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There are an estimated 10,000 living species of bird, around one fifth of which occur in Southeast Asia.  The greatest diversity occurs in lowland primary rainforest and coastal mangrove.  Broadly, birds can be divided into passerines and non-passerines. Passerines, or perching birds (Order : Passeriformes) comprise around one half of all bird species.  They are also known as 'songbirds' and are grouped together in a single order on the basis of the arrangement of toes and leg musculature.  Non-passerines comprise birds from 28 other orders in existence today.

Birds have undergone remarkable adaptive radiation, with many examples of convergent evolution i.e. unrelated bird groups have evolved similar body form in response to the demands of adapting to specific ecological niches. For example, swifts and swallows are of similar body shape, but are quite unrelated.

The casual observer need understand nothing of the complex evolutionary history of birds. Its simply enough to appreciate the stunning beauty and diversity of these creatures, particularly the brightly coloured kingfishers, barbets, trogons, woodpeckers, broadbills and majestic hornbills which inhabit the region's forests.

Yeo Suay Hwee and Morten Strange helped identify some of the less common birds in
 these pages, and Shawn Lum and Tony O'Demspey helped with the trees and plants.
  

Ducks, pheasants and look-alikes

Gulls, Plovers and allies

Herons, Egrets and Storks

Raptors

Pigeons, Parrots and relatives

Cuckoos and allies

Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers

Woodpeckers, Barbets and Trogons

Passerines  (Perching Birds)