Top Birding Hot Spots in Pakistan - Punjab
Murree Hill Range
Updated: 12/25/2005
Information by Birdwatcher's Club of
Pakistan (BCP)
The Murree Hill Range is located at a few hours distance
from Islamabad. It comprises of a long chain of beautiful hills rising
upto 2500 meters in height. The range comprises of peaks beautifully
clad with huge stands of tall trees, including Pines. Unfortunately,
deforestation has now reduced many of those hills into barren slopes.
One of the 1st towns in the range is Ghora Gali. After
Ghora Gali comes Murree. From Murree, 2 separate roads lead either
further into the Hill Range, or towards Azad Kashmir. Further inside the
range some more towns are Baarian, Kadir Gali, Ayubia (also National
Park), Dunga Gali and Nathia Gali. From Baarian onwards, the area falls
into N.W.F.P.
Murree is the 2nd best site for birding in Pakistan after Islamabad. The
Murree hills support a few West Himalayan specialties, in addition to
countless other bird species. Here one finds an incredible variety of
habitats and bird species any
time of the year. There are nice and well marked trekking routes. Not
only is the birding here so magnificent, but one can also enjoy the
sightseeing here.
Birding around Murree and the other hill stations that occur here a
little to the North can be very rewarding in the sense of quantity and
quality. With the beautiful habitat that it houses, more than 100
species could be seen in this area within a
single day.
Some specialties of the Murree Hill Range are:
-
Black
crested Tit
-
Black and
yellow Grosbeak
-
Black
headed Jay
-
Brown
fronted Woodpecker
-
Himalayan
Woodpecker
-
Indian
Grey Thrush
-
Koklass
Pheasant
-
Orange
Bullfinch
-
Red
fronted Rosefinch
-
Rufous
breasted Accentor
-
Spectacled Finch
-
Tytler's
Leaf Warbler
-
Variegated Laughing thrush
-
Western
Crowned Warbler
-
Brown
fronted Woodpecker
-
Rufous
tailed Flycatcher
Infact, most of the above species can be found commonly in the Murree
Hill
Range.
Some other birds of restricted distribution in Pakistan
that can be seen in Murree Hill Range include:
-
Kalij Pheasant
-
White throated Fantail
-
Rosy Minivet
-
Indian Blue Chat
-
Orange flanked Bush Robin
-
Chestnut bellied Rock Thrush
-
Grey winged Blackbird
-
Large billed Leaf Warbler
-
Goldcrest
-
Grey headed Flycatcher
-
Greater Shrike-Babbler
-
Rufous Sibia
-
Fire capped Tit
-
Yellow billed Blue Magpie
-
Russet Sparrow
-
Common Wood Pigeon
-
Spotted Dove
-
Wedge tailed Green Pigeon
-
Rufous bellied Woodpecker
-
Blossom headed Parakeet
-
Pink browed Rosefinch
-
Spot-winged Grosbeak
-
Slaty headed Parakeet
-
Himalayan thin-mantled Rosefinch
-
Great Barbet
-
Crested Bunting
-
Red headed Tit
-
Rufous vented Tit
-
Grey Bushchat
-
Black Bulbul
-
Green backed Tit
-
Verditer Flycatcher
-
Little Forktail
-
Spotted Forktail
-
Grey hooded Warbler
-
Blyth's crowned Warbler
-
Large billed Leaf Warbler
-
Asian brown Flycatcher
-
Slaty blue Flycatcher
-
Oriental Scops Owl
-
Asian Barred Owlet
-
Long eared Owl
-
Jungle Nightjar
-
White throated Needle-tail
-
White rumped Swift
-
Alpine Swift
-
Large Hawk Cuckoo
-
Plaintive Cuckoo
-
Blue headed Rock Thrush
-
Scaly Thrush
-
Chestnut Thrush
-
Scaly bellied Woodpecker
-
Green backed Tit
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