Malaysia Ramsar wetland
Kota Kinabalu Wetland
295 bird species recorded; the most in March and in October.
Jason Thien from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia · CC BY 2.0
This month here
148 species in January.159 species in February.195 species in March.168 species in April.127 species in May.150 species in June.164 species in July.149 species in August.173 species in September.189 species in October.156 species in November.142 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
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NTNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
295 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 295Speciesrecorded more than once
- 97Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 16ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 58,239Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 17Raptors
- 6Owls
- 32Waders
- 15Gulls & seabirds
- 7Ducks & geese
- 19Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 111Songbirds
- 87Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 295 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Brahminy KiteHaliastur indus
- White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Changeable Hawk-EagleNisaetus cirrhatus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Crested Honey BuzzardPernis ptilorhynchus
- Crested Serpent EagleSpilornis cheela
- Rufous-bellied EagleLophotriorchis kieneriiNT
- Grey-headed Fish EagleIcthyophaga ichthyaetusNT
- Bornean FalconetMicrohierax latifronsNT
- Eastern Marsh-harrierCircus spilonotus
- Black EagleIctinaetus malayensis
- Lesser Fish EagleIcthyophaga humilisNT
- Bat HawkMacheiramphus alcinus
- Wallace's Hawk-eagleNisaetus nanusVU
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Sunda Scops-owlOtus lempiji
- Reddish Scops-OwlOtus rufescensNT
- Bay OwlPhodilus badius
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Brown BoobookNinox scutulata
- Buffy Fish-OwlKetupa ketupu
Waders32 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
- Gray-tailed TattlerTringa brevipes
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Long-toed StintCalidris subminuta
- Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollisNT
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Far Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- Pied StiltHimantopus leucocephalus
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusVU
Gulls & seabirds15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- Black-naped TernSterna sumatrana
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Lesser FrigatebirdFregata ariel
- Lesser Crested TernThalasseus bengalensis
- Aleutian TernOnychoprion aleuticusVU
- Brown BoobySula leucogaster
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Christmas FrigatebirdFregata andrewsiVU
- Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetus
Ducks & geese7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wandering Whistling-DuckDendrocygna arcuata
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
Herons, ibises & grebes19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Reef HeronEgretta sacra
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Nankeen Night HeronNycticorax caledonicus
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Oriental DarterAnhinga melanogaster
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Chinese EgretEgretta eulophotesVU
- Javan Pond-HeronArdeola speciosa
- Chinese Pond HeronArdeola bacchus
- Ardea modestaArdea modesta
- Great-billed HeronArdea sumatrana
- Eastern Cattle EgretBubulcus coromandus
- Malay Night-heronGorsachius melanolophus
- Yellow BitternIxobrychus sinensis
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Storm's StorkCiconia stormi
Songbirds111 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Asian Glossy StarlingAplonis panayensis
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Yellow-vented BulbulPycnonotus goiavier
- Artamus leucorhynchosArtamus leucorhynchos
- Chestnut MuniaLonchura atricapilla
- Pacific SwallowHirundo javanica
- Common IoraAegithina tiphia
- Plain-throated SunbirdAnthreptes malacensis
- Pied TrillerLalage nigra
- Ashy TailorbirdOrthotomus ruficeps
- Malaysian Pied FantailRhipidura javanica
- House CrowCorvus splendens
- Yellow-bellied PriniaPrinia flaviventris
- Dusky MuniaLonchura fuscans
- Crested mynaAcridotheres cristatellus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Crimson SunbirdAethopyga siparaja
- Striated GrassbirdMegalurus palustris
- Orange-bellied FlowerpeckerDicaeum trigonostigma
- Olive-winged BulbulPycnonotus plumosus
- Java SparrowLonchura oryzivora
- Spice FinchLonchura punctulata
- Rufous-tailed TailorbirdOrthotomus sericeus
- Bold-striped Tit-BabblerMacronus bornensis
- Javan MynaAcridotheres javanicusVU
- Asian Red-eyed BulbulPycnonotus brunneus
- Slender-billed CrowCorvus enca
