Birds in China

266 species listed · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024

Our list for China has 266 bird species recorded regularly there: 71 residents, 82 summer visitors, 67 winter visitors, 40 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors.

The list comes from 3.1 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Birds to see in China in September

167 species on our list are recorded regularly this month. These are the ones birdwatchers record most often.

All 167 birds in September

Arriving in September: Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Hen Harrier, Northern Goshawk, Common Crane, Bluethroat and 19 more.

Through the year

Species recorded regularly in China each month: most in May (198), fewest in August (157). Choose a month to see its birds.

198167
Show as a table
Goldcrest
GoldcrestSmallest · 8.5cm
to
Whooper Swan
Whooper SwanLargest · 165cm
From the Goldcrest (8.5 cm) to the Whooper Swan (165 cm)62 families

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All 266 birds on the list

Showing 1–23 of 266 species

ResidentRecorded all yearSummer visitorArrives to breed; scarce or absent in winterWinter visitorPresent outside the breeding seasonPassage migrantSeen mainly in spring and autumn migrationScarceRecorded in some years but not every yearCommonAmong the most-recorded birds in its best monthUncommonRecorded regularly, but on a minority of outingsRareFew records, even in its best month
Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Passer montanusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rusticaLC

Summer visitorCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Little Egret

Little Egret

Egretta garzettaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Pied Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

Motacilla albaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Tachybaptus ruficollisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Ardea cinereaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Mallard

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchosLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black-crowned Night-heron

Black-crowned Night-heron

Nycticorax nycticoraxLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Cuculus canorusLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly May–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Moorhen

Moorhen

Gallinula chloropusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Coot

Coot

Fulica atraLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Crested Myna

Crested Myna

Acridotheres cristatellusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Kestrel

Kestrel

Falco tinnunculusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Yellow-browed Warbler

Yellow-browed Warbler

Phylloscopus inornatusLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Aug–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Ardea albaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher

Alcedo atthisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great Cormorant

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carboLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great Crested Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Pheasant

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Eurasian Teal

Eurasian Teal

Anas creccaLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Upupa epopsLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Brambling

Brambling

Fringilla montifringillaLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Oct–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos majorLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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Frequently Asked Questions

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

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