Birds of Everest Base Camp Trek

The Everest Base Camp Trek is one of the best treks for bird watching and bird photography in the Himalayas for three reasons. Firstly, the Everest National Park alone is home to 219 species of birds. Second, you can enjoy birding without compromising on comfort as there are mid-range to luxury lodges throughout the trek. And lastly, wildlife in Everest Region is exceptionally approachable as the Sherpas do not hunt and bother wild animals.

Best time for Birding in Everest Region#

April and May are the best months for birding along the Everest Base Camp Trek. Most altitudinal migrants have made their way up, and there is a lot of breeding activity during this time. October and November, the best months for mountain views, however, have much less variety, as many of the altitudinal migrants have moved lower.

For a detailed treatment, please refer to the Best time to trek to Everest Base Camp Trek Series.

How to get to Everest Region#

A clear sunny morning at Lukla Airport during spring.

The most popular way to start the Everest Base Camp Trek is to take a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. You can also choose from several alternatives, which include flying to Phaplu or driving to Jiri.

Suggested Itinerary#

Among the numerous routes in the Everest Region, the Gokyo Ri and Gokyo Lakes Trek is the best one for birders. The trek sees fewer people than the Everest Base Camp Trek and goes through a wider variety of habitats. It is also possible to include the Everest Base Camp in your trek by going through the 5,420 meters high Cho La Pass.

11 Birds of the Everest Region#

11. Himalayan Griffon#

Himalayan Griffon

High up in the afternoon skies above Ama Dablam, you will see these birds circling. These vultures are ever watchful for the dead and dying. Just take a nap for a few hours in a secluded area, and you will probably have these birds circle you! You will then realize that the specks you see up in the sky are actually huge birds with ten feet wingspan and an ugly bald head.

An interesting fact is that in some parts of the Himalaya, the dead are offered to Himalaya Griffons in an ancient burial rite. The ritual seems surreal and spooky, especially when the corpse is being chopped down. However, it makes perfect sense in a land where cremation is out of the question because wood is scarce, and burial is ineffective because decomposition can take ages.

Best place to see in the Everest Region: Pretty much everywhere after 11:00 am. Namche is especially useful.

10. Lammergeier#

Lammergeier

Lammergeier is a massive bird with a 10 feet wingspan. Despite its feathered head and slimmer build, it is a vulture nevertheless. It can be told from the commoner Griffons by their wedge-shaped tail and narrower wings. These vultures can afford to have feathered necks and heads because it doesn't bother with the filthy entrails and messy muscles of a carcass. It feeds on what other vultures leave behind- the bones. Well, not precisely bones, but bone marrow and to get at it, it takes the bones for a joyride and breaks them by dropping it on rocks below. Legend has it that a famous Greek playwright Aeschylus was killed when a Lammergeier mistook his bald head for a rock. Check headgear now! They have also been known to aid smaller mountain goats and sheep to lose their foothold in precarious cliffs.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Around Namche Bazaar, Dingboche, Lobuche, Gokyo.

9. Alpine Accentor#

Alpine Accentor

These guys are high altitude sparrows except for the fact that they love swinging. And we use the word 'swing' in its adult version. These birds form breeding parties in which everybody's free to do everybody else. However, the males keep track of the females they had a good time with and only help her feed the hatchlings. They also happen to be one of the most trusting birds of the high altitudes and will only feel uneasy when you are an arm's length away.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Gokyo, Dingboche, Pheriche, Lobuche, Gorakshep, Chukung.

8. Great Rosefinch#

Great Rosefinch

These birds are like little strawberries in ice cream. Adding much-needed color to the arid and snowclad environment of the upper stretches of the Everest Region, the Great Rosefinch is a cheerful little bird. However, come winter, these birds start their annual migration to lower altitudes.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Dingboche, Pheriche, Lobuche, Gorakshep, Gokyo, Chukung.

