For ease of reference in this checklist, Sarawak has been divided into three areas:

1. North, comprising Miri and Limbang Divisions
2. Central, comprising Sibu, Kapit and Bintulu Divisions.
3. South, comprising Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman and Sarikei Divisions.

Principal recommended bird-watching locations, including national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, for which entry permits are required from the National Parks and Wildlife Office, are:

GUNUNG MULU NATIONAL PARK (Lat 4° 03' N, Long 114° 15' E, Maximum altitude 2376 metres, Area 52,866 hectares). Accommodation available. The Park encompasses montane sandstone and limestone forest down to lowland primary forest. 252 species of birds have been recorded in the Park. Montane Borneo endemics include: Red-breasted Partridge, Bulwer’s Pheasant, Golden-naped Barbet, Whitehead’s Trogon, Rajah’s Scops-Owl, Whitehead’s Broadbill, Bornean Whistler, Black-breasted Fruit-hunter, White-browed Shortwing, Mountain Blackeye and Black-sided Flowerpecker. In the lowland primary forest Sunda Ground-Cuckoo, Storm’s Stork, Giant and Blue-headed Pittas, Hose’s Broadbill, Bornean Bristlehead and Bornean Blue-Flycatcher occur.

NIAH NATIONAL PARK ( Lat 3° 50' N, Long 113° 45' E, Altitude 10 - 400 metres, Area 3139 hectares). Accommodation available. The Park consists of lowland primary and swamp forest with limestone ridges rising to 400 metres. Species recorded include: Hodgeson’s Hawk-Cuckoo, Short-toed Coucal, Mossy-nest Swiftlet, Barred Eagle-Owl, Bat Hawk, Malaysian Rail-Babbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Hook-billed Bulbul and Grey-breasted Babbler.

LOAGAN BENUT NATIONAL PARK (Lat 3° 45' N, Long 114° 16' E, Altitude < 30 metres). The Park is about 70 kilometres from Miri and centres around a large freshwater lake in which there are crocodiles, and which is fished by the Berewan tribe. Oriental Darters breed on an island in the lake.

LAMBIR HILLS NATIONAL PARK (Lat 4° 15' N, Long 114° 00' E, Maximum altitude 465 metres, Area 6,952 hectares). Accommodation available. The sandstone hills are covered with heath or kerangas forest, while the lower slopes are clothed in mixed dipterocarp forest of many species. There is a tree tower and canopy walk through primary forest. Birds include: Black Hornbill, Grey-chested Jungle-Flycatcher, Bornean Blue-Flycatcher, White-crowned Forktail, Abbott’s Babbler, Grey-breasted Babbler, Chestnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler and Long-billed Spiderhunter.

SIMILAJAU NATIONAL PARK. (Lat 3° 30' N, Long 113° 15' E, Altitude 0 metres, Area 7,439 hectares). Accommodation available. The Park comprises habitats of beach forest, mangroves, kerangas or pole forest, and mixed dipterocarp forest. 185 species of birds have been recorded in the park, including all seven species of hornbill occurring in Borneo, Brown Hawk-Owl, Malaysian Eared-Nightjar, White-bellied Fish-Eagle, Storm’s Stork, Mangrove Whistler and Bornean Bristlehead

KELABIT HIGHLANDS (Bario Lat 3° 43' N, Long 115° 30' E, Altitude 1100 metres). Limited accommodation available. The Kelabit Highlands are the upper catchment of the Baram river. The broad Kelabit Plateau is over 1100metres above sea level, and surrounding slopes rise to peaks as high as 2424 metres ( Gunung Murud ). Rice is grown on all suitable land on the plateau. Kerangas forest and secondary forest exist on the plateau where land is unsuited to growing padi. These give way to sub-montane forest on the slopes, and montane forest as the peaks are ascended. A large number of species, which are normally considered to be lowland inhabitants, are found at 1100 metres and above in the Highlands. Among species found on and around the Plateau are: Red-breasted Partridge, Crested Fireback, Gargany, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Blue-banded Kingfisher, Brush Cuckoo, Oriental Bay Owl, Grey Nightjar, Watercock, Common Moorhen, Red-necked Phalarope, Oriental Plover, Besra, Purple Heron, Malaysian Rail-Babbler, Green and Short-tailed Magpies, Ashy and Hair-crested Drongos, Narcissus and Snowy-browed Flycatchers, Chestnut-cheeked Starling, Lanceolated Warbler, Black-throated and Eye-browed Wren-Babblers, Brown-backed and Plain Flowerpeckers, Spectacled and Whitehead’s Spiderhunters and Pin-tailed Parrotfinch.

