Birding Hong Kong
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  • AN ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF HONG KONG BIRDS 2020.2
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    • December 2017
  • *UPDATE* Blog - A BIG YEAR 2020
  • IN THE NEWS - CONSERVATION ISSUES AT HOME & ABROAD
  • Home
  • Birding in Hong Kong
  • Birding Sites
    • Mai Po
    • Tai Po Kau
    • Long Valley
    • Po Toi Island
    • Kowloon Park, Hong Kong Park and other urban oases
    • The Peak
  • The Birding Year
  • Hong Kong Birding Literature
  • Guided Birding Tours*Coronavirus Update*
  • Accipiter Press Publications
    • Mai Po: The Seasons
    • Hong Kong Nature Walks
  • Links
  • GALLERIES
    • Ducks to Cormorants
    • Raptors to Jacanas
    • Snipes to Terns
    • Doves to White-eyes
  • AN ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF HONG KONG BIRDS 2020.2
  • LATEST SIGHTINGS 2021
    • January 2021
    • February 2021
  • BIRD SIGHTINGS - 2020 Archive
    • January 2020
    • February 2020
    • March 2020
    • April 2020
    • May 2020
    • June 2020
    • July 2020
    • August 2020
    • September 2020
    • October 2020
    • November 2020
    • December 2020
  • BIRD SIGHTINGS - 2019 ARCHIVE
    • January 2019
    • February 2019
    • March 2019
    • April 2019
    • May 2019
    • June 2019
    • July 2019
    • August 2019
    • September 2019
    • October 2019
    • November 2019
    • December 2019
  • Bird Sightings - 2018 Archive
    • January 2018
    • February 2018
    • March 2018
    • April 2018
    • May 2018
    • June 2018
    • July 2018
    • August 2018
    • September 2018
    • October 2018
    • November 2018
    • December 2018
  • Bird Sightings - 2017 Archive
    • January 2017
    • February 2017
    • March 2017
    • April 2017
    • May 2017
    • June 2017
    • July 2017
    • August 2017
    • September 2017
    • October 2017
    • November 2017
    • December 2017
  • *UPDATE* Blog - A BIG YEAR 2020
  • IN THE NEWS - CONSERVATION ISSUES AT HOME & ABROAD
   Birding Hong Kong
Picture
HONG KONG BIRDING LITERATURE
There are a number of books currently in print that may be of use to anyone interested in the birds of Hong Kong.
 
There is a local  field guide, The Birds of Hong Kong and South China by Clive Viney, Karen Phillipps and Lam Chiu Ying (Eighth Edition, 2005).  The first edition of this book was published in 1977 and was consistently revised and expanded during Clive Viney’s stay in Hong Kong. The eighth edition will, I imagine, be the last in the series but  it is still the most compact and useful field guide for the visitor to Hong Kong.  Note that there are still previous editions of this book in circulation, so if buying the guide online, make sure it is the 2005 edition that you are purchasing. It can be ordered abroad from Amazon UK.  The link for the appropriate page is: 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B0000CP2NU/ref=sr_1_2_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1509858375&sr=8-2&keywords=Birds+of+Hong+Kong+and+South+China
 
Another book that my clients sometimes carry with them is the recently  published A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of Hong Kong (2016) by Ray Tipper. This is a photographic guide to the commonest 282 species to be seen in the territory, which is just over half the number of species on the Hong Kong list.
 
The best regional field guide is perhaps Birds of East Asia (2009) by Mark Brazil and published by Helm. The coverage of this guide stops at Fujian, which is east of Hong Kong, so a small number of species found in Hong Kong are not included but it is a very useful book for those interested in Chinese birds. 
 
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) has published the bilingual  A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Hong Kong (2009). This is too big and heavy for use in the field but is a useful home reference. It covers most of the species that have occurred in Hong Kong with several photographs devoted to each individual species. All photographs were taken in Hong Kong by members of the society.
 

 Moving away from identification, The Avifauna of Hong Kong (2001) by Carey et al. is a thorough review of the status of all the birds that had occurred in the territory up until the end of 1998. Although inevitably a little dated now, it still remains a major work of reference.

Up to date information on Hong Kong's birds is provided in the annual Hong Kong Bird Report published by the HKBWS. The first report was published in 1958 and has been produced annually (or, on occasions, biannually) since then. All reports up until 2013 are currently available for download from the HKBWS website at  
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/web/eng/bird_report_eng.htm .

One further publication worthy of note is Ecology of the Birds of Hong Kong (2009) published by Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden. This excellent book has chapters by various authors that look at the ecology of birds in various habitats in Hong Kong, as well as sections on climate change and conservation of birds in the territory. 

All images & text on this website are  © David Diskin unless otherwise stated.
dadiskin@netvigator.com