Birds to See in Malaysia in January
62 bird species on our list for Malaysia are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Barn Swallow and Purple Heron. New this month: Coot, Eurasian Wigeon and Oriental Scops-owl.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanArriving
At their peak
Wood SandpiperBusiest month of the year · Jul–Apr
Pacific Golden-PloverBusiest month of the year · Aug–Apr
Little Ringed PloverBusiest month of the year · Aug–Mar
Kentish PloverBusiest month of the year · Aug–Apr
Black-tailed GodwitBusiest month of the year · Jul–May
Yellow-browed WarblerBusiest month of the year · Nov–Mar
From Malaysia’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 62 birds in January
62 birds
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanusResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 1.24% in Jan
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentCommon55–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.22% in Jan
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.93% in Jan
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaWinter visitorCommon17–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.91% in Jan
Purple HeronArdea purpureaResidentCommon78–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.83% in Jan
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 0.74% in Jan
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year · 0.68% in Jan
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.67% in Jan
Scaly-breasted MuniaLonchura punctulataResidentCommon11–12 cmRecorded all year · 0.52% in Jan
Chestnut MuniaLonchura atricapillaResidentUncommon10–11 cmRecorded all year · 0.45% in Jan
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinereaWinter visitorCommon17–20 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.40% in Jan
Blue-eared BarbetPsilopogon cyanotisResidentCommon20–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.39% in Jan- Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaWinter visitorUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 0.39% in Jan
Red JunglefowlGallus gallusResidentUncommon42–75 cmRecorded all year · 0.39% in Jan- Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.32% in Jan
GreenshankTringa nebulariaWinter visitorUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.27% in Jan
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentUncommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.27% in Jan
Oriental Honey-buzzardPernis ptilorhynchusResidentUncommon52–68 cmRecorded all year · 0.26% in Jan
Rufous-tailed TailorbirdOrthotomus sericeusResidentCommon10–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.25% in Jan
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorUncommon27–29 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.24% in Jan
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.24% in Jan
Common KingfisherAlcedo atthisWinter visitorUncommon16–17 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.23% in Jan- Little Ringed PloverThinornis dubiusWinter visitorUncommon14–17 cmRegularly Aug–Mar · 0.20% in Jan
MoorhenGallinula chloropusWinter visitorUncommon30–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.19% in Jan
Crested MynaAcridotheres cristatellusResidentUncommon24–27 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Jan
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusResidentUncommon34–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Jan
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaWinter visitorUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.12% in Jan- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinusWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.12% in Jan
Little TernSternula albifronsResidentUncommon21–25 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Jan
CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorUncommon50–60 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.12% in Jan
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusWinter visitorUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.11% in Jan- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaWinter visitorUncommon40–44 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.10% in Jan
Orange-headed ThrushGeokichla citrinaResidentUncommon20–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in Jan
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.10% in Jan
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in Jan
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisResidentUncommon23–29 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in Jan
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.09% in Jan
OspreyPandion haliaetusWinter visitorUncommon54–58 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.08% in Jan
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaWinter visitorUncommon33–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Jan- Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatusWinter visitorUncommon10–11 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.07% in Jan
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.07% in Jan
White-tailed RobinMyiomela leucuraResidentUncommon16–18 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Jan
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorUncommon25–27 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.06% in Jan
Black EagleIctinaetus malaiensisResidentUncommon65–80 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Jan
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaPassage migrantUncommon40–47 cmRegularly Nov–Jan · 0.05% in Jan
Common TernSterna hirundoWinter visitorUncommon31–35 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Jan
Temminck's StintCalidris temminckiiWinter visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly Sep–Mar · 0.04% in Jan
GarganeySpatula querquedulaWinter visitorRare37–41 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.04% in Jan
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusWinter visitorRare38–44 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 0.04% in Jan
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorRare23–26 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.03% in Jan
CootFulica atraScarceRare36–42 cmRegularly Jan · 0.03% in Jan
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaWinter visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.03% in Jan
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorRare44–51 cmRegularly Nov–Feb · 0.02% in Jan
Northern PintailAnas acutaPassage migrantRare59–76 cmRegularly Nov–Jan · 0.02% in Jan
RuffCalidris pugnaxWinter visitorRare20–32 cmRegularly Sep–Mar · 0.02% in Jan
Little StintCalidris minutaWinter visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.02% in Jan
Blue Rock-thrushMonticola solitariusResidentRare21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Jan
Booted EagleHieraaetus pennatusWinter visitorRare42–51 cmRegularly Nov–Feb · 0.01% in Jan
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopePassage migrantRare42–51 cmRegularly Jan · 0.01% in Jan
KestrelFalco tinnunculusWinter visitorRare32–39 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.01% in Jan
House SparrowPasser domesticusPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Dec–May · 0.01% in Jan
Oriental Scops-owlOtus suniaPassage migrantRare16–20 cmRegularly Jan–Feb · 0.00% in Jan
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made