Yok Don National Park

Yok Don National Park is located in western Dak Lak province in the Central Highlands. To the west, the site borders Cambodia. The site is characterised by a relatively flat, lowland landscape dominated by dry dipterocarp forest studded with seasonal pools. Semi-evergreen forest can also be found, along watercourses and on the few low-lying hills. Yok Don is bisected by the Srepok River, a major tributary of the Mekong River. The national park contains numerous small (and often seasonal) tributary streams of the Srepok River.

Birding highlights: Green Peafowl, Lesser Adjutant, Woolly-necked Stork, woodpeckers and Mekong Wagtail.

Star rating: éé

Bird fauna: Yok Don National Park supports a diverse bird community, including a particularly rich dry dipterocarp forest avifauna. The large tracts of dry dipterocarp forest with seasonal pools are important for large waterbirds in particular. Yok Don is the only known site for the Critically Endangered Giant Ibis in Vietnam and supports the last known breeding Sarus Cranes in the country. Both species are very rare at the site, however, and the localities where they occur are off-limits to visitors. Yok Don supports a globally significant population of Green Peafowl, estimated to number at least 400 individuals. Larger permanent waterways support small but nationally important populations of White-winged Duck, Masked Finfoot, Lesser and Grey-headed Fish Eagles. Yok Don is also one of a handful of sites in Vietnam with recent records of White-rumped and Red-headed Vultures. However, most of these records have been from the western part of the park, close to the Cambodian border, which is closed to visitors. 

Other features: Dry dipterocarp forest, elephant rides.

Transportation: Car, flight. There is a airport at Buon Ma Thuot City, c.40 km from the park headquarters. From the headquarters, visitors can hire elephants or enter the park on foot. 

Accommodation: There is a guesthouse at the park headquarters. Visitors can also stay at the Banmeco Tourism Area, just 2 km from the headquarters.

Permission: Visitors are allowed to visit the eastern part of the park, which is zoned for tourism.

Banmeco Tourism and Trading Company, Krong Ana Commune, Buon Don District, Dak Lak Province, Tel.: +(84 50) 783020

