Myanmar possesses a great wealth
and diversity of wetland
habitats, including rivers and
streams, fresh water lakes and
mashes, reservoirs, fish ponds,
seasonally flooded cultivated
plains, as well as estuaries and
mangrove swamps. Most of the
wetlands in Myanmar are directly
and indirectly associ- ated with
river systems. The most
extensive wetlands in the
interior of the country are the
seasonally inundated flood plain
of the four main rivers namely,
Ayeyarwaddy, Chindwin, Sittaung
and Thanlwin Rivers.
Such plains are estimated to
form a surface area of some
60,000 sq km during the four or
five months of the monsoon.
Permanent fresh water bodies
including two biggest lakes Inle
and Indawgyi, cover about
130,000 hectares. These wetland
habitats give refuge to over
100,000 waterfowls of 195
species including resident and
migratory species.
Among Myanmarwetland areas,
Indawgyi Wetland Wildlife
Sanctuary (IWWS) in Moenyin
Township, Kachin State with an
area covering 775.25 sq km. The
wetland is named after the
Indawgyi Lake that is about 23.8
km long and 10 km wide and
surrounded by mountains. It is
the largest inland lake of SE
Asia. It is accessible by road
from Myitkyina, passing through
Mogaung and Hopin. The best time
of year to visit is between Oc-
tober and May.
It
is one of the most important
sites for waterfowl as well as
an internationally- important
bird watching / conservation
area as it is also thickly
forested.
Each year IWWS is host to over
20,000 resident and migratory
waterfowls.
A
total of 90 waterfowl species
including 51 migratory species
are listed in wetland habitats
and also 214 species of land
bird are recorded in IWWS.
Here can see not only waterfowl
but also land birds and it is a
paradise for birdwatchers.
Some
of the rare and unique birds
seen here are migratory
waterfowls such as over a
thousand of Northern Pintail,
Tufted Duck, Ferruginous Pochard
and Common Coot, hundreds of
Greylag Goose, Common and
Red-crested Pochards, Garganey ,
Eurasian Wigeon, Great Cormorant
and Asian Openbill, Northern
Shoveler, Common Teal, Wood
Snipe, Grey-headed Lapwing,
spot-billed Pelican and Black
Stork, resident waterfowl such
as Lesser Whistling Duck and
Purple swamphen which are up to
over a thousand, Bronze-winged
and Pheasant-tailed Jacanas,
sarus Crane, Watercock, Greater
Painted Snipe, Oriental Darter,
Woolly-necked Stork and Lesser
Adjutant; and non waterbird such
as Great Hornbill, Dollarbird,
stork-billed Kingfisher,
Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Dark-
rumped Swift, Thick-billed Green
Pigeon, Brahminy Kite,
Grey-headed Fish, Pallas's Fish,
Greater Spotted and Indian
Spotted Eagles, White-rumped and
slender-billed Vultures,
Verditer Flycatcher,
Black-backed Forktail, Collared
Myna, Sultan Tit, Yellow-bellied
Warbler, Striated Babbler, Red
Avadavat,
Crimson Sunbird and
Yellow-breasted Bunting.
The Northern Shoveler is large
duck about 50 cm in length with
a long broad spatula- shaped
bill and orange feet. The male
is a beautiful bird with its
white breast and white side of
its back contrasting with its
glossy green head and chestnut-coloured
sides. The male has mottled
brown feathers. They are often
seen in small parties.
The Red-crested Pochard is also
a large fowl about 50 cm in
long. The male is quite pretty
with its golden-chestnut head,
red coloured bill and legs. The
neck and belly are black, and it
has white patch on the sides.
The female is brownish with a
whitish head, sides and front of
the neck, and it has a pink-
tipped dark bill. They live in
small groups.
The Greylag Goose is about 84 cm
in length. It has a greyish
brown body and a pink bill and
legs. They general feed at night
but are sometimes seen feeding
in the lake and streams at day
time. They roost among the grass
at night in large groups.
