
	World Birding British Birding Miscellany & Fun Birdnews Travel Library Bird Families Ornithology Sight & Sounds Equipment/Supplies

birding...

Indonesia

Violet-necked Lory Eos squamata ©Mark Cassino http://www.markcassino.com

Indonesia lies within Asia and Australasia. East of Wallace`s line, which falls between Bali and Lombok, the Island of the Lesser Sundas, Moluccas and Sulawesi form a transition zone, known as Wallacea, between the Asian and Australia avifaunas. The avifauna is partly Asian and many birders visit Asian and Wallacean Indonesia.

Birding in Sulawesi is an amazing experience because nearly 100 of the 330 or so birds which have been recorded are endemics (67) or near endemics (26) and first-time visitors will be forgiven for thinking that they are in that avian paradise they have always dreamt of, where almost every different species they see is a new one.

Furthermore, it is possible to see a high percentage of these unique and often extraordinary birds by visiting just three sites: Tangkoko NR and Dumoga – Bone NP at the northeastern corner of Sulawesi. Manado is the capital of the province, which is accessible by air from Singapore via Jakarta and Ujung Pandang. And Lore Lindu NP is in central Sulawesi; Palu is the capital of the province, which is accessible by air from Ujung Pandang, Denpasar, Jakarta and Balik Papan (Kalimantan or Borneo).

top sites

Lore Lindu National Park

Lore Lindu NP is home to most of Sulawesi`s endemic species, including the magnificent Red-Knobbed Hornbill (Rhyticeros cassidix) which is common and the largest bird in the park with a wing span of over one meter. Speckled Boobook, Yellow-breasted and Golden-mantle Racquet-tail, Green Imperial Pigeon, Grey-headed Imperial Pigeon, Sulawesi Hanging parrot, Pygmy and Ashy Woodpeckers, Purple-bearded Bee-eater (Jul–Sep); White-neck Myna, Red-bellied pitta, etc. And the Maleo bird, a megapode that buries its single large egg in the warm sand to be incubated by the heat of underground hot springs. Two other endemic birds are the Sulawesi woodcock (Scolopax celebensis) and Heinrich`s Nightjar. Sulawesi woodcock is rarely seen; many birdwatchers visit this park but miss it.

Last August (2000) three birdwatchers from England (Dave Rosair, Tony Prater and Don Taylor) who accompanied by me (Royke Mananta); found this bird at Lore Lindu NP after four days of exploring. They visited the park especially looking for this bird. In the Field Guide the call hasn’t been described, but we heard it when it was startled and took to the air making a short flight. If you are lucky you can find Heinrich`s Nightjar in the park during the day when they sleep on the ground or at night when they fly. This bird is also rarely seen.

Lore Lindu National Park Mammals

Lore Lindu National Park is a part of untouched tropical rainforest where many mammals also live. The largest Sulawesi mammal is the dwarf buffalo, or Anoa. There are two species; one in the mountains with smooth conical horns, and one with rough horns that lives in the lowland. The other interesting mammal is the babirusa, or pig deer (Babyrousa babyrusa); it is a primitive pig with two pairs of tusk, one of which grows through the roof of the upper jaw and curves back over the eyes. These tusks appear to be used in fighting to jab other males. [If a babirusa can hook his curved upper tusk over an adversary`s lower one, the latter is rendered useless and the advantaged male can stab his opponent`s throat or face].

