Photographic Sampler of the Birds of Borneo

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Antonsrkn
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Photographic Sampler of the Birds of Borneo

Post by Antonsrkn »

Presenting a photographic sampler of the birds of Borneo! I have some more photos of different species but I'll be the first to admit they aren't very good so I wasn't planning on uploading those. But I got a fair amount of decent bird shots too and here they are.

I think all the IDs are right but if I made any mistakes please by all means correct me!

Lesser Green Leafbird (Chloropsis cyanopogon)
Female:
Image
Male:
Image

The leafbird is a forest dependent species that has experienced population drops due to deforestation and is listed by the IUCN as near threatened, however it remains common where I was.

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela)
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We would see Serpent eagles sitting along the edge of the forest whenever we drove, a bit jealous of them as they must find more snakes than I do.

Black-and-yellow Broadbill (Eurylaimus ochromalus)
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One of the two Broadbill species I saw, this was the more common of the two and I saw them around every now and then. The one in the photo is choking down a beetle, no surprise as these birds are insectivorous for the most part. Again this species is listed as Near threatened due to habitat loss.

Without a doubt one of my favorite birds of all time...
Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros)
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I saw these all the time especially around fruiting fig trees but getting a shot was much tougher, this is the best I managed.

Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris)
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All the hornbills were generally very shy birds and most easily observed from a distance and in flight. Then this pair showed up and broke all the rules! They weren't shy or skittish like the other hornbill species and didn't mind hanging out where we could actually see them!

I saw several other hornbill species but didn't manage photos.

Whiskered Treeswift (Hemiprocne comata)
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I just couldn't stop photographing this little bird, I got way too many shots of it.

Surprisingly night hiking turned out to be a fairly productive way of seeing birds, maybe its just cause I did so much of it.

Buffy Fish Owl (Bubo ketupu)
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This guy has already made a few appearances in the owl thread, a frequently photographed individual. I wasn't complaining that he was easy to see I relaxed and watched him more than a few times and on one occasion saw him swoop down and pick up an unfortunate frog.

Asian Red-eyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus brunneus)
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A different but very similar looking individual
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Not the most exciting birds, but some of the first I came across while night hiking.

Blue-eared Kingfisher (Alcedo meninting verreauxii)
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Slogging through a jungle river waist deep in the middle of the night rewarded me with this little guy. Not the only kingfisher species I saw but the only one I managed to photograph.

I already posted these next two (and got help with the IDs on here, Thanks again!)
Pale Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis unicolor)
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Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris)
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And I saved my favorites for last, oddly enough I came across both of these during the same night hike but a few hours apart, I never saw any others during my other hikes. We would hear them calling as we worked sometimes.

Bornean Banded Pitta (Hydrornis schwaneri)
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A borneo endemic, although very similar to two other species which were all formed when the banded pitta was split into three seperate species. A large bird maybe about the size of a softball or slightly bigger. These are pretty tough to see during the day as they are secretive birds that hang out in dense vegetation.

Blue-headed Pitta (Hydrornis baudii)
Image
Also a bornean endemic and listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable due to population declines from habitat loss. Pretty much the same size as the other pitta. Really a pretty and interesting bird and I am told also difficult to see.

Anyways, thats it! Not too much, but I hope you enjoyed! I definitely saw way more birds than just these but either didn't have my camera or wasn't able to get a decent shot, I really enjoyed seeing all the different birds Borneo has to offer and I know it was barely even the tip of the iceberg!
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chrish
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Re: Photographic Sampler of the Birds of Borneo

Post by chrish »

Wow. Simply some awesome birds from the start, but the Pittas certainly were a strong finish.

I searched for Pittas in vain in a few places in SE Asia. I guess that can be one of my many excuses to go back!

Great photos.
J-Miz
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Re: Photographic Sampler of the Birds of Borneo

Post by J-Miz »

Wow is right! I like to disagree with people at times, but hard to argue with those pittas. They are my favorite of the lot, too! Wonderful photos.
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Antonsrkn
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Re: Photographic Sampler of the Birds of Borneo

Post by Antonsrkn »

Thanks for taking a look!

Yeah the pittas were a very pleasant surprise and much bigger than I expected! I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing more this year, if i'm lucky maybe even out and about during the day!
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