a number of sites many of the key species
can be found. The main attraction to the south used to be
Gurney's Pitta but with it now being functionally extinct
in Thailand the chances of seeing one are virtually zero.
Althought there are a lot of exciting birds in the south,
birding in the forests here is the most challenging in the
whole country and great patience is required.
The birding sites are marked on the map below and listed by
name below the map.
With a large number of seldom-visited
national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, Southern Thailand
is an excellent place to explore and with some effort some
very rare species may perhaps be found in "undiscovered"
sites. There are many species which are either extinct in
Thailand or awaiting rediscovery and by visiting some out
of the way places birders may be rewarded with something special.
Birders should be aware that independent travel in the three
troubled provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, where
there are still bombings and shootings fairly frequently,
is extremely unadvisable; the remaining southern provinces
are safe including Satun which also borders Malaysia.
Most birding sites can be reached within a few hours of a
major city/town and with airports at Surat Thani, Phuket,
Krabi, Nakorn Sri Thammarat, Hat Yai and Narathiwat the region
is well serviced for air travel. A lot of time would be required
to visit all the major sites and even then it would not be
possible to see all the key species such is the scarcity of
many of them.
Highlights: Malayan Banded Pitta, White-crowned Hornbill,
Mangrove Pitta, Brown-winged Kingfisher, Grey-tailed Tattler,
Helmeted Hornbill, Nicobar Pigeon, Beach Thick-knee, Ruddy
Kingfisher, Chestnut-naped Forktail, Green Broadbill, Grey-headed
Fish Eagle, Black-and-red Broadbill, Rhinoceros Hornbill,
Blyth's Frogmouth, Spotted Wood Owl, Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher,
Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker, Buff-necked Woodpecker, Olive-backed
Woodpecker, Crested Jay, Malaysian Rail Babbler, Malaysian
Honeyguide, Gurney's Pitta, Gould's Frogmouth, Bat Hawk and
many more.
Weather: Southern Thailand is hot and humid more or
less all the time. The driest time of the year is usually
January to April but there can be rain at any time and the
seas can frequently be dangerous from May to October. Temperatures
are at their highest in March/April when 40C is quite likely
in the middle of the day.
Bird
Watching Trips:
If you need help organizing a bird watching trip to Thailand,
take a look at the suggested itineraries for ideas on
creating a tailor-made trip and contact me for advice:
Thailand
bird tours.
Thaibirding Merchandise
Print on demand T-shirts with original designs
featuring the Birds of Thailand available now - Thaibirding
T-Shirt Store
Download
a full 
