You may be wondering which is the best bird field guide book for Malaysia, and this is entirely subjective as birders are very particular about this. Therefore, this article will showcase some of the recommended bird books for Malaysia.

Best Bird Field Guide Book for Malaysia

Over the years, birding or birdwatching seemed to have picked up in Malaysia, but even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the numbers soared by the hundreds of new birders. A majority of them were namely bird photographers versus actual birdwatchers.

Bird photographers don’t really bother with field guides as they want to get the best shots of birds in the wild, but I did notice that some of the photographers wanted a little more and, thus, are looking for a good Malaysian bird field guidebook.

Below are some bird field guidebooks you can get in Malaysia.

Birds of Malaysia by Lynx and BirdLife

This is the primary bird field guidebook that I personally use, as I find this quite user-friendly. The field guide covers Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia Borneo and Singapore, thus making this very convenient if you plan to explore this part of Southeast Asia. The book comes in both flexi and hardcover, but I chose flexi due to the weight factor. It is a little large, but overall, it is convenient. I like this field guide because it also has small mini-maps to show where the birds can be found. Anyone interested can purchase the Birds of Malaysia field guide book from my online shop, as they are not sold at regular bookshops.

• Authors: Chong Leong Puan, Geoffrey Davison, Kim Chye Lim
• Year: First Edition, July 2020
• Publisher: Lynx Books
• ISBN: 9788416728299

Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia by Alan Jayarajasingam

This is one detailed field guide for just the birds of Peninsular Malaysia. It is quite a thick book, but it is still manageable to carry around if you’re doing long birding in this part of Malaysia. Again, it only covers the birds in West Malaysia, not Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo. Alan is one of the pioneers in Malaysian birding and has vast experience in the field spanning several decades. The field guide is quite comprehensive and easy to understand. However, this field guide was last printed in 2012 as a second edition covering 673 species. You can buy this Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia from my online shop, where I only have the last copy, and it is much cheaper than ordering it from overseas.

• Authors: Allen Jeyarajasingam, Alan Pearson
• Year: Second Edition, May 2022
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISBN: 9780199639427

A Field Guide to Birds of Malaysia & Singapore

This is another popular book used by many seasoned birders in Peninsular Malaysia because it covers all 829 officially recorded bird species of Malaysia and Singapore. So, if you plan to bird from north to south Malaysia, this is one book to consider. It is comprehensive, with stunning artwork and details. However, there is no mini-map to show the birds’ locations, so more reading for you. The colour plates show plumage variation and identifying features, and for each species, key facts examine size, voice, range and status, habitat, specific country, and breeding. This book also includes information on taxonomy and nomenclature.

• Authors: Lim Kim Seng, Yong Ding Li, Lim Kim Chuah
• Year:
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• ISBN: 9781912081738

A Naturalist’s Guide to Birds of Malaysia (3rd edition)

This one is just a photo-based, easy-to-use identification guide to the 280 bird species most commonly seen in Malaysia, which includes Sabah and Sarawak. But it is not recommended for serious birders because a lot of information is unavailable. Photographs are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, length, plumage, distribution, and habits. This is also an old publication that is a little outdated.

• Authors: Geoffrey Davison, Yeap Chin Aik
• Year: 3rd Edition, March 2018
• Publisher: John Beaufoy Publishing Ltd
• ISBN: 9781912081639

A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of Fraser’s Hill by Geoffrey Davison

For those planning to visit Fraser’s Hill in Pahang, Malaysia, this is one of the recommended bird guidebooks and possibly the only one available. It details all the birds of Frasers Hill but does not include recent sightings in the last few years. This is also a photographic identification guide to the 280 bird species most commonly seen at Fraser’s Hill. Detailed species descriptions include nomenclature, length, plumage, distribution, habits and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers geography and climate, the forests, the birdwatching trails at Fraser’s Hill, and the other wildlife to be found there. You can buy the Birds of Fraser’s Hill Guide Book from my online store.

• Authors: Geoffrey Davison, Con Foley, Adam Hogg
• Year: March 2019
• Publisher: John Beaufoy Publishing Ltd
• ISBN: 9781912081547

Phillipps’ Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo : Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan

I use This field guide whenever I visit Borneo for birding, and I find this very handy in many ways. But since I got my Birds of Malaysia field guide by Lynx, I seldom use this book unless I want specific detailed information on certain birds of Borneo. The book is a little outdated, as the last edition was in 2014, but I hear there may be a new edition. Overall, Quentin has done a fantastic job covering the entire Borneo in this field guide.

• Authors: Quentin Phillipps. Karen Phillipps
• Year: 3rd Edition, March 2014
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• ISBN: 9780691161679

Birds of Borneo by Helm Field Guides

This is one of the lesser-used field guides, according to my Borneo birding buddies, but this book covers the whole island of Borneo. Maybe one day, I will see what this book is like. For now, I can only share that this is available.

• Authors: Susan Myers
• Year: March 2016
• Publisher: Helm UK
• ISBN: 9781472924445

Conclusion

There you go, a rough review of Malaysia’s best bird field guides, summarised and making it easy to choose which you prefer. Again, everyone has an individual preference for field guides, namely the details, size, weight, etc.

Some birders rely on eBird, while others want to learn more about the species; therefore, if you plan to go on a long bird tour in Malaysia or do a lot of birding here, you should consider which field guide suits you. Let me know which you think is the best bird field guide book for Malaysia.