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28 Jul 2026
Our Mission
The Bird Society of Singapore is a science-based collective promoting research and conservation of our avifauna. Our approach focuses on widening interest in bird watching, deepening ties with like-minded organisations, and drawing on the collective expertise of our community. We are committed to advancing local and regional ornithological knowledge and promoting transparent record-sharing across the community. At the same time, we aim to build capacity in the community, empowering Singapore’s birdwatchers to contribute to research and conservation.
Our Values
Transparency
We are committed to transparency regarding data availability and upholding their accuracy. Global biodiversity is in peril, and real-time sharing of data is a key pillar of any effective conservation strategy. By improving data access across our community, we give everyone the opportunity to use the data to deepen their own understanding, ultimately empowering them to contribute more meaningfully to research and conservation.
Inclusiveness
We strongly believe in engaging the community to connect to nature, cherish it, and eventually become its guardian. Diversity makes us stronger and drawing on our collective knowledge multiplies the impact of our individual efforts. Community participation is a cornerstone of each of our projects.
Relevance
We take great pride in our commitment to scientific principles. Our database and checklist are up-to-date, accurate, and always based on the latest information, to maintain the relevance of bird conservation and research today. At the same time, by staying strongly grounded in the local birdwatching and nature scene, we ensure our initiatives are in touch with the community’s goals and needs.
Council
The Council is comprised of the Executive Committee (ExCo), as well as the chairs of the other Bird Society of Singapore Committees.
The Data and Tech Committee develops and maintains our signature online resources, including the Birds of Singapore website and the Singapore Bird Database.
The eBird Committee manages the eBird platform in Singapore in two main areas: outreach and moderation. Our eBird outreach efforts aim to expand use of eBird in Singapore and raise awareness of its value to the birdwatching and research community. Our moderation efforts seek to maintain a high standard of quality of eBird data, which is used for various research and conservation efforts around the world.
The Media Committee shapes BirdSoc SG’s social media presence, raising awareness of conservation-related issues among the general public.
The Outreach Committee leads outreach efforts primarily by organising events that bring together the community in appreciating and learning more about our avifauna.
The Records Committee curates the Singapore Bird Database and Singapore Bird Checklist. The committee adopts a science-based approach to assess the status of bird species found in Singapore and shares its findings and conclusions transparently.
The Research Committee leads BirdSoc SG’s research efforts on birds in Singapore and the wider region, in collaboration with like-minded organisations. It also curates contents for the Birds of Singapore website, including the species pages and blog articles.
The Welfare Committee organises internal Society events for team-building and recreation.
Movin Nyanasengeran
President
Having recently completed his PhD at the National University of Singapore, Movin continues to work on better understanding regional bird diversity and its relationship to biogeography and conservation. An avid birder and incorrigible extrovert he gains energy from the people around him, and is always happy to chat when found in the field.
Raghav Narayanswamy
Vice-President · Data & Tech Lead · eBird Lead
Raghav leads development for BirdSoc SG's signature web-based projects, including the Singapore Bird Database and the Birds of Singapore website, as well as our data-driven work to find hidden patterns and trends in local avian records. He also coordinates our partnership with eBird, the world's largest citizen science platform for birds.
Goh Cheng Teng
Treasurer
Cheng Teng started photographing birds and wildlife in 2009 and honed his birding fieldcraft chasing garden birds and rarities all over Singapore. He spends his birding time photographing animal behaviour, capturing fleeting moments not easily observed, with environmental cues and eye contact to draw the viewer into the photograph.
Adrian Silas Tay
Secretary
Silas is primarily a weekend birder who started off as an enthusiast bird photographer more than a decade ago, although his interest in wildlife stretches back even further. He has actively contributed to the local birding scene by being an advocate of open and timely sharing of sightings to benefit the community.
Collin Chua
ExCo Member
Collin is an aspiring naturalist who stumbled upon birdwatching in 2019. Since then, his appreciation and curiosity for birds have grown steadily. He is passionate about deepening his knowledge of avifauna, and hopes to share what he discovers with others.
Keita Sin
Founding President
Keita has been chasing feathered animals since 2014. He is deeply interested in various avian-related research and cares about sharing such knowledge with the community.
Richard White
Records Committee Chair
Richard has been a birder from an early age and that interest has grown into an enthusiasm for all aspects of natural history. He has been based in Singapore since 2013 and when not travelling with work he enjoys immersing himself in the local birding scene and the rich biodiversity of the region.
Dillen Ng
Research Committee Chair
Dillen has been searching high and low for birds since 2016 and likes to keep lists of everything that he sees. He is constantly filled with questions on things that he doesn't understand about birds and hopes to be part of the bridge translating knowledge gained from research into practical applications around us.
Sandra Chia
Welfare Committee Chair
Sandra is an excitable birdwatcher who started watching birds in 2015. All birds are great to her and she has an interest in developing dynamic communities around common interests, birdwatching being one of them. An avid regional birder, it will not be unusual for one to find Sandra in a forest patch in a remote part of the world.
Sng Chen Xi
Media Committee Chair
Chen Xi started birdwatching at the end of 2022 and has since been blessed with many opportunities to explore her interest in birds both as a research topic in the National University of Singapore and as a hobby. She enjoys learning random fun facts about birds and hopes to share her passion with the community through the Bird Society of Singapore.
Past Council Members
Kee Jing Ying (Vice-Secretary, March 2023–May 2026)
Zachary Chong (Outreach Officer, March 2023–May 2026)
Our History
The Bird Society of Singapore was officially recognised on 28 March 2023, but the team behind it has been working on documenting and protecting the birds of Singapore for many years before that.
In January 2016, a small group of birdwatchers led by Francis Yap and See Toh Yew Wai started the Singapore Birds Project, with the goal of creating a comprehensive, free online guide to every bird ever recorded in Singapore. That guide — hosted at singaporebirds.com — grew to cover hundreds of species, with descriptions, photographs and identification tips, and quickly became an essential resource for birders in Singapore.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a surge in interest in birdwatching, with many Singaporeans turning to local parks and nature reserves for solace and exercise. We expanded our work to meet the moment: in 2021, the Singapore Bird Database was launched to systematically catalogue rare bird records, supporting both research and conservation.
Alongside our online resources, we have worked to grow the local birdwatching community through guided walks, talks, and pop-up booths at major events. We have also collaborated with NParks, NUS, and other partners on Singapore’s biodiversity programmes.
In 2023, seventeen founding members came together to register the Bird Society of Singapore as a formal society under the Registrar of Societies. Becoming a society allowed us to formalise our work, take on members, and broaden our reach.
We continue to be driven by the same vision: a Singapore where birds, and the habitats that sustain them, are understood, valued, and protected by everyone.
And we are especially heartened by the wave of young people who have taken up birdwatching in recent years. They are our future scientists, conservationists and advocates, and we are committed to supporting them on that journey.
More about us
Our Founding Members
The seventeen founding members who came together to register the Bird Society of Singapore in 2023.
Photo credits — Francis Yap (Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, White-throated Needletail)