Our photo tank is running low, so while I’m gone for the next week you might consider putting together a batch of photos for posting here. Thanks!
Here is part 2 of Ephraim Heller’s survey of the birds of Bhutan (part 1, with an introduction, is here). His captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
Here is installment #2 of photos from my April 2024 birding tour of Bhutan. We begin with a photo of the Paro valley, including the Paro dzong. Paro is the site of Bhutan’s only international airport, as it is the only valley near the capital of Thimpu wide and flat enough for commercial passenger jets. Consequently, most international visitors enter Bhutan here.
Today I post my photos of Phasianidae (pheasants, grouse, and allies) and Columbidae (pigeons and doves). Descriptions of the species below are taken from Wikipedia.
Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) male and female. Blood pheasants live in the mountains of Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, northern Myanmar, Tibet and central and south-central China, where they prefer coniferous or mixed forests and scrub areas near the snowline. They move their range depending on the season, and are found at higher elevations during the summer. With snow increasing in fall and winter, they move to lower elevations.
Male:
Female:
An Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus) female. These are native to Himalayan forests and shrublands at elevations of 2,100–4,500 m (6,900–14,800 ft). It is the state bird of Nepal. The male has spectacular colors, but I was able only to photograph the female, which is darn pretty.
A Barred Cuckoo-Dove (Macropygia unchall):
Mountain Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula badia), Bhutan:
An Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis):
A Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis). While native to Asia, the species has become established in many areas outside its native range including Hawaii, southern California, Mauritius, Australia, and New Zealand:
A Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon (Treron sphenurus):
Equipment: All animal photos were shot using a Nikon Z9 camera and Nikkor Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens. Landscape and architectural photos were shot either with a Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens or with an iPhone 11.
You can see more of my photos here.
Incredible! Your photos are just beautiful.
Thanks for the amazing photos from Bhutan. It makes West Virginia look almost like a flat plain. Airport is at 7000 ft elevation with one 7400 ft asphalt runway. Big pucker factor! There is 11 minutes of you tube showing several touch and go airliner landing practices among the mountains at Bhutan International at
Wow! Good to see that they practice the landings there!
Don’t know if you will get this, Norman, but there is also a nice 15 minute video of flight from Katmandu to Paro Bhutan in which the captain narrates flying by Everest and other highest peaks and you see video from the cockpit of the actual approach and landing through the valley and into Paro airport. These guys are good! Url is
Fun video of a difficult landing. It was interesting to see the pilot briefly praying in Buddhist fashion. I wonder if he does that at other airports, or just at this difficult one.
Beautiful! The Blood Pheasant is very aptly named!
Gorgeous!! Thank you for sharing!
OMG!! The bucket list destination to end all bucket list destinations!! Thank you for this magnificent introduction to the birds of Bhutan.
Lovely photos. I went and looked up the male Himalayan Monal and he is a spectacular bird that I had never heard of or seen before, brilliant colors, far from a tropical environment.
Wow, those are some beautiful birds in a little known region. Thanks for sharing.
It’s wonderful to see several of the birds to be found in such an exotic and far-away land. Thank you for posting.
I am continually amazed at the variety of pigeons. I mean doves. (I grew up in New York City.) Thanks for the photos!
As everyone has already said, beautiful!!
Great photos and fascinating videos of the flights into the airport!