GUNUNG MURUD (Lat 3° 54' N, Long 115° E, Altitude 2424 metres). The highest mountain in Sarawak rises from 1100 metres on Kelabit Highlands plateau. A week should be allowed for an expedition to the summit from Ba’ Kelan, the nearest airstrip. The ascent passes through sub-montane and montane primary forest, culminating in dwarf mossy forest. Montane species occurring include: Crimson-headed Partridge, Golden-naped Barbet, Reddish Scops-Owl, Mountain Serpent-Eagle, Long-tailed and Whitehead’s Broadbills, Bornean Whistler, Short-tailed Magpie, Black Oriole, White-throated Fantail, Eye-browed Jungle-Flycatcher, Snowy-browed, Little Pied and Indigo Flycatchers, Bornean Stubtail, Sunda Bush-Warbler, Sunda Laughingthrush and Eye-browed Wren-Babbler.

GUNUNG DULIT (Lat 3° 20' N, Long 114° 09' E, Altitude 1311 metres). A lone upthrust west of the main mountain chain. Some species occurring here include: Long-billed Partridge, Ferruginous Partridge, Whitehead’s Trogon, Mountain and Rajah’s Scops-Owls, Dulit and Short-tailed Frogmouths, Blue-banded Pitta, Hose’s and Whitehead’s Broadbills, Short-tailed Magpie, Black Oriole, Sunda Cuckooshrike, Everett’s Thrush, Black-breasted Fruit-Hunter, Rufous-tailed Jungle-Flycatcher, Pygmy Blue-Flycatcher, Sunda Laughing-Thrush, Black-throated Wren-Babbler and Whitehead’s Spiderhunter.

PEGUNUNGAN HOSE (Lat 2° 10' N, Long 113° 45' E, Altitude 2007 metres). Rugged mountains composed of volcanic rocks, eroded with precipitous ravines. Access is difficult and lengthy. Species recorded here include: Crimson-headed Partridge, Mountain Imperial-Pigeon, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Collared Owlet, Peregrine Falcon, Giant, Banded and Blue-banded Pittas, Hose’s Broadbill, Bornean Whistler, Eye-browed Wren-Babbler, Rufous-fronted Babbler

MUKAH (Lat 2° 55' N, Long 112° 05' E, Altitude 5 metres). Accommodation available. Coast, rivers, some mangroves at estuaries, prawn ponds, grasslands, peat swamp forests and cultivation. Species recorded here include: Oriental Pied-Hornbill, Short-toed Coucal, Water Rail, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover, Grey Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Red-rumped Swallow, Lanceolated Warbler, Pallas’s Grasshopper-Warbler, Middendorff’s Grasshopper-Warbler, Striated Grassbird, Bornean Wren-Babbler, Red Avadavat.

DARO DISTRICT (Lat 2° 40' N, Long 111° 50' E, Altitude 5 metres) Coast, rivers, mangroves, prawn ponds, grasslands, peat swamp forests and cultivation. Species recorded here include: Lesser Whistling-Duck, Ruddy Kingfisher, Long-tailed Parakeet, Swinhoe’s Snipe, Brown Noddy, Brown Booby, Javan Pond-Heron, Great Tit, Pallas’s Grasshopper-Warbler and Red-throated Sunbird.

