During your stay on the island you will encounter a wide variety of colourful bird life. Some of it you’ll have to look (and listen) for very carefully, other species will be found everywhere you go. Courtesy of ebird.org we have linked you to the calling sound of every bird in this collection of feathered friends, just open the orange ‘CLICK HERE TO LISTEN’ text above each picture and then click this button in the new browser.
WHITE BELLIED SEA EAGLE
An enormous gray and white raptor, commonly seen cruising the thermals above Phuket’s beaches and inland lakes.
COMMON MYNA
So successful, this gregarious species of myna bird is bold enough to jump onto your table and steal your dinner if you are not careful.
ZEBRA DOVE
A small, extremely cute dove, which enjoys wandering urban areas, rather than dense forests. Its call is a rapid series of “coos”.
EURASIAN HOOPOE
If you play golf in Phuket you’ll definitely see a hoopoe looking for food on the fairways. Note its distinctive black / orange mohican headgear.
CRESTED SERPENT EAGLE
Larger than sea eagles, these heavily built birds are spotted cruising above the wooded hills of Phuket, looking out for small mammals and snakes.
GREATER COUCAL
A handsome, crow-sized, bird, which is often seen struggling for height as it takes-off in flight. You’ll notice its vibrant russet-red wing feathers.
WHITE-THROATED KINGFISHER
This bird has verdant electric blue wings, which vigorously flap as it journeys between lakes, accompanied by a high-pitched shrill.
EURASIAN TREE SPARROW
This eurasian version of the sparrow is everywhere in Phuket. Smaller than the house sparrow, they are particularly noisy at dusk when roosting in their thousands.
BLUE-TAILED BEE EATER
A slender, elegant bird of open country, frequently seen in flight or perched on Phuket’s spaghetti of electricity and telephone wires.
ASIAN KOEL
This shy cuckoo is Phuket’s most vocal bird. You’ll hear it (but probably not see it), particularly at dawn. Pictured here is a female, males have glossy black plumage. Peacocks have a similar call.
BLACK-HEADED BULBUL
This distinctive olive-yellow bulbul, with a black head, has unsettling piercing sapphire eyes. Its song is elaborate and fast, you’ll hear it in the rubber tree plantations.
CRESTED MYNA
Not as prolific as the common myna, this jet-black bird has flashing white wing patches and a small, bristly crest just above its yellow bill.
RUBY-CHEEKED SUNBIRD
The smallest bird in our collection, but the most lavishly coloured with metallic green upperparts, ruby-red cheeks, and a bright orange throat and chest.
SCARLET-BACKED FLOWERPECKER
Female flowerpeckers are rather dull, but the males go for colour, with a bright red streak from crown down to rump. You see them hovering around banana trees.
