Destinations / Taipei City
For a first independent birding visit to Taipei, Daan Forest Park is a good starting point, with an MRT station right beside the park. Taipei Botanical Garden is also accessible by MRT, and its shade and denser understorey complement Daan’s more open habitats.
Birding in Taipei at a glance
| Location | Habitats | MRT access |
|---|---|---|
| Daan Forest Park | Lawns, mature trees and a large ecological pond. Open views, with more exposure to the sun. | Red Line: Daan Park, R06 |
| Taipei Botanical Garden | Shaded paths, understorey vegetation and a lotus pond. | Green Line: Xiaonanmen, G11 |
Daan Forest Park
Setting and habitats
Daan Forest Park combines open lawns, mature trees and a large ecological pond. It is easy to reach by MRT, with straightforward paths. Dense shrub cover is limited, and the open areas can be sunny.
Birding highlights
Look for Malayan Night Heron and Taiwan Barbet, alongside common birds such as Black Bulbul, Gray Treepie and Swinhoe’s White-eye. Crested Goshawk is also occasionally seen. Common Kingfisher and herons occur around the pond, with kingfishers easier to observe in winter. During the breeding season, Little Egret, Eastern Cattle-Egret and Black-crowned Night Heron can also be observed.
Access and facilities
Take the MRT Red Line to Daan Park station (R06), on the north side of the park. Daan station is a different stop. The park is open around the clock and has public toilets.
Taipei Botanical Garden
Setting and habitats
This compact garden has shaded paths, mature trees, denser understorey vegetation and a lotus pond. It is smaller and more shaded than Daan Forest Park, making it less hot than Daan’s open lawns.
Birding highlights and season
Birds to look for include Taiwan Barbet, Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler, Light-vented Bulbul, Swinhoe’s White-eye, Oriental Turtle-Dove, Black Bulbul, Gray Treepie and Black-naped Monarch. Crested Goshawk, Crested Myna, Malayan Night Heron, Javan Myna and Asian Glossy Starling may also be seen.
Taiwan Blue-Magpie and Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler are less reliable here. In winter, look for thrushes.
Taipei Botanical Garden on eBird
Access and facilities
Take the MRT Green Line to Xiaonanmen station (G11). Exit 3 is a convenient approach; the garden’s Chinese visitor information also lists a route from Exit 4.
The Chinese official website lists opening hours of 05:30–20:00 daily. Public toilets are available. Individual buildings and areas may have their own opening hours.
Transport
MRT and travel from Taoyuan Airport
From Terminal 1 (A12) or Terminal 2 (A13), take the Airport MRT to Taipei Main Station (A1). Follow the signs to the Taipei MRT station (R10), then take the Red Line towards Xiangshan to Daan Park. Allow time to walk between the two systems.
Taipei MRT and Taoyuan Airport MRT accept supported contactless bank cards and mobile payments. Follow each system’s ticketing rules and gate signs.
Airport MRT payment information · Taipei MRT bank-card payment information
Buses and EasyCard
For buses, buy and top up an EasyCard, and tap it when boarding and alighting. Cards and top-ups are available at major convenience stores. Ordinary bank cards cannot be tapped directly on city buses. Cash is accepted, but no change is given.
Google Maps can help with transfers and walking routes. Check live arrivals and route changes on the day.
Getting around the city
Uber is an option if you prefer to avoid transfers.
Why hire a bird guide?
Daan Forest Park and Taipei Botanical Garden can be explored independently. A local bird guide can help if you want to visit more habitats, look for particular species, or spend less of your limited travel time researching and changing transport.
Your guide selects locations around the season, recent sightings and your interests, helps find and identify birds, and adjusts the route to conditions. A vehicle also makes travel between sites more efficient and opens up places that are difficult to reach by public transport.
Some birding opportunities depend on seasonal and recent local information, such as breeding activity, owl day roosts or a rare migrant stopping briefly. These details may not appear in general site guides. Through regular field observation and exchanges with local birders, a local guide is better placed to keep track of these opportunities and assess whether a visit is appropriate.
Depending on the season, recent sightings and available time, possibilities include Swinhoe’s Pheasant and other forest birds around Pinglin, or waterbirds in Yilan’s wetlands and farmland, including Black-faced Spoonbill when conditions are suitable. Routes follow current bird activity, and sightings are not guaranteed.
If you have already been birding independently before your Taipei tour, tell your guide which birds you have seen and which you would still like to find.
Prefer to keep travelling by MRT? Our Taipei birding tour by MRT chooses from seven city sites, including Daan Forest Park and Taipei Botanical Garden, with a local bird guide.
Explore the Taipei MRT birding tour Explore our Taipei 1-day tour by private car