to find nests in the tropics. Many birds build high in remote forest areas and within dense foliage. But the breeding season is an important time for the birdwatcher, because males tend to mark their territory aggressively, so there are more calls and often the birds are somewhat bolder and easier to observe at this time. Towards the end of the breeding season juveniles appear and add to the activity. Passerines typically feed their young for some time after they fledge, and many breeding records are established by observing the feeding.
Above the 50th parallel, a change to a more seasonal climate occurs. The change is complete above the 20th parallel, where the climate is subtropical with a distinct hot and cold season. Significant local variations prevail, but in general these northern regions experience a cold season with little rainfall lasting from December to February, Over most parts of continental Thailand and Indochina, 80 percent of precipitation falls during the southwest monsoon from May to October, while the cold months are very dry. Breeding in this region is seasonal, with most forest birds breeding in the spring, which is typical for northern hemisphere birds. However, evidence suggests that waterbirds may locally prefer to nest during the end of the wet season, from July into January, but this needs further verification.
Southeast Asia lies towards the end of the East Asia migratory flyway. Migrants from temperate, subarctic and arctic parts of Asia converge on the region during the northern winter. Some pass through during peak migration from September to November and on the return flight from March to April. Many others go no further and make the region their winter quarters.
The actual movement of flying birds is difficult to observe in this region, since most species tend to change location at night, or fly high, out of sight. However, they tend to follow the coastlines, and passage migrants and winter visitors can turn up anywhere depending on habitat requirements. Coastal mudflats (for the water-dependent species) and wooded areas just behind the beach (for arboreal birds) are particularly good places to birdwatch during the winter season.
In conclusion, the beginning of the year is a good time to visit Southeast Asia. At this time the northern subtropical areas experience cool, dry weather and many migrants augment the local avifauna. Towards the end of winter into early spring, the resident birds become more active and conspicuous. In tropical areas, the heavy rainfalls of December subside about this time and the many resident forest birds become more vocal and daring. Alternatively, try to visit from September to November after the subtropical rains, when the northern migrants arrive, but before the tropical monsoons begin. In the subtropics watch for breeding waterbirds.
Places to go
Birds do not recognise political demarcations, so national boundaries are really not very useful when describing the avifauna of a region, however people do, and active birdwatchers keep lists, and tally species they have seen within certain countries. Within the region covered in this volume, some major political entities exist, thus in the following table we list the nations and territories most visited by birdwatchers. Endemics refer to restricted range species found only in that country, except for East Malaysia and Brunei where numbers refer to Borneo endemics.
Just how many birds can one see in total in this region? Obviously many of the species listed under countries will be repeats. For a measurement of the total diversity Robson (2000) lists 1,251 species, King et al (1975) list 62 additional ones for Taiwan, Hainan. MacKinnon & Phillipps list 37 species endemic to Borneo, and Dickinson et al. (1991) has 169 endemics for the Philippines. Calculated this way about 1,519 different birds are found in Southeast Asia. But if you see the 668 covered in this volume, you will have done well.
Conservation
Many of the birds in this book are adaptable and prolific. The Yellow-bellied Prinia readily invades forest areas cleared for development; and the Common Myna visits gardens and even invades people's homes to grab food. These birds have no problem surviving, but others adapt poorly to changes in their environment, so if their forest is removed or their island built over, they have no place to go. They need our help if they are to survive.
'Conservation begins with enjoyment' says the English comedian and professional birdwatcher Bill Oddie. In the 1994 BirdLife International study, published in Collar et al. (1994), it was documented that no less than 1,111 bird species comprising 11 percent of the world's avifauna could be regarded as globally threatened with extinction. A further 875 (or nine percent) was near-threatened. In other words, one out of five of all birds in the world is doing poorly or about to disappear.
Even in this book, which mainly features the easy-to-see species, 29 birds are globally threatened, a further 31 birds fall into the near-threatened category, which totals nine percent of the species covered.
The BirdLife study also revealed that most of the threatened birds live in the tropics, in countries with relatively low national incomes. They are forest birds (65 percent) and the main causes for their decline are habitat loss, a small range or population, and hunting and trapping. Unfortunately, most birds are unable to defend themselves. This is where Bill Oddie's enjoyment factor comes in. Birdwatching is fun, exciting, intellectually stimulating and as more people take up the interest they wilt tend to appreciate the natural world more. This has happened in the West and is now happening in the East.
But first of all, reliable data is necessary before action can be taken. Together with BirdLife International, local nature societies and birdwatching clubs continuously document the status of selected species and sites as part of the Asian Red Data book project and surveys for Important Bird Area inventories.
In this era of globalisation, national efforts are not enough. The rich biodiversity is available for everybody to enjoy and likewise we all have a responsibility to monitor and protect it. Birdwatchers from elsewhere can visit Southeast Asia to enjoy what the region has to offer, and they should, in turn, make their expertise and observations available to national agencies. Once we know where to direct our priorities, we can initiate programs to reverse the decline of so many beautiful birds.
We must stop the indiscriminate developing of natural bird habitats, cease polluting the environment and start rebuilding what has already been damaged. We must heed the advice of those who have studied biodiversity and take into consideration the environmental effects of development just as seriously as we take the advice of economists and technicians before making decisions on how to progress.
In 1997, the Southeast Asian region experienced an economic setback partly due to an unbalanced and consumer-focused type of development. One hopes that the next bout of economic growth will be more sensitive to a total quality of life, including an appreciation for our natural heritage, the diversity of life, the health of the environment and the well-being of the other lifeforms around us—including the birds.
Baya Weaver at nest entrance.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Area covered
For the purpose of this book we have adopted the generally accepted system of dividing the world into 6 zoo geographical or faunal regions. Modified from Viney, Phillipps and Lam (1994) the regions are as follows:
Figure 1; Faunal regions of the world
| Regions | Subregions |
| Australasian | Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and Oceanic Islands |
| African |
