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Birding in Sabah, Malaysia

22 March 2008 No Comment

Birding in Sabah, Malaysia – Part 1

Author & Editor

Author: TSWong

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Photographs and article are copyright of TSWong

Location and Geographical significance

Sabah (used to be called North Borneo)lies on the northern part of Borneo Island.

Borneo has a land area of 746,337 square kilometers. Politically it is divided into three countries; Malaysia, Indonesia and the Brunei.

The land areas of each political division are as follows:

Sabah 76,115 Sq. M Sarawak 124,968 Brunei 5,765 Kalimantan 539,489

The most significant birding state in Borneo is Sabah, despite it covers slightly more than ten percent of the Borneo Island. It is the site of Mt. Kinabalu (4,095 m), the highest mountain in South East Asia, few other peaks on the island exceed 3,000 m, and indeed only 6% of the whole island is above 1,000 m above sea level. Sabah features some of the most diverse and spectacular forests in the world (Whitmore 1984a). As a result, Sabah has an unusually rich avifauna, which has been attracting ornithologists and bird watchers since the State’s first natural history was published in 1855 by Motley and Dillwyn.

Diversity of Sabah’s Birds

Borneo has about 622 species of birds, of which 434 are known or thought to breed, and 39 are endemic (Smythies 2000). Of these, Sabah has about 526 well documented species, of which about 395 are residents, 35 are Bornean endemics, and 4 are Sabah endemics. Another 51 species have been recorded in Sabah, but are unconfirmed.

The endemic bird species of Borneo

Mountain Serpent Eagle (Spilornis kinabaluensis)

White-fronted Falconet (Microhierax latifrons)+

Dulit Partridge (Rhizothera dulitensis)?

Red-breasted Partridge (Arborophila hyperythra)

Crimson-headed Partridge (Haernatortyx sanguiniceps)

Bulwer’s Pheasant (Lophura bulweri)

Bornean Peacock Pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri)

Bornean Ground Cuckoo (Carpococcyx radiatus)

Dulit Frogmouth (Batrachostornush artertl)?

Whitehead’s Trogon (Harpacres whiteheadi)

Golden-naped Barbet (Megalaima pulcherrima)

Mountain Barbet (Megalaima rnonticola)

Bornean Barbet (Megalaima exirnia)

Hose’s Broadbill (Calyptomena hosii)

Whitehead’s Broadbill (Calyptomena whiteheadi)

Blue-banded Pitta (Pitta arquata)

Black-and-crimson Pitta (Pitta ussher)+

Blue-headed Pitha (Pitta baudii)

White-crowned Shama (Copsychus stricklandii)+

Everett’s Thrush (Zoothera everetti)

Fruithunter (Chlarnydochaera jefferyi)

Black-browed Babbler (Malacocincla perspicillaturn)?

Bornean Wren Babbler (Ptilocichla leucogramrnica)

Black-throated Wren Babbler (Napothera atrigularis)

Mountain Wren Babbler (Napothera crassa)

Chestnut-crested Yuhina (Yuhina everetti)

Bornean Stubtail (Urosphena whiteheadi)

Friendly Bush Warbler (Bradypterus accentor)+

Bornean Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis superbus)

Bornean Whistler (Pachycephala hypoxantha)

Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker (Prionochilus xanthopygius)

Black-sided Flowerpecker (Dicaeurn rnonticolurn)

Whitehead’s Spiderhunter (Arachnothera juliae)

Pygmy White-eye (Oculocincta squarnifrons)

Mountain Black-eye (Chlorocharis erniliae)

Bornean Bristlehead (Pityriasis gyrnnocephala)

Dusky Munia (Lonchura fuscans)

Black Oriole (Oriolus hosii)?

Bornean Treepie (Dendrocitta cinerascens)

+Endemic to Sabah

?Not found in Sabah

Out of the 39 Endemics, 18 species are montane and 11 species are lower-montane (Only 4 species do not occur in Sabah). The number of endemic montane species is so significant that they are the star attractions for birders visiting Sabah,. This has made visiting Kinabalu National Park, which lies above 1500 meters and contain the peak of Mount Kinabalu so significant to a visiting birder.

