Hooded Pitta @ Batu Puteh, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Sabah, Borneo, East Malaysia

Hooded Pitta (Pitta sordida) is a colorful, very active and attractive resident bird can be found in Batu Puteh forest, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Sabah, Borneo, East Malaysia. 

It is observed that there is a different beween Hooded Pitta found in East Malaysia with its counterpart found in West Malaysia, that is color of the crown. East Malaysian Hooded Pitta has black crown whilst its counterpart in West Malaysia has brown crown. The photos were taken using Nikon D850 paired with Nikkor 500 PF lens, ISO 2500, F 5.6, EV -0.3. 

How to get to Batu Puteh, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu

Lahad Datu is a district located some 400 km away from the capital city Kota Kinabalu. Located in the Tawau division of Sabah, Batu Putih has both primary virgin forest and secondary forest, which attract a lot of birds both residents and migratory birds. 

Lahad Datu can be reached in approximately 7 hours 30 minutes from Kota Kinabalu by car. Alternatively, it can also be reached from Sandakan city in approximately 2 hours 30 minutes by car for a distance of 170 km. To reach birding location, it requires to hike approximately one kilometer through secondary forest behind a village crossing a small river. Special protection is needed against leaches for visiting the place during rainy season.

The Connecting City - Kota Kinabalu 

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.