The other endemic mammal is the tarsier, the world`s smallest primate with head and body length of just 10 cm, a tail twice as long, enormous eyes, and a weight of just 100 grams. Tarsiers live in family groups consisting of an adult pair and their offspring. Just before dawn, when they cease their nocturnal perambulations, the entire family sings a complicated territorial call of squeaks and squeals. After the song, the group retires to its nest hole in a tree, a thicket, or in tangles of roots and vines. Tarsiers live in a wide range of habitats including secondary scrub and even urban areas (though humans may not be aware of their presence).

contributor

Royke Mananta
Tankoko And Dumoga Bone Birdwatching Tours
(Sulawesi)
lorelindu@yahoo.com
http://www.sulawesibirding.com/bird_Itin.htm

numbers

Number of bird species:1603

numbers

Number of endemics:338-515

useful reading

* Field Guides & Bird Song

For a comprehensive list of recommended titles covering Asia as a whole - please see the Asia page of Fatbirder

A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia

Craig Robson Hardcover - 504 pages ( 1 February, 2000) New Holland Publishers (UK)
ISBN: 1843307464
Buy this book from NHBS.com

A Photographic Guide to Birds of Java, Sumatra and Bali

Tony Tilford, Alain Compost (Photographer) Paperback - 136 pages ( 1 November, 2000) New Holland Publishers (UK)
ISBN: 1853687308
Buy this book from NHBS.com

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia

by Morton Strange, Helm 2003 Helm
See Fatbirder Review
ISBN: 0713664045
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birding Indonesia

A Bird-watcher's Guide to the World's Largest Archipelago - Edited by Paul Jepson Series: PERIPLUS ACTION GUIDES 284 pages, 120 col plates, 40 maps. Periplus Editions 1997
ISBN: 962593071X
Buy this book from NHBS.com

The Birds of Indonesia: A Checklist (Peters' Sequence)

Paul Andrew 84 pages, 1 map.Indonesian Ornithological Society 1992
ISBN: 9798354001
Buy this book from NHBS.com

useful information

Ornithological Society of Indonesia

Taman Burun TMII Bird Park, TMII, Jakarta (Timur) 13560. + 62 21 840 1722 netcap@indo.net.id

Proact

Coordinator: none (why not apply?) see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: 1
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team

reserves

Indonesia National Parks

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4466/index.html
An extensive list of the national parks with information about each and some nice photographs.

Kerinci Seblat National Park

http://www.warsi.or.id/Forest/forest_tnks.htm
Below is a list of some of the unique flora and fauna found in Kerinci Seblat. Click the picture or name of a species to receive detailed information.

Nature Reserves

http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/special/wild.html
Indonesia comprises a vast area in which various geological and climatological circumstances occur. Geological, the country can be divided in three parts. Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Bali, together with parts of the Philipines, Thailand and Malaysia, lie on the Sunda continental shelf whereas Irian Jaya, together with Australia lies on the Sahul continental shelf. The sea bottom around Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku forms no continuous shelf. These islands are seperated by very deep seas.

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!

1995 [September] - Susan Myers - Irian Jaya

http://users.wired.net.au/susan/Irian.htm
This is a report of a trip to Irian Jaya made in 1995 by a group of 7 people organised by Chris Doughty, Peregrine Bird Tours. The participants were all from Australia except for one person from USA. We visited four sites in Irian Jaya: Batanta and Salawati near Sorong, Wamena and the Baliem Valley, Nimbokrang near Jayapura and Biak Island. Irian Jaya is politically part of Indonesia but biogeographically it belongs to the Australasian region. There are number of extremely good reasons to visit this area, number one of which is undoubtedly the Birds of Paradise. We were lucky enough to observe 13 species of these extraordinary birds...

1995 [September] - Susan Myers - Lombok

http://users.wired.net.au/susan/Lombok.htm
We made a short trip to Lombok after a three week trip to Irian Jaya. A total of 71 species of bird and two species of mammal were observed. Lombok is a small island in Indonesia belonging to the Nusa Tenggara group otherwise known as the Lesser Sundas. It is populated by the indigenous Sasak people, who practice a mild form of Islam while vigorously maintaining their own animistic beliefs. In the past Lombok was controlled by the Balinese who remain the elite of Lombok society. It is a volcanic island dominated by Gunung Rinjani and lies a short distance across the sea from Bali. However due to the fact that Wallace`s Line falls in between Bali and Lombok the avifauna is markedly different to Bali`s.

