Placeholder — replace: gibbon habitat in the high canopyWildlife of Danum · The dawn voice
Bornean gibbon
Hylobates funereus
You'll hear one before you see anything else in Danum — the swooping dawn call that opens the forest's day, every day.
The animal
Meet the bornean gibbon
The gibbon's call is Danum's alarm clock — a rising, bubbling whoop that pairs sing as a duet to advertise their territory, carrying a kilometre or more through the trees. Read our dawn chorus guide for the full running order; the gibbons open it.
Seeing one is a different discipline. Gibbons move through the crowns hand-over-hand at absurd speed, and the trick is not to chase but to sit under the right ridge while a guide triangulates the duet. When a family crosses a gap above you — swing, release, catch — it is the best free show in Borneo.
Where to see it in Danum
Territories are stable, which helps: guides at both forest lodges know their local pairs' morning circuits. The walkway and the ridge trails give the best sight-lines.
When & how
Every single dawn, year-round. Be out by six; by nine the singing is over and the families have melted into the day's feeding.
See it on these
- The Canopy Walkway — crown-height when a family passes
- Birdwatching mornings — gibbons run the same dawn schedule
- Wings & Wonder — 4D3N — three dawns of it
Placeholder — replace: first light in gibbon country
Placeholder — replace: the ridge at calling time
Placeholder — replace: crossing habitatRelated
Keep planning
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Enquire directly
Tell us the species on your list and your dates — sightings are wild and never guaranteed, but we know where the odds live.