Bring your binoculars! Bird-watching, or birding as it’s known to the experienced practitioner, is a relaxing but challenging hobby that helps you get in touch with our natural world.
With over 600 naturally-occuring species of birds, Malaysia is one of the world’s centres of bird biodiversity, and a hub for keen birders from all over the world. The Kasturi Resort offers a range of different habitats supporting diverse bird life — including beach, mangrove river, coastal forest, resort-side garden and grass fields — all within a short fifteen-minute walk.
The following birds have been sighted previously at The Kasturi, from 2018 until the present.
Please remember that birding is often based on luck, weather, and other circumstances we cannot control. You are not guaranteed to see any of these birds during your visit. However, we wish you the best of luck on birding adventure!
Common Malaysian Garden Birds
You can see them anywhere in Malaysia, but they’re still a joy:
Zebra Dove, Geopelia striata
Pacific Swift, Apus pacificus
Pied Triller, Lalage nigra
Black-naped Oriole, Oriolus chinensis
Common Iora, Aegithina tiphia
House Crow, Corvus splendens
Common Tailorbird, Orthotomus sutorius
Yellow-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus goiavier
Asian Glossy Starling, Aplonis panayensis
Common Myna, Acridotheres tristis
Oriental Magpie-Robin, Copsychus saularis
Olive-backed Sunbird, Cinnyris jugularis
Birds of the Forest Fringe
Many of these are fruit-eating birds, visiting only when their favourite dinner is available:
Pink-necked Green-Pigeon, Treron vernans
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus sumatranus
Oriental Pied-Hornbill, Anthracoceros albirostris
Coppersmith Barbet, Psilopogon haemacephalus
Lineated Barbet, Psilopogon lineatus
Buff-necked Woodpecker, Meiglyptes tukki
Malaysian Pied-Fantail, Rhipidura javanica
Ashy Tailorbird, Orthotomus ruficeps
Black-headed Bulbul, Brachypodius atriceps
Stripe-throated Bulbul, Pycnonotus finlaysoni
Olive-winged Bulbul, Pycnonotus plumosus
Red-eyed Bulbul, Pycnonotus brunneus
In the Grasses
Javan Munia, Lonchura leucogastroides
Scaly-breasted Munia, Lonchura punctulata
Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus
Paddyfield Pipit, Anthus rufulus
Mangrove Birds
You might need to take a kayak down the river to spot:
Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos
Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis
Collared Kingfisher, Todiramphus chloris
Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Cyornis rufigastra
Glorious Flower-Lovers
What’s that flash of colour in the foliage? Keep an eye out around the entrance pavilion, and in shrubs and bushes along the beach.
Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Prionochilus thoracicus
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Dicaeum trigonostigma
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Dicaeum cruentatum
Brown-throated Sunbird, Anthreptes malacensis
Copper-throated Sunbird, Leptocoma calcostetha
Crimson Sunbird, Aethopyga siparaja
Visitors from Afar
Special guests who visit our shores only during the northern winter:
Blue-throated Bee-eater, Merops viridis
Ashy Minivet, Pericrocotus divaricatus
Top Predators
They’re not above taking a baby sea turtle or two. These birds are usually seen from the beach, and may be very distant or spiralling high in the air.
Crested Serpent-Eagle, Spilornis cheela
Brahminy Kite, Haliastur indus
White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Haliaeetus leucogaster
If You’re Very, Very Lucky
Seen only once, from the elevated walkway near the entrance, hunting for lizards in our forest:
Banded Kingfisher, Lacedo pulchella
Birding Resources for Visitors
For new birders, an online photo and audio reference to common Malaysian garden birds:
MyGardenBirdWatch Bird ID, published by Malaysian Nature Society
Our favourite comprehensive field guide for this area:
A Field Guide to the Birds of West Malaysia and Singapore, by Allen Jeyarajasingam and Alan Pearson, published by Oxford University Press.
If you’re birding elsewhere in Southeast Asia:
- Birds of Southeast Asia, by Craig Robson, published by Princeton University Press / Bloomsbury Helm Field Guides
- A Field Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia, by Ben King, Martin Woodcock and E.C. Dickinson, published by Collins, but out of print