Facing Extinction - The Paradise Birds and Western Crown Pigeon of West Papua

In Papua (formerly called Irian Jaya), there are many kinds of birds that are facing extinction. Some of them are paradise birds and crown pigeon. These birds have beautiful feather. Paradise birds (paradisaea minor) are dominated by yellow, green and dark brown while Western-crowned Pigeon mostly has blue, gray and white colors.

Lesser Birds of Paradise

Another species of birds of paradise is the magnificent birds of paradise. In Kwau village of Arfak mountains, tourists from all corner of the world come to watch the male birds perform courtship dance on the slopes of the mountains in the morning and in the afternoon. The promotion of Arfak mountains as tourist destination for bird lovers greatly improve the economic condition of the indigenous people there and helps reduce the deforestation. The magnificent birds of paradise is also called Cincinnurus Magnificus in Latin language. The male birds have more beautiful feather than the female ones. 

Magnificent Bird of Paradise

Birds of paradise, together with other birds, are important for the survivability of the tropical rainforest. They disperse the seeds of the fruits that they eat. For the magnificent birds of paradise, the species of plant that they help to expand is red fruit plant also known as pandanus conoideus. Now the extract of red fruit is seen as an important medicine for the treatment of cancer, hiv/aids and many other diseases. 

People call the bird Western-crowned Pigeon because this kind of bird has crown-like head. In West Papua, its name is Mambruk. When you go to the zoo you may probably see these birds. They are originally from the Papuan island.

Hunters and traders of birds of paradise like to shoot them and preserve their skin. Then they will bring these skins to big cities and sell them at high prices. Sometimes, they bring and sell the birds alive to wealthy buyers in big cities.

No wonder, these birds are facing extinction. If we don't do anything to prevent more killings to these species, we will never be able to see them anymore in the near future. 
If you are interested in watching the magnificent birds of paradise dancing in the morning on the slopes of Arfak mountains, please, contact me - Charles Roring - via e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com. I'll be happy to arrange your accommodation in Manokwari city and your transport to the Kwau village for that purpose.

Also read: 

• Magnificent bird of paradise
• Papuan Birds of Paradise
• Birds of paradise in the rainforest of West Papua
• Oil painting of birds of paradise
• Painting of birds of paradise

Birds of Paradise in Waigeo of Raja Ampat islands

Paradise birds such as Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra) and Wilson's Bird of Paradise (Diphyllodes respublica) can be watched in Waigeo, Gam and Batanta islands. Glossy Manucode (Manucodia ater), another species of bird of paradise whose feather is plain black, lives in the whole territory of Raja Ampat. They are not considered as important target by birdwatchers. Visitors usually choose Waigeo because they can easily go by fast passenger ferry that go back and forth between Sorong city and Waisai town twice a day. 

Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra) is watched in the coastal area. I often see the male and female birds at Warduwer beach where they eat fruits especially in the mornings and late afternoons (before sunset). For Wilson's Bird of Paradise (Diphyllodes respublica), it lives deeper in the rainforest. We must wake up early in the morning, usually at 04.00, and do long trip into the forest to reach its dancing site or display ground.

Red Bird of Paradise

Wilson's Bird of Paradise (Diphyllodes respublica)

Several places have become an important birdwatching destinations in Raja Ampat. Saporkren is the famous one. For me, personally, I organize my tours to rainforest close to Kabui bay. I combine this rainforest birding trip to this site with snorkeling and sightseeing tours by boat. There is no road that we can use to reach the birding ground. So, we use motorized boats. I also organize birding trips to eastern and north-eastern regions of Waigeo. Usually, the birdwatching trips to this places are combined with village tour, riverwalk tour, swimming, and turtle watching activities. Tourists like them because they could  meet local people, watch birds and enjoy the beautiful nature of Raja Ampat.

Snorkeling in Raja Ampat

For other species such as Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor); Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus); and King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius), they can be found in Salawati and Misool islands. However, because these birds can be found in mainland West Papua, most tourists watch them in the mainland. 