The Sarus Crane is very large
waterfowl with a long bill, neck
and legs. It is about 156 cm
long with grey plumage and a
beautiful bright red skin on his
head and upper neck. His long
legs are also red. The head and
upper neck of the juvenile Sarus
Crane are buff coloured and
feath- ered. They live in pairs
and occasionally with one,
sometimes two young in tow. This
species has a spectacular
courtship display. They always
stay on wet grasslands and paddy
fields.
The
Grey-headed Lapwing lives in
pairs or in small parties at the
edge of water bodies. It is
about 37 cm in length with long
yellowish legs and a rather long
yellowish bill with a black tip.
It has grey plumage on the head,
neck and upper breast, which has
a black band. His body has
olive-brown plumage on top and a
white belly.
The Spot-billed Pelican is a
large-sized waterfowl about 140
cm in length with a long, large
bill and a large gular pouch. It
has whitish fathers with a
tufted dusky nape and a
yellowish bill with dark spots
on the upper mandible. They
usually stay on the ground,
stream and lake, but sometimes
fly upward and glide with birds
of prey. They frequently rest in
the big tree tops and are often
seen in small groups.
The Blue-bearded Bee-eater is
about 37 cm long with a long,
curved and slender bill.
His back, head and breast are
covered in green plumage with a
blue fore-crown and a shaggy
beard. Other parts of his body
are yellowish with green streaks
on belly. They are often seen
singly or in pairs.
The Great Hornbill is one of
nine resident hornbills of
Myanmar. It is a very large
forest bird about 122 cm long.
It has a black and yellow head
with a large bill and casque,
and black feathers with a white
vent and a white tail which has
a broad black central band. They
live in pairs or in small groups
and are often seen flying above
the canopy of the forest.
Sometimes they perch in the
middle or top canopy of big tree
and occasionally descend to feed
on the ground.
The
Stork-billed Kingfisher is a
pretty bird with a very large
red bill and a pale brown crown
on his brownish yellow head. It
is about 41 cm long with
greenish-blue on the back and a
brownish yellow belly. They live
alone or in pairs and always
stay on the branch of
the tree nearest the water, and
are often se to plunge into the
water to catch fish.
The Brahminy Kite is a beautiful
b about 52 cm in length. It has
bright chestr plumage with a
white head, neck and bre with
brownish streaks on his white
par They always glide alone or
in small flocks.
The White-rumped Vulture is abc
85 cm in length, with a naked
head and ne with whitish hair
like feathers. His body ~
blackish-brown
plumage with a white neck-ruff,
back and rump. In flight, his
wing is very broad with
well-spaced feathers. The white
underwing is edged with black.
They are generally seen soaring
together with the Slender-billed
Vultures and other birds
in
small parties and are often seen
feeding on dead animal in small
groups.
The Sultan Tit is about 20 cm in
length. It has a bright yellow
crown and crest and a bright
yellow belly. The tail and other
parts of his body are covered
with black feathers. They are
often seen is small groups.
The Striated Babbler is an
earth-brown bird about 22 cm in
length with a long gradu- ated
tail. It has heavily blackish
streaks on its back and is
thinly streaked on its throat
and breast. They are often seen
in small groups among the
elephant grasses.
The Crimson Sunbird is very
pretty, about 11 cm long. The
male is a strikingly coloured
bird with a metallic-green crown
and a tail with elongated
central feather. It has a
crimson colour hood and mantle,
a distinct yellow rump and a
greyish belly. The female has
olive-green plumage on the back
and a yellowish belly.
The Red Avadavat is a small
bird, only a little over 9 cm
long. The female is brown with a
red rump, uppertail-coverts and
bill, and with white spots on
wings. The male bird has white
spotted uppertail-coverts. The
other parts of his body are like
female but his body totally
changes to a beautiful bright
red with white spots and a
darkish wing and tail during the
breeding season. They are often
seen in small flocks among grass
or reeds.
