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—Any analysis of species distributions in Southeast Asia must confront several difficulties, including weak baseline data, a coarse sampling grid, and confused taxonomy. A critical portion of this region, namely the southeastern Himalayas and associated sub-Himalayan areas, are high in species richness and yet are poorly sampled or understood from an ornithogeographic and conservation perspective. Recent surveys in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh (northeast India), Yunnan (southwest China), and Kachin State (northern Myanmar) have revealed new taxa, confirming the hypothesis that the mountain range is of global conservation importance. In this monograph, we summarize current knowledge, historical and recent collection activities, and taxonomic, systematic, and biogeographic revisions and consider the need for additional work and where in the region that work should be focused.

We initiated ornithological exploration of the sub-Himalayan region of Myanmar in 1997. The work had five main goals: to conduct a basic inventory of the avifauna, to identify special conservation needs, to investigate ornithogeographic affinities, to build knowledge of the ecology and seasonal movement patterns of the large number of poorly known birds, to clarify pathogen patterns, and to create a distributional database for understanding how climate change is affecting local and regional distribution over time. After five expeditions to northern Myanmar, we have recorded 413 species, expanded the known range for several species, and described a new subspecies for Tesia olivea and a new species of scimitar-babbler, Jabouilleia naungmungensis. We have also examined the forms of avian malaria and obtained information on the ecology and seasonal movements of several species.

—Myanmar is a large, biodiverse country located between India and China in the west and east, and south of Tibet. Kachin State, situated in far northern Myanmar, is expected to be especially biodiverse because of its habitat and climatic diversity, ranging from lowland riparian areas to the high-elevation Himalayan Mountains. These areas of northern Myanmar are especially poorly known biologically, largely because of their difficult terrain, rugged mountains, and enormous rivers. We summarize the ornithological history of northern Myanmar and document the names, dates, and geographic areas (along with a bilingual gazetteer of names) of major ornithological expeditions. Because foreign naturalists made most of the bird collections, the resulting material is scattered around the world. We have compiled and organized information about past research and collections, and we suggest areas for future research investment. To date, few local areas within northern Myanmar have been surveyed, including the far north...

—Many species in Southeast Asia are hardly known in many aspects (biology, ecology, distribution, plumage characteristics), especially in the southeastern sub-Himalayan Mountains in the border region of Myanmar, China, northeast India, and Tibet. During a September 2005 survey of Naung Mung, Putao District, Kachin State, Northern Myanmar, we obtained specimens of three species evidently in first basic plumage, for which this plumage type was new, hardly known, or significantly different from that seen in specimens in collections or descriptions in the literature. After thorough examination, we identified these specimens as immature members of the following muscicapid species: White-tailed Robin (Myiomela leucura), including both a light and darker plumage type; Large Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis magnirostris); and Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata). We discuss some taxonomic and biological implications of our findings.