7. Red-billed Chough#

Red-billed Chough

Choughs are crows with red lipsticks and perhaps a more pleasant voice. It seems these guys love to fly for fun and are known for their regular acrobatic displays. They sometimes congregate in such numbers that when the whole gang takes wing, they blacken the sky. Usually, you will see them foraging in fields or breaking up yak dung for insects. Unlike most human beings, these guys mate for life, and a Cornish legend states that King Arthur's soul migrated into one of these guys after his last battle.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Dingboche, Pheriche, Gokyo, Gorakshep, Chukung, Lobuche.

6. Spotted Nutcracker#

Spotted Nutcracker PC: Par kuhnmi — Spotted nutcracker, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83655997

Nutcrackers are more often heard than seen, and their harsh grating call isn't too pleasant a sound. However, this bird shows enormous foresight as a single nutcracker can store up to a hundred thousand pine nuts during plentiful times. And thanks to its fantastic memory, the hidden stash comes in handy for months on end when food becomes scarce.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Namche Bazar, Jorsalle.

5. Golden Eagle#

Golden Eagle

Golden Eagles are essentially tigers of the bird kingdom. Ferocious and indomitable, many countries, including Germany, pay tribute to these birds in their emblems, and the Mongols even train them to hunt foxes. They can bring down prey several times their size, and one such hunt is shown in BBC's Planet Earth in which a pair of Golden Eagles bring down a Demoiselle crane. And guess what, the clip was shot here in Nepal at Mustang.

They can generally be told from the vultures by the way they hold their wings in a V-shape while soaring.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Namche, Pangboche, Dingboche, Pheriche, Thame, Gokyo.

4. Grandala#

Grandala Par kuhnmi — Spotted nutcracker, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83655997

It isn't uncommon to encounter a group of these birds numbering in the hundreds. With their searing blue color, they are quite a sight, especially when they take wing to catch insects. While one of these pretty birds would make someone's day, imagine seeing hundreds all at once.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Lukla, Gokyo.

3. Tibetan Snowcock#

Tibetan Snowcock

This noisy partridge has forgotten the art of flight. At its best, it can flutter downhill, and that too if you insist on it. The best time to see them is during late autumn and winter when they go out in large parties up to 30 strong. They are also very tame or curious in the Everest Region, where its far-carrying kwek-kwek is a familiar sound, especially during mornings and evenings.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Gokyo, Ev-K2-CNR. While it used to be common around all high altitude settlements, with the increasing number of dogs, they have become harder to see.

2. Blood Pheasant#

Blood Pheasant

These pheasants are excellent runners and take wing with much reluctance. The blood in its name comes from the fact that its face, eyes, and tails are smeared crimson. It makes birch forests its natural home and is seldom found away from it.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Tengboche, Deboche, Phortse, Dole.

1. Himalayan Monal#

Himalaya Monal / Danphe

Also called Danphe in Nepal, this guy is the dandiest of the high altitude pheasants with its iridescent plumage. It is also the national bird of Nepal and loves to fill the morning air with its far-carrying high pitched whistle. Like other high altitude birds, they are easier to see during the autumn and winter as they descend to lower altitudes then and also go about in large parties.

Best place to see in Everest Region: Namche, Pangboche, Phortse.

Checklist of the Birds of Everest Region#

Everest National Park has 219 bird species. Here is the complete checklist:

Birds of Everest National Park- Checklist
SN	Order/Family/ Common Name	Scientific Name
GALLIFORMES Phasianidae
1	Danphe/Himalayan Monal	Lophophorus impejanus
2	Snow Partridge	Lerwa lerwa
3	Blood Pheasant II	Ithaginis cruentus
4	Kalij Pheasant	Lophura leucomelanos
5	Tibetan Snowcock I	Tetraogallus tibetanus
6	Satyr Tragopan III, #	Tragopan satyra
ANSERIFORMES Anatidae
7	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta
8	Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata
9	Common Teal	Anas crecca
10	Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope
11	Garganey	Anas querquedula
12	Gadwall	Anas strepera
13	Bar-headed Goose	Anser indicus
14	Common Pochard * VU	Aythya ferina
15	Tufted Duck	Aythya fuligula
16	Ferruginous Pochard	Aythya nyroca
17	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula
18	Ruddy Shelduck	Tadorna ferruginea
PICIFORMES Picidae
19	Crimson-breasted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos cathpharius
20	Darjeeling Woodpecker	Dendrocopos darjellensis
21	Scaly-bellied Woodpecker	Picus squamatus
UPUPIFORMES Upupidae
22	Common Hoopoe	Upupa epops
CUCULIFORMES Cuculidae
23	Pied Cuckoo	Clamator jacobinus
24	Eurasian Cuckoo	Cuculus canorus
25	Lesser Cuckoo	Cuculus poliocephalus
26	Oriental Cuckoo	Cuculus saturatus
27	Large Hawk Cuckoo	Hierococcyx sparverioides
APODIFORMES Apodidae
28	Fork-tailed Swift	Apus pacificus
29	Himalayan Swiftlet	Collocalia brevirostris
STRIGIFORMES Strigidae
30	Little Owl II	Athene noctua
31	Eurasian Eagle Owl II	Bubo bubo
32	Tawny Owl II	Strix aluco
COLUMBIFORMES Columbidae
33	Speckled Wood Pigeon	Columba hodgsonii
34	Snow Pigeon	Columba leuconota
35	Hill Pigeon	Columba rupestris
36	Oriental Turtle Dove	Streptopelia orientalis
GRUIFORMES Otididae
37	Demoiselle Crane II	Grus virgo
Rallididae
38	Common Coot	Fulica atra
CICONIIFORMES Scolopacidae
39	Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos
40	Temminck's Stint	Calidris temminckii
41	Common Snipe	Gallinago gallinago
42	Wood Snipe * VU	Gallinago nemoricola
43	Solitary Snipe	Gallinago solitaria
44	Eurasian Woodcock	Scolopax rusticola
45	Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia
46	Green Sandpiper	Tringa ochropus
47	Common Redshank	Tringa totanus
48	Terek Sandpiper	Xenus cinereus
Charadriidae
49	Ibisbill	Ibidorhyncha struthersii
Laridae
50	Brown-headed Gull	Larus brunnicephalus
51	Black-headed Gull	Larus ridibundus
52	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo
Accipitridae
53	Northern Goshawk II	Accipiter gentilis
54	Eurasian Sparrowhawk II	Accipiter nisus
55	Besra	Accipiter virgatus
56	Cinereous Vulture II	Aegypius monachus
57	Steppe Eagle * EN, II	Aquila nipalensis
58	Golden Eagle II	Aquila chrysaetos
59	Imperial Eagle * VU, I	Aquilla heliaca
60	Common Buzzard II	Buteo buteo
61	Long-legged Buzzard II	Buteo rufinus
62	Hen Harrier II	Circus cyaneus
63	Lammergeier II	Gypaetus barbatus
64	Himalayan Griffon II	Gyps himalayensis
65	Booted Eagle II	Hieraaetus pennatus
66	Black Kite II	Milvus migrans
67	Osprey II	Pandion haliaetus
Falconidae
68	Merlin II	Falco columbarius
69	Peregrine Falcon I	Falco peregrinus
70	Common Kestrel II
Podicipedidae
71	Great Crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus
72	Black-necked Grebe	Podiceps nigricollis
PASSERIFORMES Laniidae
73	Grey-backed Shrike	Lanius tephronotus
Corvidae
74	Common Raven	Corvus corax
75	Large-billed Crow	Corvus macrorhynchos
76	Ashy Drongo	Dicrurus leucophaeus
77	Spotted Nutcracker	Nucifraga caryocatactes
78	Long-tailed Minivet	Pericrocotus ethologus