Birdwatchers visiting IWWS can
stay at two guest houses which
are Indawthar and Indawthar II
in Lonton Village that is
situated on the South West bank
of Indawgyi Lake.
In
the vicinity of this village
they can also see the Chinese
Francolin, Lineated and Blue-
throated Barbets, Yellow-footed
Green Pigeon, Watercock,
Eurasian Woodcock, Wood Snipe,
Collared Treepie, Blue Whistling
Thrush, Dark- throated Thrush,
White-throated Bulbul, Striated
Grassbird, Red Avadavat, Crested
and Chestnut Buntings.
In
the Indawgyi Lake area and its
surrounding forests, they can
spot the Lesser Whistling Duck,
Greylag Goose, Gadwall, Eurasian
Wigeon, Northern Shoveler,
Northern Pintail, Common Teal,
Common and Ferruginous Pochards,
Tufted Duck, Stork-billed
Kingfisher, Purple Swamphen,
Common Coot, Greater Painted
Snipe, Pheasant-tailed and
Bronze-winged Jacanas, Oriental
Darter, Great Cormorant and
Spot-billed Pelican, Red
Junglefowl, Oriental Pied
Hornbill, Oriental Hobby, Rufous
Treepie, Long-tailed and Small
Minivets.
Another wetland site called
Indaw Chaung is accessible by an
hour-long boat ride form Lonton.
There, birdwatchers can see the
Red-crested Pochard, Pied
Kingfisher, Dark-rumped Swift,
Brown-backed Needle- tail, Sarus
Crane, Grey-headed Lapwing,
Pallas's Fish, Grey-headed Fish,
Indian Spotted and Greater
Spotted Eagles, Brahminy Kite,
White-rumped and Slender-billed
Vultures, Spot-billed Pelican,
Asian Openbill, Woolly-necked
and Black- necked Storks,
Long-tailed and Grey-backed
Shrikes, Collared and
White-vented Mynas,
Yellow-breasted and
Chestnut-eared Buntings.
One site named Naung Kwin Inn
which is located north of the
lake is covered with elephant
grass and scattered trees in the
south, with forested land in the
north. This site can be reached
in two hours by car. Here on
record are Barred Buttonquail,
White-browed Piculet, Plaintive
Cuckoo, White-rumped Vulture and
Slender-billed Vultures, Sarus
Crane, Lesser Adjutant, Black
and Black-necked Storks,
Long-tailed and Grey-backed
Shrikes, Yellow-bellied Warbler,
Oriental Darter; Ruddy Shelduck
and Little Egret
Nante site is located at the
south west of the base camp of
Lonton. It is acces- sible by
road and the drive takes about
two and half hours. This area is
covered by primary and secondary
for- ests which holds a
fantastic variety of for~st bird
species.
Here, on record are the
Pale-headed, Great Slaty,
Fulvous- breasted and Rufous
Woodpeckers, Lesser and Greater
Yellow-napes, Rufous-necked,
Great and Wreathed Hornbills,
Dollar-bird, Blue- bearded
Bee-eater, Orange-breasted,
Pompa- dour and Thick-billed
Green Pigeons, Asian Fairy
Bluebird, Golden-fronted,
Blue-winged and Orange-bellied
Leafbirds, Grey Treepie, Maroon
Oriole, Bar-winged Flycatcher
Shrike, Siberian Ruby throat,
Black-backed Forktail, Sultan
Tit, White-crested and Lesser
Neck- laced Laughingthrushes,
White-hooded and Golden
Babblers, Little Spiderhunter
and Crimson Sunbird.
It
is possible to camp here for the
night if one so wishes.
In
the un-spoilt and lush beauty of
the wetlands and forests of the
Indawgyi Wetland Wildlife
Sanctuary the birds find their
paradise and nature lovers can
see them in their natural
habitat. D
Striated and Rufous-fronted
Babblers and Crimson Sun- bird.
