Lying next to the Wallace Line – the biomes border between Asian and Australasian fauna and flora, Bali has one of the richest ecosystems on the planet, with hundreds of bird species coming from Asia, East Java, Lombok, and Australia.
Where to enjoy birdwatching in Bali, what beautiful birds you can expect to see and try to identify, and what are some of the best birding sites – all you need to know in our ultimate guide for bird lovers!
Bird Species Of Bali: From Sparrows To Starlings
The relatively small island of Bali, just 153 km from east to west, is home to more than 420 species of birds, from wild chickens to Yellow-crested Cockatoo, and the rare Bali Myna.
Common Bird Species
You won’t need a birding tour to spot these frequent flyers – they’re all over Bali and have learned to co-exist with humans.
Fulvous Chested Jungle Flycatcher – small grey-brown birdies often singing jingles alongside the forest edges.
Eastern Cattle Egrets and Javan Pond Herons – probably, the most common birds in Bali you will see around cows and poking around rice fields.
Doves – Spotted and Zebra doves are often spotted around Tabanan and Belalang regencies in Bali. Small, elegant, grey-brown doves who love gardens. Rarer doves like the Asian Emerald Dove with pretty greenish wings live in the national park.
House Swifts and Sparrows are the most common birds in Bali, in most tourist and developed areas. They can fly by the house or nest in the trees.
Yellow-Vented Bulbul – a common urban bird all across Asia that lives in parks and forests.
While it is impossible to cover all the bird species at once, here are some of the most beautiful birds you should see while visiting Bali.
Bali Myna (Bali Starling)
The only endemic species, Bali Myna, also called Bali Starling, is the most iconic bird of Bali, but, unfortunately, endangered – fewer than 50 adult birds left in the wild.
This beauty is the reason birdwatching enthusiasts come to Bali in the first place – a gorgeous white bird with black tips on the wings and tail and bright blue areas around the eyes.
There are other species in this family, and one in particular, the Black-winged Myna, is even more critically endangered, but you can still spot it in West Bali National Park.
Green Junglefowl
Not your regular chickens, these are one of the real wild chickens out there! Maybe not as exciting as seeing a rare Bali Myna, but honestly, a very rare sight. Most chickens you will see in Bali are domesticated or farm chickens.
Javan Plovers
Javan Plover is a common bird species you will see by the water, but not on busy beaches. Most likely on more secluded sandy coasts, around mangroves and mudflats.
It is easy to identify by its white collar, grey-brown “suit” and longer legs.
Savanna Nightjar
The best place to see a Savanna Nightjar in Bali is in mangroves and dry savanna areas in the West Bali National Park.
This medium-sized nocturnal bird loves to sit on the ground, but has an amazing brown camouflage, so you won’t spot it easily.
Kingfishers
Kingfishers are elusive but absolutely gorgeous birds that you can see all over Bali. There are multiple species like the Cerulean kingfisher, the Javan Kingfisher, the Sacred Kingfisher, and the rare Rufous-Backed Dwarf Kingfisher – if you see any of those, you will be lucky!
Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher was the highlight of our trip. It has so many colours: bright yellow body, red-orange head, while wings and back feathers are all sorts of blue, red, orange, and even purple colours.
They are easily spooked, so best to observe from a distance. We were lucky to see a few in Bali Barat National Park and in Lagoon Nusa Dua.
Java Sparrow
This is an interesting bird species in Bali: grey bodies with a black cap on the head, white cheeks, and a red beak. They are not native to the island and are, in fact, considered invasive.
At the same time, highly threatened in their natural habitat, so they found a new home at a very peculiar place – Ubung bus terminal in Denpasar.
Hair-Crested Drongos
Gorgeous noisy charcoal black birds with a unique tail, with the tip curling up. They love to live and fly in flocks and chatter.
Although not endangered, they are hard to come by in Bali, and most often tourists see them in Bali Barat National Park.
Javan Banded Pitta
Javan Banded Pitta is one of the key species in Bali that bird lovers look forward to seeing, and it is often found in the western region, by the national park.
It looks like it is wearing a banded shirt, has a little blue collar, a yellow neck, a black crown, and a deep blue tail. Very unique ground-dwelling bird.
Orange-Headed Thrush
Another beautiful bird known for its bright orange chest and head, grey-blue wings, and ringing jingles.
They love to forage in the forest, looking through leaves on the ground. Mostly seen in the national park.
Flowerpeckers
Orange-bellied and Scarlet-headed Flowerpeckers can be spotted in rainforests and temples on the West coast.
