A Narcissus Flycatcher second sighting in Peninsular Malaysia was observed at Bukit Kiara Park in Kuala Lumpur on 10 March 2023. This also comes as great news to the birding industry as it is one of the rare bird sightings here.

Birdwatching Asia took a quick trip to spot this beautiful flycatcher as it would be our ‘Lifer‘, which was the first time seeing a bird species arriving at the location at about 8.30 AM; we managed to see it perched high on a tree.

Narcissus Flycatcher Second Sighting in Peninsular Malaysia

On 15 March, Ashraf and I had an early breakfast before heading to the Bukit Kiara site, where it was first spotted on 10 March by Roselyn, an avid birder who frequents the Taman Tun area.

The photo of this bird was initially shared on a Facebook posting due to identification uncertainty, and it was clarified that the species was indeed a Narcissus Flycatcher (Ficedula narcissina).

When we arrived early at the location in Bukit Kiara, we bumped into several avid birders who were also there to see this beautiful bird. Some of them were pursuing their studies in Ornithology at a local university, which is quite rare in Malaysia.

Within minutes of getting to know each other, Ashraf spotted the Narcissus Flycatcher moving around in the high canopy, and we all had our major lifer moments. Soon enough, another birding couple joined us, who had also heard about this rare bird sighting.

They, too, managed to see the flycatcher, but it was quite high up and moved around the canopy quite a bit. Within minutes, it disappeared, and we resorted to observing the other nearby birds.

We hoped the flycatcher would move downwards to eye level, but that never happened. However, right after our lifer, we spotted the beautiful ferruginous flycatcher nearby, allowing us to photograph and observe it.

You can also get more information on Wikipedia about the Narcissus Flycatcher or even on eBird, as they have some beautiful photos of this bird available there.

And checking eBird’s location sighting data, the flycatcher was spotted in Taiping, Perak and Kulim, Kedah. Therefore, if those two sightings are confirmed, this would be the third sighting in Peninsular Malaysia.

Conclusion

The Narcissus Flycatcher second sighting in Peninsular Malaysia is my second lifer for this family after spotting the Blue and White Flycatcher along the Old Gombak Road at the end of 2022. This is also a great start to birding in 2023, and hopefully, we will share more information about other sightings of rare birds in Malaysia.