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Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace

Crimson-headed Partridge Haematortyx sanguiniceps ©Dubi Shapiro Website

Brunei Darussalam, officially the ‘State of Brunei, Abode of Peace’, is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia, and in fact it is separated into two parts by Limbang, which is part of Sarawak. Brunei, the remnant of a very powerful sultanate, regained its independence from the UK forty years ago. The country is oil-rich and very wealthy.

The two unconnected parts have a total area of 5,766 km2 (2,226 square miles). 97% of the population of just under half a million people lives in the larger western part, while only about 10,000 live in the mountainous eastern part (the district of Temburong). The capital and largest habitation is Bandar Seri Begawan where about a fifth of the population live. Other major towns are the port town of Muara, the oil producing town of Seria and its neighbouring town, Kuala Belait. In the Belait district, the Panaga area is home to large numbers of expatriates due to Royal Dutch Shell and British Army housing and recreational facilities. The Panaga Club is situated here. Jerudong Park, a well-known amusement park, is located on the west of Bandar Seri Begawan.

A Brunei Beach – ©Creative Commons

Brunei has an equatorial tropical rainforest climate. The average annual temperature is 27°C with the April-May average a tad higher and the October-December average a tad lower.

Birding Brunei

The country is mostly protected with vast forest areas still unexploited and full of wildlife covering over 80% of the country. 2,000 species of trees and 15,000 other plants make it a botanist’s dream destination. Pangolins are considered a threatened treasure with a public campaign to protect them. The birdlife is wonderfully diverse and, although there are no endemic birds in the Sultanate, but there are thirty restricted to Borneo as a whole most of which are resident in the sultanate.

Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park – ©Bernard Spragg, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Brunei’s forests are home to a diverse range of fauna comprising of 121 mammal species, 507 bird species, 182 amphibians and reptiles, 500 species of marine fish and invertebrates, and some native species such as Proboscis Monkey, Bornean Sun Bear, Bornean Horned Frog, Green Crested Lizard and the Bornean Slow Loris.

Temburong River – ©Michelle Ssha CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimendia Commons

Bird species include hornbills, barbets, sunbirds, spiderhunters, leafbirds, trogons and more in the canopy and pheasants, wren-babblers and pheasants on the forest floor. Brunei is also blessed with both freshwater marshes and mangroves and many riverine areas. Half of the forest are virgin primary forest and secondary forest is sustainably managed. Temburong is renowned for its varied animals, waterfalls, and primary forests. One of Southeast Asia’s best-preserved rainforests, Ulu Temburong National Park, is located in this area, alongside a cavern network in the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve.

Top Sites

  • Bornean Mountains Endemic Bird Area

    Information
    The EBA includes the mountain ranges in the interior of Borneo, the largest of the Greater Sunda Islands. These mountains extend into the territories of three different countries: the Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur and Kalimantan Selatan; the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak; and the nation of Brunei. The Bornean mountains are rich in restricted-range species, and their distinctive avifauna includes four endemic genera, Haematortyx, Chlamydochaera, Oculocincta and Chlorocharis. A further 13 species are endemic to Borneo, but all of these occur too widely in the lowlands to be treated as restricted-range species, other than Microhierax latifrons and Malacocincla perspicillata. Many of the mountains on Borneo are ornithologically unexplored or poorly known, particularly those in Kalimantan, so knowledge of the habitat requirements and distributions of the restricted-range birds within the EBA is inevitably incomplete.
Contributors
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 507

    (As at August 2024)

    State Bird - White-bellied sea eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster

Endemics
  • There are NO birds endemic to Brunei only. However, there are many species found only on the island of Borneo. Numbers differ slightly according to source. The following list covers all sources giving 64 species, most of which are found in Brunei:

Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Brunei Darussalam , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them.

  • Wikipedia

    Annotated List
    This is a list of the bird species recorded in Brunei. The avifauna of Brunei include a total of 507 species, of which 5 have been introduced by humans.

  • eBird

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide.
Useful Reading

  • A Naturalist's Guide to the Birds of Borneo

    | (Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan) | By Wong Tsu Shi | John Beaufoy Books | 2023 | Edition 4 | Paperback | 176 pages, 300 colour photos, 3 colour maps | ISBN: 9781913679446 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Brunei

    | Edited by G A Vowles & R S Vowles | 1997 | Centro de Estudos Ornitológicos no Algarve | Paperback | 84 pages | Out of Print | ISBN: 9780952376262 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Phillipps' Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo

    | (Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan) | By Quentin Phillipps & Karen Phillipps | John Beaufoy Books | 2014 | 3rd Edition | Paperback | 141 plates with colour illustrations, 600 colour distribution maps, 12 colour maps | ISBN: 9781909612150 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Pocket Photo Guide to the Birds of Borneo

    | (Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan) | By GWH Davison & Chew Yen Fook | Bloomsbury Publishing | 2016 | Paperback | 144 pages, colour photos, 1 colour map | Out of Print | ISBN: 9781472932877 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Organisations

  • BruWILD Biodiversity & Natural History Society

    Website
    Protecting nature through education and action

  • Brunei Nature Society

    Facebook Page

  • Brunei Nature Society

    Website
    The aims of the Brunei Nature Society (BNS) are to promote an interest in, and to study, Natural History in general and that of Brunei Darussalam in particular.

