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Bali

Bali Myna (aka Bali Starling) Leucopsar rothschildi ©Andy Walker Website

Bali is the westernmost island of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. With its small offshore islands, it is one of the Indonesia’s thirty-three provinces. The capital Denpasar lies towards the south of the island. With a population of about 4.2 million people, it is home to the vast majority of Indonesia’s small Hindu minority. About 87% of its population follows Balinese Hinduism, rather than Islam. It is also Indonesia’s largest tourist destination with five million visitors, (it makes up 80% of its economy), and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music. Tourism puts a strain on water and other resources.

The island of Bali lies 3.2 km (2 miles) east of Java, and is approximately 8 degrees south of the equator. East to west, the island is approximately 153 km (95 miles) wide and is approximately 112 km (69 miles) north to south; it’s land area is 5,632 km². The highest point is Mount Agung at 3,142 m (10,308 feet) high, an active volcano that last erupted in March 1963. Mountains cover the centre to the eastern side, with Mount Agung the easternmost peak. Mount Batur (1,717 m) is also still active; an eruption 30,000 years ago was one of the largest known volcanic events on Earth. In the south the land descends to form an alluvial plain, watered by shallow, north-south flowing rivers, drier in the dry season and overflowing during periods of heavy rain. The longest of these rivers, Sungai Ayung, is also the longest on the island (c. 75 km).

Mount Agung – ©Everyone Sinks Starco, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The principal city is the present provincial capital and largest city, Denpasar, near the southern coast. Its population is around 300,000. Bali’s second-largest city is the old colonial capital, Singaraja, which is located on the north coast and is home to around 100,000 people. Other important cities include the beach resort, Kuta, which is practically part of Denpasar’s urban area; and Ubud, which is north of Denpasar, and known as the island’s cultural centre. There is a coastal road around the island, as well as three major two-lane arteries that cross the central mountains at passes reaching 1,750m in height (at Penelokan). Minor roads branch off of these major highways. The Ngurah Rai Bypass is a four-lane expressway that partly encircles Denpasar and enables cars to travel quickly in the heavily populated south. Bali has no railway. The island is surrounded by coral reefs. Beaches in the south tend to have white sand while those in the north and west have black sand. The beach town of Padangbai in the south east has both.

Being just 8 degrees south of the equator, Bali has a fairly even climate all year round. Average year-round temperature stands at around 30 °C with a humidity level of about 85%. Daytime temperatures at low elevations vary between 20 and 33 °C, but the temperatures decrease significantly with increasing elevation. The west monsoon is in place from approximately October to April, and this can bring significant rain, particularly from December to March. During the rainy season, there are comparatively fewer tourists seen in Bali. During the Easter and Christmas holidays, the weather is very unpredictable. Outside of the monsoon period, humidity is relatively low and any rain is unlikely in lowland areas.

Birding Bali

To the east, the Lombok Strait separates Bali from Lombok and marks the biogeographical division between the fauna of the Indo-Malayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of Australasia. The transition is known as the Wallace Line, named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who first proposed transition zone between these two major biomes. When sea levels dropped during the Pleistocene ice age, Bali was connected to Java and Sumatra and to the mainland of Asia and shared the Asian fauna, but the deep water of the Lombok Strait continued to keep Lombok and the Lesser Sunda archipelago isolated. Bali is part of the Coral triangle an area with very high biodiversity of marine species such as turtles and fish and 500 coral species. The diversity is seven times higher than the Caribbean.

Bali Barat National Park Mangroves – ©Ron from Nieuwegein CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Bali has recorded over 400 species of birds, including the endemic and critically endangered Bali Starling. The only endemic high-level predator of the island, the Bali tiger, became extinct in the 1930s.The Bali Barat National Park, located on the north western side of the island, is a refuge for wildlife such as the Sunda Pangolin, Indian Muntjac, Mouse-deer, Leopard Cat, Black Giant Squirrel, and several species of macaque and leaf monkey. Asian Palm Civet is a native but is also kept in coffee farms to produce kopi luwak. The elusive Javan Langur, locally known as ‘lutung’ occurs in just a few places apart from the West Bali National Park.

West Bali National Park – ©Ron from Nieuwegein CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Bali lies just to the west of the Wallace Line, and thus has a fauna that is Asian in character, with very little Australasian influence, and has more in common with Java than with Lombok. An exception is the Yellow-crested Cockatoo, a member of a primarily Australasian family. Other birds include  Black-naped Oriole, Black Racket-tailed Treepie, Crested Serpent-eagle, Crested Treeswift, Dollarbird, Java sparrow, Lesser Adjutant, Long-tailed Shrike, Milky Stork, Pacific Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Sacred Kingfisher, Sea Eagle, Woodswallow, Savanna Nightjar, Stork-billed Kingfisher and Yellow-vented Bulbul.

