The Mantanani Islands ( ms, Pulau Mantanani) form a small group of three islands off the north-west coast of the state of

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, opposite the town of

Kota Belud Kota Belud ( ms, Pekan Kota Belud; ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Kú-tá Mâu-lu̍t) is the capital of the Kota Belud District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 8,392 in 2010. It is roughly at the midp ...

, in northern

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

. The largest island is Mantanani Besar; the other two are Mantanani Kecil and Lungisan. It is a popular site for

recreational diving Recreational diving or sport diving is diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment. The term "recreational diving" may also be used in contradistinction to "technical diving", a more demanding aspect of r ...

and is known for its

dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...

s. The name of the island is a compound of Ubian word "manta" (blanket) and "Nani" (the name of a mighty man who fought the enemies that owned the blanket).

Birdwatching

For

birdwatchers Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

, the Mantanani Islands are great for seeing birds that usually nest on islands, because of their relative lack of terrestrial predators, and are rarely or unpredictably seen on the mainland. There are several trails through the centre of the Mantanani Besar island in addition to open beaches along the coasts where birds can be spotted. Mantanani Besar is the only place in Malaysia to see the

Mantanani scops owl The Mantanani scops owl (''Otus mantananensis''), is a small owl in the scops-owl genus ''Otus'' found on small islands between Borneo and the Philippines. It is listed by the IUCN as "near threatened" because its range is limited with its pop ...

. The islands are also home to four breeding pigeon species that include the

Pied imperial-pigeon The pied imperial pigeon (''Ducula bicolor'') is a relatively large, pied species of pigeon. It is found in forest, woodland, mangrove, plantations and scrub in Southeast Asia, ranging from Myanmar and Thailand, throughout Indonesia and east to t ...

, Grey imperial-pigeon,

Pink-necked green pigeon The pink-necked green pigeon (''Treron vernans'') is a species of bird of the pigeon and dove family, Columbidae. It is a common species of Southeast Asia, found from Myanmar and Vietnam south through to the major islands of Indonesia and the Ph ...

and

Metallic pigeon The metallic pigeon, (''Columba vitiensis'') also known as white-throated pigeon is a medium-sized, up to 37 cm long, bird in the family Columbidae. Identification The adult has an iridescent purple and green crown, black wing and uppertail ...

. An additional two pigeon species visit the island occasionally from the mainland and they include the

Nicobar pigeon The Nicobar pigeon (''Caloenas nicobarica'', Car: ') is a bird found on small islands and in coastal regions from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, east through the Malay Archipelago, to the Solomons and Palau. It is the only living member ...

and the

Black-naped fruit dove The black-naped fruit dove (''Ptilinopus melanospilus''), also known as the black-headed fruit dove, is a medium-sized, up to long, green fruit dove with yellowish bill and iris. The male has a pale grey head with a black nape, yellow throat, a ...

Emerald Dove The common emerald dove (''Chalcophaps indica''), also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. ...

s can also be seen on the island. Mantanani Besar is also home to the

Philippine megapode The Philippine megapode (''Megapodius cumingii''), also known as the Philippine scrubfowl or the Tabon scrubfowl, is a species of bird in the family Megapodiidae. It is found in the Philippines, northeastern Borneo, and Sulawesi. Its natural hab ...

, which thrives in the coastal forests. Three species of sunbird has been recorded on the islands; the

Brown-throated sunbird The brown-throated sunbird (''Anthreptes malacensis''), also known as the plain-throated sunbird, is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in a wide range of semi-open habitats in south-east Asia, ranging from Myanmar to the ...

, the Red-throated sunbird and the

Olive-backed sunbird The olive-backed sunbird (''Cinnyris jugularis''), also known as the yellow-bellied sunbird, is a species of sunbird found from Southern Asia to Australia. Taxonomy In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description ...

. The

Blue-naped parrot The blue-naped parrot (''Tanygnathus lucionensis''), also known as the blue-crowned green parrot, Luzon parrot, the Philippine green parrot, and locally known as pikoy, is a parrot found throughout the Philippines. Taxonomy In 1760 the French zoo ...

is locally extinct. Lungisan Island has a nesting cave colony of

German's swiftlet Germain's swiftlet (''Aerodramus germani'') is a species of swift. It is found in China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest ...

s and is an important roost for three species of

frigatebird Frigatebirds are a family of seabirds called Fregatidae which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. The five extant species are classified in a single genus, ''Fregata''. All have predominantly black plumage, long, deeply forked ...

s. Other seabirds that can be seen around the islands is the

Brown booby The brown booby (''Sula leucogaster'') is a large seabird of the booby family Sulidae, of which it is perhaps the most common and widespread species. It has a pantropical range, which overlaps with that of other booby species. The gregarious brow ...

and the

Black-naped tern The black-naped tern (''Sterna sumatrana'') is an oceanic tern mostly found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is rarely found inland. Description The tern is about 30 cm long with a wing length of 21� ...

.Phillipps & Phillipps (2009), p.326.

Transportation

The islands are accessible by a one-hour speedboat journey from Kuala Abai jetty, Kota Belud, 80 km north-east of

Kota Kinabalu , image_skyline = , image_caption = From top, left to right, bottom:Kota Kinabalu skyline, Wawasan intersection, Tun Mustapha Tower, Kota Kinabalu Coastal Highway, the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, the Wism ...

, the capital of Sabah. Sometimes, due to the storm weather, the islands could be not accessible at all for tourists. Mantanani Besar contains a number of small resorts, catering mainly to

scuba divers This is a list of underwater divers whose exploits have made them notable. Underwater divers are people who take part in underwater diving activities – Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where t ...

, and Mantanani Kechil has a small dive lodge.

References

Sources

* * {{Recreational dive sites, reereg Islands of Sabah Underwater diving sites in Malaysia Birdwatching sites Tourist attractions in Sabah

Birdwatching

Transportation

See also

References

Sources