  • Brunei Wildlife Photography Club (BWPC)

    Facebook Page
    Preferably photos of wildlife taken in Brunei but photos taken outside Brunei may also be posted at the discretion of the admins.
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • *Protected areas of Brunei

    InformationSatellite View
    National parks and Nature Reserves

  • FR Andulau

    WebsiteSatellite View
    The Andulau region straddles Brunei's administrative districts of Belait and Tutong. The area is known for its inland Peat Swamp Forests…

  • FR Labu

    InformationSatellite View
    Labu Forest Reserve is a protected area located in the mukimie Labu district Temburong in eastern Brunei. It covers an area of ​​14348 ha; the majority of it is peat bogs occupying 8 756 ha. The remaining 5124 ha of land area is overgrown with mangrove forests belonging to 6 different subtypes.

  • FR Peradayan

    InformationSatellite View
    Perdayan Forest Recreation Park's 1,070-ha territory is home to a variety of readily seen wildlife such as Borneo's native Kijang (deer). The reserve encompasses the twin hills of Bukit Perdayan (Perdayan Hill) which rises to 410 meters (1,225 feet), and Bukit Patoi at 310 meters (950 feet)above the sea-level.

  • NP Ulu Temburong National Park

    InformationSatellite View
    Ulu Temburong National Park is the first national park to be established in Brunei, protected since 1991...

  • NR Tasek Merimbun

    InformationSatellite View
    Tasek Merimbun (Malay for Merimbun Lake) is the largest natural lake in Brunei. It is located near Mukim Rambai in the Tutong District, about 70 km from the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan.[1] The S-shaped lake is located 27 km from Tutong Town and it is surrounded by the 7800-hectare Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park. The lake supports a rich variety of fauna including birds, mammals and reptiles. Visitors can hire a boat to take them around to explore the lake and its two islands.
Sightings, News & Forums
Guides & Tour Operators

  • Birding in Borneo

    Local Tour Operator
    We have specialised in bird watching tours of Borneo ~ Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan since 2006. The most popular and famous birding destinations are Mount Kinabalu, Rainforest Discovery Centre, Kinabatangan River, Tabin Wildlife, Danum Valley, Klias wetland, Paya Maga, Bakalalan, Borneo Highlands, Kubah, Mulu, Temburung, Tanjung Puting National Park and Sungai Wain.

  • Borneo Birding Tours

    Local Tour Operator
    We specialize in birding outings throughout the Island of Borneo in three countries ~ Malaysia, Republic of Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam.

  • Rockjumper

    Tour Operator
    The tiny sovereign state of Brunei Darussalam is located on the north coast of Borneo. As one of the most developed and richest countries in all of Asia – hosting a large, unspoilt wilderness may come as something of a surprise. However, the ‘Green Jewel of Brunei’ is indeed just that, 500km² of untouched lowland rainforest
Trip Reports

  • -2019 [08 August] - Tsai MuChi

    PDF Report
    After a successful 06 days 05 nights birding tour in Sarawak 02 years ago ~ the Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill, Black Oriole, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Blue-banded Pitta, Rail Babbler, Dayak (Hill) Blue Flycatcher, Eyebrowed Wren-babbler, Hook-billed Bulbul, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker and others, Tsai Mu-chi couple wished to clean up some of their left over species in Borneo so we went for a week to Brunei and Sabah Kinabalu Park. They brought along their 02 grandchild and 02 friends (Mdm Yang & daughter) to experience the excitement of the birding tour in this part of the world.

  • 2018 [03 March] - Hou XiaoRu

    PDF Report
    The highlighted species includes Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill, Black Oriole, Bristlehead, Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Black-headed Pitta, Whitehead's Trogon, Whitehead's Broadbill, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Everett's Thrush, Bornean Stubtail, Mountain Wrenbabbler，Crimson-headed Partridge, Red-breasted Partridge, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Hook-billed Bulbul, Jambu Fruit Dove and Malaysian Rail Babbler.. And other good species includes Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Cream-eyed Bulbul, Black-throated Wren-babbler, Pygmy Ibon, Bornean Green Magpie, Storm’s Stock, Philippine Cuckoo Dove, Barred Eagle Owl, Helmeted Hornbill, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Green Broadbill, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Crested Shrikejay and Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, to name a few ..

  • 2018 [03 March] - Lim Poh Bee

    PDF Report
    Poh Bee had a 08 days 07 nights birding tour in the northern part of Sarawak, she’s lucky to clean up those highly sought-after species like Black Oriole, Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill, Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Dayak Jungle Flycatcher, Hook-billed Bulbul, Grey-breasted Babbler and also picked up some uncommon species like White-necked Babbler and Olive-backed Woodpecker..other good species includes Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Golden-naped Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Helmeted Hornbill, Crested Shrikejay, Crested Partridge, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Philippine (Ruddy) Cuckoo Dove, Rufous-tailed Shama & Reddish Scops Owl...to name a few.

  • 2018 [05 May] - Ikumi Yashioka

    PDF Report
    This was a Blue-banded Pitta hunting tour for Ikumi-san, meanwhile he took the opportunity to tick some of his lifers. Before we off to the Northern Highlands of Sarawak for Blue-banded Pitta, we stopped by a remnant patch of Peat Swamp forest near Sabah/Sarawak border for Hook-billed Bulbul and also Brunei for Garnet Pitta (A Pitta which is absent in Sabah). Good enough we nailed down these 02 target birds smoothly and along with some good species like Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Red-crowned Barbet, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Grey-&-buff Woodpecker, Bornean Black Magpie, Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher, Spotted Fantail and others...
Blogs

  • Folkert - Posting from Panaga

    BLOG
    Last updated 2015 - I am a Dutch expatriate, currently living in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. I have a keen interest in nature and bird photography - and Brunei is an excellent place to entertain these interests!
Photographers & Artists

  • Borneo Bird Images

    Website
    A database of Borneo bird images...

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