1. Chinese Francolin

2. Scaly-breasted Partridge

3. Red Junglefowl

4. Siamese Fireback

5. Green Peafowl

6. Lesser Whistling Duck

7. White-winged Duck

8. Barred Buttonquail

9. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

10. Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker

11. Stripe-breasted Woodpecker

12. Rufous-bellied Woodpecker

13. Rufous Woodpecker

14. White-bellied Woodpecker

15. Lesser Yellownape

16. Greater Yellownape

17. Laced Woodpecker

18. Streak-throated Woodpecker

19. Black-headed Woodpecker

20. Grey-headed Woodpecker

21. Common Flameback

22. Greater Flameback

23. Pale-headed Woodpecker

24. Bay Woodpecker

25. Heart-spotted Woodpecker

26. Great Slaty Woodpecker

27. Red-vented Barbet

28. Lineated Barbet

29. Green-eared Barbet

30. Blue-eared Barbet

31. Black-browed Barbet

32. Coppersmith Barbet

33. Oriental Pied Hornbill

34. Great Hornbill

35. Brown Hornbill

36. Orange-breasted Trogon

37. Red-headed Trogon

38. Common Hoopoe

39. Indian Roller

40. Dollarbird

41. Common Kingfisher

42. Blue-eared Kingfisher

43. Banded Kingfisher

44. Stork-billed Kingfisher

45. White-throated Kingfisher

46. Black-capped Kingfisher

47. Blue-bearded Bee-eater

48. Green Bee-eater

49. Blue-throated Bee-eater

50. Blue-tailed Bee-eater

51. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

52. Chestnut-winged Cuckoo

53. Large Hawk Cuckoo

54. Indian Cuckoo

55. Banded Bay Cuckoo

56. Plaintive Cuckoo

57. Violet Cuckoo

58. Drongo Cuckoo

59. Asian Koel

60. Green-billed Malkoha

61. Greater Coucal

62. Lesser Coucal

63. Vernal Hanging Parrot

64. Alexandrine Parakeet

65. Grey-headed Parakeet

66. Blossom-headed Parakeet

67. Red-breasted Parakeet

68. Silver-backed Needletail

69. Fork-tailed Swift

70. Crested Treeswift

71. Oriental Scops Owl

72. Collared Scops Owl

73. Spot-bellied Eagle Owl

74. Tawny Fish Owl

75. Buffy Fish Owl

76. Brown Wood Owl

77. Asian Barred Owlet

78. Brown Hawk Owl

79. Great Eared Nightjar

80. Large-tailed Nightjar

81. Indian Nightjar

82. Savanna Nightjar

83. Oriental Turtle Dove

84. Spotted Dove

85. Red-collared Dove

86. Emerald Dove

87. Pink-necked Pigeon

88. Orange-breasted Green Pigeon

89. Thick-billed Green Pigeon

90. Yellow-footed Green Pigeon

91. Pin-tailed Pigeon

92. Green Imperial Pigeon

93. Mountain Imperial Pigeon

94. Masked Finfoot

95. Common Moorhen

96. Sarus Crane

97. White-breasted Waterhen

98. Common Greenshank

99. Green Sandpiper

100. Common Sandpiper

101. Red-wattled Lapwing

102. River Lapwing

103. Osprey

104. Black Baza

105. Oriental Honey-buzzard

106. Grey-headed Fish Eagle

107. Lesser Fish Eagle

108. Red-headed Vulture

109. White-rumped Vulture

110. Crested Serpent Eagle

111. Crested Goshawk

112. Shikra

113. Japanese Sparrowhawk

114. Besra

115. Rufous-winged Buzzard

116. Black Eagle

117. Changeable Hawk Eagle

118. White-rumped Falcon

119. Collared Falconet

120. Peregrine Falcon

121. Little Grebe

122. Oriental Darter

123. Little Egret

124. Intermediate Egret

125. Cattle Egret

126. Chinese Pond Heron

127. Little Heron

128. Cinnamon Bittern

129. Black Bittern

130. Giant Ibis

131. Woolly-necked Stork

132. Black-necked Stork

133. Lesser Adjutant

134. Blue-rumped Pitta

135. Blue-winged Pitta

136. Banded Broadbill

137. Asian Fairy Bluebird

138. Blue-winged Leafbird

139. Golden-fronted Leafbird

140. Brown Shrike

141. Burmese Shrike

142. Long-tailed Shrike

143. Eurasian Jay

144. Red-billed Blue Magpie

145. Rufous Treepie

146. Racket-tailed Treepie

147. Ratchet-tailed Treepie

148. Large-billed Crow

149. Ashy Woodswallow

150. Black-naped Oriole

151. Black-hooded Oriole

152. Large Cuckooshrike

153. Indochinese Cuckooshrike

154. Ashy Minivet

155. Small Minivet

156. Scarlet Minivet

157. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike

158. White-browed Fantail

159. Black Drongo

160. Ashy Drongo

161. Crow-billed Drongo

162. Bronzed Drongo

163. Spangled Drongo

164. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

165. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo

166. Black-naped Monarch

167. Common Iora

168. Great Iora

169. Large Woodshrike

170. Common Woodshrike

171. Orange-headed Thrush

172. Asian Brown Flycatcher

173. Mugimaki Flycatcher

174. Red-throated Flycatcher

175. Blue-and-white Flycatcher

176. Verditer Flycatcher

177. Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher

178. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

179. Oriental Magpie Robin

180. White-rumped Shama

181. Common Stonechat

182. Pied Bushchat

183. Black-collared Starling

184. Vinous-breasted Starling

185. Crested Myna

186. Golden-crested Myna

187. Hill Myna

188. Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch

189. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

190. Great Tit

191. Black-throated Tit

192. Barn Swallow

193. Red-rumped Swallow

194. Striated Swallow

195. Black-headed Bulbul

196. Black-crested Bulbul

197. Red-whiskered Bulbul

198. Sooty-headed Bulbul

199. Stripe-throated Bulbul

200. Streak-eared Bulbul

201. Ochraceous Bulbul

202. Grey-eyed Bulbul

203. Black Bulbul

204. Brown Prinia

205. Hill Prinia

206. Rufescent Prinia

207. Plain Prinia

208. Common Tailorbird

209. Dark-necked Tailorbird

210. Radde's Warbler

211. Yellow-browed Warbler

212. Arctic Warbler

213. Two-barred Warbler

214. White-crested Laughingthrush

215. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush

216. Puff-throated Babbler

217. Large Scimitar Babbler

218. White-browed Scimitar Babbler

219. Scaly-crowned Babbler

220. Striped Tit Babbler

221. Grey-faced Tit Babbler

222. Chestnut-capped Babbler

223. White-bellied Yuhina

224. Australasian Bushlark

225. Indochinese Bushlark

226. Oriental Skylark

227. Thick-billed Flowerpecker

228. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

229. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird

230. Purple Sunbird

231. Black-throated Sunbird

232. Olive-backed Sunbird

233. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

234. Plain-backed Sparrow

235. Forest Wagtail

236. Grey Wagtail

237. White Wagtail

238. Mekong Wagtail

239. Yellow Wagtail

240. Olive-backed Pipit

241. Asian Golden Weaver

242. White-rumped Munia

243. Scaly-breasted Munia

244. Yellow-breasted Bunting