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Owls of Peninsular Malaysia

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There are 18 species of owls recorded in Peninsular Malaysia including 3 migrant species. 

Barn Owl  (Tyto alba javanica)

Status: Resident
Distribution: Malay peninsula, Greater and Lesser Sunda, Krakatau, Pulau Seribu, Kalao, Kalaotoa, 
Total subspecies: 27











Dutch: Oostelijke Kerkuil
Danish: Australsk Slørugle
Spanish: 
Finnish: vaaleatornipöllö
French: Effraie du Pacifique
Swedish: östlig tornuggla
Japanese: メンフクロウ (men-fukurō / masked owl)
Chinese: 仓鸮 (cāng-xiāo / barn owl)


Oriental Bay-Owl (Phodilus badius badius)

Status: Resident

Distribution: Malay peninsula, Greater Sunda, and possibly east Philippines
Total subspecies: 4
Other subspecies:  P.b.saturatus in Sikkim, northeast India, central Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, south China, and probably Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. P.d.arixuthus in Natuna island. P.b.parvus in Belitung island.

Dutch: Bruine Uil
Danish: Asiatisk Maskeugle
Spanish: Lechuza cornuda oriental
Finnish: viitapöllö
French: Phodile calong
Swedish: orientmaskuggla
Japanese: ニセメンフクロウ (nise-men-fukurō / false/pseudo masked owl)
Chinese: 栗鸮 (lì-xiāo / chestnut owl)


White-fronted Scops-Owl (Otus sagittatus)

Status: Resident
Distribution: south Myanmar, south Thailand, Malay peninsula
Total subspecies: - / monotypic 

Dutch: Maleise Dwergooruil
Danish: Hvidpandet Dværghornugle
Spanish: Autillo Frentiblanco
Finnish: valko-otsapöllönen
French: Petit-duc à front blanc
Swedish: vitpannad dvärguv
Japanese: ハナジロコノハズク (hana-jiro ko-no-ha zuku / white-nosed tree-leaf zuku)
Chinese: 白额角鸮 (bái-é jiǎo-xiāo / white-forehead horned owl)


Reddish Scops-Owl (Otus rufescens malayensis)

Distribution: south Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia
Total subspecies: 2
Other subspecies: O.r. rufescens is found in Sumatra, Bangka, Java and Borneo














Dutch: Rosse Dwergooruil
Danish: Rødlig Dværghornugle
Spanish: Autillo Rojizo
Finnish: ruskopöllönen
French: Petit-duc roussâtre
Swedish: kaneldvärguv
Japanese: アカチャコノハズク (aka-cha ko-no-ha zuku / red-brown tree-leaf)
Chinese: 棕角鸮 (zōng jiǎo-xiāo / reddish horned owl)


Mountain Scops-Owl (Otus spilocephalus vulpes)

Status: Resident
Distribution: south Malay peninsula
Total subspecies: 8
Other subspecies: O.s. huttoni in north Pakistan, Himalayan foothills to central Nepal. O.s.spilocephalus in central Nepal to northeast India, Myanmar. O.s.latouchi in north Thailand, Laos to southeast China, and Hainan. O.s.hambroecki in Taiwan. O.s.siamensis in central and south Thailand to Vietnam. O.s.vandewateri in Sumatra. O.s.luciae in Borneo.

  

Dutch: Gevlekte Dwergooruil
Danish: Plettet Dværghornugle
Spanish: Autillo Montano
Finnish: vuoripöllönen
French: Petit-duc tacheté
Swedish: Bergdvärguv
Japanese: タイワンコノハズク (taiwan ko-no-ha zuku / Taiwanese tree-leaf zuku)
Chinese: 黄嘴角鸮 (huáng-zuǐ jiǎo-xiāo / yellow-billed horned-owl)


Collared Scops-Owl

Dutch: 
Danish: 
Spanish: 
Finnish: 
French: 
Swedish: 
Japanese: 
Chinese: 


Sunda Scops-Owl 

Dutch: 
Danish: 
Spanish: 
Finnish: 
French: 
Swedish: 
Japanese: 
Chinese: 


Oriental Scops-Owl 

Dutch: 
Danish: 
Spanish: 
Finnish: 
French: 
Swedish: 
Japanese: 
Chinese: 


Brown Fish-Owl 

Dutch: 
Danish: 
Spanish: 
Finnish: 
French: 
Swedish: 
Japanese: 
Chinese: 


Buffy Fish-Owl (Ketupa ketupu ketupu)

Status: Resident
Distribution: Malay peninsula, Riau, Sumatra, Bangka, Belitung, Java, Bali, Borneo (except northwest which is replaced by subspecies K.k. pageli.
Total subspecies: 4
Other subspecies: K.k. aagaardi is found in south Assam, west Bengal until south Thailand and Vietnam. K.k. minor has a distribution in Nias island which is west of Sumatra. K.k. pageli is found in northwest Borneo.  












