PLUS D'OBSERVATION DES OISEAUX À RAJA AMPAT
For those who are keen birders, the Raja Ampat has an abundance of bird life. We have some very interesting species, some that are endemic to this area and a must add to your world bird list.
The birds listed below are some of the birds we have spotted in the area, whether out on the boat in between dives, or walking in to the jungle, or just sitting on your balcony admiring nature.
Have a look through and when you visit us in Raja Ampat see how many you can spot!
BIRDS
Matsudaira’s Stormpetrel
Scientific Name: Oceanodroma Matsudairae
Size: 24cm, Wingspan 46-56cm
Conservation Status: VU
Description: Large dark storm-petrel with long forked tail, long wings and noticeable white shafts. They nest in burrows and feed on wing, by dipping and snatching food for the ocean surface. They are long distance migrant brids.
Pomarine Skua
Scientific name: Strecorarius Pomarinus
Size: Crow size – 46-51 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Large seabirds with long spoon shaped tail streamers. There are two colour forms – Dark & Light. They have different identifying features depending on sex, age and season. They feed on lemmings on the breeding grounds or otherwise fish.
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Scientific Name: Ardenna Pacifica
Size: Medium-Large
Conservation Status: LC
Description: A medium- large shearwater and is sometimes referred to as a Mutton Bird, is the largest of the tropical shearwaters. The two colour morphs of the species are dark & pale. The bill is dark with salmon pink legs. They feed pelagically on fish, squid, and crustaceans with their diet consisting 66% fish. They breed in colonies on small tropical islands and nests are burrows or on surface but covered. A breeding pair is monogamous and form a bond which will last several years.
Lesser Frigatebird
Scientific Name: Fregata Ariel
Size: 75cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It is the smallest of the frigate family and is lightly built with brownish-black plumage, long narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. The male has a red gular sac which he inflates to attract a mate. The female is slightly larger and has a white breast and belly. Frigatebirds feed on fish taken in flight from the ocean’s surface and sometimes indulge in kleptoparasitism, harassing other birds to force them to regurgitate their food. They nest in trees and both sexes contribute to nesting, incubating and feeding the young.
Sooty Tern
Scientific name: Onychoprion Fuscatus
Size: Large turn 33-36 cm in length and wingspan 82-94 cm
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The sooty tern breed in colonies on coral or rocky islands. They nest on the ground and spend most fof their time out at sea. They are often in large flocks and will only come to land to breed. They can spend 3-10 years at sea entirely on wing as they lack oil in their feathers to float. They feed by picking fish from the surface of the ocean.
Brindled Tern
Scientific Name: Onychoprion Anaethetus
Size: 30-32 cm in Length, 77-81 cm Wing Span
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The Brindled tern is more heavily built than the Common tern, with long wings and deep forked tail. They have dark grey upper parts and white underparts. They are migratory and dispersive, wintering more widely through the tropical oceans. They breed in colonies on rocky islands and nest on the ground, only laying one egg. They feed by plunge diving for fish in marine environments.
Brown Noddy
Scientific name: Anous Stolidus
Size: 38-45 cm in length, Wingspan 75- 86cm
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The Brown Noddy is the largest of the noddies and is a tropical seabird with a worldwide distribution. They are colonial and usually nest on cliffs or in shorts trees or shrubs, laying one egg per breeding season. The plumage is a dark chocolate-brown with a pale-grey or white crown and forehead. The tail is long and wedge-shaped, and the feet and legs are dark.
Little Tern
Scientific Name: Sternula Albifrons
Size: 21-25 cm in Length, Wingspan 41-47 cm
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They are small for the tern family and have a thin sharp yellow bill with a black tip as well as yellow legs. It is strongly migratory, wintering is sub-tropical and tropical oceans. They breed in colonies on gravel or shingle coasts and can lay between 2 – 4 eggs per season. They feed by plunge-diving for fish, usually from saline environments. The offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display.
Black-naped Tern
Scientific Name: Sterna Sumatrana
Size: 30 cm in length, wingspan 21-23 cm
Conservation Status: LC
Description: These tern birds are oceanic and rarely found inland. Their beaks and legs are black, but the tips of their bills are yellow. They have long forked tails and the first few layers of feathers are a grey colour. They skim the surface and dip down daintily to pick prey from just below the water’s surface. They breed colonially on rocky oceanic islands and headlands.
Lesser Crested Tern
Scientific Name: Thalasseus Bengalensis
Size: Medium –Large Tern
Conservation Status: LC
Description: There are many subspecies of this bird. They have a black cap, black legs and a long sharp orange bill. In winter their black cap turns white. The upper wings, rump and tail feathers are a grey colour. The under parts are white. They breed in dense colonies on coasts and inlands and nest on the ground, laying 1-2 eggs per season. They feed by plunge diving for fish in saline environments
Beach Stone-curlew
Scientific name: Esacus magnirostris
Size: 55cm
Conservation Status: NT
Description: It is one of the world’s largest shore birds also known as a beach thick-knee. It is a ground dwelling bird and less strictly nocturnal than most stone-curlews. A single egg is laid just above the high tide line on the open beach, where it is vulnerable to predators. It roams open beaches, exposes reefs and mangroves, slowly moving with the occasional short runs.
Striated Heron
Scientific Name: Butorides striata
Size: 44cm tall
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They are mostly non-migratory and can also be known as the mangrove heron, little heron or green-backed heron. These birds stand still at the water’s edge and wait to ambush prey They mainly eat small fish, frogs and aquatic insects. They sometimes use bait, dropping a feather or leaf carefully on the water surface and picking fish that come to investigate. They nest in a platform of sticks not too far off the ground in shrubs or trees, usually close to the eaters edge. They lay 2-5 eggs which are blue in colour.
Little Egret
Scientific Name: Egretta garzetta
Size: 55-65 cm in length, wingspan 88-06cm
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It is an all white bird with a long slender black beak, long black legs and yellow feet. It is an aquatic bird which feeds in shallow waters and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. It breeds colonially, usually with other species of water birds. It makes a platform nest of sticks in trees, bush or reed bed. In warmer locations they are permanent, however in northern parts they migrate south.
Intermediate Egret
Sientific name: Ardea intermedia
Size: 56-72 cm in length, Wingspan 105- 115cm
Conseervation Status: LC
Description: The Intermediate Egret is all white with a thickish yellow bill and dark eyes. It has long dark legs.The intermediate egret stalks its prey methodically in shallow coastal or fresh water, including flooded fields. It eats fish, frogs, crustaceans and insects. It nests in colonies other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. 2-5 eggs are laid per season.
