Birding

Birding in Sabah
There are various locations in Sabah where bird enthusiasts could do birding.

Mountain Range
You can expect to see birds such as, the Malaysian Treepie, the Laughing Thrush, Short-tailed Magpies, Sunda Laughing Thrushes, Whitehead’s Spiderhunter and not forgetting the endemic Mountain Barbet at this type of terrain.

In Sabah, try visiting Kinabalu Park, where 17 endemic birds to Borneo can be found and Crocker Range Park, which has two areas often visited by birdwatchers; the Rafflesia Forest Reserve and Keningau head-station of Crocker Range.

Lowland Forest
Known to have the richest habitat, the most number of bird species can be found in this habitat in Borneo. There are a few prime bird watching areas in Sabah with this terrain, such as, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Tabin Wildlife Reserve both located in Lahad Datu, Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) in Sandakan and Poring Hot Springs in Ranau.

For birders, this type of terrain, you can expect to see the endemic Bornean Bristlehead, the Scarlet Minivet, Banded Broadbill and the Red-bearded Bee-Eater. In Tabin alone, you can find 8 endemic species including the Bornean Bristlehead and Blue-banded Pitta.

Freshwater
Kinabatangan River – Kinabatangan River holds one of the world’s richest ecosystem and makes Kinabatangan an excellent location for bird watching.

Highlight in Kinabatangan : 8 species of Hornbills, Oriental Darter and Storm’s Stork.

*All birding destinations are easily accessible with good transportation network and accommodation facilities are also available.

Equip yourself with a good camera, binocular and a tripod, along with Sabah’s expert field guide and you are good to go. We see birds everyday, but can you distinguish one bird song to another? Take up birding and you may just be able to!

For more info please visit www.borneobirdfestival.com.

Last reviewed: March 17, 2022

Birding in Sabah

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