Most zoochatters when thinking of Singapore think of the magnificent zoos to be found there. However for such a small, overbuilt island a surprising amount of wildlife can be found. As a major air hub it is very easy to get to, and the country itself is probably about the safest and easiest there is in the world for the tourist. All this makes it an ideal destination for anybody wanting to dip their toe into Asian wildlife observation for the first time.
I am fortunate to travel quite a bit for business and so have been to Singapore many times. However often my stays are very brief, just stopping on the way to somewhere else. Over the last 18 months I have been there three times, but the total amount of time I have been able to devote to wildlife watching is about 15 hours over the three visits. I have also only been to four destinations, the Botanic Gardens, Dairy Farm Reserve, Changi Beach Park and Pasar Ris Park. Despite this, as the list below shows, I have observed and identified 49 species during these visits. For many of these species, Singapore is by far the easiest place in the world to see them in the wild.
Mammals
Long-tailed macaque
Common treeshrew
Plantain squirrel
Slender squirrel
Smooth-coated otter
Birds
Grey heron
Striated heron
Eastern reef heron
Milky stork
White-bellied sea eagle
White-breasted waterhen
Red junglefowl
Little tern
Zebra dove
Spotted turtle-dove
Red-collared dove
Pink-necked green pigeon
Tanimbar corella
Yellow-crested cockatoo
Red-breasted parakeet
Square-tailed drongo-cuckoo
Black-capped kingfisher
Stork-billed kingfisher
Collared kingfisher
Common flameback
Sunda pygmy woodpecker
Golden-bellied gerygone
Black-naped oriole
Common iora
Greater racket-tailed drongo
House crow
Pacific swallow
Sunda yellow-vented bulbul
Olive-winged bulbul
Swinhoe's white-eye
White-crested laughingthrush
Javan mynah
Common mynah
Asian glossy starling
Crimson sunbird
Brown-throated sunbird
Plain sunbird
Ornate sunbird
Tree sparrow
Other
Clouded monitor
Asian water monitor
Common sun skink
Buffon's River garfish
Singapore tree-climbing crab
Mangrove horseshoe crab
I am fortunate to travel quite a bit for business and so have been to Singapore many times. However often my stays are very brief, just stopping on the way to somewhere else. Over the last 18 months I have been there three times, but the total amount of time I have been able to devote to wildlife watching is about 15 hours over the three visits. I have also only been to four destinations, the Botanic Gardens, Dairy Farm Reserve, Changi Beach Park and Pasar Ris Park. Despite this, as the list below shows, I have observed and identified 49 species during these visits. For many of these species, Singapore is by far the easiest place in the world to see them in the wild.
Mammals
Long-tailed macaque
Common treeshrew
Plantain squirrel
Slender squirrel
Smooth-coated otter
Birds
Grey heron
Striated heron
Eastern reef heron
Milky stork
White-bellied sea eagle
White-breasted waterhen
Red junglefowl
Little tern
Zebra dove
Spotted turtle-dove
Red-collared dove
Pink-necked green pigeon
Tanimbar corella
Yellow-crested cockatoo
Red-breasted parakeet
Square-tailed drongo-cuckoo
Black-capped kingfisher
Stork-billed kingfisher
Collared kingfisher
Common flameback
Sunda pygmy woodpecker
Golden-bellied gerygone
Black-naped oriole
Common iora
Greater racket-tailed drongo
House crow
Pacific swallow
Sunda yellow-vented bulbul
Olive-winged bulbul
Swinhoe's white-eye
White-crested laughingthrush
Javan mynah
Common mynah
Asian glossy starling
Crimson sunbird
Brown-throated sunbird
Plain sunbird
Ornate sunbird
Tree sparrow
Other
Clouded monitor
Asian water monitor
Common sun skink
Buffon's River garfish
Singapore tree-climbing crab
Mangrove horseshoe crab