2001 [Summer] - Phil and Charlotte Benstead

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/indonesia/tour2/indonesia2001.htm
We spent the period between 5th June and 13th October 2001 birding in Indonesia, visiting sites on Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, Sanghie, Talaud, Sumba, Flores, Komodo and Sumbawa. Indonesia is fantastic birding, the high level of endemism and the overall diversity (cultural and biological) throughout the country make it a stunning destination...

2006 [August] - Rob Hutchinson - Sumatra and West Java

http://www.birdtourasia.com/sumatratour06.html
In this section of the tour we recorded a total of 293 species, of which 19 species are endemic to Sumatra plus an additional Javan endemic (Javan Coucal) not recorded during the Javan extension. We began at Way Kambas with some excellent lowland birding and Storm’s Storm, Cinnamon-headed Green-Pigeon, Jerdon’s Baza, Bat Hawk, White-crowned Hornbill and Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo among the highlights. The hope-for night-birds all performed well with the rare Bonaparte’s Nightjar performing exceptionally well, 3 species of frogmouth (Gould’s, Sunda and Large) and owls included Reddish Scops-Owl and the fantastic Oriental Bay Owl...

2006 [July] - James Eaton - Lesser Sundas & West Java

http://www.birdtourasia.com/lessersundas06.html
Attempting ‘to do’ the Lesser Sunda islands (Nusa Tenggara = ’South-eastern Islands’ in the Indonesian language) in 14 days I thought would be crazy, problematic, and simply just not enough time to absorb all the fantastic scenery, people, culture and above all else, the birds. In the end, the tour certainly proved to be both crazy and at times problematic, but circumstances thankfully worked in our favour and the birding was stunning overall. The luck that stayed on our side throughout the tour also carried on into our brief two-day extension into West Java...

2006 [May] - Gary & Marlene Babic

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/indonesia/gunung-gede-2/may-2006.htm
Gunung Gede – Pangrangro National Park in western Java, Indonesia, is easily accessible from Jakarta and is reported to hold nearly all of Java’s endemic birds in its montane forests. Some of the species are easier to see in the Cibodas Botanical Gardens located at the base of the park than in the park itself. This report covers a short trip taken at the end of the rainy season...

2006 [September] - Markus Lagerqvist - Sangihe, Sulawesi and Halmahera

http://www.club300.se/Files/TravelReports/Wallacea2006_ML.pdf
The region today known as Wallacea consists of three distinct subregions; Sulawesi, the Lesser Sundas and the Moluccas...

tour operators

Birding Pal

http://www.birdingpal.org/Indonesia.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

Matahatikita Tours

http://www.matahatikita.com/
I'm Nurlin Djuni,as a designer tour guide for bird watching and other kind of tours to any tourist destination in Indonesia. I organise Birding In Sulawesi, Halmahera, Maluku, Java, Kalimantan, Bali, Sumatera and Lesser Sundas...

Nature Travel Specialists

http://www.naturetravelspecialists.com
Nature Travel Specialists believes that travel is most enjoyable when it expands the horizons of both visitor and visited, when both give and receive from each other. With this in mind we design itineraries that enable our travelers to explore the natural areas of the world, in the company of English-speaking local tour guides who know their country and region intimately...

places to stay

Nihiwatu

http://www.nihiwatu.com/
For trekkers there are incredible waterfalls and beaches to discover and while hiking through the tropical forests you can also search for the indigenous birds of Sumba Island. If you are looking for adventure, true natural beauty or just relaxing and really getting away to another world, Nihiwatu Resort, in Indonesia is the place to be.

Birders of Borneo Island

http://horukuru.blogspot.com
birding and digiscoping birds of borneo…

Birding in Indonesia

http://indo.com/birding/index.html
Indonesia consists of thousands of islands and more than 1500 species of birds are recorded in the country. Many of these islands are of great biological value. There are hundreds of nature reserves. I will describe a few of these, starting with some on Java, Bali and Lombok. In 1994 my wife and I spent five weeks on these islands. The pressure on bird habitats here is very high and many species are rather scarce as a result of massive capture for the pet trade. But still many places are worth a birding visit.

