Mt Victoria ( Natmataung National Park in Chin State )
Mt. Victoria (Natmataung) is the highest mountain in the Chin State of western Burma. Located in three townships – Kanpatlet, Mindat and Matupi, Mount Victoria is a part of the Chin Hills range. The peak is unique for the presence of trees, bushes and grass, which have adapted to the environment. Although illegal was picked, epiphytes still cover older trees namely Coelogyne, Dendrobium, Cymbidium plants and Rhododendron arboretum flowers (along roads during the dry season) can be seen. On the way towards the top you will pass pine trees (Pinus kesiva), Benguet pine or three-needled pine. With a heigh of 3,053 m (10,016 ft) above sea level and a prominence of 2,231 m (7,320 ft) ,Nat Ma Taung is one of the ultra prominent peaks of Southeast Asia. Many near-endemic species and the two endemic called The White-browed Nuthatch (Sitta victoriae) and Burmese Tit or Burmese Bushtit (Aegithalos sharpei) are the birds endemic to this mountain range. Mt Victoria (Namataung) is one of the best places birding spot in Myanmar. There are 170 bird species, raptiles, wild animals and butterfly inhabited in the Mt. Victorie (Namataung).
Some highlight and endemic species are ::
Chin Hills Wren-babbler (Spelaeornis oatesi)
The Chin Hills Wren-babbler ( Spelaeornis oatesi ) is a bird species in the family Timaliidae. It was until recently considered a subspecies of the Long-tailed Wren-babbler; the IUCN for example started recognizing it as distinct species in 2008. It is found in E India (Mizoram) and W Myanmar (Chin Hills), classified as a Species of Least Concern by the IUCN.
Mt.Victoria Babax (Babax woodi)
The Mt. Victoria Babax (Babax woodi) is a species of passerine bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It was formerly treated as conspecific with the Chinese Babax (Babax lanceolatus), that found in China, Hong Kaung, India and Myanmar. The Mt. Victoria Babax (Babax woodi) is Least Concern in IUCN Red List, and inhabited in the northeast Indian state of Mizoram and across the border into the Chin Hills in western Myanmar.
Burmese Tit (Aegithalos sharpei)
The Burmese Tit or Burmese Bushtit (Aegithalos sharpei) is a species of bird in the family Aegithalidae. It is endemic to southwestern Myanmar. Its natural habitat is moist mountane, pine,and temperate forests. It is not threatened species ( Least Concern ) in IUCN Red List, and occurred at Mt Victoria and Mindat, in south Chin Hills of Southwest Myanmar at from 2500 m to 3000 m.
White-browed Nuthatch (Sitta victoriae)
The White-browed Nuthatch (Sitta victoriae) is a species of bird in the nuthatch family. It is endemic to Myanmar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical forest, moist montane forest, Oak and Rhododendron forest. The White-browed nuthatch has entered IUCN Red List as a threatened species endangered by habitat loss, known only from the Mount Victoria area of Myanmar where the hill is 10400 ft above sea level.
Other Highlight Bird are Assan Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron chrysopterum ), Brown-capped Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron austeni ), Striated Laughingthrush (Garrulax striatus ).