Eastern Great Egret
Scientific Name: Ardea alba modesta
Size: 83-103 cm in length
Conservation Status: They are protected in Austraila and considered highly endangered.
Description: The eastern great egret is a large heron with all white plumage. Its bill is black but during breeding season changes to yellow. It has long legs of either black or red. Its neck which is one and half time longer than its body, distinguishes it from other white egrets. Their diet includes vertebrates and invertebrates and they hunt by wading or standing still in shallow water and “spearing” prey with its bill. They breed in large colonies and usually with other species as well.
Pacific Reef Egret
Scientific Name: Egretta sacra
Size: 57-66cm in length, wingspan 90-110 cm
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The species displays an unusual, non-sexual dimorphism, with some members having entirely white plumage and others being charcoal-grey. The colour morph is unknown. The herons have very short yellow legs with a narrow white stripe on their chin. They have brown beaks and gold-yellow coloured eyes. They breed in colonies between palms and mangroves all year round. They use branches and blossoms to construct their nests
Great-billed Heron
Scientific Name: Ardea sumatrana
Size: 115cm tall and weight 2,6kg
Construction Status: LC
Description: It is larger than the purple heron, which it resembles in appearance, although it is larger and darker. The plumage is largely dark grey above and below. They feed in shallow waters, spearing their prey with their long sharp bill. They will wait motionless or stalk their prey. Tends to be solitary, only rarely seen in small flocks. Typically restricted to the coast, where it inhabits mangroves, lagoons, and offshore islands.
Brahmany Kite
Scientific Name: Haliastur indus
Size: Medium size bird of prey
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They are formally known as the red-backed sea-eagle. They are found mainly on the coast and in wetlands, feeding on dead fish and other prey. They have a reddish-brown body plumage contrasting with their white head and breast which make them easy to distinguish. Their nests are constructed from small branches and sticks, with a bowl inside and lined with leaves, and are located in various trees, often mangroves.
Eastern Osprey
Scientific Name: Pandion cristatus
Size: Medium size raptor or large hawk
Conservation Status: New south Wales – They are protected. Western Australia the status is “Not Threatened”.
Description: They live in Oceania regions and pairs breed at the same nest site, building up a substantial structure on dead trees or limbs. They diet consists mostly of vertebrate fish species and exhibit unique behaviour to assist in hunting and catching prey. The plumage is dark brown on the upper surfaces, and pale at the head and lower parts. The throat is white, a black line extends from this through the eye to a dark patch around the ear, demarcating this from the pale colour at the head.
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White-bellied Sea-eagle
Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucogaster
Size: 90cm in length, Wingspan 2,2m
Conservation Status: LC , Australia VU
Description: It has a white head, breast, upper wing coverts and tail. The under-wing colour is black with a short wedge shaped tail. It has a large, hooked bill the colour grey-blue. It breeds and hunts near coastal areas as half of its diet includes fish. It consumes carrion and a wide variety of animals. The eagle is generally sedentary and territorial although it may travel long distances, its main disturbance is humans and they can abandon a nest if disrupted. A pair will breed for life or until the other one dies.
Gurney’s Eagle
Scientific Name: Aquila gurneyi
Size: 74-86 cm in length, wingspan 1,6 – 1,9 m
Conservation Status: NT
Description: A fairly large species with mainly dark brown to black plumage with lighter undersides to its flights feathers and a rounded tail. It feeds on mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. They are found at sea level to 1500m above sea level.
Collared Sparrowhawk
Scientific Name: Accipiter cirrocephalus
Size: 29-38cm in length, 55-78cm Wingspan
Conservation Status: LC
Description: A small slim bird of prey specialising in hunting small birds. They are finely built with rounded wings, square tail, yellow eyes and long legs. The upper parts are grey with a brown wash and a chestnut half collar. They are generally resident but may be partially migratory. The nest is a platform of sticks and lined with green leaves, laying about 3-4 eggs per season
Long-tailed Honey Buzzard
Scientific Name: Henicopernis longicauda
Size: 50-61 cm in length, Wingspan 105 – 140 cm
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They feed mostly on insects, wasps, lizards and small birds and can be found in Tropical rainforests and adjacent clearings from sea level to 3000m above sea level. It builds a nest high in a forest tree, after rainy season. They have very small heads and fairly long tails that fan our when soring. Broadly streaked underparts are noticeable when perched.
Brown Cuckoo-dove
Scientific Name: Macropygia phasianella
Size: 40-43 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The feathers are a rich, rusty brown colour, with the wings, short tail and back being a shader darker. They inhabit rainforests, wetlands and scrubland. They can often be seen in pairs or groups and feed on berries. Their nest is mad e of sticks and vines and forms a platform in the fork of trees or ontop of low tree. They lay one egg per season.
Wompoo Fruit Dove
Scientific Name: Ptilinopus magnificus
Size: 35 – 45 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It has purple plumage around its neck, chest and upper belly. Its lower belly is yellow and it has green underparts. They are often found in large flocks and feed off fruit breeding trees in rainforests. They do not like to move around and prefer to be in one spot. Their nest is forked and made from twigs not high from the ground. They lay one egg per season.
Pink-spotted Fruitdove
Scientific Name: Ptilinopus perlatus
Size:
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They are largely green with the chest a browner colour. The throuat and nape are a grey white an the wings are a distinct spotted pink. A forest bird found mainly at lowland elevations and in primary forest. They feed in large groups on fig trees usually mixing with other pigeons, They will travel long distances to find fig trees.
Superb Fruitdove
Scientifcic Name: Ptilinopus superbus
Size: 22-23 cm Long
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They are sexually dimorphic. The males are very colourful with a orange nape, green ears and purple crown. The breast is grey with a wide dark blue band diving the breast from abdomen. Ther wings are a olive green colour with dark spots and the tail has a white tip. Females are less clolourful. They live in rainforests and are usally resident birds. The flock will move around accoding to food availability feeding of fuits and berries. Their nests are a small platform of twigs 5-30 meteres off the ground and they lay one egg per season.