- Lanius schachLanius schach
- Black-winged Flycatcher-shrikeHemipus hirundinaceus
- Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulus
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Brown ShrikeLanius cristatus
- Muscicapa latirostrisMuscicapa latirostris
- Scarlet-backed FlowerpeckerDicaeum cruentatum
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Mangrove WhistlerPachycephala cinerea
- Copper-throated SunbirdLeptocoma calcostetha
- Plain SunbirdAnthreptes simplex
- Little SpiderhunterArachnothera longirostra
- White-chested BabblerTrichastoma rostratum
- Mangrove Blue-FlycatcherCyornis rufigastra
- Red-throated SunbirdAnthreptes rhodolaemusNT
- Oriental Reed WarblerAcrocephalus orientalis
- Van Hasselt's SunbirdLeptocoma brasiliana
- Hooded PittaPitta sordida
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Cream-vented BulbulPycnonotus simplex
- Ruby-cheeked SunbirdChalcoparia singalensis
- Black-and-red BroadbillCymbirhynchus macrorhynchos
- Thick-billed SpiderhunterArachnothera crassirostris
- Fulvous-chested Jungle-flycatcherRhinomyias olivaceus
- Green IoraAegithina viridissimaNT
- Oriental Magpie-robinCopsychus saularis
- Dark-necked TailorbirdOrthotomus atrogularis
- Arctic warblerPhylloscopus borealis
- Yellow-rumped FlowerpeckerPrionochilus xanthopygius
- White-throated FantailRhipidura albicollis
- Blue-winged PittaPitta moluccensis
- Javan Black-capped BabblerPellorneum capistratum
- Blue-and-white FlycatcherCyanoptila cyanomelana
- Artamus leucorynArtamus leucoryn
- Swinhoe's White-eyeZosterops simplex
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Pallas’s grasshopper warblerLocustella certhiola
- Crested JayPlatylophus galericulatusNT
- Platysmurus aterrimusPlatysmurus aterrimus
- Dicrurus leucophaeusDicrurus leucophaeus
- Lesser CuckooshrikeCoracina fimbriata
- Purple-naped SunbirdHypogramma hypogrammicum
- Streaked BulbulIxos malaccensisNT
- Golden-bellied GerygoneGerygone sulphurea
- Tiger ShrikeLanius tigrinus
- White-bellied MuniaLonchura leucogastra
- Yellow-breasted FlowerpeckerPrionochilus maculatus
- Lesser Green LeafbirdChloropsis cyanopogonNT
- Temminck's SunbirdAethopyga temminckii
- Chestnut-cheeked StarlingAgropsar philippensis
- Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikeHemipus picatus
- Asian Fairy-bluebirdIrena puella
- Red AvadavatAmandava amandava
- Alcippe brunneicaudaAlcippe brunneicaudaNT
- Spotted FantailRhipidura perlata
- Rubigula erythropthalmosRubigula erythropthalmos
- Staphida everettiStaphida everetti
- Black-naped MonarchHypothymis azurea
- Eyebrowed thrushTurdus obscurus
- Grey-streaked FlycatcherMuscicapa griseisticta
- Grey-chested Jungle FlycatcherRhinomyias umbratilis
- Yellow-bellied WarblerAbroscopus superciliaris
- Black-headed MuniaLonchura malacca
- Greater Racket-tailed DrongoDicrurus paradiseus
- Baya WeaverPloceus philippinus
- Buff-vented BulbulIole olivacea
- Black-capped White-eyeZosterops atricapilla
- Bornean ShortwingBrachypteryx erythrogyna
- Red-whiskered BulbulPycnonotus jocosus
- Yellow-bellied BulbulAlophoixus phaeocephalus
- Pygmy IbonOculocincta squamifrons
- Dark-sided FlycatcherMuscicapa sibirica
- Yellow-breasted WarblerSeicercus montis
- Malacocincla abbottiMalacocincla abbotti
- Stachyris maculataStachyris maculataNT
- Stachyris nigricollisStachyris nigricollisNT
- Stachyris poliocephalaStachyris poliocephala
- Middendorff's Grasshopper-warblerLocustella ochotensis
- Scarlet-breasted FlowerpeckerPrionochilus thoracicusNT
- Mugimaki FlycatcherFicedula mugimaki
- Large WoodshrikeTephrodornis virgatus
- Mountain TailorbirdPhyllergates cuculatus
- White-bellied ErpornisErpornis zantholeuca
- Hume's White-eyeZosterops auriventer
Other birds87 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Zebra DoveGeopelia striata
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- White-collared KingfisherTodiramphus chloris
- Green Imperial-PigeonDucula aeneaNT
- Plume-toed SwiftletCollocalia affinis
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Pink-necked Green-PigeonTreron vernans
- Blue-naped ParrotTanygnathus lucionensisNT
- White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
- Sunda Pygmy WoodpeckerYungipicus moluccensis
- Long-tailed ParakeetPsittacula longicaudaVU
- House SwiftApus nipalensis
- Oriental DollarbirdEurystomus orientalis
- Edible-nest SwiftletAerodramus fuciphagus
- Blue-throated Bee-eaterMerops viridis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
- Asian Palm-swiftCypsiurus balasiensis
- Oriental Pied-HornbillAnthracoceros albirostris
- Blue-eared KingfisherAlcedo meninting
- Plaintive CuckooCacomantis merulinus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Common KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
- Stork-billed KingfisherPelargopsis capensis
- Grey-rumped TreeswiftHemiprocne longipennis
- Black-backed SwamphenPorphyrio indicus
