Current view: Text account
Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA is centred on Virachey National Park, and borders Laos to the north and Vietnam to the east. The IBA comprises all areas, primarily of evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, within and adjacent to the national park above 150 m asl. The vegetation of the IBA is dominated by dense semi-evergreen forest, interspersed with patches of true evergreen forest, upland savanna, bamboo thickets and occasional patches of mixed deciduous forest. The topography of the IBA is dominated by hills and low mountains, with most areas lying above 400 m asl, and elevations reaching over 1,500 m asl along the border with Laos. The avifauna of the IBA is quite distinct from that of lowland areas to the south and west, which are dominated by deciduous dipterocarp forest. The IBA is one of only two areas in Cambodia known to support Germain's Peacock Pheasant Polyplectron germaini, a restricted-range species. In addition, the IBA supports a number of globally threatened and near-threatened species, including Siamese Fireback Lophura diardi, Red-collared Woodpecker Picus rabieri and Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis. Virachey remains one of the most ornithologically unexplored parts of Cambodia. However, survey work in neighbouring areas of Laos and Vietnam, indicate that higher elevation areas are likely to be of particular importance for globally threatened species such as Black-hooded Laughingthrush Garrulax milleti and Black-crowned Barwing Actinodura sodangorum.
Other regionally significant bird species : Little Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Woolly-necked Stork, Black-necked Stork, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Great-thick Knee, River Tern, Little Tern, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Alexandrine Parakeet, Pied Kingfisher, Streak-throated Woodpecker, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Yellow Crown Woodpecker, Broad-and-red Broadbill, White-bellied Woodpecker.
Non-bird biodiversity: Other regionally significant mammal and primate species also occur in the area such as Tiger, Leopard, Dhole, Golden Cat, Marbled Cat, Clouded Leopard, Sambar, Sun Bear, and Pig-tailed Macaque.Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang), [Pygmy Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus)], Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis), Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina),Bear Macaque (Macaca arctoides), Douc Langur (Pygathrix nemaeus), Yellow-cheeked Gibbon (Hylobates gabriellae ) (Kong Kim Sreng pers. comm.).Impressed Tortoise (Manouria impressa).Pinus merkusii.Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Gaur (Bos gaurus), Banteng (Bos javanicus).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Although there are few villages within the IBA, villagers living in adjacent areas continue to hunt, fish, gather forest products and engage in shifting cultivation within the IBA. Of these activities, hunting is a perhaps the most severe threat to biodiversity. This activity is a particular threat to populations of ground birds, such as Green Peafowl, which are susceptible to snaring and egg collection. Commercial logging has already affected substantial areas within the IBA.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Recommendations:- Current ranger patrolling and enforcement initiatives in Virachey National Park focused on illegal activities (hunting and logging) should be continued and increased to cover all important areas.- Further surveys should be carried out, particularly of the montane areas close to the borders of Lao PDR and Viet Nam, to confirm the presence or absence of globally threatened species expected to occur in this area of the southern Annamites EBA.
Overlaps with Virachey National Park.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Virachey (Cambodia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/virachey-iba-cambodia on 22/11/2024.
