Mt. Wawu is one of the best places to see parrotbills in Sichuan Province.
Mt. Wawu is located by the southwest of Hongya County by the edge of Sichuan basin, by the south of Zhougong River, tributary river of Qingyi River. Mt. Wawu is located 180km southwest to the city of Chengdu. Mt. Wawu means mountain of tiled roof due to its flat top. The part on its top is 11sqkm with north to south 3.3km and east to west 3.4km. It is one of the famous “table mountains” in the world.
Mt. Wawu
Mt. Wawu is between the elevation of 1150m and 2800m. It is a well-developed park that now has a cable car from foot of the mountain to the top. From around 1100m to 1800m the forest is mainly broad-leaved evergreen, from 1800m to 2400m it is mixed, from 2400 and above is evergreen coniferous forest. Its rich vegetation has made the species here also rich.
Mt. Wawu Park
Mt. Wawu is a well-facilitated park that is called Wawu Mountain National Forest Park. It is very convenient to watch birds in Wawu: easy access while a well-preserved natural park. The stairs that extents around the top has made bird-watching much easier and you won’t need to worry getting lost in the park of Wawu.
Mt. Wawu is located in the core area of what we call “Rain Curtain of Western China”, indicating its geological feature of elevated land that blocks the warm air and is often rainy. Mt. Wawu has rich vegetation and they are, due to hard access and humid weather, well-protected, hence becoming one of the perfect places in China for birds especially parrotbills. Mt. Wawu and its surrounding area is the most densely-populated place for parrotbills. From lower elevation forest to higher elevation mountains here we may see parrotbills including vinous-throated parrotbill, ashy-throated parrotbill, grey-headed parrotbill, great parrotbill, golden parrotbill, grey-hooded parrotbill, three-toed parrotbill, brown parrotbill, fulvous parrotbill, many of which are unique in China including grey-hooded parrotbill and three-toed parrotbill. If you wish to watch parrotbills then Mt. Wawu could be one of your first choices.
Golden parrotbill
Three-toed parrotbill
China is a land of babblers. Mt. Wawu is also home to many babblers including buffy laughingthrush, red-winged laughingthrush, Eemeishan Liocichla, golden-fronted fulvetta, stripe-throated yuhina, Elliot’s Laughingthrush, black-faced laughingthrush, etc.
Plus there are also rosefinches incuding Blanford’s rosefinch, dark-breasted rosefinch, Sharpe’s rosefinch, vinaceous rosefinch, common rosefinch. The finches are usually active between the forest and are easy to be seen.
Vinaceous rosefinch
The woodpeckers and treecreepers are also interesting to see here.
Three-toed woodpecker
While you are here also don’t forget to look for the pheasants. By Mt. Wawu the pheasants are not as many as that of Balangshan but it’s still worth to try. Given the timing you are in Mt. Wawu and the fact that Wawu itself is a tourist park watching pheasants is not easy. Although there is still chance you could see Temminck’s tragopan, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, silver pheasant and blood pheasant.
Route 1: Upper Cable Car Terminal to Platform Boardwalk
The boardwalk by the top (platform by the top) is an important place to watch birds in Wawu. You are recommended to plan for 1 full day for this plan and start as early as when the cable starts to run.
Mt. Wawu Boardwalk
After arrive the higher terminal of cable car walk to Yuanyang Pond, Guangxiang Temple or the other way to Xiang’er Mountain. By the top there are large areas of forest of pines, bamboo and other trees where you can usually see parrotbills, yuhinas laughingthrushes, babblers and rosefinces. It is also possible to spot one or two red pandas here.
Around the platform where you can usually see the following birds: fulvous parrotbill, brown parrotbill, grey-hooded parrotbill, three-toed parrotbill, great parrotbill, three-toed woodpecker, Darjeeling woodpecker, Hodgson’s treecreeper, Sichuan treecreeper, yellow-browed tit, chestnut-crowned bush warbler, Martens’s warbler, Bianchi’s warbler, grey crested tit, rufous-vented tit, coal tit, aberrant bush warbler, yellow-bellied bush warbler, golden bush robin, white-browed bush robin, buff-barred warbler, Claudia’s leaf warbler, Sichuan leaf warbler, lesser cuckoo, Himalayan cuckoo, Elliot’s Laughingthrush, black-faced laughingthrush, stripe-throated yuhina, white-collared yuhina, wren, dark-sided flycatcher, rufous-gorgeted flycatcher, grey-headed canary-flycatcher, streak-throated fulvetta, yellow-bellied bush warbler, speckled wood pigeon, Blanford’s rosefinch, dark-breasted rosefinch, vinaceous rosefinch, ashy-throated warbler, grey-headed bullfinch, spotted bush warbler.
Spotted bush warbler
On the way to Yuanyang Pond in the bamboo forest along both sides you can often spot grey-hooded parrotbill, three-toed parrotbill, brown parrotbill, great parrotbill, fulvous parrotbill, fulvous parrotbill in flocks. Brown parrotbill likes big area of bamboo forest so they are relatively easier to be spotted while grey-hooded parrotbill and three-toed parrotbill are a bit more difficult to see. Often you can hear spotted bush warbler and brown bush warbler making sounds under thick bushes only when during mating season the come up to top of the trees when they are easier to be seen.
