Wildlife and Nature in Langkawi
Part of the Langkawi travel guide — see every topic in All Langkawi Guides.
Langkawi's forests hold a surprisingly complete lowland fauna for an island of six hundred square kilometres, and the mangrove and karst systems add more. The headline species are the great hornbill and the oriental pied hornbill, both common enough to see from a resort balcony; the brahminy kite and white-bellied sea eagle, which the island is named for; the colugo, a gliding mammal that is not a lemur despite the name; and dusky langurs, which are unmistakable and endearing.
Birds
Langkawi has recorded well over two hundred bird species. Great hornbills, with a wingspan approaching a metre and a half, are regularly seen in the Datai valley and around the northern forests, along with oriental pied and wreathed hornbills. Brahminy kites and white-bellied sea eagles patrol the coast and the Kilim mangroves — the island's name derives in part from the reddish-brown eagle. Kingfishers, bee-eaters, hill mynas and paradise flycatchers fill in. Dawn in the Datai valley or on a Kilim kayak trip is the best birding on the island.
Mammals
The colugo, or flying lemur, is Langkawi's signature mammal — a nocturnal glider that can cover over a hundred metres between trees on a membrane stretched between its limbs, and is neither a lemur nor capable of powered flight. Dusky langurs, grey with white spectacle markings and bright orange infants, are common and gentle. Long-tailed macaques are common and are not — they raid bags and rooms. Otters, mouse deer, civets, flying foxes and squirrels of several species round it out.
Where to see it
Guided night walks are the single best wildlife activity here, turning up colugos, civets, tarantulas, scorpions, tree frogs and snakes in a couple of hours. Several resorts, particularly in the Datai valley, employ resident naturalists and run walks open to non-guests. Kayaking in the Kilim mangroves at dawn produces otters, kingfishers, monitor lizards and mudskippers. The Machinchang trails and the Gunung Raya road are good for hornbills. Wildlife Park Langkawi is a conventional captive collection rather than a wild encounter.
Doing it responsibly
Decline eagle feeding, wherever it is offered on boat tours — it concentrates birds unnaturally and chicken fat is poor raptor nutrition, and conservation bodies have campaigned against it for years. Do not feed macaques and secure food, bags and room balconies; a fed macaque becomes an aggressive one. Keep distance from langurs. On night walks, red-filtered torches and no flash. And stay on the trails in the geoforest parks — the karst here supports endemic snails and plants found nowhere else.
Wildlife and Nature at a glance
| Birds | 200+ species; great, pied and wreathed hornbills |
|---|---|
| Signature mammal | Colugo — glides over 100 m, not a lemur |
| Also common | Dusky langurs, otters, macaques, flying foxes |
| Best activity | Guided night walk, 2 hours |
| Best birding | Datai valley at dawn; Kilim by kayak |
| Do not | Feed eagles or macaques |