Short Notes – Temiar Bird Names

Peninsular Malaysia is home to at least 25 groups of indigenous people, collectively known as the Orang Asli. Most of the Orang Asli still live in forested landscapes and have a close connection with nature. Thus, they often have complete sets of names for the plants and animals that they encounter. These vocabularies open the door to traditional knowledge that can be of interest to various fields of research including biologists and social-scientists. These lists of plant and animal names illustrate indigenous taxonomic systems and can help biologists to work with Orang Asli guides in identifying species.