Birdwatching in Mainland West Papua
From Sorong city, tourists can take a 4WD car to Klasow valley and enjoy birdwatching in the villages of Klatomok, and Malagufuk. Klatomok is more suitable for elderly people or those who cannot walk for hours in the jungle because it is a roadside village. Because birding activity is carried out in rainforest, I cannot fully guarantee that visitors will be able to see all the target birds that I mention above. There are other birds that live in Klasow valley including Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Northern Cassowary, Lowland Peltop, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Blyth's Hornbill, and a lot more.
Another alternative is Tambrauw regency which is located further to the east. It takes around 5 hours to reach Fef which is the capital of the regency. I highly recommend that tourists go birding accompanied by birding guides who really know the areas. Ayapokiar village located deeper in Tambrauw mountains is the destination for avid birders.

• Tambrauw is a great destination for birdwatching. Visitors should travel in a group of three to four people to share the cost of transportation.  Another alternative of traveling to Ayapokiar is by plane from Manokwari city to Kebar, tourists need to continue overland to District Senopi and then by 4wd car from Senopi to Ayapokiar. Susi Air operates Cessna Caravan 208 between Manokwari and Kebar several times a week. Tickets can be bought at the airport. There is a good guesthouse in Ayapokiar so visitors could stay in the village for several days and do day tours to the forest. The road in this remote mountainous region is empty. It is a very nice birdwatching site.

Also read:

• Birdwatching Trip to Raja Ampat
• Birding and Snorkeling Tours in Raja Ampat islands
• Bird Tour in Raja Ampat
• Raja Ampat Birds
• Raja Ampat Birding
• Snorkeling and Watching Birds of Paradise in Raja Ampat

Recommended Birding sites in West Papua

French birdwatchers in lowland forest
 of Manokwari

I have been guiding international birdwatchers on various birding trips in West Papua for years now. During those trips I saw various species of birds that are endemic to New Guinea island. There are several birding sites I highly recommend to visitors:

Lowland Forest of Manokwari

There is a river in northwest region of Manokwari. Its name is Mesirrokow. It is covered by tropical rainforest that has become the natural habitat of a lot of species of birds such as eclectus parrot, sulphut crested cockatoo, palm cockatoo, blyth's hornbill, coconut lorikeet, yellow capped pygmy parrot, pink spotted fruit dove and many others.

Susnguakti Forest of Arfak Range

Lesser Birds of Paradise in Susnguakti forest
Arfak range of Manokwari

There are paradise birds in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari. Some of them include: Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, and Magnificent Riflebird. Common Paradise Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Blyth's Hornbill, Hooded Butcherbird can also be seen in the forest. As a matter of fact, birds are not the only animals visitors can watch in the forest. There are also cuscus possum, Papuan dragon lizard, snakes, Large Ground Skink, bandicoot, and colorful butterflies, fireflies that could be watched in this lower montane forest of Arfak range. Tourists who want to go to this forest have to be physically fit.

Tambrauw Mountains

It is located between the regencies of Manokwari and Sorong. Most of the mountains are covered by pristine rainforest that is the natural habitat of a lot of species of tropical birds such as paradise birds, parrots, fruit doves, kingfishers, pigeons.  The regency of Tambrauw can be reached through Manokwari city and Sorong city.
Because the cost of traveling to Tambrauw mountains is expensive, I highly recommend that tourists come to this region in a group of at least 3, 4 or more people to share the cost.

Birding and Wildlife Watching Equipment

There are some equipment that visitors can bring in order to enhance their birding and wildlife watching experience. In general, birders bring binoculars. From my personal view, a pair of Swarovski EL 8.5×40 or Swarovski SLC 10×42 WB binoculars produces sharp and crisp images of birds, wild animals and unique wild flowers that we see through them. There are also Nikon Monarch 5 10×42, and the very affordable Visionking 10×42 mm binoculars. Sometimes I see birders bring spotting scopes. I used to try a Swarovski ATX 30-70×95. It was a very powerful birding gear. However, it is also expensive.

How to get to birding sites in Manokwari and Tambrauw Mountains?

To reach this hill, read the following instructions:

• First, fly from your country to Jakarta - the capital of the Republic of Indonesia.
• Second, take a domestic flight served by Sriwijaya Air, Garuda, NAM Air, Lion Air or Batik Air to Manokwari city or Sorong city. After that local guides could help organize your birding trips to the forest.

If you still need detailed information about rainforest tours and birdwatching trips in Tambrauw, you can still contact me at e-mail address. I am sure that you will have a great adventure in this beautiful West Papua's rainforest.