They are small birds with bright yellow and orange colours on their bodies, and the Flowepeckers love to feast on fruits, seeds, and berries.
Bee-Eaters
Blue-tailed and Chestnut-headed Bee-Eaters are the two most common birds from this family to see in Bali.
Richly colored, these are small birds living on the forest edge and love to chirp!
Black-Naped Oriole
A beautiful, slender, yellow bird with a longer beak. The males also have a black mask over their eyes and along the edges of the wings and tail.
In Bali, you will be able to see these birds in the West Bali National Park and Jatiluwih Terraces.
Pink-Necked & Grey-Cheeked Green Pigeons
A fancy pigeon like no other that you can spot in the trees in the national park and in Ubud.
The whole body of the Grey-Cheeked Green Pigeon is light green, and the males have beautiful maroon-burgundy wings.
The Pink-Necked pigeon is even more stunning – they have a pale blue head, a pastel pink neck, an orange chest, and a light green body.
Oriental Dollarbird
Stocky little bird with a red bill and glossy body colored in grey, turquoise, and dark blue colours.
These birds are called Dollarbirds because they have a little white spot on the inside part of the wings that looks like a coin.
8 Best Places For An Amazing Bali Birding Experience
If you’re lucky and your hotel room has a balcony overlooking a garden, a river, or a rice paddy nearby, you will need to get up early to spot some birds.
The best birding sites, however, are in the West Bali National Park, mangroves, and highlands like Bedugul.
Ubud
If you’re staying in Ubud and don’t have time to explore the national park, you can still see a diverse array of colourful birds on your walks or with a birding guide.
The areas like rice paddies and terraces around Ubud, Campuhan Ridge Walk, Tjampuhan Ridge, and Petulu village are best to spot colourful kingfishers, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Javan Pond Heron, Black-naped Oriole, White-headed Munia, and Yellow-vented Bulbul.
Javan Pond Heron will be the easiest to spot – they often hang out by the rice fields, while Yellow-vented Bulbul and Black-naped Oriole prefer trees and forests, and Munia likes bushes and grassy areas.
Bali Barat National Park
West Bali National Park (Bali Barat National Park) is the best place to see the largest number of birds in Bali, including the endemic Bali Starling in its natural habitat.
During your trip to the only national park in Bali, you can observe more than 150 other bird species nesting here, including:
Stunning colourful Pink-necked Green Pigeons,
Bee-eaters (Chestnut-headed Bee-Eater and Blue-tailed Bee-eaters),
Long-Tailed Shrike,
Different species of swallows,
Black-Naped Oriole,
Black Racket-Tailed Treepie,
Crested Treeswift,
Dollarbird,
Sacred Kingfisher, and many, many more!
As well as some larger birds like stork-looking Lesser Adjutant, milky stork, and Crested Serpent-Eagle.
Many operators can arrange tours for you, and it is a must to have a local guide if you want to enjoy your time here, as regular tourists who come here without a guide often say that they didn’t see any animals or birds.
Sanda Plantation Hideaway
This real plantation is hiding in one of the best villages for birdwatching – Pupuan.
Pupuan is a famous spot to meet the Olive-backed Sunbird – a yellow bird with a blue neck and long beak that loves flower nectar!
The plantation has proper bird hides where you can wait for the perfect moment to take a picture. You can expect to see colourful birds like Javan Banded Pitta, Orange-headed Thrush, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Collared and Javan Kingfisher, and many others!
Where Is It? Jalan Raya Antosari, Sanda, Kec. Pupuan, Kabupaten Tabanan, Bali 82163
Bali Birding Tour
If you don’t want to test your luck and drive around the island hoping to see some birds, trust the skilled ornithologists at Bali Birding Tour.
From half-day trips around Bali to 18-day tours including Bali and other islands in the Indonesian archipelago, they will take you exactly to the spots where you can see, try to identify, and take photos of the most famous Bali birds, from the Sunda Scops Owl to the Starling.
Online: Bali Birding Tour
Bedugul
Bedugul has an amazing climate, a mix of tropical forest and mountains. Its cooler temperatures and rains make it a perfect birding site for you, especially around Lake Tamblingan, Lake Buyan, and Bali Botanical Gardens.
You can spot Freckle-breasted Woodpeckers, a Striated Grassbird, and a Yellow Bittern by Lake Buyan, and Sunda Warblers, Javan Owlet, endemic Javan Whistling Thrush, and Snowy-browed Flycatcher around Tamblingan Lake, but the highlight is the Bali Botanical Garden, hands down.