Beautiful Fruit-dove
Scientific Name: Ptilinopus pulchellus
Size: 19cm in lenght
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They are mainly green with a red crown with a white throat and yellowish bill. The breast is a blueish grey with a yellow-orange underbelly and a redish purple patch inbetween. They can be found mainly in rain forests and feed off a variety of fruiting trees form the canpoy down to the lowest branches
Dwarf Fruit-dove
Scientific Name: Ptilinopus nainus
Size: 13-15 cm in lenght
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It is the shortest pigeon or dove in the world. It has an overall green plumage with the contrasting undertail a stricking yellow and this yellow follws through as bands on the wings with a darker shade of green. Only the male has a purple patch on its belly. It is found in lowlands and foothill forests and feeds on figs, however little is known about their diet.
Claret-breasted Fruit-dove
Scientific Name: Ptilinopus viridis
Size: 20-21 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They mainly have green plumage apart form a patch of dark red-brown feathers on the throat and upper breast. The face and shoulder have a bluish grey in colour.They live in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. They are aggressive at feeding trees and feed in small flocks chasing away other birds. Their nests are a flimsy platform of sticks and leaves
Spice Imperial Pigeon
Scientific Name: Ducula myristicivora
Size: 41-43 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC – Endemic to Indonesia
Description: Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The head, neck and breast are a pale silvery grey, tinged with pink. They have a creamy white band at the base of the bill and a white ring around the eye. The feed on fruits in pairs or singly.
Nicobar Pigeon
Scientific Name: Caloenas nicobarica
Size: 40 cm in length
Conservation Status: NT
Description: The head and upper neck is grey which turns in to green and copper hackles. The rest of this birds plumage is metalic green and they have a pure white tail. At the top of the bill there is a knob and their feet and kegs are a dull red colour. They raom in flocks from islnd to island where the food is plentiful. They feed on seeds, fruits and buds and occationaly grains. They nest in dense forests on offshore islets, often in large colonies. It builds a loose stick nest in a tree and lays one egg per season.
Metallic Pigeon
Scientific Name: Columba vitiensis
Size: 37cm in length (medium Sized)
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Also known as the White-throated pigeon. It has a purple green head, black wings and uppertail coverts. It has a yellow bill and purplish feet. Its ears and chin are white or grey and it has a dull chestnut or glossed purple green below, depending on the subspecies. Its iris’s are a yellow-red colour. It can be found in tropical forests and eats fruits, berries and seeds
Pinon’s Imperial Pigeon
Scientific Name: Ducula pinon
Size: 44- 48 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They have a grey head, maroon belly and a distinct red eye patch. The rest of the plumage is a mauve-grey to grey with a darker shade on the wings and tail. They are found in subtropical to tropical moist lowland forests and move in group of 3-6. They feed on fruits and berries and the nest is a platform of twigs located about 11-18m up in forest trees.
Nicobar Pigeon
Scientific Name: Caloenas nicobarica
Size: 40 cm in length
Conservation Status: NT
Description: The head and upper neck is grey which turns in to green and copper hackles. The rest of this birds plumage is metalic green and they have a pure white tail. At the top of the bill there is a knob and their feet and kegs are a dull red colour. They raom in flocks from islnd to island where the food is plentiful. They feed on seeds, fruits and buds and occationaly grains. They nest in dense forests on offshore islets, often in large colonies. It builds a loose stick nest in a tree and lays one egg per season.
Sulfur-crested Cockatoo
Scientific Name: Cacatua galerita
Size: 44-55cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Plumage all over is white with a yellow tinge on the underwing and tail. The bill is black and the legs a grey colour. They feed in groups and will always have one bird that watchs over them while feeding. They feed on fruits, nuts, seeds, small insects and blossoms. They are seasonal breeders and use wood chips to line a hollow in a tree for a nest. They lay between 2-3 eggs per season.
Red-flanked Lorikeet
Scientific Name: Charmosyna placentis
Size: 17cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Mainly green plumage for both male and female with yellow feathers. The male has a distinct red facial patch and blue in its ear coverts. They are found in primary and mature secondary forests and along forest edges. They fly quietly in small groups, perching high inside canopies of flowering trees. They lay two eggs and use a cavity in fern trees for their nests
Black-capped Lory
Scientific Name: Lorius lory
Size: 28-31 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Also known as the tricoloured Lory. They have a distinct black cap, green wings, red head and body round to the wing. They have a grey-black cere, yellow underwings, and blue legs and belly. They inhabit primary forests, forest edges, swampy forest and drier woodlands. They feed on nectar and pollen, sometimes taking fruit and insects. It is usually seen in resident pairs.
Violet-necked Lory
Scientific Name: Eos squamata
Size: 27 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It is mainly red and blue with a blue abdomen. It has red and black in its wings and a purple-red tail. The extent of its blue neck collar depends on subspecies. Its natural habitats are moist lowland forests and tropical mangrove forests. They feed in coconut plantations and other wooded cultivated areas. They usually gather in large flocks in flowering forest trees and resident p[airs travel together. It nest has never been described from the wild
Red-cheeked Parrot
Scientific Name: Geoffroyus geoffroyi
Size: 25cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Both male and female have bright green plumage with short tail. The male has red cheeks with a mauve-blue on the back of his head and crown. They have chestnut wing coverts and blue under the wing and a pink upper mandible. The female has a brown head and more olive brown cheeks. They inhabit subtropical and tropical forests , as well as tropical mangroves. They feed on seeds, nectar, blossoms and fruit and can be seen in small flocks or pairs. They build their nests in rotting tree limbs.
Rainbow Lorikeet
Scientific Name: Trichoglossus moluccanus
Size: 25-30 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The plumage is very bright and colourful. The head is blue with a green-yellow collar along with the rest of the upper parts (wings, back and tail). The chest is orange/yellow with a deep blue belly. The male and female are identical. In flight the yellow bar and red under wing stand out dramatically. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas and will often been found travelling in pairs. They feed mainly on fruit, pollen and nectar and have a tongue especially adapted for their diet. They nest in the hollows of tall trees and lay between one to three eggs per season.
Great-billed Parrot
Scientific Name: Tanygnathus megalorynchos
Size: 38 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Its plumage is mainly green with its distinguishing characteristic, its big red bill. It has yellow-green under parts, pale blue rump and black shoulders. It can be found in forests, woodlands & mangroves and they are rarely found in large numbers. Their diet consists mainly of fruit and when building a nest they will choose a tree high in the forest trees.
Orange-fronted Hanging Parrot
Scientific Name: Loriculus aurantiifrons
Size: 10 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC – endemic to New Guinea and surrounding islands.