Top Sites

  • Bali Barat National Park

    InformationSatellite View
    The home of the Bali Starling, this park also hosts a good selection of other sundaic lowland species. There are several habitats in the national park, a savanna, mangroves, montane and mixed-monsoon forests, and coral islands.[3] The center of the park is dominated by remnants of four volcanic mountains…

  • Bedugul

    InformationSatellite View
    Birding in the hills of central Bali. A good range of species can be found here, including one or two things that are not so easy elsewhere. Bedugul is a mountain lake resort area in Bali, Indonesia, located in the centre-north region of the island near Lake Bratan on the road between Denpasar and Singaraja. Bedugul is located at 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of the city of Denpasar. Other nearby lakes are Lake Buyan, and Lake Tamblingan.

  • Kuta Environs

    Satellite View
    More famous for its bars and beaches, its also not a bad spot to find Java Sparrow!

  • Pulau Serangan & Benoa

    InformationSatellite View
    The best spot for migrant waders on Bali. Always worth a look for Indonesian rarities.

  • Sanur Environs

    Satellite View
    Good migrant wader action in season, this site has also turned up several Indonesian vagrant rarities.

  • Ulu Watu

    InformationSatellite View
    Cliff top location is great for breeding White-tailed Tropicbirds and passing seabirds.
Contributors
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 429

    (As at August 2024
Endemics

  • Number of endemics: 1

    Bali Myna (Starling) Leucopsar rothschildi
Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Bali (mainland) , 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.

  • 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

  • Birds of Bali, Sumatra and Java

    | By Tony Tilford | Bloomsbury Publishing | 2023 | Paperback | 224 pages, colour photos, 1 colour map | ISBN: 9781472986870 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Birds of Java, Sumatra and Bali

    | By Tony Tilford & Alain Compost | Bloomsbury Publishing | 2017 | Paperback | 136 pages, 250 colour photos, 1 colour map | Out of Print | ISBN: 9781472938183 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Birds of the Philippines, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo, Sulawesi, the Lesser Sundas and the Moluccas

    | By Norman Arlott | William Collins (Harper Collins imprint) | 2018 | Hardback | 416 pages, 179 plates with colour illustrations; colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9780008102395 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Organisations

  • Birds Indonesia

    Website
    Burung Nusantara’s mission is simply to promote the conservation and enjoyment of wild birds in Indonesia. With some of the most amazing birds in the world found in Indonesia this is a cause were enjoying and fighting to protect.
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • NP Bali Barat

    InformationSatellite View
    The home of the Bali Starling, this park also hosts a good selection of other sundaic lowland species. There are several habitats in the national park, a savanna, mangroves, montane and mixed-monsoon forests, and coral islands. The center of the park is dominated by remnants of four volcanic mountains. Some 160 species can be found inside the park, including the banteng, barn swallow, black-naped oriole, black racket-tailed treepie, crested serpent-eagle, crested treeswift, dollarbird, hawksbill turtle, Indian muntjac, Java sparrow, Javan lutung, large flying fox, leopard cat, lesser adjutant, long-tailed shrike, milky stork, Pacific swallow, red-rumped swallow, rusa deer, sacred kingfisher, savanna nightjar, stork-billed kingfisher, water monitor, wild boar, yellow-vented bulbul and the critically endangered Bali myna.

  • NP West Bali National Park

    InformationSatellite View
    The park covers around 190 square kilometres (73 sq mi), some 82% of which is on land and the remainder at sea.
Sightings, News & Forums
Guides & Tour Operators

  • Bali Birding Tour

    Local Tour Operator
    Over 18 years of experience...

  • Bellbird Tours

    Tour Operator
    This tour is a great introduction to birding in Indonesia. Safe, comfortable and reliable, this tour covers the well-known yet from a birding point of view under-explored islands of Bali and adjacent Java. These two areas boast a wide variety of birds, many of which are endemic to small regions.

  • BirdQuest

    Tour Operator
    JAVA, BALI & KALIMANTAN (BORNEO), INDONESIA – a feast of rare and localized Greater Sunda endemics

  • Birding Ecotours

    Local Tour Operator
    We offer a range of morning, half-day, full-day or short (two to three days) Bali birding tours. If necessary, we can also arrange tours that combine east Java with Bali. We have a team of skilled ornithologists who can give you an excellent Bali bird tour.

  • Calidris Birding Tours

    Tour Operator
    ava, Sumatra and Bali birding highlights include Christmas Island Frigatebird, Bali Myna, Javan Trogon, Schneider’s Pitta, Large Frogmouth, White-winged Duck, Javan Banded Pitta, Javan Flameback, Salvadori’s Pheasant, Graceful Pitta, Reddish Scops Owl, Javan Cochoa, Sumatran Trogon, Grey-breasted Partridge, Bonaparte’s Nightjar, Red-billed Partridge, Sunda Frogmouth, Sumatran Ground Cuckoo

  • ECOLODGES INDONESIA

    Local Tour Operator
    This is the ultimate birding tour! We offer trained local bird guides in Bali, Flores, Borneo and Sumatra who will help you discover well over 150 of Indonesia’s bird species on both sides of the Wallace line.

