Endemic Birds of Borneo

Endemic Birds of Borneo is something that has caught my attention after visiting Sabah and Sarawak over the years where professional birders have thought me a fair bit about this unique hobby.

Generally, this is a 'Birder' or Birdwatcher's topic but in the recent years of travel, I have taken up Bird watching as a new hobby, not that I am a hardcore birder but at some of the places I visit, there are notable birds to be observed or spotted. 

Bird watching or birding is actually a form of wildlife observation in which the observation of birds as a recreational activity. Usually, it is done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes and more recently via photography.

Borneo Endemic Birds

For the avid birders out there, Borneo provides you one of the best places in the region to do Birdwatching.

There are many rainforest lodges and resorts available here while the number of nature or birding guides are quite a handful too. Therefore, this list is to highlight some of the endemic birds in Borneo which are slowly getting smaller in numbers.

Thanks to the many state wildlife parks, there have been specially gazetted areas which are highly protected where much of the rainforest here has been eaten away slowly by development and deforestation. Plantations are the biggest culprits too.

Bird watching in the rainforest of Borneo

Birdwatching was introduced in the last 5 years where the Borneo Bird Club was set up by local birders in Sabah. Since then, the club worked hand in hand with the state tourism board to create the Borneo Bird Festival which is now in its 5th year. 

While catering to the many birders in the region and as far as Europe, the club then moved to have the first Borneo Bird Race which covered two countries - Sabah and Brunei in 2013. 

This year, the bird race has included Sarawak, the largest state of Malaysia to be in the Borneo Bird Race therefore it will be three locations to spot the beautiful birds of Borneo and for anyone joining this race, chances are you will be spotting a number of the endemic birds of Borneo too. 

Again, if you are an avid birder, this is one of the best chances to spot these birds as the 10-day bird race will cover most of the popular places for birding in Borneo.

List of Endemic Birds of Borneo

No.	Common Name	Scientific Name
1	Black-browed Babbler	Trichastoma perspicillatum
2	Black-headed Pitta	Pitta ussheri
3	Black-throated Wren-babbler	Napothera atrigularis
4	Blue-banded Pitta	Pitta arquata
5	Blue-headed Pitta	Pitta baudii
6	Bornean Banded Kingfisher	Lacedo melanops
7	Bornean Banded Pitta	Pitta schwaneri
8	Bornean Barbet	Megalaima eximia
9	Bornean Black Magpie	Platysmurus aterrimus
10	Bornean Black Oriole	Oriolus hosii
11	Bornean Blue Flycatcher	Cyornis superbus
12	Bornean Bristelhead	Pityriasis gymnocephala
13	Bornean Brown Barbet	Calorhamphus fulginosus
14	Bornean Bulbul	Pycnonotus montis
15	Bornean Crested Fireback	Lophura ignita
16	Bornean Crestless Fireback	Lophura pyronota
17	Bornean Falconet	Microhierax latifrons
18	Bornean Flowerpecker	Dicaeum monticolum
19	Bornean Forktail	Enicurus borneensis
20	Bornean Frogmouth	Batrachostomus mixtus
21	Bornean Green Magpie	Cissa jefferyi
22	Bornean Ground-Cuckoo	Carpococcyx radiatus
23	Bornean Ibon	Oculocincla squamifrons
24	Bornean Laughing-thrush	Melanocichla calva
25	Bornean Leafbird	Chloropsis kinabaluensis
26	Bornean Necklaced Patridge	Arborophila graydoni
27	Bornean Peacock-pheasant	Polyplectron schleiermacheri
28	Bornean Serpent Eagle	Spilornis kinabaluensis
29	Bornean Spiderhunter	Arachnothera everetti
30	Bornean Stubtail	Urosphena whiteheadi
31	Bornean Swiftlet	Collocalia dodgei
32	Bornean Treepie	Dendrocitta cinerascens
33	Bornean Whistler	Pachycephala hypoxantha
34	Bornean Whistling Thrush	Myophonus borneensis
35	Bornean Wren-babbler	Ptilocichla leucogrammica
36	Bulwer’s Pheasant	Lophura bulweri
37	Chestnut-crested Yuhina	Yuhina everetti
38	Chestnut-hooded Laughing-trush	Garrulax treacheri
39	Crimson-headed Partridge	Haematortyx sanguiniceps
40	Dulit Frogmouth	Batrachostomus harterti
41	Dulit Patridge	Rhizothera dulitensis
42	Dusky Munia	Lonchura fuscans
43	Everett’s Thrush	Zoothera everetti
44	Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher	Rhinomyias gularis
45	Friendly Bush Warbler	Bradypterus accentor
46	Fruithunter	Chlamydochaera jefferyi
47	Golden-naped Barbet	Megalaima pulcherrima
48	Hose's Broadbill	Calyptomena hosii
49	Maratua Bulbul	Pycnonotus hodiernus
50	Maratua Shama	Copsychus barbouri
51	Mountain Barbet	Megalaima monticola
52	Mountain Black-eye	Chlorocharis emiliae
53	Mountain Wren-babbler	Napothera crassa
54	Pale-faced Bulbul	Pycnonotus leucops
55	Red-breasted Hill Partridge	Arborophila hyperythra
56	White-crowned Shama	Copsychus stricklandii
57	Whitehead’s Broadbill	Calyptomena Whiteheadi
58	Whitehead’s Spiderhunter	Arachnothera juliae
59	Whitehead’s Trogon	Harpactes whiteheadi
60	Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker	Prionochilus xanthopygius

Source: Phillipps’ Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan (Third Edition Fully Revised) by Quentin Phillipps and Karen Phillipps, published by John Beaufoy Publishing.

The Borneo Bird Race 2014

This article was done in order to create awareness for these beautiful birds in conjunction to the Borneo Bird Race. For those who love the outdoors or Ecotourism, if you ever go for a nature trip, do check with the guides or tour company about bird watching. 

It is also highly recommended that you start educating the younger generation about the outdoors and also hobbies like this, especially if you have children. 

Gone are the days where families participate in natural outdoor activities like these where it is very educational, compared to spending countless hours on gadgets, phones or visiting the malls. 

You know I am right when you read this as I see society in the city is just getting bad to worst but we can make the difference. 

For more information on the endemic birds of Borneo, you can also visit the Borneo Bird Club website and also the Borneo Bird Race website. 

The Borneo Bird Race

Borneo Bird Race 2014 DatesVenue: Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei Seri BegawanDate: 23rd September to 3rd October 2014

This year, I will be attending the Borneo Bird Race 2014 not as a participant but more as an observer and reporter. It has been quite a long time since I went on a pure birding trip and with the bird race happening from September to October. 

I think it is a great time to pick up where I left off. If anyone reading this is also attending this race, please feel free to let me know here, otherwise, I will see you at the Borneo Bird Race 2014.