This was written by Charles Roring

Western Parotia

Male Western Parotia Dancing

Western Parotia (Parotia sefilata) is a species of paradise birds that people can watch when traveling to Manokwari. I guided Prof. Richard Ebright - an American biologist on a birding tour to Arfak mountains from 18 to 20 July 2013. In the last day of the tour, we entered a blind that was especially built for watching Western Parotia. The male bird has got black color all over his body with 6 antennas at his head. We had to wait for 5 hours inside the blind that was wet, dark and full of mosquitoes.
In order to seduce his partner, male Western Parotia had to perform a beautiful courtship dance where female Western Parotia perched on a small branch of a tree just above the dancing ground. Before dancing, the male bird cleaned the "stage" from fallen twigs and leaves.

Juvenile Western Parotia

Then he would dance to impress his lover. The style of the dance was similar to ballet.
The Young Western Parotia also Danced!
When we were waiting for an adult male Western Parotia to land on the ground and performed, suddenly, we saw a young Western Parotia landed on the ground. He performed a courtship dance without the presence of a female bird. He was doing a rehearsal. We were very surprised to see that scene. At first we thought that it was another species but later after opening our field guide book, Birds of New Guinea, we determined that it was a young or a juvenile Western Parotia.

During our stay in the blind, we were able to see Spotted Catbird (now it is called Arfak Catbird) and Cinnamon Ground Dove. It was a fleeting moment for the cat bird. Cinnamon Ground Dove was at the dancing site quite long. I think he was there for more than 30 minutes finding grains on the ground. I could make some videos and photographs of this bird. The bird stayed still with her eyes staring at the "peep hole" where I put my camera. I guessed the auto focus lamp of my camera attracted her attention. We also saw two other smaller birds that we could not shoot by my camera.

We returned to Manokwari city again at 12.00. During the birdwatching tour we saw vogelkop bower bird, blyth's hornbill, cinnamon ground dove, spotted catbird, magnificent birds of paradise and two smaller birds that I could not identify. They flew away in seconds before I could take pictures of them.
As a birdwatching destination, Manokwari has got plenty of places where birdwatchers can explore to see tropical birds.
For lowland and coastal birding, Western Crowned Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Sandpiper, and Kingfishers are some of the birds that can be seen in Manokwari.
Now I spend more of my time organizing snorkeling, birding and sightseeing tours in Raja Ampat,  please contact me: Charles Roring by email: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
Birdwatching tour in Arfak mountains
Vogelkop Bowerbird

Birds of Paradise Watching Tour

King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius)

I have just completed a 2-week birding tour in West Papua province of Indonesia. The main target of this tour was birds of paradise. Three visitors from China, and Australia participated in this tour. We spent 6 days in higher and lower montane forests of Arfak range, 5 days in Klasow valley and 3 days in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat.

During the tour, we were able to watch:

• Western Parotia, 
• Magnificent Bird of Paradise, 
• Lesser Birds of Paradise, 
• Superb Bird of Paradise, 
• King Birds of Paradise, 
• Magnificent Riflebird, 
• Wilson's Bird of Paradise, and 
• Red Bird of Paradise. 
• We also heard the sounds of Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise but were not able to see it.

Birding in the rainforest of West Papua was relatively difficult particularly for those who were not accustomed to hot and humid climate of the rainforest, the steep slopes, muddy path and numerous insects.

A male Western Parotia was dancing

In higher montane forest of Arfak range, we stayed in a simple but comfortable guesthouse for 4 nights to watch Magnificent B.O.P., and Western Parotia. In lower montane forest of the range, we stayed for one night in tents that were built in the middle of the forest. We had to walk up steep slopes to reach our basecamp and did birding the next morning. The site where Lesser Birds of Paradise gathered and danced was approximately 20 minutes walk from our basecamp. After watching the Lesser BOP, we continued our tour to watch King Bird of Paradise that day. It was a nice experience because we could see both of them. Despite the hardships that we faced during the trip, we consider that it was a successfull journey.

Lesser Birds of Paradise

In addition to birds of paradise, there were also other animals that we saw such as soa-soa monitor lizard, wallaby, northern cassowary, snake and colorful butterflies. Glowing mushrooms, wild flowers and unique plants attracted our attention too.

