Have you ever wondered how many bird species are there in Malaysia? This is probably a question that most bird watchers or ornithologists would be asking.

While it has been entirely speculative about the number of birds in Malaysia over the last few years, several websites have stated that there are around 800 plus birds and fear not, as I have done the work and found the number to date.

How Many Bird Species Are There in Malaysia?

There is no accurate number in today’s world, as everyone wants a piece of the cake with different websites and groups claiming other numbers. So who do you believe, and which one is correct?

Edit 27 July 2022 – MNS has issued the latest checklist for the birds of Malaysia, with 814 species recorded. This was officiated at the Fraser’s Hill International Bird Race 2022 on 23 July.

Most people will Google and read the topmost article or number that comes out, and when I did that, Wikipedia was the top search result with 834 species of birds in Malaysia. However, scrolling down, I noticed Avibase with 837 birds, four more than Wikipedia.

Anyway, I have compiled a few different sources for the bird species in Malaysia below;

• Wikipedia lists 834 species of birds in Malaysia, where 16 are endemic, and humans have introduced 19 with 63 globally threatened species.
• Avibase and Clements Bird Checklist of the World lists 837 species of birds in Malaysia, which is currently the highest number of birds.
• A Malaysia Bird Checklist excel sheet done by senior Malaysian birders lists a total of 827 birds in Malaysia, which was last updated in Dec 2019.
• Birdlife International lists 721 bird species in Malaysia when checked on 7 June 2021.
• Malaysian Nature Society or MNS issued the latest Checklist for Birds in Malaysia with 814 species on 23rd July 2022.

Many independent websites and blogs have bird numbers of Malaysia, but many are not accurate or outdated. I saw a few of them which still list 640 or 730 birds of Malaysia.

Remember, this article is written for the layman, and I will not be going into technical or scientific terms and jargon. Why? So that anyone can understand this article quickly.

Over the years, many websites or blogs on bird watching tend to be too technical; sometimes, I feel it was written for serious birders or academics rather than the ordinary person.

So, with all the above, I have concluded to follow Avibase statistics and state that as of June 2021, the total number of birds in Malaysia is 837.

Why is the Number of Birds Important?

*Edited to remove a statement that can confuse; therefore, the number of birds is important for the following;

It can help in avitourism or avian tourism, which is still very new in Malaysia. However, some states like Sabah have been active n this for the last ten years and have developed this genre well.

To help boost this, the country should be looking at training more professional bird guides and providing proper birding education among the locals. There should also be more bird tour companies or existing ones offering bird tours.

Another place in Malaysia that is doing well in this area is Langkawi Island. Again, they focused on nature and bird watching due to the amazing mangrove and other ecosystems around the island.

The state of Perak is also an up-and-coming destination for bird watching in Malaysia due to the many different bird sanctuaries and forest reserves.

Selangor, where I live, is also a popular birding destination within Kuala Lumpur’s capital, and I have been bird watching in Selangor since the start of the Covid19 pandemic.

Conclusion

This article was done purely for bird watchers, bird photographers, ornithologists and nature lovers interested in the statistics. However, it may come in handy for your academic work, thesis or any other project that you may be working on.

At the end of the day, many of us would like to know the number of bird species found in Malaysia, and thankfully, there are multiple sources for this, including professional groups.

With this, if anyone asks how many birds Malaysia has, the current answer is 814, and this will probably increase or decrease in the next couple of years.