Birding on Bali

http://www.indo.com/birding/bsites.html
The Bali Barat National Park is located on the north west tip of Bali. This reserve is the last site for the endangered Bali Myna. At Tegal Bunder it is possible to visit the Bali Myna project release centre. Pulau Menjangan is a small island that belongs to the reserve. Here are very beautiful coral reefs and it is a good spot for Lemon-bellied White-eye. The park is pretty much left alone by the thousands of tourists that visit Bali each year.

Birding on Java

http://www.indo.com/birding/jsites.html
A number of different locations with access details, checklists etc.

Birding Sulawesi and Halmahera

http://homepage.mac.com/alanwilkinson/birding/sulawesi/
During September 1999 I was lucky enough to be a client on a Birdquest tour to Sulawesi and Halmahera in Indonesia, led by Pete Morris and Dave Farrow. Here is a trip report adapted from the tour report produced by Pete for Birdquest tour participants. The accompanying photos and sounds are all derived from Pete`s video and audio recordings made on the trip. I have added a reference list with itinerary to help anyone planning their own trip.

Birds of Sumba Island

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/aa/aa0203.html
On the island of Sumba, birds are a special treasure. Although this ecoregion`s overall biodiversity is low, about 180 bird species can be found here, including seven that are endemic. But the rapid pace of deforestation on the island is threatening these and other species.

BLOG - Birdwatching of Indonesia

http://www.birdbody.blogspot.com/
Practilities for Birdwatchers to explore the largest Archipelago (Indonesia) in tropic line...

Endemic Birds of Indonesia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endemic_birds_of_Indonesia
Indonesia has more endemic birds than any other country. Indonesia's size, tropical climate, and archipelagic geography, support the world's second highest level of biodiversity (after Brazil)...

Indonesian Nature Conservation Database

Indonesia is the largest country of South-East Asia and comprises an enormous wealth of natural ecosystems. Considerable parts of its natural resources are protected and maintained by the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation of the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry [PHPA].

Javan Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus bartelsi

http://www.nusantara.com/heritage/hawk.html
Until recently, little was known about this enigmatic bird of prey, but ecological research, including radio tracking, has provided information on prey species, breeding biology and the home range of non-breeding males...

Operation Wallacia

http://www.opwall.com/
Operation Wallacea is a series of scientific wildlife survey and conservation expeditions to a remote corner of the island of Sulawesi. It has been running wildlife research and community development projects in SE Sulawesi for the last 6 years. In 2001 there were nearly 300 mainly University students, together with 35 scientists, a professional photographer, an artist, expert trackers and forest support teams, diving staff and extensive logistics team to support the wide range of projects completed.

Project Birdwatch

http://www.indonesian-parrot-project.org
To develop locally owned, low-cost, ecotourism cooperatives which enable wild bird trappers and sellers to work as birdwatching guides and tour organizers. To promote conservation of threatened bird populations and draw wider attention to unsustainable practices in the existing wild-caught bird trade.

Sulawesi Birding

http://www.sulawesibirding.com/
The Wallacea area has many things to offer to the visitor, not in the least a wide variety of birds. This region of tropical islands marks the transition zone of two biological worlds and harbours a wealth in history and biological diversity. It derived its name after the renown naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who, during his travels through the region (1854-62), collected and described so much of its natural wonders and noted, in parallel to Darwin, the forces that drive natural diversity. Indeed, Wallacea forms the hart of the transition zone between the Oriental and Australo-Papuan biological forms, and going from one island to the other the visitor can almost feel speciation at work...

Wetlands Database

http://www.wetlands.or.id
To sustain and restore wetlands, their resources and biodiversity for future generations through research, information exchange and conservation activities, worldwide...

back to the top of this page

Site developed by
PlanetWorks
and Firecast