Malaysia's Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark home to 355 bird species - researcher

KOTA KINABALU, June 14 (Bernama) -- The Kinabalu National Geopark in Malaysia’s state of Sabah, which was recently declared a Unesco Global Geopark, is home to 355 bird species from 63 families, according to a researcher.

Environmental researcher, Alim Biun said of the total 355 bird species, 267 live in the lowlands and 52 in the highlands, while the rest are found in both areas.

The former Sabah Parks research officer said the Crimson-headed Patridge is one of the unique bird species found in the Sabah Park’s highland forest area of  between 1,000 and 3,000 metres above sea level.

“Therefore, this bird species in Borneo is quite limited, ranging from Mount Kinabalu to Mount Menyapa (Sabah, East Sarawak, Kalimantan) and in remote mountains in southeast Sabah such as Taman Bukit Tawau and the Maliau Basin.

“The Crimson-headed Patridge is a monotypic species that is shy and difficult to approach. This bird is easy to identify due to its loud and distinctive call, but it is notoriously difficult to spot since it prefers to forage in dense vegetation,” he told Bernama.

On May 26, Sabah’s Chief Minister Hajiji Noor said in a statement that Sabah is now the third location in the world to have a UNESCO Triple Crown site following the declaration of the Kinabalu National Geopark as the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark.

With a total area of 4,750 square kilometres, the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark encompasses the districts of Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, and a portion of Ranau on the west coast of Sabah. 

Alim, 66, who retired from Sabah Parks in 2019, conducted research in 1996 and 1997 to determine the distribution of bird species varieties according to altitude, particularly at Mount Kinabalu.

“So far, there are no bird species that are endemic to the Kinabalu Park area,” he said.

-- BERNAMA