Description: Male and female are mainly green in colour. The males have a golden-yellow forecrown and females having a blue green forecrown and blue-green cheeks. Both have a red rump with yellow on the side and red patch on the neck. They can be found in lowland forests, pines and palms. They feed on nectar, blossoms, buds and possibly seeds. They nest in small hollows in trees.
Blyth’s Hornbill
Scientific Name: Rhyticeros plicatus
Size: 91cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It is also known as the Papuan Hornbill. The adult male has predominantly black plumage over the body with a golden-orange buff head, white throat and white tail. Their eyes are surrounded by a pale blue skin. The female has the same characteristics except her head buff is black, like the rest of the body. Both sexes have a very large horned bill. They inhabit forest canopies and nest in large tree hallows. The female will be sealed into the nest during incubation by plastering the entrance with a paste of fruit pulp and rotten wood with just her beak sticking out. The male will feed her.
Brush Cuckoo
Scientific Name: Cacomantis variolosus
Size: 22-26cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Their heads are pale grey, the back a grey-brown and the under parts of the tail are brown with white tips and bars. Their feet are an olive pink. They inhabit a range of environment such as rainforests, mangrove forests, rainforest edges and plantations. They are brood parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in host nests and leave the egg to be hatched and raised by another species
Papuan Frogmouth
Scientific Name: Podargus papuensis
Size: 53 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: This bird is the largest of the frogmouths. They have red eyes with a creamed eyebrow, a bulbous bill, long tail and dark wings. The plumage is a mixture of browns and greys which give it excellent camouflage on tree branches. They can be found in Subtropical, tropical or lowland forests. They are strictly nocturnal and hunt for insects on the ground from dusk. They nest in trees using a few sticks or twigs in the fork of branches.
Large-tailed Nightjar
Scientific Name: Caprimulgus macrurus
Size: 25-28 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Brownish-grey overall plumage. They have chestnut and black spotted wings with a rich brown ear patch. When in flight, bright white patches can be seen in the corners of the tails feathers and end of wings. It can be found in Tropical, subtropical and mangrove forests and are intricately patterned nocturnal birds. The will be found roosting on the forest ground or in a low branch. They feed on insects and when nesting will lay their eggs on the bare ground near the edge of a forest
Glossy Swiftlet
Scientific Name: Collocalia esculenta
Size: 9 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Predominantly black plumage over the whole body, except it is the only swift with glossy under parts and whitish belly. The tail is moderately long and slightly notched with rounded wing tips. Forages singly or in small flocks low over the forest and in forest gaps. Nests alone or in colonies in the twilight zone of caves, sheltered rock faces. They use moss, lichen and fibre glued with saliva to the rock to form their nests.
Moustached Treeswift
Scientific Name: Hemiprocne mystacea
Size: 28-30cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Commonly inhabits lowlands and foothills, favouring forest edges and clearings. It is a very large swift with long, curved, pointed wings and a deeply forked tail which resembles a long spike when folded. They have a sooty grey with glossy blue plumage. They have a white eyebrow and moustache plumes. The male has a chestnut patch on the ear-coverts. They usually occur singly or in pairs. They are more active at dawn and dusk hawking flying insects. They nest on a bare horizontal branch making a small saucer shaped nest from feathers and plant material cemented with saliva.
Uniform Swiftlet
Scientific Name: Aerodramus vanikorensis
Size: 13 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Also known as the Vanikoro or Lowland Swiftlet. Plumage is mainly dark grey-brown, darker on the upper parts and lighter on the under parts. The tail is shallowly forked. They can be found in lowlands and foothills over forest and open habitats including coasts and small islands. It forages for flying insects, mainly ants and nests in caves using a unique sense of echolocation, rare in birds, to navigate.
Tree Martin
Scientific Name: Petrochelidon nigricans
Size: 13 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The adult has a blue back and crown, brown wings and tail, reddish-brown forehead and white rump. The under parts are white and it has a shallowly forked tail. They are often found in open woodlands with large trees. They are found in pairs or semi-colonies depending on the nesting site availability. They nest in natural holes found in dead trees or rock crevices. They nest is often just made up of grass and leaves, sometimes using mud as a reinforcement. They feed on insects in flight, twisting fast and higher than most swallows
Pacific Swallow
Scientific Name: Hirundo tahitica
Size: 13cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The upper parts are a glossy black, the throat a reddish-brown blending into a grey breast and belly. The tail is short and notched, lacking streamers. The outer tail feathers are rounded. Natural habitat includes cliffs for nesting along seacoasts and offshore islets. They are often found in pairs or small flocks. It constructs its nest out of muds pellets, collected in the beak under a cliff ledge, lining the nest with soft materials. They are fast flyers and feed in insects, especially flies, while airborne.
Common Paradise-kingfisher
Scientific Name: Tanysiptera galatea
Size: 33-34 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It has a red bill, dark turquoise cap with brighter blue edges. The upper parts are a bluish black plumage with black cheeks. The under parts are white with the wings having blue and white. They have a very long central tail with blue at the base shaped like a spatula. They can be found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and are non-migratory. They build their nests from an active termite nest in trees and can lay up to five eggs. Their diet mainly consists of invertebrates such as grasshoppers, beetles and earthworms. They will usually stay motionless, perched on a branch, before an opportunity comes to swoop down and collect its prey.
Oriental Dollarbird
Scientific Name: Eurystomus orientalis
Size: 30cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The plumage is mainly dark drown, however it is washed out by a bluish-green sheen to its upper parts of the wings and back. The under parts are a lighter colour with a bright blue on the throat and under tail. The flight feathers are a darker blue. The bill is an orange-red colour with a black tip. It has distinct blue coin shaped spots on its wings. They can be found in open wooded areas and use hollowed out trees to build their nests.
Rainbow Bee-eater
Scientific Name: Merops ornatus
Size: 19-24 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: These are very colourful birds, hence the name. The head, stomach, breast and throat are a pale yellowish colour. The upper back and wings are green fading in to a blue colour on the lower back and under tail coverts. It has a black bib and black stripe that goes through the red eye. The under sides of the wings and primary flight feathers are red and tipped with black while and the tail goes form a black to a deep violet. It has two central tail feathers that are longer than the rest. You will find these birds in forests, open woodlands, beaches, dunes and cliffs. They are migratory. They mate for life and make their nest by burrowing in the sand before a rainy season. Their diet consists of bees as well as flying insects.
