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China Xizang

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Blue-fronted Redstart Phoenicurus frontalis �Alister Benn http://www.availablelightimages.com

Xizang [provincial capital Lhasa] is better known to the rest of the world as Tibet - see the separate page for Tibet for another perspective.

The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), also called Xizang Autonomous Region, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Within the People's Republic of China, Tibet is identified with the Autonomous Region, which includes about half of historical Tibet, including the traditional provinces of �-Tsang and Kham (western half). Its borders coincide roughly with the actual zone of control of the government of Tibet before 1959. Tibet is the second-largest province of China by area (spanning over 470,000 sq mi/1,200,000 km2) after Xinjiang. Unlike other autonomous regions, the vast majority of inhabitants are of the local ethnicity.

Tibet is under the administration of the People's Republic of China. The Central Tibetan Administration, commonly referred to as the Tibetan Government in Exile and headed by the Dalai Lama considers this situation an illegitimate military occupation and holds that Tibet is a distinct sovereign nation with a long history of independence, though the Dalai Lama currently does not seek full independence for Tibet, but would accept an autonomous status similar to that now held by Hong Kong.

The Tibet Autonomous Region is located on the Tibetan Plateau, the highest region on Earth. In northern Tibet elevations reach an average of over 4,572 metres (15,000 ft). Mount Everest lies on Xizang's border with Nepal.

Xinjiang, Qinghai and Sichuan lie to the north and east of the region; Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to the west; and Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh to the south. Tibet also shares a short southeastern border with the PRC province of Yunnan.

Contributor

Wikipedia
(GNU Free Documentation License)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet_Autonomous_Region

Number of Species

Number of bird species: 561

Endemics

Number of endemics: 1
Sillem's Mountain-Finch Leucosticte sillemi

Organisations

Xinjiang Bird Watching Society

Information

Xinjiang Bird Watching Society, which was established in May 2004, is an NGO with about 40 core members concerning and protecting birds in Xinjiang. It is now under the Xinjiang Ecological Society...

Reserves

Maidika

Website
A vast swamp meadow above 4,900 meters, with permanent and seasonal pools and lakes in the headwater region of the Maidicangbu, a tributary stream of the Lhasa River...

Mapangyong Cuo

A high-altitude wetland of the Tibetan plateau (4,500-6,500m asl) covering Mapangyong and Laang Lakes with surrounding swamps and rivers, "one of the highest elevation freshwater wetlands in the world" and a source of the Yalu Tsangpo/Brahmaputra River...

Motuo Nature Reserve

Website
Satellite View.
The Motuo Nature Reserve with an area of 62,620 hectares lies in Motuo County of Tibet Autonomous Region...

Trip Reports

This section sponsored by:

2005 [April] - Edward C Hall

Report

During the course of an OAT tour of China, I took every opportunity to break away for birding. Following are some suggestions as to where others might productively visit. These suggestions reflect, of course, the time of year that I was there and may not be as applicable to other seasons...

2005 [June] - George Wagner

Report

...The mystical land of Tibet holds many attractions to westerners. Many come to visit the monasteries, its people, and the stark landscape. In June of 2005, I went there to see the birds of the Tibetan plateau. Traditional Tibet is now split among four Chinese governmental provinces. This trip report covers birding areas I visited the two largest Tibetan provinces � Xizang and Qinghai. These two provinces constitute most of traditional Tibet and hold nearly all of the birds associated with the Tibetan Plateau...

2005 [June] - Mr. Tang Jun, Ms Dang Rong &Mr. Dong Xiaohe - SE of Qinghai/Tibet Plateau

Report

I think this is probably the first birding report from this area by a local Chinese people. So it should be good to let the birders worldwide have more view of birds of this area from a Chinese viewpoint...

2005 [October] - Jesper Hornskov & Jay Vandergaast

Report

... picnic breakfast of pastries and moon cakes was spiced up a bit by a party of Red-billed Blue Magpies fluttering through the hillside scrub and whetting our appetites for whatever else the day held in store...

2008 [October] - David Hoddinott

Report

Tibetan Snowcock, Przevalski�s and Tibetan Partridge, Bean, Bar-headed and Lesser White-fronted Geese, Mandarin Duck, Baikal Teal, Saker Falcon, Bearded and Cinereous Vultures, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Upland Buzzard, Water Rail, Demoiselle and Black-necked Cranes, Eurasian Woodcock, Saunders�s and Relict Gulls, Tibetan and Pallas�s Sandgrouse, Henderson�s Ground Jay, White-browed and Yellow-bellied Tit, Groundpecker, Crested Tit-Warbler, Mongolian and Tibetan Larks, Chinese Hill Warbler, Gansu Leaf Warbler, Plain and Elliot�s Laughingthrushes, Bearded Reedling, Chinese and White-cheeked Nuthatches, Wallcreeper, Grey-backed and Kessler�s Thrushes, Przevalski�s Redstart, 6 species of Snowfinch, Pink-tailed and Tibetan Rosefinches and 15 species of Bunting...

Guides & Tour Operators

This section sponsored by:

China Birding Tour

Tour Operator

China Birding is a travel company based in China, Chengdu and Tibet.We do tailor made itineraries for any bird watchers who have an interest in the birds of China: Qinghaai, Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet. We have the experience. We can do tour arrangements for individuals or for for birding travel companys visiting China. We can arrange all your hotels, travel and guiding...

Kingbird Tours

Tour Operator

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