PULAU BRUIT (Lat 2° 45' N, Long 111° 13' E, Altitude 1.5 metres, Area 40,000 hectares). A low-lying island, with extensive mudflats and mangrove forests on the northern and western shores. The northern area area of 1776 hectares around Tanjong Sirik has been proposed as a national park. A visitor during migration may record 10,000 waders, 14,000 terns, 500 egrets and 20 Lesser Adjutants, although numbers, especially of waders, have fallen recently. Species recorded include: Gargany, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, Eurasian and Far Eastern Curlew, Marsh, Green, Sharp-tailed and Broad-billed Sandpipers, Asian Dowitcher, Red Knot, Temminck’s and Long-toed Stints, Black-winged Stilt, Grey-headed Lapwing, Caspian, Common and Whiskered Terns, Chinese, Cattle, Great, Intermediate and Little Egrets, Purple Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Schrenck’s Bittern, Lesser Adjutant, Wheatear and Middendorff’s Warbler.

LANJAK ENTIMAU WILDLIFE SANCTUARY (Lat 1° 37' N, Long 112° 11E, Altitude from 100 to 600 metres, with scattered peaks up to 1384 metres, Area 187,182 hectares). The nearest town is Lubok Antu, where a boat and guide may be obtained to enter the Sanctuary by the Engkari or Lubang Baya rivers. Vegetation is lowland and sub-montane mixed dipterocarp forest. The Sanctuary is contiguous with Batang Ai National Park and the Bentaung-Karimun Nature Reserve of 534,000 hectares in Kalimantan. Crimson-headed Partridge, Crested Fireback, Bulwer’s Pheasant, Golden-naped Barbet, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Banded Kingfisher, Cinnamon-headed Green-Pigeon, Rhinoceros and Helmeted Hornbills, Oriental Bay Owl, Barred Eagle-Owl, Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle, Pale, Blue-banded, Blue-headed and Garnet Pittas, Hose’s Broadbill, Bornean Bristlehead, Large-billed, Bornean and Pygmy Blue-Flycatchers, Brown-backed and Plain Flowerpeckers and six species of Spiderhunter have been reported.

BATANG AI NATIONAL PARK (Lat 1° 20' N, Long 112° 10' E, Altitude <50 metres, Area 24,040 hectares) A riverine National Park under development in lowland mixed dipterocarp forest. Species include: Buff-necked Woodpecker, Bushy-crested, Wreathed and Wrinkled Hornbills, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Blue-rumped Parrot, Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove, Osprey, Grey-headed Fish-Eagle, Black-throated Falconet, Oriental Darter, Grey-bellied and Grey-cheeked Bulbuls, Green Broadbill, Large Wood-Shrike, Mugimaki Flycatcher and Scarlet Sunbird.

SANTUBONG BAY (Lat 1° 42' N, Long 110° 18' E, Altitude 0 metres). Thirty kilometres from Kuching. Extensive sand and mudflats where up to 300 waders and 30 terns may be seen during the northern winter. Thirteen species of wader and six species of tern recorded here. Species include: Red-legged Crake, Eurasian Curlew, Pintail Snipe, Long-toed Stint, Whiskered, White-winged and Caspian Terns.

BAKO NATIONAL PARK (Lat 1° 41' N, Long 110° 17' E, Altitude 0 - 250 metres, Area 2,742 hectares). Accommodation available. The Bako peninsula is composed of sandstone, which supports a wide variety of vegetation zones including heath forest or kerangas, mixed dipterocarp forest, peat swamp forest, beach and cliff vegetation and mangroves. At least 150 species of birds have been recorded in the Park, including: Malaysian Honeyguide, Buff-rumped and Grey-and-buff Woodpeckers, Brown-backed Needletail, Spotted Redshank, Nordmann’s Greenshank, Ruff, Beach Thick-knee, Roseate Tern, Osprey, Grey-headed Fish-Eagle, Ashy and Fiery Minivets, Crow-billed Drongo, Eyebrowed Thrush, Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher, Finsch’s Bulbul, Moustached Babbler, Scarlet-breasted Sunbird and Thick-billed Spiderhunter.

