Ornithology of Northern Myanmar

Abstract

—Myanmar is a large, biodiverse country located between India and China in the west and east, and south of Tibet. Kachin State, situated in far northern Myanmar, is expected to be especially biodiverse because of its habitat and climatic diversity, ranging from lowland riparian areas to the high-elevation Himalayan Mountains. These areas of northern Myanmar are especially poorly known biologically, largely because of their difficult terrain, rugged mountains, and enormous rivers. We summarize the ornithological history of northern Myanmar and document the names, dates, and geographic areas (along with a bilingual gazetteer of names) of major ornithological expeditions. Because foreign naturalists made most of the bird collections, the resulting material is scattered around the world. We have compiled and organized information about past research and collections, and we suggest areas for future research investment. To date, few local areas within northern Myanmar have been surveyed, including the far north...