Passerines

Broadbills

The broadbills are small, brightly coloured birds that feed on fruit and also take insects in flycatcher fashion, snapping their broad bills. Their habitat is canopies of wet forests. There are 15 species worldwide and 9 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Pittas

Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, and stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills. Many, but not all, are brightly coloured. They are spend the majority of their time on wet forest floors, eating snails, insects and similar invertebrate prey which they find there. There are 32 species worldwide and 12 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Larks

Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds. There are 91 species worldwide and 1 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Swallows & Martins

The Hirundinidae family is a group of passerines characterized by their adaptation to aerial feeding. Their adaptations include a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and short bills with wide gape. The feet are designed for perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base. There are 75 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Wagtails & Pipits

The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground feeding insectivores of open country. There are 54 species worldwide and 9 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Cuckoo-Shrikes

The cuckoo-shrikes are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are predominantly greyish with white and black, although some species are brightly coloured. There are 82 species worldwide and 12 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Rail-Babbler

The Eupetidae is a monotypic family; its sole species occurs in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Bulbuls

Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throat or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests. There are 130 species worldwide and 27 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Leafbirds

The Leafbirds are small, bulbul-like birds. The males are brightly plumaged, usually in greens and yellows. There are 8 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Ioras

The ioras are bulbul-like birds of open forest or thorn scrub, but whereas that group tends to be drab in coloration, ioras are sexually dimorphic, with the males being brightly plumaged in yellows and greens. There are 4 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Thrushes & allies

The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs. There are 335 species worldwide and 9 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Cisticolas & allies

The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub. There are 111 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Old World Warblers

The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. The Sylviidae mainly occur as breeding species, as the common name implies, in Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent Africa. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs. There are 291 species worldwide and 22 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Old World Flycatchers

Old World flycatchers are a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small arboreal insectivores. The appearance of these birds is very varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls. There Are 274 species worldwide and 60 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Fantails

The Fantails are small insectivorous birds which are specialist aerial feeders. There are 44 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Monarch Flycatchers

The monarch flycatchers are small to medium-sized insectivorous passerines, which hunt by flycatching. There are 99 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Whistlers & allies

The family Pachycephalidae includes the whistlers, shrike-thrushes, shrike-tits, pitohuis and Crested Bellbird. There are 57 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Babblers

The babblers or timaliids are somewhat diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. There are 270 species worldwide and 55 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Thornbills & allies

Thornbills are small passerine birds, similar in habits to the tits. There are 65 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Chickadees & Titmice

The Paridae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects. There are 59 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Nuthatches

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet. There are 24 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Sunbirds & Spiderhunters

The sunbirds and spiderhunters are very small passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed. There are 131 species worldwide and 20 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Flowerpeckers

The flowerpeckers are very small, stout, often brightly coloured birds, with short tails, short thick curved bills and tubular tongues. There are 44 species worldwide and 12 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

White-Eyes

The white-eyes are small and are mostly of undistinguished appearance, the plumage above being generally either some dull color like greenish olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks. As their name suggests many species have a white ring around the eyes. There are 96 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Old World Orioles

The Old World Orioles are colourful passerine birds. They are not related to the New World orioles. There are 29 species worldwide and 6 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Fairy-Bluebirds

The Fairy-bluebirds are bubbul-like birds of open forest or thorn scrub. The males are dark-blue and the females a duller green. There are 2 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Shrikes

Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey. There are 31 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Helmetshrikes

The helmetshrikes are similar in build to the shrikes, but tend to be colourful species with distinctive crests or other head ornaments, such as wattles, from which they get their name. There are 12 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Drongos

The drongos are mostly are black or dark grey in colour, sometimes with metallic tints. They have long forked tails, and some Asian species have elaborate tail decorations. They have short legs and sit very upright whilst perched, like a shrike. They flycatch or take prey from the ground. There are 24 species worldwide and 7 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Woodswallows

The woodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds. They are smooth, agile flyers with moderately large, semi-triangular wings. There are 11 species worldwide and 2 species which occurs in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Bristleheads

The Bornean Bristlehead is large black bird with a red and yellow head. Females also have some red in the wings. It has a massive heavy black hooked bill and a short tail. The crown of the head has short, coloured projections like bare feather shaft, hence the name 'Bristlehead'.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Crows, Jays, Ravens & Magpies

The Corvidae family includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers, and ground jays. Corvids are above average in size for the bird order Passeriformes. Some of the larger species show high levels of learning behavior. There are 120 species worldwide and 9 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Starlings

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct, and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen. There are 125 species worldwide and 14 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Weavers & allies

The weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches. They are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season. There are 116 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Waxbills & allies

The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are gregarious and often colonial seed-eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but have a wide variation in plumage colours and pattern. There are 141 species worldwide and 10 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Buntings, Sparrows, Seedeaters & allies

The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill. In Europe, most species are named as buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as Sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns. There are 275 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Siskins, Crossbills & allies

Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. There are 137 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

Sparrows

Sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed-eaters, and they also consume small insects. There are 35 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Malaysia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good

More info

For more info regarding the bird species and names, please read the List of Birds of Malaysia from Wikipedia.
Moderators: jytou, JKC, Mr No Good