Before I arrived in Thailand , I did a little research about the bird population. I found Thailand has over 900 documented species and that of those one-third are migrant. It can’t be a simple as that I thought, so after I got situated in one of the Hotels in Thailand , I went investigating.
Some species are for sure migrants, others are definitely residential and the rest of the birds are breeding visitors. One of the migrants, the Barn Swallow , was just recently found to be a resident also. So, I was correct, it’s not that simple to document the amount of bird species in Thailand. So, basically, what I’m conveying is that Thailand is a ‘must’ for any serious birdwatcher. I found, through my own due diligence, that there are well over 100 protected areas in Thailand and that these areas are in the National Parks, wildlife sanctuaries and in no-hunting areas. They even have organized breeding programmes for the most endangered. I found that most of these areas are easily reached by car. I was disappointed to find some closed to the public, meaning me, I really would’ve like to observe and note what species were there. I can only assume it was closed to the public because those were the breeding program areas.
I found my most favorite National Park was the Khao Yai . The park is teeming with bird-life. But, not only bird-life, the park has over 200 elephants and approximately 20 tigers. They even have a stuffed man-eating tiger in the gift shop. The tiger was shot and killed because it ate 2 park rangers. Well, duly noted, and a warning to all visitors. Needless to say, I was in bird heaven. I observed several species of the Hornbills, Barbets and flocks of Fairy Bluebirds. A spectacular bird park indeed and one I recommend you visit first in Thailand.