Dutch: Maleise Visuil
Danish: Malajfiskeugle
Spanish: Búho Pescador Malayo 
Finnish: sundankalahuuhkaja
French: Kétoupa malais
Swedish: blek fiskuv
Japanese: マレーウオミミズク (mare-uomimizuku / Malay Fish Eared-zuku)
Chinese: 马来渔鸮 (mǎlái yú-xiāo / Malay Fishing Owl)


Dusky Eagle-Owl (Ketupa coromandus klossii) 

Status: Resident
Distribution: west and south Myanmar, south Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.
Total subspecies: 2
Other subspecies: K.c. coromandus with distribution covering east Pakistan, north and central India, southern Nepal, Assam and Bangladesh. Perhaps also occurs in east China.











Dutch: Coromandeloehoe
Danish: Mørk Hornugle
Spanish: Búho de Coromandel
Finnish: harmaahuuhkaja
French: Grand-duc de Coromandel
Swedish: gråuv
Japanese: ウスグロワシミミズク (usugurowashimimizuku)
Chinese: 乌雕鸮 (wū diāo-xiāo)


Barred Eagle-Owl (Ketupa sumatranus sumatranus)

Status: Resident
Distribution: south Myanmar, Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Bangka Island.
Total subspecies: 2
Other subspecies: K.s. strepitans occurs in Borneo, Java and Bali. This subspecies is larger.













Dutch: Maleise Oehoe
Danish: Malajhornugle
Spanish: Búho Malayo
Finnish: sundanhuuhkaja
French: Grand-duc bruyant
Swedish: malackauv
Japanese: マレーワシミミズク (mare-washimimizuku)
Chinese: 马来雕鸮 (mǎlái diāo-xiāo)


Collared Owlet (Taenioptynx brodiei brodiei)

Status: Resident
Distribution: northeast Afghanistan, north Pakistan, Himalayas, southeast Tibet, north Indochina, south China, central China, east China (including Hainan), Myanmar, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia.
Total subspecies:
Other subspecies: T.b. pardalotus is found in Taiwan
Related species: Sunda Owlet in Borneo. Previously, the Sunda Owlet is considered a subspecies of Collared Owlet but later promoted to a separate species. 




Dutch: Gekraagde Dwerguil
Danish: Halsbåndsspurveugle
Spanish: Mochuelo Acollarado
Finnish: kaulusvarpuspöllö
French: Chevêchette à collier
Swedish: janusuggla
Japanese: ヒメフクロウ (hime fukurō) 
Chinese: 领鸺鹠 (lǐng xiū-liú)


Spotted Wood-Owl (Strix seloputo seloputo)

Status: Resident:
Distribution: south Myanmar, central Cambodia, south Vietnam, Sumatra, Java
Total subspecies: 3
Other subspecies: S.s. baweana & S.s. wiepkeni











Dutch: Maleise Bosuil
Danish: Pagodenatugle
Spanish: Cárabo de las Pagodas
Finnish: puistopöllö
French: Chouette des pagodes
Swedish: fläckig skogsuggla
Japanese: マレーモリフクロウ (mare-morifukurou)
Chinese: 点斑林鸮 (diǎn bān lín-xiāo / spotted forest-owl)



Brown Wood-Owl (Strix leptogrammica maingayi)

Status: Resident:
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Himalayas, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hainan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, 
Total subspecies: 14
Other subspecies: S.l. indranee, S.l. ochrogenys, S.l. newarensis, S.l. ticehursti, S.l. caligata, S.l. laotiana, S.l. niasensis, S.l. nyctiphasma, S.l. myrtha, S.l. vaga, S.l. leptogrammica, S.l. chaseni, S.l. bartelsi

The following photos of Brown Wood-Owl is taken by Mr Biplab




































Dutch: Bruine Bosuil
Danish: Brun Natugle
Spanish: Cárabo Oriental
Finnish: ruskopöllö
French: Chouette leptogramme
Swedish: vitbrynad uggla
Japanese: オオフクロウ (oofukurou)
Chinese: 褐林鸮 (hè lín-xiāo / brown forest-owl)

Short-eared Owl

Dutch: 
Danish: 
Spanish: 
Finnish: 
French: 
Swedish: 
Japanese: 
Chinese: 


Brown Boobook (Ninox scutulata scutulata)

Status: Resident
Distribution: south Malay peninsular, Riau, Sumatra and Bangka.
Total subspecies: 9
Other subspecies: N.s. lugubris in north and central India, west Assam. N.s. hirsuta in south India and Sri Lanka. N.s. isolata in Nicobar. N.s. rexpimenti in Great Nicobar, Camorta, Trinkat. N.s. burmanica is in east Assam to south China, north Malay peninsula and Indochina. N.s. palawanensis in southwest Philippines. N.s. javanensis in west Java. N.s. borneensis in Borneo and north Natuna island.