Parks and Reserves

Sabah has six parks managed by Sabah Parks under the Ministry of Tourism Development, Environment, Science & Technology, they are; Kinabalu Park, Tangku Abdul Rahman Park, Pulau Tiga Park, Tawau Hills Park, Crocker Range Park, and Turtle Islands Marine Park (Pulau Penyu).

These parks cover 245,172 ha of land (ca. 3.3% of Sabah’s land area), plus 20,622 ha of marine waters (Payne 1988a).

Sabah also has five bird sanctuaries: Kota Belud (Tempasuk) and Likas Wetlands on the mainland, and Mantanani, Bohey Dulang, and Sipadan islands. With the exception of Likas Wetlands, these sanctuaries were formed under weak legislation before Sabah’s independence, and are not maintained.

Forest along the Lower Kinabatangan River has been gazetted as a sanctuary, and two wildlife reserves, under the Sabah Forest Department, are present at Kulamba and Tabin. Apart from parks, the only other truly protected and as yet largely undamaged areas of lowland and upland forest are Sepilok Forest Reserve (ca. 4,500 ha), Danum Valley (ca. 43,000 ha), and the Mt. Lotung/Maliau Basin (ca. 39,000 ha).

I would think the name Kinabatangan, Tabin, Maliau, Sepilok, Likas wetlands and Kinabalu Parks sound familiar to those who are interested in Bornean natural history.

Important birding areas in Sabah

For visiting birders to Sabah, the tour operators will usually arrange a visit the Kinabalu Park to bird the montane and submontane species and than to visit a lowland Forest Reserve or Sanctuary to bird the lowland forest birds. They will normally stay for a few days in each stop.

The four most important areas to visit are as follows, these are the areas that have proper facilities for visiting tourists and also provide reasonable chance of seeing the endemic species. The tourists may be treated with some wild animals as well in these resorts as wild animals do occur in these reserves.

a. Kinabalu National Park

b. Danum Valley

b. Lower Kinabatangan

c. Tabin Wildlife Reserve

The not so established birding sites which are not resort orientated but nontheless may provide a few surprises are listed below:

a. Kota Belud

b. Likas Wetlands

c. Sepilok Rainforest discovery centre

d. Crocker Range Park

e. Tawau Hill parks

f. Maliau Basin

g. Kulamba Wildlife Reserve

However, apart form these reserves, there are numerous small forest reserves for parks, water catchements, river riparian reserves etc all over Sabah. These are the play grounds for local birders, sometimes the number of exotic birds located in these tiny forests can be very exciting.

Here is a map showing the location of the parks.

A clickable version with hyperlinked information can be found at [1]

Come meet the locals

Here are a small sample of the lowland birds that I took in Sabah, some of them are endemic and some are race endemic here. I will try to elaborate on the different races shown here.

Don’t forget that most of the Sabah endemics are found on the montane forests, I have none of their pictures as I have yet to go to take their pictures.

Brown Barbet (Calorhamphus fuliginosus tertius)

A race that has the red of the underparts restricted to the chin and throat, and the abdomen more washed with sulphur yellow, occur in North Sarawak and Sabah.

Blue-eared Kingfisher (Alcedo Meninting verreauxi)

A smallish striking kingfisher that can be easily encountered in Lower Kinabatangan, can be found else where but not as common.

Storm’s Stork (Ciconia stormi)

Storm’s Storks circling above Lower Kinabatangan, they are threatened everywhere due to habitat lost.

Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis adamsi)

A male bird, of a race that has the belly black and under tail- converts white, occurring in Sabah.

White Fronted Falconet (Microhierax latifrons)

Endemic to North Borneo, similar to Black-thighed Falconet, except the front of the head is white, white spots on tail feathers, and abdomen washed palely with buff rather than with rufous.

Dusky Munia (Lonchura fuscans)

Endemic to Borneo, entirely brownish-black. I read that there is an albino form, but haven’t seen one yet.

White Crowned Shama (Copysychus malabaricus stricklandii)

Endemic to Northern Borneo, exactly like White-rumped Shama, except for a square white patch on the crown. Used to be treated as different species, now re-lumped under malabaricus.

Cream Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus simplex simplex)

The Cream Vented Bulbuls in Borneo have red eyes, in contrast to the West Malaysian race which have white eyes. The differences between another similar brown bulbul, the Red Eyed Bulbul are the color of the under parts and vent.