ELUSIVE BORNEO BIRDS - Mount Kinabalu

There are 52 types of endemic birds in Borneo and Kinabalu National Park has 24 types itself. There are specifically 3 species of birds namely “3W”, they are the Whitehead’s Trogon, Whitehead’s Broadbill, and the Whitehead’s Spiderhunter. Many bird lovers around the world come here mainly for these birds.

Here you can find also others elusive sub montane to montane endemic called BORNEAN LAUGHING-THRUSH ( Bare-headed Laughing-thrush ) Melanocichla calva, it was formerly considered conspecific with Black Laughingthrush.

Identification
25.5 - 27cm. A medium-sized laughingthrush:
Glossy blackish to blackish-grey plumage
Bluish-slate to violet orbital skin
Bluish-white postocular skin
Orange-red bill
Brownish to yellowish bare head and red bill
Sexes similar. Juveniles are browner and duller.

HabitatBroadleaf evergreen forest, forest edge and secondary growth. Found at 800 - 1800m.

Behaviour
Feeds on insects, spiders and sometimes seeds.
Moves around in small noisy groups. Keeps mostly to thick cover, does not engage in long laborious flight, preferring to glide from place to place.
Breeding season October to April. The nest is a bulky cup made of vegetable fibres and leaves. It's placed about 2.5m above the ground in a tree fork. Lays 2 eggs.
Resident species.

A tiny elusive montane endemic warbler called BONEAN STUBTAIL Urosphena whiteheadi also an uncommon resident which you can find only at montane forest up to 3,100 meter.