DAMAI (Lat 1° 46' N, Long 110° 19' E, Altitude < 30 metres). Accommodation available. Thirty-three kilometres from Kuching. Mangroves, lowland mixed dipterocarp forest, beach forest and golf course. Birds recorded include: Black-backed and Black-capped Kingfishers, Long-tailed Parakeet, Brown-backed Needletail, Long-toed Stint, White-winged Tern, Mangrove Whistler, Eye-browed Thrush, Grey-chested Jungle-Flycatcher, Siberian Blue Robin, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Scarlet-breasted and Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers, Purple-throated Sunbird, Long-billed and Yellow-eared Spiderhunters.

BUNTAL BAY (Lat 1° 42' N, Long 110° 21' E, Altitude 0 metres). Twenty-six kilometres from Kuching. Extensive coastal and riverine mudflats, where up to 1400 waders and 300 terns are present during the northern winter. Twenty-five species of wader and five species of tern have been recorded here. Species recorded include: Eurasian and Far Eastern Curlews, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Grey-tailed Tattler, Ruddy Turnstone, Asian Dowitcher, Great Knot, Temminck’s Stint, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Oriental Pratincole, Bridled Tern and Christmas Island Frigatebird.

KUBAH NATIONAL PARK/GUNUNG SERAPI (Lat 1° 35' N, Long 110° 07' E, Maximum accessible altitude 800 metres. Area 2,230 hectares). Accommodation available. The Park, 20 kilometres from Kuching, lies in the Matang Range, the highest peak of which is Gunung Serapi (911 metres). The forest is mostly lowland and hill mixed dipterocarp, with some kerangas. Birds found in the Park include: Chequer-throated and Great Slaty Woodpeckers, Silver-rumped Spinetail, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Dusky and Green Broadbills, Maroon-breasted and Rufous-winged Philentomas, Ferruginous, Verditer and White-tailed Flycatchers, Hill and Malaysian Blue-Flycatchers, Grey-bellied and Yellow-bellied Bulbuls, Everett’s White-eye, Grey-headed Babbler, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Yellow-rumped, Yellow-vented and Brown-backed Flowerpeckers.

SAMARAHAN (Lat 1° 23' N, Long 110 32' E, Altitude 5 metres). Floodplain of Batang Samarahan, consisting mainly of logged peat swamp forest, but giving way to farms and plantations as drainage progresses. Species recorded include: Grey-and-buff Woodpecker, Black Hornbill, Kentish Plover, White-winged Tern, Jerdon’s Baza, Hook-billed Bulbul, Short-tailed Babbler, White Wagtail and Richard’s Pipit.

LINGGA (Lat 1° 21' N, Long 111° 09' E, Altitude 5 metres). Accommodation available. Riverine habitat with peat swamp forest, rural areas with plantations and cultivation. Species include: Grey-capped and Banded Woodpeckers, Black and Rhinoceros Hornbills, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Blue-rumped Parrot, Buffy Fish-Owl, Little and Large Green-Pigeons, Crow-billed Drongo and Chestnut-rumped Babbler.

GUNUNG PENRISSEN (Lat 1° 08' N, Long 110° 13' N, Altitude 1326 metres) Remnants of logged montane primary forest, below which the area has been cleared for golf course and resort development, with swidden agriculture and secondary growth on the lower slopes. Species include: Grey-capped Woodpecker, Wreathed Hornbill, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Black Eagle, Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle, Blue-banded Pitta, Lesser Cuckooshrike, Ashy Drongo, Large Wood-Shrike, Rufous-tailed Jungle-Flycatcher, Dark-sided Flycatcher, Verditer Flycatcher, Scaly-breasted, Grey-bellied, Streaked and Ashy Bulbuls, Pygmy White-eye, Temminck’s Babbler, Bornean Wren-Babbler, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker and Thick-billed, Long-billed and Yellow-eared Spiderhunters.

