Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BIRDS
A fantastic assortment of birds belonging to at least 420 species, 37 of them endemic, fill
the forests of Borneo with flashes of feather and ethereal calls.
The most famous of Borneo's birds are its
eight species of hornbill, some of which have an
oversized 'helmet' or 'horn' perched on their
beak. The 105cm-long rhinoceros hornbill, with
its orange-red horn and loud whooping calls,
serves as Sarawak's state emblem. When the
125cm-long helmeted hornbill swoops across
the sky, you might think you're seeing a ptero-
dactyl. Revered and hunted by Borneo's indi-
genous peoples, hornbills are highly threatened by habitat loss.
In 2009 a new bird species, the spectacled flowerpecker, was discovered in Sabah's Dan-
um Valley Conservation Area.
Websites with great photos that may be of interest to birdwatchers:
'We woke periodically throughout the night to peel
off leeches. In the light of the head torch, the
ground was a sea of leeches - black, slithering,
standing up on one end to sniff the air and heading
inexorably our way to feed.' Rich Mayfield, Kin-
abalu Escape: The Soldiers' Story
» www.borneobirdclub.blogspot.com
» www.borneobirdimages.com
» www.borneobirdfestival.com
» www.borneobirds.com
 
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