Dutch: Zuid-Aziatische Valkuil
Danish: Orientalsk Høgeugle
Spanish: Nínox Pardo
Finnish: haukkapöllö
French: Ninoxe hirsute
Swedish: brun spökuggla
Japanese: アオバズク (ao-ba zuku / green-leaf zuku)
Chinese: 鹰鸮 (yīng-xiāo / hawk-owl)


Northern Boobook

Dutch: 
Danish: 
Spanish: 
Finnish: 
French: 
Swedish: 
Japanese: 
Chinese: 









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Owls of Peninsular Malaysia

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Licensed Tourist Guide specialized in birdwatching and photography tour in Peninsular Malaysia. BSc Forestry (Parks & Recreation Management).

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Wildlife in Peninsular Malaysia

Wildlife in Peninsular Malaysia
A collection of wildlife photographs in Peninsular Malaysia that includes mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Some photographs are taken with camera while some are taken with mobile phone whenever I get the opportunities to shoot while on a guiding assignment.

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You will see other interesting insects during your birding adventure with me. Here are some of the photos I have extracted from my hard drives..

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Collection of photographs for reference.

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Notable Plants While Birding
There will be some interesting flora that will definitely catch your attention while going out on a birdwatching trip with me. I am in the midst of compiling all the plants, please return to this website for updates. Thank you.

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Sometimes I accompany my regular guests for birding trips out of Peninsular Malaysia. Check out what we found.
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About Me

Hi! I love watching birds, taking photographs (and video), and guiding people through nature. Welcome to my blog, A Malaysian Birder. I'll be sharing all the great birds I see and the photos I take right here on this blog. I got into bird watching when I was in university studying parks and recreation management. I used to work in parks and gardens, teaching people about the environment and organizing birding walks. Whenever I go out to look for birds, I always bring my binoculars and spotting scope to help me see them up close. Sometimes, I even bring a microphone to record their calls. It's always an adventure out in the field!

In the past, I will have my Kowa BDXD 8x32 binocular, Zoom H2N recorder, Kowa TSN-501 and my favorite Nikon1 V1 with a 70-300mm lens. This is the lightest setup I have tried and owned. From then onwards, I have used Omicron 8x26 binocular (and i bought 4 units), Leica Ultravid 8x32 binocular, Kowa Spotting Scope TSN773 with 20-60x eyepiece, Panasonic Lumix G7, Panasonic Lumix G9 with a 100-300mm lens and currently experimenting with Sony ILCE-A6700 and Sony SEL 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS lens.

Bird Watching Tours

There are quite a number of birding groups from Australia, United States and United Kingdom that come over to Malaysia annually visiting the traditional key sites that include Kuala Selangor, Fraser's Hill and Taman Negara. There is not doubt that the 3 sites are the preferred birding sites in Peninsular Malaysia. So if you are coming over for birding and intend to hire a guide, you can send me an email at nature2pixel@gmail.com and go over to posting section to view photos and summary of trip reports with testimonials from past clients.

Besides following the traditional route, I also customized trip according to clients needs, preference and interests. So there are some local patches that I can introduce to all bird watchers, digiscopers and photographers.

Here are a few of my favorite birding spots around Kuala Lumpur.

• Kuala Selangor - the habitats include mangrove forest. Good for woodpecker and kingfisher. Some amount of walking is required on flat terrain.

• Fraser's Hill - one of the traditional key sites for birding in Peninsular Malaysia and still the best place to visit. Elevation between 900 - 1200m above sea level. The species found here are different from the city of Kuala Lumpur. Targets may include Trogon, Woodpecker, Partridge, Laughingthrush, Leafbird, Spiderhunter and Sunbird.

• Hulu Langat - one of the most visited birding spot due to its proximity from the city centre. Walking is required but on easy terrain in this lowland forest. Sometimes need to wait at fruiting trees. Generally a good spot for Broadbill, Kingfisher, and Babbler.

• Bukit Tinggi - An alternative spot if you do not want to spend too long hours travelling to Fraser's Hill. It's about 900m to 1,000m above sea level and you get a combination of lowland and highland species at this elevation. Walking is required but just a short distance. Traditional known for Broadbill, Hornbill, Partridge and Pheasant.

• Gombak-Ampang - Generally recommended for photographers targeting Blue-eared Kingfisher and at times during fruiting season, it attracts many species of Bulbul and Barbet. Located in urban area.

• Putrajaya - If you are staying in any hotel in Putrajaya, it's a good place to look for herons, egrets, bittern and storks.

Bird Families

Check the bird families and the taxonomy updates HERE.

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Bird Video

I am also interested to take video of birds. Here are some of my favorite videos for your viewing. Video taken with Nikon1 V1 attached to a Sigma 500mm f4.5 and most of the time iPhone SE through the spotting scope. Editing is done on smartphone Power Director for Android device and I also like the iMovie on iPhone. Enjoy.

Recommended Field Guides & Books

If you are interested to get a copy of field guides to assist you to learn and identify birds in Malaysia. Click the followings to find out more.

March 2024. Fortunate enough to meet 1 of the authors before it was launched in Kuala Lumpur. Another great field guide for all birders who want to get the most updated information about birds of Malaysia.