Shiti Village Birdwatching Trail 石梯村正规观鸟线路

About Shiti Village Birdwatching Trail

The village adjoins the Hongbenghe section of Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve, with a well-preserved tropical rainforest ecosystem in the Irrawaddy river system's tropical and subtropical zone. Villagers began developing ecological birdwatching tourism in 2015, modelled on the nearby Baihualing village in Baoshan; three hornbill species, the great hornbill, wreathed hornbill and oriental pied hornbill, have stable breeding points in the area, and the site has become known among birdwatchers as 'China's Hornbill Valley'. Recorded bird species grew from more than 350 in 2020 to more than 450 by 2024, about 44.55% of Yunnan's recorded species and 30.18% of China's.

The village has built a network of designated 'bird points' (up to 55 by 2024) with controlled spacing and density, and caps visitor numbers to environmental capacity. Local residents trained and certified as 'bird guides' by the county birdwatching association now number more than 50, each able to identify over 150 species; villagers' per-capita net income rose from under 2,000 yuan in 2014 to 11,785 yuan in 2022 as the birdwatching economy developed.

What to look for

• The village's network of designated bird hides ('bird points'), used for observing three breeding hornbill species
• The great hornbill, wreathed hornbill and oriental pied hornbill, all with stable breeding points in the surrounding rainforest
• The rainforest of the Hongbenghe section of Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve, adjoining the village

Location & getting there

Getting to Shiti Village Birdwatching Trail

Check the open visitor route and follow the site’s rules on distance, food and photography. Conservation areas may limit access beyond designated paths.

• Search for 石梯村正规观鸟线路 with 德宏傣族景颇族自治州 and 盈江县.