In May 2023, I took the opportunity to visit the Kinabalu National Park and managed to see the Sunda Cuckoo in Sabah here. This was my second sighting of this beautiful bird in montane regions.
My trip to the Kinabalu National Park was more of a product update, as birdwatching was secondary. Still, the opportunity came by, and I was pleased to have seen this bird and also captured a quick video of it.
Sunda Cuckoo in Sabah
The Sunda cuckoo or Sunda lesser cuckoo (Cuculus lepidus) is larger than most common birds and averages about 30 cm in size. The colours are black and dark grey with a buff underpart and black bars—a prominent yellow eye ring around the bird’s eye and a lower yellow beak.
On the elevation, each region seems to have its heights. For example, in Peninsular Malaysia, the Sunda Cuckoo is found at altitudes of 950–1700 metres, while in Borneo, it is 1300–2700 metres and above 1000 metres in Java, Sumatra and Wallacea.
Video of the Sunda Cuckoo at Kinabalu Park in Sabah
If you are also interested in more bird videos, please consider subscribing to the Birdwatching Malaysia YouTube Channel. I will regularly upload quick videos of birds from around Malaysia and Asia.
Conclusion
For more information, you can read about the Sunda Cuckoo on Wikipedia. And for even more information, read about the Sunda Cuckoo on eBird. Again, this beautiful cuckoo can be seen in montane areas of Malaysia, but not everywhere.
This was my second sighting of the Sunda Cuckoo in Sabah and, ironically, at the same national park. Let’s hope this does not become a habit on my next visit here in July or August.