- Sunda FrogmouthBatrachostomus cornutus
- Lesser CoucalCentropus bengalensis
- Pied Imperial-PigeonDucula bicolor
- White-browed CrakePorzana cinerea
- Black-nest SwiftletAerodramus maximus
- Little Green PigeonTreron olax
- Large-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus macrurus
- Common FlamebackDinopium javanense
- Ruddy-breasted CrakePorzana fusca
- Grey-capped Pygmy WoodpeckerYungipicus canicapillus
- Blue-crowned Hanging-ParrotLoriculus galgulus
- Pacific SwiftApus pacificus
- Common Emerald DoveChalcophaps indica
- Blue-rumped ParrotPsittinus cyanurusNT
- Slaty-breasted RailGallirallus striatus
- Brush CuckooCacomantis variolosus
- Silver-rumped SpinetailRhaphidura leucopygialis
- Buff-necked WoodpeckerMeiglyptes tukkiNT
- Tabon ScrubfowlMegapodius cumingii
- Little Cuckoo-DoveMacropygia ruficeps
- Zanclostomus curvirostrisZanclostomus curvirostris
- Chestnut-winged CuckooClamator coromandus
- Buff-banded RailGallirallus philippensis
- Brown-backed NeedletailHirundapus giganteus
- Banded WoodpeckerChrysophlegma miniaceum
- Large Green-pigeonTreron capelleiVU
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Black-capped KingfisherHalcyon pileataVU
- Glossy SwiftletCollocalia esculenta
- WatercockGallicrex cinerea
- Needle-tailed SwiftHirundapus caudacutus
- Red Collared DoveStreptopelia tranquebarica
- Red-crowned BarbetPsilopogon rafflesiiNT
- Blue-eared BarbetPsilopogon duvaucelii
- CootFulica atra
- Sacred KingfisherTodiramphus sanctus
- Bornean Brown BarbetCaloramphus fuliginosus
- Thick-billed Green PigeonTreron curvirostra
- Cinnamon-headed Green PigeonTreron fulvicollisVU
- Mountain Imperial-pigeonDucula badia
- Banded Bay CuckooCacomantis sonneratii
- Indian CuckooCuculus micropterus
- Rufous WoodpeckerMicropternus brachyurus
- Gold-whiskered BarbetPsilopogon chrysopogon
- Red-throated BarbetPsilopogon mystacophanosNT
- Red JunglefowlGallus gallus
- Crimson-headed PartridgeHaematortyx sanguiniceps
- Crested PartridgeRollulus rouloulVU
- Blue-tailed Bee-eaterMerops philippinus
- Red-bearded Bee-eaterNyctyornis amictus
- Rufous collared kingfisherActenoides concretusNT
- Black HornbillAnthracoceros malayanusVU
- Rhinoceros HornbillBuceros rhinocerosVU
- Whiskered TreeswiftHemiprocne comata
- White-rumped WoodpeckerMeiglyptes tristis
- Crimson-winged WoodpeckerPicus puniceus
- Little Bronze CuckooChrysococcyx minutillus
- Rhopodytes diardiRhopodytes diardi
- Square-tailed Drongo-CuckooSurniculus lugubris
- Grey NightjarCaprimulgus jotaka
- King QuailSynoicus chinensis
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in March and in October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan26°/22°198 mm
- Feb27°/21°98 mm
- Mar27°/22°123 mm
- Apr28°/23°138 mm
- May28°/23°218 mm
- Jun27°/23°263 mm
- Jul27°/22°260 mm
- Aug27°/22°239 mm
- Sep27°/22°272 mm
- Oct27°/22°356 mm
- Nov27°/22°282 mm
- Dec27°/22°270 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Kota Kinabalu Wetland.
Wetland in Sabah, Malaysia
Kota Kinabalu Wetland is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Malaysia.
295 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 58,239 open records.
The most recorded are the Asian Glossy Starling, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow and the Zebra Dove.
28 species come for the summer, 63 for the winter and 6 only pass through.
16 are threatened worldwide, including Long-tailed Parakeet, Chinese Egret and Javan Myna.
The most species are recorded in March and in October.
Get there and watch
- The Jesselton Hotelplace to stay · 1.0 km · 163 within 10 km
- Kota Kinabalunearest town · 2.0 km in a straight line
- Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 7 km in a straight lineCar hire at BKI airport (Kota Kinabalu)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1bird hides within 6 kmBird Hide
- 2marked trails within 4 kmSurveyors' Trail 1, Surveyors' Trail 2
- 3visitor centres within 6 kmSabah Tourism Board, EcoCampus Visitor Information Centre
- 13viewpoints within 5 kmStone boardwalk sunset viewpoint, Signal Hill Observatory Tower, Sunset and 10 more
- 229car parks within 3 km
- 265restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 163places to stay within 10 kmThe Jesselton Hotel, Kinabalu Daya, Mandarin Hotel and 160 more
- observation towers within 6 km
- campsites within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Kota Kinabalu Wetland.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas10 mountains within 25 kmKaurau · 12 kmBukit Katuan · 13 kmKarambunai · 15 kmPagadan · 19 kmHimpangno · 20 kmBukit Terian332 m · 23 kmCastle Peak · 23 kmKaiduan · 25 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q6433804) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 58,239 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Coastya |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit