A “grail bird” of many birders visiting Borneo, this unique and unmistakable bird with an incandescent head looks like a cross between a small crow and a brightly-colored tube sock. We got super lucky to see this one from 10 feet away in great light! Usually they are seen far away in bad light.
Dark and heavy hooked bill gives it a top-heavy appearance. Often encountered in small flocks as it hops about in the canopy of primary dipterocarp and peatswamp forest in lowland and foothill areas. Our guide Liew who is very experienced said this was the closest encounter he ever had with this difficult species.
We got a good light since we saw this flock feeding on insects down low.