GUNUNG GADING NATIONAL PARK (Lat 1° 43' N, Long 109° 50' E, Altitude 10-906 metres, Area 5,432 hectares). Accommodation available. The Sungai Lundu rises in this mountain range and flows through mixed dipterocarp forest. Species recorded include Great Argus, Grey-and-buff Woodpecker, Diard’s Trogon, Black-and yellow Broadbill, Brown Fulvetta.

PEGUNUNGAN PUEH (Gunung Pueh Lat 1° 46' N, Long 109° 40' E, Altitude 1291 metres). Logged primary forest and secondary growth. Access to the upper areas of the range is not clear and guides should be requested from Kampong Pueh or Kampong Sebako. A number of lowland species may be seen along the pipelines above Sebako mini-hydro. Species recorded include: Chequer-throated Woodpecker, Mountain Barbet, Oriental Cuckoo, Bornean Whistler, White-throated Fantail, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Hill Blue-Flycatcher, Little Pied Flycatcher, Scaly-breasted, Yellow-bellied, Buff-vented and Streaked Bulbuls, Oriental and Everett’s White-eye, Mountain Blackeye, Mountain Tailorbird, Mountain Leaf-Warbler, Rufous-fronted Babbler and White-browed Shrike-Babbler.

SAMUNSAM WILDLIFE SANCTUARY. (Lat 1° 50' N, Long 109° 47' E, Altitude < 10 metres). Accommodation available. Vegetation in the Sanctuary includes beach forest, mangroves, peat swamp forest and mixed dipterocarp forest. Species recorded include: Black and Wrinkled Hornbills, Blue-eared and Ruddy Kingfishers, Jambu Fruit-Dove, Green Imperial-Pigeon, Great Frigatebird, Golden-bellied Gerygone, Bornean Bristlehead, Black-and-white and Yellow-bellied Bulbuls, Striped Wren-Babbler, Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker and Purple-throated Sunbird.

SEMENGOH FOREST RESERVE (Lat 1° 18' N, Long 110° 21' E, Altitude 150 metres, Area 740 hectares). Twenty-five kilometres from Kuching. Lowland mixed dipterocarp forest, some re-planted in the past as an arboretum. The area includes a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, which cares for birds as well as mammals. A permit is required for the Rehabilitation Centre. Birds recorded include: Malaysian Honeyguide, Chequer-throated and Orange-backed Woodpeckers, rehabilitated Black Hornbills, Bonoparte’s Nightjar, Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove, Green Broadbill, Maroon-breasted Philentoma, Black-and -white, Yellow-bellied and Buff-vented Bulbuls, Horsefield’s Babbler, Bornean Wren-Babbler, Scarlet Sunbird, Long-billed and Spectacled Spiderhunters.

SEMENGOH FISHERIES CENTRE (Lat 1° 18' N, Long 110° 22' E, Altitude < 10 metres). Twenty-three kilometres from Kuching. Permission to enter should be obtained from the officer in charge. Fishponds, long and short grasslands, swamp and scrub. Species recorded include: Blue-eared and Black-capped Kingfishers, Ruddy-breasted and White-browed Crakes, Watercock, Swinhoe’s Snipe,Wood Sandpiper, Pacific Golden-Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Oriental Pratincole, Osprey, Grey Heron, Chinese Pond-Heron, Chinese, Great, Intermediate and Little Egrets, Yellow and Cinammon Bitterns, Asian House-Martin, Great Reed-Warbler and Red-throated Pipit.

ASAJAYA/PENDAM COAST (Lat 1° 35' N, Long 110° 35' E, Altitude 0 metres). Extensive coastal mudflats, accessible at Sambir, Moyan and Asajaya, where up to 1200 waders, 250 terns and 300 egrets may be seen on a visit during the northern winter. Nineteen species of wader and eight species of tern have been recorded here, Species include: Gargany, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey-tailed Tattler, Ruddy Turnstone, Asian Dowitcher, Red and Great Knots, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Whiskered and Lesser-crested Terns, Pacific Reef-Egret and Little, Intermediate and Great Egrets.