Bornean bond: Nature guide makes feathered friend while foraging in forest

You called, I came: Razis with his newfound friend which he nicknamed Cuckoo, a rare species endemic to Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: Local tour and nature guide Razis Nasri has befriended a rare bird endemic to Sabah and has since used this bond to generate income during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 33-year-old lost his job due to the pandemic and subsequent movement control orders and had to return to his hometown in September last year so that he could go into the forest to earn a living by farming and foraging.

“After returning to my village, I started going to the forest a lot and one day in October, I heard the cuckooing of a bird, so I started to mimic it just for fun,” said Razis, a bachelor.

“The bird responded and after about a month of cuckooing (as a way of exchanging greetings), it appeared in front of me and approached slowly,” Razis said.

The chicken-sized male bird was apprehensive at first but they slowly bonded on his daily trips into the forest, calling and waiting for the bird while doing his work.

The bird is a rare endemic species, the Bornean Ground-cuckoo (Carpococcyx radiceus) and it is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Razis first told his family about this and brought them to see for themselves how the bird responded to his call, while telling them not to hunt or harm this species if they came across it.

“I like to educate my family first about wildlife protection before telling others about it, because I believe education and awareness starts from home,” he said.

The Bornean Ground-cuckoo is active during the day and feeds on insects, worms, and even lizards and small snakes.

He later told his birdwatcher and nature enthusiast friends about it and started to charge people to come and see this bird and photograph it up close.

“I would call the bird, which I named Cuckoo, and when it comes around I would sit with it,” Razis said.

Birdwatchers have to stay hidden in tents as the bird is afraid of other humans.

He said for now, those who wish to learn more about this bird, observe it or photograph it, can search for more details or get in touch with Razis via his Facebook account razis.nasri and Instagram, razisnasri.

Razis urged those who are interested to contact him as soon as possible as he would most likely return to his guide's job next year when the economy, especially the tourism sector, is expected to fully reopen.

As the bird is protected and rare, he will not reveal the exact location where it can be found, and will only tell those who wish to see the bird for themselves after they get in touch.

Asked why the bird responded to his call and befriended him, he said he was not sure but suspected that it could be because the bird was lonely.

Razis said this species preferred to be with wild boars and bears, and many of the former had died during the African Swine Fever outbreak earlier this year.

“It could be that this bird had no more companions, so it responded to my calls. It is always alone and I have yet to see any others of its species,” he said.

The Bornean Ground-cuckoo is active during the day and feeds on insects, worms, small lizards and even small snakes.