Rufous-bellied Kookaburra
Scientific Name: Dacelo gaudichaud
Size: 28 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It has a white bill, which distinguishes it from other Kookaburra’s. It head is capped with black and a white band/collar separates the head from the body. It has blue tinged wings with a pale red-brownish belly and tail feathers. They can be found in dense rainforests and lives singularly or in pairs. They mostly inhabit the middle section of a dense tropical forest and from here they hunt for large insects, sometime other bird’s eggs. They nest in termite mounds and lay two eggs.
Beach Kingfisher
Scientific Name: Todiramphus saurophagus
Size: 28cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: This is a large size kingfisher with all white head and under parts, black blue-green wings and blue tail. You will find them on sea coasts, especially on small, offshore islands, mangroves or coconut groves, Subtropical or tropical rainforests. They can be found in pairs or solitary and nest in tree hollows. They feed on crabs, insects, lizards and fish by diving onto them from branches where they perch there overlooking the shore for potential prey.
Collared Kingfisher
Scientific Name: Todiramphus chloris
Size: 20-25 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: A heavy billed, white collared Kingfisher with a blue-green crown and back. They may have a black stripe through their eye. The bill is black with a yellow base to the lower mandible. They are commonly found in coastal areas, practically in mangrove swamps. They are often found sitting on a branch. They hunt for crabs, insects, lizards and small fish, they will remain motionless for a long time and when it spots its prey, it will swoop down and catch it, returning to the branch and bashing it against the branch. They nest in Hollow trees, earth bank or termite mounds. They are often found in pairs or solitary.
Sacred Kingfisher
Scientific Name: Todiramphus sanctus
Size: 21 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They are mostly turquoise with some black or dark blue on the head and outer wings, with the under parts white as well as having a white collar. They have a rusty brownish tinge to the white parts and a black stripe through the eye. They can sometimes be mistaken as the Collared Kingfisher as they look very similar. They can be found on forest edges, woodlands and mangroves. They forage by swooping down on large arthropods, frogs and reptiles. Once a pair has mated they both build the nest in a hollow tree, sandy bank or termite mound
Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher
Scientific Name: Ceyx solitarius
Size: 12 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They have fluorescent deep blue upper parts, honey golden under parts with the crown and wing coverts having a glittering sequined feathering. The back and rump are a paler blue. The bill is black and it has yellow-orange feet. They can be found in lowland and hill forest interior, often away for the water. They are usually solitary and inconspicuous when perching at low to middle heights. They forage for arthropods and make their nests in earth banks.
Rusty Mouse-warbler
Scientific Name: Origma murina
Size: 12 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It is dark brown above with contrasting white throat and the breast is a rusty-cinnamon. The crown is usually a dark shade and their iris colour changes from red to brown. They can be found in lowland and hill forests. They are secretive and often difficult to observe. They will hop along the ground and low branches foraging for arthropods and are usually found in pairs or singular. They build their nests on the ground, globular with an entrance and lay two brownish eggs
Ruby-throated Myzomela
Scientific Name: Myzomela eques
Size: 13-14 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Large Myzomela with dark brown plumage all over the body with a striking ruby-red throat. They can be found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. They usually feed alone or in groups in canopy flower collecting nectar and insects. They nest in a forest sapling about 3m up with the nest slung on a thin forked branch and made from black lichen strands shaped into a basket. Their eggs are pink with brown spots
Papuan black Myzomela
Scientific Name: Myzomela nigrita
Size: 12-13 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to our area.
Description: The male and female are different in plumage. The male is a matte black with white under wing coverts (rarely seen) and the female is brown with a combination of reddish forehead and throat, but no tail. They inhabit subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests and are commonly found at flowering trees such as eucalypts and albizias. They can be found singular, in pairs or gathers with other nectar feeders at favoured blooming trees. They feed on nectar and insects.
Long-billed Honey-eater
Scientific Name: Melilestes megarhynchus
Size: 22-23 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC , Endemic to this area
Description: A medium sized honey eater with olive-brown plumage with darker shade on the upper wings. They have a long curved bill as well as an orange eye. They inhabit forest interior from lowlands to mid mountains. They sedentary and perhaps territorial and are found foraging by mostly deep probing, taking arthropods and lizards form crevices in bark, leaf bases of climbing pandans and other hiding places. They build their nest on a shelf, which is unusual, with green moss shape das a cup and lined with thin stems.
Varied Honeyeater
Scientific Name: Gavicalis versicolor
Size: 19-22 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The under parts are predominately white with olive-green streaks. The upper parts are an olive green with a lighter yellow green edging the upper wing coverts. It has a black musk and a yellow-white ear patch. Its natural habitat is subtropical and tropical mangrove forests and strictly coastal. They forage in foliage at all levels feeding on insects and nectar. They nest in shrubs, mangrove or small trees where the nest is suspended in a fork a few meters up, shaped in a cup and made from stems and rootlets bound with spiderwebs and lined with fine rootlet fibers. Their eggs are a pale pink colour.
Helmeted Friarbird
Scientific Name: Philemon buceroides
Size: 33-35 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: A large bird with grey brown plumage all over the body. They have a slender neck and the face shows bare black skin, with or without a knob at the base of the bill. The iris is a red-brown. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest. They are often found in pairs or groups perching on top of branches calling loudly and incessantly. Their diet consists of fruit, nectar and insects. Nests in a crown of a leafy tree with the nest suspended from a forked branch.
Mimic Meliphaga
Scientific Name: Meliphaga analoga
Size: 16-19 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: Also known as the Mimic Honeyeater. It has greenish upper parts and unmottled under parts. The sides of the head are a lighter shade with a large yellow spot by the ear. The gape skin is orange and the rictal a streak of pale yellow. The iris varies from grey to brown. It inhabits lowlands and forests of all types and easy to observe. They can be found singularly or in pairs and they feed on fruits and arthropods, sometimes visiting flowering trees for nectar.
Puff-backed Meliphaga
Scientific Name: Meliphaga aruensis
Size: 16-18 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: Thick, olive rump tuft shows white fridge on the sides but this is usually hidden under the wing and hard to see. Ear-spot a pale yellow which varies from large and squarish to elongate and tear shaped and may connect to the yellow rictal streak. Iris is a dark brown. Very similar to the Mimic Meliphaga but the difference is in the ear spot and eyes. Inhabits lowlands and forest edge. Their diet is mainly fruit and insects, sometimes nectar. They nest in the forest in a branch fork about a meter from the floor
Mountain Meliphaga
Scientific Name: Meliphaga orientalis
Size: 14-16 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: They live in higher elevations than other Meliphaga’s and are distinguished by this and that they are smaller (size and habit). Common to see in mid -mountain forest, mainly canopy. They are smaller with an elongated, slender bill. Their under parts are dark and mottled with a small yellow ear-spot. Olive green plumage over rest of body. They feed on nectar and insects, sometimes fruit. Their nest is a tight cup of fiber, twigs and vines, decorated with moss and bamboo leaves.
