For
birdwatchers, 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 islands are also home to four breeding pigeon species that include the
pied imperial pigeon,
grey imperial pigeon,
pink-necked green pigeon and
metallic pigeon. The
Nicobar pigeon and
black-naped fruit dove visit the island occasionally from the mainland.
Emerald doves can also be seen on the island. Mantanani Besar is also home to the
Philippine megapode, which thrive in the coastal forests. Three species of sunbird have been recorded on the islands; the
brown-throated sunbird, the
red-throated sunbird and the
olive-backed sunbird. The
blue-naped parrot is locally extinct. Lungisan Island has a nesting cave colony of
Germain's swiftlets and is an important roost for three species of
frigatebirds. Other seabirds that can be seen around the islands is the
brown booby and the
black-naped tern. ==Transportation==