79	Yellow-bellied Fantail	Pericrocotus hypoxantha
80	Red-billed Chough	Pryrhocorax pyrrhocorax
81	Yellow-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax graculus
82	Yellow-billed Blue Magpie	Urocissa flavirostris
83	Hume’s Groundpecker	Pseudopodoces humilis
Cinclidae
84	White-throated Dipper	Cinclus cinclus
85	Brown Dipper	Cinclus pallasii
Muscicapidae
86	White-capped Water Redstart	Chaimarrornis leucocephalus
87	Oriental Magpie Robin	Copsychus saularis
88	Little Forktail	Enicurus scouleri
89	Spotted Forktail	Enicurus maculatus
90	Verditer Flycatcher	Eumyias thalassina
91	Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher	Ficedula strophiata
92	Ultramarine Flycatcher	Ficedula superciliaris
93	Slaty-blue Flycatcher	Ficedula tricolor
94	Grandala	Grandala coelicolor
95	White-bellied Redstart	Hodgsonius phaenicuroides
96	White-tailed Rubythroat	Luscinia pectoralis
97	Indian Blue Robin	Luscinia brunnea
98	Bluethroat	Luscinia svecica
99	Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush	Monticola rufiventris
100	Ferruginous Flycatcher	Muscicapa ferruginea
101	Blue Whistling Thrush	Myophonus caeruleus
102	Rufous-bellied Niltava	Niltava sundara
103	White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogaster
104	Blue-fronted Redstart	Phoenicurus frontalis
105	Hodgson's Redstart	Phoenicurus hodgsoni
106	Blue-capped Redstart	Phoenicurus coeruleocephalus
107	Black Redstart	Phoenicurus ochruros
108	White-throated Redstart	Phoenicurus schisticeps
109	Plumbeous Water Redstart	Rhyacornis fuliginosus
110	Grey Bushchat	Saxicola ferrea
111	Common Stonechat	Saxicola torquata
112	Golden Bush Robin	Tarsiger chryaseus
113	Himalayan Bluetail	Tarsiger (cyanurus) rufilatus
114	White-browed Bush Robin	Tarsiger indicus
115	White-collared Blackbird	Turdus albocinctus
116	Kessler's Thrush	Turdus kessleri
117	Eurasian Blackbird	Turdus merula maximus
118	Dark-throated Thrush	Turdus ruficollis
119	Black-throated Thrush	Turdus atrogularis
120	Mistle Thrush	Turdus viscivorus
121	Long-tailed Thrush	Zoothera dixoni
122	Plain-backed Thrush	Zoothera mollissima
Sturnidae
123	Purple-backed Starling	Sturnus sturninus
Sittidae
124	Wallcreeper	Tichodroma muraria
125	White-tailed Nuthatch	Sitta himalayansis
Certhiidae
126	Eurasian Treecreeper	Certhia familiaris
127	Rusty-flanked Treecreeper	Certhia nipalensis
128	Winter Wren	Troglodytes trolodytes
Paridae
129	Coal Tit	Parus ater
130	Grey-crested Tit	Parus dichrous
131	Great Tit	Parus major
132	Green-backed Tit	Parus monticolus
133	Rufous-vented Tit	Parus rubidiventris
134	Yellow-browed Tit	Sylviparus modestus
Aegithalidae
135	Black-throated Tit	Aegithalos consinnus
136	Rufous-fronted Tit	Aegithalos iouschistos
Hirundinidae
137	Asian House Martin	Delichon dasypus
138	Nepal House Martin	Delichon nepalensis
139	Eurasian Crag Martin	Hirundo rupestris
140	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
Regulidae
141	Goldcrest	Regulus regulus
Sylviidae
142	White-browed Fulvetta	Alcippe vinipectus
143	Rufous-winged Fulvetta	Alcippe castaneceps
144	Grey-sided Bush Warbler	Cettia brunnifrons
145	Black-faced Laughingthrush	Garrulax affinis
146	Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush	Garrulax erythrocephalus
147	Streaked Laughingthrush	Garrulax lineatus
148	Spotted Laughingthrush	Garrulax ocellatus
149	Rufous Sibia	Heterophasia capsitrata
150	Bar-throated Siva	Minla strigula
151	Fulvous Parrotbill	Paradoxornis fulvifrons
152	Tickell's Leaf Warbler	Phylloscopus affinis
153	Lemon-rumped Warbler	Phylloscopus chlorontus
