Magnificent emerald-green giant of a broadbill, with distinctive black mottling and streaking. Males have black streaking on the underparts which females lack.
A specialty of Borneo’s central highlands, where it can be found in montane forest with extensive tall pristine growth. Typically seen singly, but occasionally also in pairs or small flocks, especially at fruiting trees. Gives a sharp metallic “tlak!”, followed by a grating rattle.
Even though we could not bird fully at Mount Kinabalu due to the poor weather on our first day there, we still managed to see some really cool birds including the stunning Whitehead’s Broadbill, one of our main targets at the park. We were thrilled to find an active nest with a female sitting inside.
Looking around, I also spotted the male sitting not far from the nest. It appeared to always be around every time we passed by the nest. These were certainly some of the best views that I’ve had of this species.