Grey-hooded parrotbill
Brown parrotbill
During the blooming season of rhododendron you can usually see stripe-throated yuhina, white-collared yuhina, Elliot’s Laughingthrush and black-faced laughingthrush eating flower honey by the side of the boardwalk. Yellow-browed tit and other rosefinches like to search food on rhododendron trees.
White-collared yuhina
Strip-throated yuhina
Walking to Xiang’er Mountain you can often hear the unique sounds from aberrant bush warbler resembles “Ni Gan Ma Nie” as well as the sound of yellow-bellied bush warbler, Sichuan leaf warbler and buff-barred warbler. Sometimes you can also hear the sound of chestnut-crowned bush warbler that if you know its sound you will find it quickly.
Aberrant bush warbler
Yellow-bellied bush warbler
Between the tall pine trees sometimes you can see three-toed woodpecker and Darjeeling woodpecker. Often you hear them pecking the trunks first and follow the sound you find them. Sichuan treecreeper is possible to be seen around the pine forest but it has a lower possibility to see them than to see the woodpeckers.
Darjeeling woodpecker
Sichuan treecreeper
Route2: Lower Cable Car Terminal to Tourist Center
Along the road that is used by the park bus from Cable car station lower terminal down to the tourist center it is another bird-watching route we recommend. There are plenty of lower elevation birds can be seen on this route. Forest is different here than that on the top. Here we have very lush broadleaf trees.
The birds for this part include Chinese bamboo partridge, Temminck’s tragopan, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, silver pheasant, vinous-throated parrotbill, great parrotbill, golden parrotbill, ashy-throated parrotbill, grey-headed parrotbill, crimson-breasted woodpecker, bay woodpecker, buffy laughingthrush, red-winged laughingthrush, Eemeishan Liocichla, chestnut-crowned warbler, rufous-faced warbler, David’s fulvetta, rufous-capped babbler, brown-flanked bush warbler, short-billed minivet, Claudia’s leaf warbler, large-billed leaf warbler, red-tailed minla, blue-winged minla, Asian house martin, plumbeous water redstart, russet sparrow, red-billed blue magpie, red-rumped swallow, pale martin, white-throated needletail, white wagtail, grey wagtail, white-browed laughingthrush, magpie robin.
Lady Amhersts pheasant
Around the lower cable car terminal there are many laughingthrushes including buffy laughingthrush, red-winged laughingthrush, Eemeishan Liocichla, etc. For golden-fronted fulvetta it may be less easy to see but you may try around 3-5 km down the road from the cable car terminal where former birders have seen them around there.
We recommend you to walk down from the cable car terminal instead of walking up from the tourist center so that it’s easier. You can use the park bus to get to the cable car terminal first and walk down from there. While walking down you can also try to pay attention to the open ground by the side of road in the forest where you may see some pheasants including Temminck’s tragopan, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, silver pheasant, etc. Espeically by morning and evening Lady Amherst’s Pheasant tend to show up by the side of road and sometimes you can even hear them making sounds.
Grey-headed parrotbill
Along the way down you may also see parrotbills including great parrotbill, golden parrotbill. Great parrotbill is usually larger than other parrotbills and normally you won't mistaken them if they show up. Golden parrotbill likes bamboo forest. After arrive the foot of the mountain you can even walk further along the river by the entrance of the park where you have chance to see vinous-throated parrotbill, ashy-throated parrotbilland grey-headed parrotbill. These parrotbills like to be in the bushes.
Great parrotbill
Ashy-throated parrotbill
Aside from the pheasants, parrotbills there are also some other common birds that we can see here in Mt. Wawu including large-billed leaf warbler, rufous-faced warbler, David’s fulvetta. If there is creek, waterfall or river we can also expect the usual water birds such as forktails, plumbeous water redstart, white-capped redstart. By the tourist center house there is Asian house martin.
The number 1 wild animal that we have high chance to see is red panda. They often live by boardwalk on the top of the mountain. The other wild animals including takins, pandas are difficult to see.
Mt. Wawu is also home to a diverse plant species. There are over 3500 different kinds of plants including some unique native species such as Gongtong and some rhododendron trees.
Usually the best seasons for bird-watching in Mt. Wawu is from May to June when it is the mating seasons of birds when they are all making sounds.
There is quite a big difference in altitude, temperature by the foot of mountain and by the top of the mountain. You are recommended to be prepared for such change of temperature while traveling here especially when you need to spend long hours moving slowly. It is a rainy place so please bring rainproof with you. Walking shoes are recommended.
Food and restaurants are available by the foot of the mountain. Accommodation is also available by the foot of mountain with plenty of options and better choices of food. The park won’t open until 8am so we can’t get there too early. Although you can choose to stay by the cable car lower terminal where there is a couple of accommodation available to give you an early start for the lower part of birding.
You are recommended to drive to Mt. Wawu since the pubic transportation to Mt. Wawu is not very convenient. It takes around 3- 4 hours to get to the foot of Mt. Wawu from Chengdu. Sichuan Travel Guide provides travel services to Mt. Wawu including transfer and bird guide. Please contact us for more details.