  • Rockjumper Birding Tours

    Tour Operator
    The magical island of Bali has much to offer the birder and naturalist, providing superb birding and wildlife viewing, with the island’s most iconic bird, the beautiful and very rare Bali Myna or Bali Starling, being top of our hit list…

  • Vacation Indonesia Tours

    Tour Operator
    Vacation Indonesia Tours, owned by Nurlin Djuni & Darwin Sumang, is your gateway to Indonesia. We can immerse you in our culture, heritage and our extraordinarily diverse natural history. The Islands of Indonesia are justly famous for birdwatching. Over 372 species have been recorded and many are found nowhere else. Nurlin Djuni specialises in Birdwatching/Holidays Tours in Sulawesi, Halmahera, Papua, Java, Bali, Kalimantan, Lesser Sundas and Sumatera
Trip Reports

  • 2015 [02 February] - Jorgen Bech - Bali & East Java

    PDF Report
    In Bedugul I focused on species I had not seen on Ijen: The two Thrushes (between the two last bridges of the western circuit), Honeyeater (anywhere inside the B.G.), and the easily seen Short-tailed Starling.

  • 2019 [08 August] - Anita Bastian

    PDF Report
    ... in the secondary forests and settlements Blacknapped Fruit-Dove, Island Collared-Dove, Orangebreasted Green Pigeon, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Javan Banded-Pitta, Black-thighed Falconet, Blue-eared, Coppersmith and Lineated Barbet, Sunda Scops-Owl, Rufous-backed DwarfKingfisher, Olive-backed Tailorbird, Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker, Horsfield's Wren Babbler and Racket-tailed Treepie...

  • 2019 [08 August] - Sin Yong Chee Keita

    Report
    ...Birding in Bali was entirely managed by Hery. Black-winged Starlings were in the National Park and we had better views of Bali Mynas at a random wooded patch behind someone’s house rather than in the National Park itself. At the saltpans there were Javan Plovers among other assorted Asian waders, but Beach Thick-knees were missing because the tide was high. We later went to the slopes of Mount Batakaru (roadside birding about 200 metres before “Pura Pengubengan Batukaru” on Google Maps) and heard several Javan Owlets but did not see any...

  • 2019 [09 September] - Sara Frost

    PDF Report
    ...it certainly would have been almost impossible to see so many species during the wet season when the trees were in leaf. Some highlights from group’s morning birding walks included Olive-backed Sunbird, Green Bali to Komodo – In Search of the Dragon! Tour Report 2 © Naturetrek November 19 Junglefowl, Helmeted Friarbird, Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker, noisy flocks of beautiful Small Minivets, Blackwinged Starlings and Coppersmith Barbets...

  • 2022 [02 February] - Andy Walker

    PDF Report
    ...We soaked in close looks at Collared Kingfisher and prolonged views of the pretty Blue-eared Kingfisher. Blue-tailed Bee-eaters also provided a flash of color, as did Striated Swallow, Barn Swallow, and Pacific Swallow as they fed overhead, with the less colorful House Swift, Cave Swiftlet and Edible-nest Swiftlet also flying around above us...

  • 2023 [01 January] - Oka Dwipo

    Report
    This is a trip with one guest from Spain, Federico, who took 2 days of his vacation for birding in Bali after having his job done in Jakarta. Even though not many places we visit and not really deep into the forest, but we got more than 60 species in just 2 days of birding. Within those species, lots of Indonesian endemics were seen.

  • 2023 [07 July] - Jeff Hopkins

    PDF Report
    This is a trip report for a birding trip to Bali, Indonesia, that was organized through the Tailor-Made Tours Department of Rockjumper Birding Tours.

  • 2024 [03 March] - Waskito Kukuh W

    Report
    Our birding adventure in Bali on January 4-5, 2024, with Yann and Putri from Vietnam, was a remarkable success.
Other Links

  • Birding in Java & Bali

    Website
    Information about birding sites in Java and Bali, including key species, maps, access, local guides and resources. Birding in Java and Bali is many people

  • Birding on Bali

    Website
    The Bali Barat National Park is located on the north west tip of Bali. This reserve is the last site for the endangered Bali Myna. At Tegal Bunder it is possible to visit the Bali Myna project release centre. Pulau Menjangan is a small island that belongs to the reserve. Here are very beautiful coral reefs and it is a good spot for Lemon-bellied White-eye. The park is pretty much left alone by the thousands of tourists that visit Bali each year.
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