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Tropical Scrubwren
Scientific Name: Sericornis beccarii
Size: 10-13 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Brightly patterned with olive upper parts, whitish throat, pale bill, white eye-ring and dark wing coverts which are edged with white. They have a checkerboard pattern of black and white on the sides of each wing. They inhabit lowlands and hill forests and can be found foraging in the understory and mid-story of forests searching on twigs and branches for food. The nest is an untidy dome suspended a meter or so above the ground.
Fairy Greygone
Scientific Name: Gerygone palpebrosa
Size: 10 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It is the only greygone with sexually dichromatic plumage. The male has a unique black marking on his face with a white loral spot and cheek-stripe. It has olive and yellow Under parts with a brownish tail, short black bill and legs. They have red eyes. The female has no black marking on the face. They can be found in subtropical or tropical lowland forests or mangrove forests. They are often seen in small parties or mixed flocks, gleaning and hovering among the foliage. Their nest is an elongated dome suspended from a tree
Black Sunbird
Scientific Name: Leptocoma sericea
Size: 11-12 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The male is jet black with blue –greenish head, gloss on rump, upper tail coverts and tail. The females are olive on the upper parts and yellow-green on the under parts, with a pale grey head and throat. They can be found in subtropical and tropical forests, avoiding the interior. They are often in pairs and are mainly in the outer foliage, foraging for arthropods and nectar. Their nest is pendulous and tear shaped with a roofed side entrance
Olive –backed Sunbird
Scientific Name: Cinnyris jugularis
Size: 11-12 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Both male and female have bright yellow under parts, main emphasis on the throat and the upper parts are a dull brown color. Only the male has a distinct metallic black-blue throat. They are mainly found in mangrove, lowlands and hill forests. They feed on nectar by hovering or perching and sometimes insects. The nests are flask shaped with an overhanging parch at the entrance.
Pygmy Longbill
Scientific Name: Oedistoma pygmaeum
Size: 7cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area.
Description: Mostly olive green plumage all over with a lighter yellow-green color by the throat and under parts. They have a curved bill and short tail. They forage in active flocks that call incessantly from the treetops in lowland and hill forests. They feed on arthropods and visit flowering trees for nectar. Hovering when feeding.
Olive-crowned Flowerpecker
Scientific Name: Dicaeum pectorale
Size: 9 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: A stubby bird which is mainly Olive green in color with a lighter yellow-green in the under parts. The males have a distinct red cap on the rump. Females do not. They live high in the forest canopy from lowlands to mid-mountains and can be seen in pairs or solitary. They feed energetically on fruit and small arthropods taken by gleaming or hovering. The nest is a suspended pouch with side entrance near the top and is built of fine plat material and spiders silk.
Hooded Butcherbird
Scientific Name: Cracticus cassicus
Size: 32-35 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: The plumage is predominantly black and white, with a black head, nape and throat. The under parts are white as well as the rump and back. The tail is black, with a broad white tip. The robust pale bluish-grey bill is hooked and tipped black. The iris is black or dark brown, and the legs and feet are dark grey to black. They are usually in pairs or small parties and are found along forest edges, rivers and in tall second growth lowlands and hills. They feed off large insects, spiders and fruits. The nest is a cup of sticks and twigs, usually found in the outer branches of treetops. Occasionally they mimic other species.
Black-browed Triller
Scientific Name: Lalage atrovirens
Size: 18-19 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: Its cap is all black with glossy black upper parts and all white under parts. The females are duller and barred below. They both have a white shoulder bar. They are found in the rainforest canopies and openings in the lowlands and hills. They forage for fruit and caterpillars and are often in pairs. The nest is a small tightly woven cup, found in the canopies on a horizontal branch or fork.
Golden Cuckooshrike
Scientific Name: Campochaera sloetii
Size: 20 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: A striking golden orange and black bird. It is slender and rather small-headed, with a dark face. The males have a black face and the females have a grey face. They are common in forests of the foothills and adjacent lowlands. Found in small, active and noisy pairs or small parties. Gleans and hovers, taking fruit and insects form the canopy foliage. Their nests are small and compact built on a horizontal branch fork.
White-bellied Cuckooshrike
Scientific Name: Coracina papuensis
Size: 25-36 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They are uniquely pearly grey above and white below. They have thick black lores with crisp border. They can be found in subtropical and tropical forests and mangroves. You see them in pairs or in small parties gleaning insects and spiders form tree foliage, occasionally sallying. They will also eat small fruits. They nest on a horizontal branch fork creating a small cup with twigs and vines and decorated with lichen.
Black Cicadabird
Scientific Name: Edolisoma melas
Size: 23cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: The male is entirely black and the female is all brown and paler on the under parts. She has a subtle but distinct facial pattern (pale eyebrow contrasts with dark eye-stripe and cheeks). Commonly found in lowland and hill forests foraging below the canopy with other flocks of species such as babblers and pitohuis. They eat insects and fruits and nests in a branch fork in a tree crown.
Little Shrikethrush
Scientific Name: Colluricincla megarhyncha
Size: 17-19 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Grey upper parts with orange under parts. It has a pinkish-brown bill. Ubiquitous in forests and scrub of all sorts, from lowlands to mid-mountains. Can be found in pairs or solitary foraging for arthropods in branches and leaves, rummaging in clumps of dead leaves. Feeds on invertebrates, rarely fruits. The nest is 1-2m up in branches of a sapling or vine tangle and is a messy bowl constructed of dead leaves and stems.
Raja Ampat Pitohui
Scientific Name: Pitohui cerviniventris
Size: 20-21 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: They have a pale brownish –grey head and upper parts with tan-brown under parts. They can be mainly found in subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests. They can be found in pairs or small groups. Very shy and often hard to spot.
Rusty Pitohui
Scientific Name: Pseudorectes ferrugineus
Size: 25-28 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: A large rusty brown bird with staring white eye. Slightly darker shade on the upper parts of the body. Commonly found in lowland and hill forests in pairs or groups. The members are usually scattered but keep in contact by calling. Forages from understory into the canopy pausing to look around before actively gleaning insects and fruit. Builds its nest on s forked sapling from sticks and stems to form a bulky cup.