Raja Ampat
In the final leg of our birding tour, we stayed at wooden bungalows in Raja Ampat that were built on the water. We spent 3 days/ 2 nights there to watch Red Bird of Paradise and Wilson's Bird of Paradise. Raja Ampat is a tropical paradise for marine lovers. After hiking and birding in the jungle, we could jump into the sea and enjoyed swimming and snorkeling just in front of our guesthouse. A lot of tropical fish such as damselfish, anemonefish, striped surgeonfish, and butterflyfish thrive in the coral reef of the island.
To enhance the birding experience of the participants, I provide binoculars and spotting scope for them. They brought their own D-SLR cameras that were equipped with telephoto lenses.

Wilson's Bird of Paradise

There were a lot of other birds that we watched in the jungle such as Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Lowland Peltop, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, and Hooded Butcherbird, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, and Golden Myna. Some were sitting on lower branches of trees whereas many on top of high trees.

We spent the last three days of our trip staying in wooden bungalows on the crystal clear water of Raja Ampat. It was an unforgetful experience because we could enjoy swimming and snorkeling over pristine coral reef of the archipelago.
If you are interested in taking a birding tour in West Papua, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send text message to my whatsapp number: +6281332245180.
Male Red Bird of Paradise

Magnificent Riflebird

Magnificent Riflebird

I often hear the calling sound of Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus) when I guide tourists in lowland and lower montane forest of West Papua. The male feather is mostly dark with blue breast that looks like a triangle. We cannot easily find him. I saw the birds several times in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari and in Klasow valley of Sorong regency. I also heard his sounds in Syuan forest in Tambrauw mountains. Some tourists whom I guided saw the bird through a blind which we built especially for viewing the bird in Susnguakti forest.

Animals in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari

Magnificent Riflebird

Magnificent Riflebird is not the only paradise bird that we could watch in lower montane forest of Manokwari. There are Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor), King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius). In addition to those paradise birds, visitors who explore tropical rainforest of Susnguakti could find Common Paradise Kingfisher (Tanysiptera galatea), Rufous-bellied Kookaburra (Dacelo gaudichaud), Great Cuckoo-Dove (Reinwardtoena reinwarti), Beautiful Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus pulchellus), Hooded Butcherbird (Cracticus cassicus), Black-capped Lory (Lorius lory), Coconut Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus), cassowary, and etc.
Susnguakti forest is the natural habitat of insects such as: Cruiser butterfly, Silky Owl butterfly (Taenaris catops), birdwing butterfly Ornitopthera priamus, Blue Emperor butterfly (Papilio ulysses); beetles such as tiger beetle, and green jewel beetle. For marsupial animals, I have seen cuscus possum and bandicoot. There are also various kinds of reptiles including snakes, brown grown skink, Papua dragon tree lizard, small forest lizards.

Birding and Wildlife Watching Tour

I offer a 3- day/ 2-night birding and wildlife watching tour in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari. This can be combined with tour lowland forest of Manokwari. Similar birding tours to Sorong and Raja Ampat can also be organized.

Booking

Please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com and whatsapp: +6281332245180.

Also read:
Lesser Paradise Birds
Riverwalk and Birdwatching Tours in Manokwari Forest

Watching Paradise Birds in Tambrauw

Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor) in Ayapokiar forest of Tambrauw mountains - Photo: Nico Nauw

I offer tours for visitors who want to watch paradise birds in their natural habitat. The destination that I recommend is Tambrauw regency. It is approximately 2 hours ride by a 4wd car from Sorong city. To share the cost of the tour and accommodation,  visitors need to go in a group of several people. Birding tour will be done along a path in the forest and along an open space such as rivers, coastal area, and at the beach. Good physical condition is needed for exploring the avifauna of Tambrauw, especially in the mountains. Every visitor needs to bring a good pair of binoculars. A spotting scope will also be good too but is not a must.

