Craig Robson’s Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand, published in 2002 did a great job of updating older field guides, particularly with the inclusion of species which had been added to the Thai list since publication of Lekagul & Round’s Guide. However, since then even more species have been added, so many that the Robson guidebook is beginning to look rather out of date already. A revised version of lekagul and Round is available in Asia Book Stores in Thailand which depicts many of the most recent additions to Thailand’s avifauna, but for non Thai readers, the bad news is it is only available in Thai – still, the pictures and range maps are clear enough for all.

On thaibirding.com I keep a list of the newest additions that I know of here: Recent Additions to Thai Checklist, there are notes on all the species mentioned.

The most recent addition is Slaty-backed Gull; read more about its discovery in Thailand here: Slaty-backed Gull.

1st Winter Slaty-backed Gull by Alex Vargas

The additions to the Thai checklist since the publication of Robson, as I know them, are:

• Pallid Harrier
• Long-tailed Wren Babbler
• Chestnut-cheeked Starling
• Mew Gull
• Greater Scaup
• Isabelline Wheatear
• Demoiselle Crane
• Red-headed Bunting
• Red-billed Starling
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Grey Phalarope
• Large-billed Reed Warbler
• Grass Owl
• Mekong Wagtail
• Spotted Wren Babbler
• Little Gull
• Mongolian Gull
• Black-necked Grebe
• Long-tailed Duck
• Slaty-backed Gull

For more information on the additions take a look at the annotated list here: Recent Additions to Thai Checklist.

birds, birding, thailand, nature