Birding Trip to Kinabalu National Park, Sabah

I had the opportunity to go on a full birding trip with Dr. Shaharudin Abdullah and guided by Khairulikhwan Matnin to Kinabalu National Park (KNP) on 17 March 2020.  Khairulikhwan picked us up from H. Benjamin Residence at 5:30am. We arrived at KNP around 6:00am, just in time for sunrise.  We started at the Timpohon Gate and work our way down to the KNP entrance.

​Among the birds photographed was the Whitehead's broadbill, Golden-naped barbet, Bornean green magpie, Bornean forktail, Bornean whistler, Indigo flycatcher, Bornean whistlingthrush, Sunda laughingthrush & Bornean treepie.

Whitehead's broadbill (Calyptomena whiteheadi) is a species of bird in the family Calyptomenidae. It is restricted to montane forests in northern Borneo. It is the largest species in the genus Calyptomena and is named after the British explorer John Whitehead (1860–1899) who collected specimens and studied natural history in Borneo and elsewhere in southeast Asia. [Source: Wikipedia]
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Name: Whitehead's broadbill
Scientific: Calyptomena whiteheadi
Malay: Seluwit Whitehead / Seluwit Rungkung Hitam
Family: Calyptomenidae
IUCN Red List (v3.1, 2016): Least Concern
Gear: SONY a9 + SEL200600G

The golden-naped barbet (Psilopogon pulcherrimus) is a member of the family Megalaimidae. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is endemic to the island of Borneo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Medium-sized bird (20-21.5 cm); overall stocky built. Bill- thick and distinctive. Body coloration, primarily green. Wings having darker shade of green compared to underparts. Azure blue on forehead, extending up to nape; blue coloration on throat. Small but distinct yellow nape forms a collar. A distinctive black band from the base of bill to eye, Black pupils, Black mandibles, Greyish green tarsus. [Source: Wikipedia].

Name: Golden-naped barbet
Scientific: Psilopogon pulcherrimus
Malay: Takur Tengkuk Emas / Takur Topeng Hitam Gunung
Family: Megalaimidae 
IUCN Red List (v3.1, 2016): Least Concern
Gear: SONY a9 + SEL200600G.

Cissa jefferyi or Bornean Green Magpie belongs to the crow family Corvidae. This bird species is endemic to the island of Borneo hence the common name Bornean Green Magpie where it occurs in foothill and montane forest. In Malaysia, sightings of this bird have been recorded in Mount Kinabalu, Sabah. The adult Bornean Green Magpie has bright green crown and upperparts, maroon-red wings, black mask from its lores extending through its eyes to its nape, bright green underparts and bright pinkish-red bill and legs. In comparison with other magpies, the Bornean Green Magpies has whitish eyes with red eye rims instead of dark reddish-brown eyes in species from the same genus Cissa. This species feeds on mostly invertebrates and small vertebrate. [Source: Wikipedia].

​Name: Bornean green magpie
Scientific: Cissa jefferyi
Malay: Gagak Gunung Borneo
Family: Corvidae
IUCN Red List (v3.1, 2016): Least Concern
Gear: SONY RX10M4

The white-crowned forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti) is a species of forktail in the family Muscicapidae. Scientifically described in 1818, it has six subspecies, each occupying a different geographic range. The largest of the forktails, Enicurus leschenaulti, is between 25 and 28 centimetres (9.8 and 11.0 in) long. It has a black throat and breast, black mantle, and largely black wings. The rump and lower back are white, and the bird has a prominent white crown, from which it gets its name. As with other forktails, the tail is long, deeply forked, and banded in black and white. A variety of whistling and clicking calls have been described. Slight morphological differences have been observed between subspecies.

A shy bird, the white-crowned forktail stays near water, and forages on the edges of rivers and streams for invertebrates. Its breeding season is between March and September, and possibly extends till October. Its nests are also built near the water, and are constructed of plant material. The eggs are between two and five in number, though there is latitudinal variation. Multiple broods in a year have been observed in China. The white-crowned forktail is found in China, Southeast Asia and also in northeastern parts of the Indian subcontinent. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Its elevational range varies across its range, from a minimum of 185 metres (607 ft) above sea level to a maximum of 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). It is categorized as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [Source: Wikipedia].

Name: White-crowned forktail / Bornean forktail
Scientific: Enicurus leschenaulti
Malay: Cegar Dahi Putih Borneo / Cegar Ubun Putih / Murai Cegar Belukar
Family: Muscicapidae
IUCN Red List (v3.1, 2016): Least Concern
Gear: SONY a9 + SEL200600G

The Bornean whistler (Pachycephala hypoxantha) or Bornean mountain whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo. [Source: Wikipedia].

Name: Bornean whistler
Scientific: Pachycephala hypoxantha
Malay: Murai Siul Emas Borneo / Sambar Siul Mas
Family: Pachycephalidae
IUCN Red List (v3.1, 2017): Least concern
Gear: SONY RX10M4

The indigo flycatcher is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is found in Sumatra, Java and northern montane areas of Borneo. Its natural habitat is tropical moist submontane montane forests between 900m to 3000m, where it is a common to fairly common species. [Source: Wikipedia].

Name: Indigo flycatcher
Scientific: Eumyias indigo
Malay: Sambar Ranting Sunda
Family: Muscicapidae
IUCN Red List (v3.1, 2017): Least concern
Gear: SONY a7RIV + SEL200600G.

The Bornean whistling thrush (Myophonus borneensis) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is endemic to the island of Borneo.  Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. [Source: Wikipedia].

Name: Bornean whistling-thrush
Scientific: Myophonus borneensis
Malay: Tiong Belacan Borneo / Tiong Biru Borneo
Family: Muscicapidae
IUCN Red List (v3.1, 2016): Least concern
Gear: SONY a9 + SEL200600G.

The Sunda laughingthrush is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by human activity such as hunting, logging, and trapping. [Source: Wikipedia].

Name: Grey-and-brown laughingthrush / Sunda laughingthrush
Scientific: Garrulax palliatus 
Malay: Kekicau Raya Cenuk Kerak
Family: Leiothrichidae
IUCN Red List (v3.1, 2016): Near Threatened
Gear: SONY a9 + SEL200600G.

The Bornean treepie (Dendrocitta cinerascens) is a passerine bird belonging to the treepies genus, Dendrocitta, of in the crow family, Corvidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the Sumatran treepie (D. occipitalis).

It is a fairly large bird, 40 centimetres in length, including a long graduated tail, broad rounded wings and short weak legs. The underparts are pinkish-brown. The head is also pinkish-brown with a pale silver crown and a dark stripe over the eye and across the forehead. The back is greyish and the rump is pale. The wings are black with a white patch and the tail is grey with black tips to the feathers. The bill and legs are grey-black and the eyes are reddish. The Sumatran treepie differs in having a pale brown back, a dark brown head with a white nape and a thinner bill.

The Bornean treepie is a noisy bird with a variety of loud, explosive calls including a bell-like whistle and various grunting and chattering calls. It is able to mimic the calls of other birds. [Source: Wikipedia].

Name: Bornean treepie
Scientific: Dendrocitta cinerascens
Malay: Gagak Borneo
Family: Corvidae
IUCN Red List (v3.1, 2017): Least concern
Gear: SONY a7RIV + SEL200600G

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