Ground Bird (12/21) Borneo endemic - Red-breasted Partridge (Lifer 565/688)

We were lucky that this  other partridge  give us a short window opportunity to shoot them

at Gunung Alab. At the bird port I was shooting at a distance of 15-20 feet.  So it is good if you bring along your zoom telelens like my fuji XF 100-400mm or the Sony 200-600mm lens.  

 

The red-breasted partridge is also called the Bornean hill partridge. It is endemic to hill and montane forest of Borneo like Gunung Alab Tambunan, Crocker Range and KNP preferring bamboos and thickets environment. 

The red-breasted partridge feeds in groups, foraging in thickets, on forest trails and near rivers. Its diet consists of seeds, fruits and insects. It roosts in bushes. Its call is a duet, one bird giving rising chu notes and the other falling cuckoo notes. Its breeding is poorly known.

The red-breasted partridge is about 27 cm (11 in) long and weighs about 270 g (9.5 oz). The crown and nape are blackish, with brown spots. There is a grey or rufous supercilium and a blackish-brown band goes through the eye. The cheeks and throat are rufous. The breast is bright chestnut, sometimes browner, and the belly is whitish. The flanks are black and white. The upperparts are brown, with blackish bars. The eyes are grey, the beak is black, and the legs are pink. There is red bare skin around the throat, usually covered by sparse feathers. The female bird's plumage is a little duller than the male's. (Wiki)

Groundbird (Bornean Endemic) Pheasant - Bulwer's Pheasant (Lifer 566/688)

 

Bulwer's pheasant is endemic to the island of Borneo, While the species is locally common in protected areas (e.g. Kayan Mentarang National Park, East Kalimantan) it is rarely found elsewhere. The bird inhabits hill and lower montane tropical forest, likely preferring highland rainforest and rarely visiting the lowlands below an altitude of 300 metres (980 ft). The diet consists mainly of fruits, worms, and insects.

Bulwer's pheasant is sexually dimorphic. Males have a total length of about 80 centimeters (31 in), and are black-plumaged with a maroon breast, crimson legs, a pure white tail of long, curved feathers, and bright blue facial skin with two wattles that conceal the sides of its head. Females have a total length of about 55 centimeters (22 in) and are overall dull brown colour with red legs and blue facial skin.

 (Wiki)

The Male we saw have shredded its fame white bushy tail unfortunately. I got limited opportunity to get better photos as the bird came out in the final hour at 5pm after the rain stopped but stayed for a short time. Some more the low lighting  got me 9/10 blur pictures as I was shooting at 1/15s ISO 2500-3200.

Leafbird (3/4) - Bornean Leafbird (Lifer 563/688) Chloropsis kinabaluensis (Bornean Leafbird)

Photo courtesy of AlanT; This is the female bird

My shot was pathetically blurred as I did not expect it to be a separate subspecies. Unlike the female Blue-winged the former have a black throat This is an endemic bird of Borneo. We were lucky to have a short stint acquaintance in the evening before our departure out to Tambunan. We only got to shot one bird as the male was elusive. Leafbird I think paired for life. Its also called Kinabalu Leafbird. So guys please do not ignore any bird in Sabah as there are many differences from our peninsula ones and can be your lifer.

Here is my pathetic shot as I take for granted its the blue-winged

 

Accurately-named leaf-green canopy-dweller of Borneo’s central montane forests. Male has a black throat with a blue center and lemon-yellow outline. Female similar, but throat is all-dark, with no blue or yellow on the head. Both sexes have sky-blue flight feathers. Very similar to male Blue-winged Leafbird (the female of which lacks a black throat); look for Bornean’s green crown, yellow bib, paler blue wings, and more yellow-washed underparts. Gives a high thin “tseep” and a whistled “wee-chup!”, among other calls. (wiki)

 

Illustration from www.beautyofbirds