154	Smoky Warbler	Phylloscopus fuligiventer
155	Yellow-browed Warbler	Phylloscopus inornatus
156	Ashy-throated Warbler	Phylloscopus maculipennis
157	Large-billed Leaf Warbler	Phylloscopus magnirostris
158	Western Crowned Warbler	Phylloscopus occipitalis
159	Buff-barred Warbler	Phylloscopus pulcher
160	Blyth's Leaf Warbler	Phylloscopus reguloides
161	Greenish Warbler	Phylloscopus trochiloides
162	Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler	Pnoepyga albiventer
163	Green Shrike Babbler	Pteruthius xanthochlorus
164	Hoary-throated Barwing	Actinodura nipalensis
165	Green-crowned Warbler	Seicercus burkii
166	Whistler's Warbler	Seicercus whistleri
167	Grey-hooded Warbler	Seicercus xanthoschistos
168	Stripe-throated Yuhina	Yuhina gularis
169	Rufous-vented Yuhina	Yuhina occipitalis
Alaudidae
170	Oriental Skylark	Alauda gulgula
171	Hume's Short-toed Lark	Calandrella acutirostris
172	Greater Short-toed Lark	Calandrella brachydactyla
173	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris
Nectariniidae
174	Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker	Dicaeum melanoxanthum
175	Mrs Gould's Sunbird	Aethopyga gouldiae
176	Green-tailed Sunbird	Aethopyga nipalensis
177	Fire-tailed Sunbird	Aethopyga ignicauda
Passeridae
178	Blyth's Pipit	Anthus godlewskii
179	Tree Pipit	Anthus trivialis
180	Olive-backed Pipit	Anthus hodgsoni
181	Rosy Pipit	Anthus roseatus
182	Citrine Wagtail	Montacilla citreola
183	White Wagtail	Montacilla alba
184	Grey Wagtail	Montacilla cinerea
185	Rufous-necked Snowfinch	Montifringilla ruficolis
186	Black-winged Snowfinch	Montrifringilla adamsi
187	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
188	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	Passer montanus
189	Russet Sparrow	Passer rutilans
190	Alpine Accentor	Prunella collaris
191	Brown Accentor	Prunella fulvescens
192	Altai Accentor	Prunella himalayana
193	Robin Accentor	Prunella rubeculoides
194	Rufous-breasted Accentor	Prunellla strophiata
195	Maroon-backed Accentor	Prunella immaculata
Fringillidae
196	Twite	Carduelis flavirostris
197	Yellow-breasted Greenfinch	Carduelis spinoiedes
198	Common Rosefinch	Carpodacus erythrinus
199	Dark-brested Rosefinch	Carpodacus nipalnesis
200	Beautiful Rosefich	Carpodacus pulcherrimus
201	Red-fronted Rosefinch	Carpodacus puniceus
202	Pink-browed Rosefinch	Carpodacus rodochrous
203	Spot-winged Rosefinch	Carpodacus rodopeplus
204	Great Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilla
205	Streaked Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilloides
206	White-browed Rosefinch	Carpodacus thura
207	Chestnut-eared Bunting	Emberiza fucata
208	Little Bunting	Emberiza pusilla
209	Brandt's Mountain Finch	Leucostice brandti
210	Plain Mountain Finch	Leucostice nemoricola
211	Red Crossbill	Loxia curvirostra
212	Collared Grosbeak	Mycerobas affinis
213	Spot-winged Grosbeak	Mycerobas melanozanthos
214	White-winged Grosbeak	Nycerobas carnipes
215	Crimson-browed Finch	Pinicola subhimachala
216	Brown Bullfinch	Pyrrhula nipalensis
217	Scarlet Finch	Haematospiza sipahi
218	Red-headed Bullfinch	Pyrrhula erythrocephala
219	Tibetan Serin	Serinus thibetanus

Ebird however lists a total of 276 species recorded in hotspots inside the Sagarmatha National Park. Her is a link to the eBird bar charts for all the hotspots inside the national park. Link.

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Birds of Everest Base Camp Trek

Best time for Birding in Everest Region#

How to get to Everest Region#

Suggested Itinerary#