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This Taiwan tour is like no other on the market. Most bird tour companies enjoy a leisurely 12-14 day tour around mainland Taiwan to see the endemics, but our tour delivers that and much, much more. We start with an optional pre-trip foray to the Matsu archipelago, where we are located right along the mainland Chinese coastline, and we will explore the small islands here for four days for the migrant treasures that pass through at this time of year. We can expect good numbers of buntings, including Little, Black-faced, Chestnut, Yellow-breasted and more. The scrubby hillsides hold potential for Narcissus, Grey-streaked and Asian Brown Flycacthers, and if we are lucky, perhaps a rarer Mugimaki or Yellow-rumped Flycatcher. Shorebirds can also be found, and we will target those and keep our ears and eyes out for other migrants including thrushes and warblers. After returning to mainland Taiwan we spend a day at a famous migrant trap north of the city - Yehliu. The main tour will focus on the late wintering birds, resident species, and endemics.
When the Portuguese revealed Taiwan to the western world, they dubbed it “Formosa” - The Beautiful Island. Although, in a modern era, Taiwan is best known for its political defiance of mainland China, the island has a wealth of natural resources, including some of the most stunning mountain landscapes and birds in Asia. Taiwan is a continental island, lying 160 km off the coast of China, formed by the action of tectonic plates on the eastern edge of the Asian shelf; this dramatic uplift has given it the most remarkable topography. Although only 400 km long and, on average, 150 km wide, the island rises from a shallow western coastal plain to reach 4000 m at its highest peak.
In addition to the stunning landscapes Taiwan boasts friendly people, rich culture and a tasty cuisine, so all visitors, no matter what your particular bent, are in for a great experience. Lying in the South China sea on the tropic of cancer, the coastal lowlands are distinctly warm and muggy, but with over 15 peaks that reach above 3000 m, the interior of the island comprises a series of concentric vegetation bands that terminate in temperate coniferous forest and arctic-like alpine tundra at the highest limits. The Taiwanese bird list now stands at an impressive 600+ species. Although many of these are rarities and a regular tour is likely to yield around 210 species. What few birders know about Taiwan is that it has a host of fascinating endemic birds. The application of the Phylogenetic Species Concept (PSC) has seen what was once considered only 15 endemic species swell to over 29, and the number keeps growing. This means that Taiwan becomes more and more important for listers with a global birding agenda. But Taiwan is a fabulous birding destination in its own right, even for those less focused on listing.
The wild interior holds some very high quality endemics, including two pheasant species, as well as a host of laughingthrushes and other snazzy endemics like Flamecrest. Added to the wealth of resident birds are a suite of migrants that occupy the island on passage between Siberia and tropical Asia between September and March. Then, in April breeding migrants such as the magical Fairy Pitta arrive, so Taiwan has a bevy of great birds irrespective of when you time your visit.
This itinerary is timed for the northern Spring, but please speak to us if you wish to run this as a custom tour at another time of year, as we may recommend some changes. Our Taiwan office can put together custom tours at any time of year and tweak the itinerary to take advantage of whatever is around.