Ruddy Kingfisher @ Tuaran, Sabah, Borneo, East Malaysia

Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda) is a colorful, very active and attractive resident bird can be found in Tuaran mangrove forest, Sabah, Borneo, East Malaysia

The photos were taken using Nikon D500 paired with Nikkor 500 PF lens, ISO 2000, F 5.6, EV -0.7. 

Tuaran is a district located some 34 km away from the capital city Kota Kinabalu. Located in the West coast division of Sabah, Tuaran has large mangove forest, which attracts a lot of shore birds both residents and migratory birds. Tuaran can be reached in approximately 40 minutes from Kota Kinabalu by car. 

Kota Kinabalu can be considered as a transit place for many bird watchers and birders to Sabah, Borneo, East Malaysia as it is a gateway to other more exciting bird watching and bird photography destinations in the island, such as Mount Alab, Rainforest Discovery Center (RDC) and Mount Trusmadi. 

Due to its geography, Kota Kinabalu has a large bird population and varieties with a recorded more than 30 species of birds. It certainly entices many birders to be there. The main target birds include different types of kites, eagles, parrots, bee-eaters, swallows, kingfishers, shrikes, weavers, flycatchers, bulbuls, pigeons just to name a few. It has become a destination for migratory birds too. Other excellent nearby birding locations are Penampang and Tanjung Aru.