Bali Botanical Garden
Tall trees, green hills, and nearby mountains and lakes 1,300 meters above the sea level created an amazing, cool and humid climate for an afternoon stroll in the botanical garden.
While there are not many flowers or plants to see, if you venture into the quite small trails, you will be able to see so many birds, from some doves and cuckoos to rarer birds and even monkeys!
Year-round inhabitants of the botanical garden are:
Javan Grey-throated White-eye – small birds with a grey neck and a pale green body,
Blood-breasted Flowerpecker with a beautiful red spot on its white chest,
Javan Whistling-Thrush – stunning, wholly bright blue bird.
Yellow-throated hanging parrot (also can be found in Java and West Bali National Park),
Barbets (Coppersmith, Flame-fronted, and Yellow-eared Barbet)
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch – a curious bird with a grey chest, blue wings, and a small red beak.
Babblers (Crescent-chested Babbler and Chestnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler)
Black-thighed Falconets – one of the world’s smallest birds of prey (about 15 cm).
Javan Cuckooshrike – a lowland bird endemic to Java, and many others.
Once you reach the edge of the forest you may spot Fulvous-breasted Jungle-Flycatcher, Short-tailed Starling, Sunda Warbler, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher.
Lagoon Nusa Dua
In general, bodies of water and coastlines with mangrove forests will be a natural habitat for dozens of stunning water birds.
Lagoon Nusa Dua is one of the best birding sites to see Purple Herons, Little Pied Cormorant, Cerulean Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Mangrove Whistler, or even an Indonesian Honeyeater hiding in the trees.
There will be plenty of coastal birds to see, too, like Terek Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler, Beach Stone Curlew, Greater Sand Plover, and even a Savanna Nightjar.
Mangroves also provide a home to the absolutely gorgeous, colourful Pink-necked Green Pigeon.
Bali Bird Park
For families with kids and those who can’t spare a few days on a birding tour, Bali Bird Park in Gianyar is a one-stop solution to see some of the most iconic birds from Bali and Indonesia. Plus, they contribute to the fight against the extinction of endangered species.
At the park, you can see majestic Sea Eagles, Oriental Pied Hornbills with their unique massive horns on their beaks, a variety of parrots non-native to Bali (that you can feed), pelicans, Birds Of Paradise, white peacocks, and more than 1000 species from all over the world!
On your way back, stop by Pura Goa Lawah – this temple on the East coast is connected to an ancient cave where bats and Cave Swiftlets live.
Where Is It? Jl. Serma Cok Ngurah Gambir Singapadu, Batubulan, Kec. Sukawati, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80582
FAQs
Is Bali Good For Birdwatching?
Even though Bali is a smaller and less popular birdwatching destination in Indonesia, it is absolutely worth a visit! You can find an excellent Bali bird tour that will take you to all the best sites in 2-3 days, and you will be able to see coastal birds, eagles, famous kingfishers, and the unique Bali bird – the Bali Starling!
What Time Of Year Is Best For Birding In Bali?
April to October, or the dry season, is the best time to spot birds in the wild in Bali. You will get more luck if you visit the birding sites early in the morning or in the afternoon.
During the rainy season, the national park and the Bali Bird Park will be less crowded, however, birds usually breed (and are easier to spot) after the monsoon passes.
How Much Does It Cost To Go To The Bird Park In Bali?
As of May 2025, the official Bali Bir Park website sells tickets for adults for 385,000 IDR (38.5 AUD) and 265,000 IDR (26.5 AUD) for kids. They offer family packages and add-ons like a lunch with birds for an extra fee.
Are There Birds Of Paradise In Bali?
Birds of paradise are not native species to Bali, but you can see them in the Bali Bird Park. If you want to see these stunning, colourful birds in the wild, you may need to consider a trip to Raja Ampat in West Papua (part of the Indonesian archipelago).
Final Thoughts On Birdwatching Bali
Bali is truly a magical island, perfect for bird and wildlife viewing! There are dozens of superb birding sites from coast to northern forests and, of course, a unique national park on the West Coast.
You don’t even have to be an expert in ornithology. You can enjoy the tours with kids or by yourself and learn about nature and the creatures inhabiting tropical islands without even going far!
Read more:
Animals In Bali: Your Guide To All The Animals And Their Natural Environments On The Island
Lizards In Bali: From Bali Geckos To The Komodo Dragon, Your Questions Answered