Road to Fef valley in Tambrauw Mountains

The duration of the bird and wildlife tour is around 3 to 7 days where camping near a river can also be organized to increase the chance for bird watchers to see more birds and other wild animals. There are hundreds of species of birds which birders can see when they go hiking in the tropical rainforest of Tambrauw mountains.  Some of them are listed below:

• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
• Palm Cockatoo
• Moluccan King Parrot
• Eclectus Parrot
• Red-cheeked Parrot
• Large Fig Parrot
• Black-capped Lory
• Black Lory
• Yelllw-capped Pygmy Parrot
• Josephine Lorikeet
• Coconut Lorikeet
• Olive-crowned Flowerpecker
• Olive-backed Sunbird
• Black Sunbird
• Yellow-faced Myna
• Golden Myna
• Sacred Kingfisher
• Yellow-billed Kingfisher
• Common Paradise Kingfisher
• Rufous-bellied Kookaburra
• Hooked-bill Kingfisher
• Azure Kingfisher
• Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher
• Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher
• Hooded Butcherbird
• Northern Variable Pitohui
• Hooded Pitohui
• Mountain Peltop
• Lowland Peltop
• Oriental Dollarbird
• Papuan Blyth's Hornbill
• White-eared Catbird
• Masked Bowerbird
• Vogelkop Bowerbird
• Little Egret
• Little-ringed Plover
• Grey-wagtail
• Spangled Drongo
• Magnificent Bird of Paradise
• Lesser Bird of Paradise
• Magnificent Riflebird
• King Bird of Paradise
• Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise
• Glossy Manucode
• Grey Crow
• Torresian Crow
• Black-sided Robin
• Torrent Flycatcher
• Pinon Imperial Pigeon
• Papua Mountain Pigeon
• Pink-spotted Fruit Dove
• Beautiful Fruit Dove
• Long-tailed Buzzard
• Grey-headed Goshawk
• Variable Goshawk
• Brahminy Kite
• New Guinea Harpy Eagle
• Large-tailed Nightjar
• Papuan Frogmouth
• Marbled Frogmouth
• Northern Fantail
• And etc.

Field Guide Books
There are two field guide books. The first one is Birds of New Guinea written by Thane K. Pratt, Bruce Beehler and their friends; and the second one is Birds of New Guinea: including Bismarck Archipelago and Bougainville written by Phil Gregory. There are also a lot of resources about tropical birds of New Guinea scattered throughout the internet which tourists can read from trip reports made by leaders of bird tour companies who used to visit West Papua.

French tourists were watching birds in Tambrauw Mountains

Birding Sites
There are a lot of birdwatching sites in Tambrauw mountains. As a matter of fact, birding activities can be done in most places of the regency. However there are several vocal points which tourists could visit to enjoy birding. Ases Valley, Ayapokiar and Fef are some of the important birding sites which tourists can explore.

How to get there?

There are several ways to get to Tambrauw Mountains. You could either fly to Manokwari city which is the capital of West Papua province or fly to Sorong city. We can meet you at the airport and then organize your trip to Tambrauw Mountains. 

Written by Charles Roring

King Bird of Paradise

King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius) is a small paradise bird that lives among hanging vines of a tree in the forest of New Guinea. It lives mostly in lowland and lower montane forest and has got red back and wings with white belly. His bill is yellowish orange.
I have watched the King Bird of Paradise a lot of times in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari. The bird could also be watched in Tambrauw mountains, and Klasow valley. The birds are usually active in the mornings from 7 to 10 and in the afternoons from 3 to 6. If the weather is bad, he may not come out to dance or he may show up later.
King Birds of Paradise calls his female counterpart before performing his courtship dance. If the female King BOP comes, he will jump up and down the vines and perform the dance. If she does not come, he will be reluctant to dance.

King Bird of Paradise

King Birds of Paradise in the rainforest of Manokwari

It is not easy to find the bird due to its small size. We have to follow its calling sounds. Sometimes he jumps and dances to lower branches or vines. Because of its small size, we need to use binoculars and spotting scope to watch the bird.
When I guide tourists to Susnguakti forest watch the bird, it is not only the King BOP that we will watch but also Lesser Birds of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Frilled Monarch, Hooded Butcherbird, Black Butcherbird, Golden Cuckooshrike, Fairy Lorikeet, Eclectus Parrot, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Spangled Drongo, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Mimic Meliphaga, Black Sunbird, and a lot more. - written by Charles Roring
Related Posts:

• Lesser Birds of Paradise
• Western Parotia
• Red Bird of Paradise
• Magnificent Riflebird
• Magnificent Bird of Paradise