Papuan Babbler
Scientific Name: Garritornis isidorei
Size: 25 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: Body plumage is a rufous brown with a curved yellow-orange bill. It has a small head, slim body and long rounded tail. Commonly found in in tangles in lowland and hill forest and permanent flocks travel together through the forest, from the midstory to the canopy. They feed on large arthropods. The birds roost communally in their nest. The nest is built of dried stems from vines and fibre forming a large purse like structure with a long trailing tail.
Shining Flycatcher
Scientific Name: Myiagra alecto
Size: 16-18 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The male and female are very different in appearance. The male has an angular head and his body is entirely shiny blue-black. He has a bright orange mouth, which shows when he sings. The female is a bright orange-rufous colour with a black cap and white under parts. They are commonly found in thickets near water in swap forests, mangroves, lowlands and rainforests. They are found singularly or in territorial pairs. The actively glean and hovers and snatches in the understory of canopies. They nest in a shady location on a thin branch. The nest is made from tightly woven plant material bound with spiders webs.
Frilled Monarch
Scientific Name: Arses telescopthalmus
Size: 16cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: The male has black and white plumage with an erectile snow white ruff and white patch on the back. It has a distinct blue fleshy eye ring. It is found in lowlands and foothills in pairs or singularly. Forages mainly in the midstory of canopies taking insects and spiders. It nests at mid level in forests and the nest is woven between to slender dangling vines. The nest is a cup of fine stems and roots , bound by spiders webs.
Golden Monarch
Scientific Name: Carterornis chrysomela
Size: 13-14 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The male and female differ, however they both have a unique tear-spot below the eye. The male has a striking yellow and black pattern plumage over his entire body with a yellow wing patch. The female is generally yellow and olive. They are found in lowlands and foothill forests, usually in pairs or mixed species flocks, living in the canopy. Gleans and sally-gleans, taking insects form leaves. Their nests are cup shaped and covered in moss situated high in the midstory on a horizontal branch.
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Spot-winged Monarch
Scientific Name: Symposiachrus guttula
Size: 14-15 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: Grey and white with black face and white spots on the wings. The white tail spots flash when the tail is fanned out. Commonly found in lowland and hill forests interior. They are usually alone, sometimes in pairs. They actively gleans, hovers, snatches and flycatches for insects and spiders, taken mostly from trees. They nest off the ground in the fork of a small sapling. The nest is a deep cup, decorated with moss and globs of silk and lined with dark rootlets.
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Northern Fantail
Scientific Name: Rhipidura rufiventris
Size: 17 cm in lenght
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Dark gray plumage above, pale below, with a variably dark grey chest band. Often droops tail, showing very long white tips to tail feathers. It has pale wingbars, a narrower thin black breast band, and more prominent eyebrow. It can be found in lowland hill forests and mid- mountain. They are often seen in pairs or singularly. They will perch in an open space in the forest interior and sally for small insects. The nest is a tight cup of fine plant material bound with spiders webs.
Willie Wagtail
Scientific Name: Rhipidura leucophry
Size: 17-20 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They are all black in plumage except for a white belly and eyebrow. They are conspicuous and active, wagging their entire body when calling. The tail is usually cocked and waved but not fanned. Distinctive silvery flash in the wings when it flys. They are found at beaches, riverside openings and forest alone or in pairs. They forage from low shrubs and trees picking from branches or sallying. They are very territorial and nest on a variety of structures building their nest from fine plant material and lining it with hair or feathers.
White-bellied Thicket-fantail
Scientific Name: Rhipidura leucothorax
Size: 18cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: Colouring is a blackish –brown plumage. They have a black face marked with a prominent white eyebrow and white submoustachial patch. The belly is white and all the tail feathers are white tipped. They forage near the ground in a broad range of lowland and hill forest habitats. They can be found in pairs or singularly. It gleans and flycatches for insects, staying close to the ground. The nest is built in the thicket on a thin stem woven into a tailored cup and coated with cobwebs.
Sooty Thicket-fantail
Scientific Name: Rhipidura threnothorax
Size: 17cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: The tail feathers are all black, and their throat is all white . The plumage of the small head is usually unkempt-looking. The male is often darker than the female. You can commonly find them in the thickets, within forest interior in lowlands. While foraging , assumes a horizontal posture with tail fanned. Gleans insects from the ground or flycatches at ground level or from a low perch. The nest is built on a forked branch in undergrowth and is a tight cup bound with spiderwebs.
Glossy Manucode
Scientific Name: Manucodia ater
Size: 38-42 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to the area
Description: It has green, blue and purple black feathers. The iris’s are red and it has a black bill. The tail is long and graduated with somewhat elongated upper breast and neck feathers. They can be found in lowlands, forest edges and open woods and is generally absent from deep forest. A shy fruit eater of canopy fruiting trees, but regularly sings from a high, open perch at the forest edge. The nest is suspended from a fork in the branch of a small tree and is a shallow cup of vine tendrils without leaves or wood.
Brown-headed Crow
Scientific Name: Corvus fuscicapillus
Size: 46 cm in Length
Conservation Status: NT, Endemic to the area
Description: A robust crow with large, high arched black bill and short square tail. Brownish-black head and breast. The rest of the body is black. They have a strikingly pale blue eye. They are only found in 4 localities in lowland forests of the west. They are shy and usually stay within the forest eating fruit
Torresian Crow
Scientific Name: Corvus orru
Size: 46cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Plumage is all black with a whitish or pale blue iris. They are a common black crow of coats, settlements and open lowland country. They can be found singularly, in pairs or small flocks. Forages on the ground, savaging along roads and shorelines as well as taking fruit from the trees. The nest is built in a tree crown and is a bulky cup made form sticks and other materials.
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Scientific Name: Scythrops novaehollandiae
Size: 56-70 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The species is the largest brood parasite in the world, and the largest cuckoo. They are migratory. The bill is bi-coloured with grey at the base and straw coloured at the tip. The plumage is pale grey on the head, chest, belly and back. The wings are a darker grey with darker tips in the feathers. The tail has a black band and white tip at the end. The eye is surrounded by prominent red skin. They are quiet shy and remain hidden in the canopies. They feed on fruit and are more active in the morning and evenings. They are brood parasites and lay their eggs in the nests of other birds.
Wilson Bird of Paradise
Scientific Name: Cicinnurus respublica
Size: 16 cm in Length
Conservation Status: NT, Endemic to Waigeo & Batanta Island
Description: Both sexes can be immediately identified by the bald, cobalt-blue crown crossed with black lines. The male is green below, red and yellow above in between brown and black plumage. He has two distinct violet curled feather tails. The feet are a striking blue. The female is dull brown above and finely barred below. They can be found in hill forest about 300m up. They feed on fruits, insects and spiders and the male can be territorial at his display site. They are often viewed alone.
The nest is a cup of roots, fibres and moss placed in a low pandan or scrub.
Red Bird of Paradise
Scientific Name: Paradisaea rubra
Size: 33 cm in length
Conservation Status: NT, Endemic to area
Description: The male has an emerald green face, a pair of elongated corkscrew-shaped tail wires, dark green feather pompoms above each eye and a train of glossy crimson red plumes with whitish tips on either side of the breast. The female is smaller with a chocolate face and broad breast band of dull yellow. The can be found in lowland forests and their diet consists of fruits, berries and arthropods. They are often viewed alone and males are territorial of their display area. Nest detail unknown.
Black-sided Robin
Scientific Name: Poecilodryas hypoleuca
Size: 13-15cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Also known as the Pied Robin. It has black and white plumage. The upper parts including the crown, nape, back, wings and tail are black. It has white eyebrows, throat and under parts and a white patch on the wings. The bill is black, and the eyes are dark brown, and the legs grey or pink. Its natural habitat are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It hunts by gleaning and snatching insects from tree trunks and branches and on the ground.
Olive Flycatcher
Scientific Name: Contopus cooperi
Size: 13-14 cm in Length
Conservation Status: NT, Endemic to the area
Description: A small yellowish –olive robin with a yellow lower bill and legs. It has a very obvious eye ring. They occupy midstory forests and sometime adventuring into open habitat. Forages in typical flycatcher fashion by perching on a tree top and then flying out to catch its prey. Usually insects. The nest is a small neat cup decorated with moss, built on a horizontal branch
Spangled Drongo
Scientific Name: Dicrurus bracteatus
Size: 25-28 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It has predominantly black plumage with blue and purple highlights. The eyes are crimson and themost distinguishing characteristic is its long out curved forked tail. They can be found in lowland forests and edge, up into mountains in disturbed habitat. Can be found in pairs or mixed flocks acting as sentinel species, calling loudly and taking insects flushed by other forages. The nest is slung from a forked twig and is a thin-walled basket of twigs and vine stems.
Moluccan Starling
Scientific Name: Aplonis mysolensis
Size: 20 cm in Length
Conservation Status: LC, Endemic to Indonesia
Description: Glossy black plumage with greenish iridescence. Uncommon and patchy in any forested and open habitats with trees. Feeds on fuits and possibly nectar. It is usually seen in small parties and nesting is colonial in tree holes.
Metallic Starling
Scientific Name: Aplonis metallica
Size: 22-24 cm In length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: They have brilliant red eyes, a long forked tail and green-glossed black plumage. They can be found in lowlands and hill forests. They are very social and are often seen in flocks building messy globular nests in tall rain forest trees. They feed on fruiting trees and will forage on the ground as well
Brown Oriole
Scientific Name: Oriolus szalayi
Size: 25-28 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: Grey brown with a blackish face patch, much finer dark streaking on the head and under parts. A blood red iris and bill. They can be found in forest canopy and regrowth, from lowlands into mid-mountains. Often found Singly or in pairs. They eat fruit and insects. They are not colonial breeders, however they will nest in the same tress as a friarbird. The nest is made from bark strips and is suspended from a tree fork or canopy.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Scientific Name: Passer montanus
Size: 12-14 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The crown and nape are a rich chestnut with a kidney shaped black ear patch on ear pure white cheek. The chin and throat are black. The upper parts are a light brown , streaked with black and the brown wings have two distinct narrow white bars. The bill is a lead blue in summer and black in winter. They feed mainly on seeds, but invertebrates and also consumed. Their nests are built in a natural cavity or a disused nest of a magpie.
House Sparrow
Scientific Name: Passer domesticus
Size: 16 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The female is buffish above and below, while the male has boldly coloured head markings . The male has a dark brown crown from the top of its bill to its back and chestnut brown flanking its crown on the sides of its head. There is black around the bill and throat. There is a small white stripe between the lores and crown. It has two small spots behind the eyes. The underparts are pale grey or white. The upperparts are a warm brown with black streaks. It feeds on seeds of grains and weeds but it is optimistic and adaptable. They build their nests in cliffs and banks or tree hollows.
Eclectus Parrot
Scientific Name: Eclectus roratus
Size: 35 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC
Description: It is unique in that it is the only parrot of its genus. The Female and Male are different. The male has mainly green plumage with a yellowish tinge on the head. The tail is short with green feathers more central fading to blue on the edges. The tip of the tail is edged with a creamy band of feathers. The beak is orange fading to yellow at the tip.The female has mainly red plumage with a darker shade on the back and wings. The tail is edged with yellowish-orange above, and is more orange tipped with yellow underneath. The beak is all black. They feed on fruits, seeds, nuts, buds and nest in large hollows in rainforest trees. The female will defend her nest and will be visited by numerous males. The two colours match their roles very well. Green for the male – camouflage among the trees, red for the females – to notify the male where she is and fend off her nest from other females as well and blending in when she is in the hole of the tree.
Palm Cockatoo
Scientific Name: Probosciger aterrimus
Size: 55-60 cm in length
Conservation Status: LC , in Australia they have been relisted as VU
Description: Also known as the Goliath Cockatoo or Great Black Cockatoo. Mostly all plumage is a smoky grey colour with red cheek patches. They have a large black beak. It is found in rainforests and woodlands and they usually feed during early hours of the day on wild palm fruit, nuts, seeds, beach almond, using their large beak to crack the shells. They lay one egg every two years and breeding takes place in tree hollows that look like standing pipes. It is one of the few bird species that has been known to use tools.
Dusky Scrubfowl or Dusky Megapode
Scientific Name: Megapodius Freycinet
Size: Medium sized – 41cm long
Conservation Status: LC
Description: The scrubfowl is a chicken like bird, endemic to Indonesia, which feeds on the ground in dense coastal or primary hill forest. They are often observed in pairs and will walk long distances picking up fruits & invertebrates from the leaf litter. Rotting plant material is used to incubate its eggs and once the chick hatches it immediately fends for itself.