Magnificent Riflebird is a species of bird of paradise that lives in tropical rainforest of Tanah Papua (in English, it is called New Guinea). It can be found in lowland and lower montane forests. The call of the bird can be heard in almost all day. Here is a video of the paradise bird that I recorded using Canon D-SLR camera that was equipped with 600 mm telephoto lens. Although the bird can be heard calling nearly all day, it is quite difficult to find him due to its dark feather.
The dancing site of this paradise bird can be a hanging vine or a branch of a tree that is in horizontal position.
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| Magnificent Riflebird in Manokwari |
Birdwatching Sites - There are a lot of places in West Papua where visitors can go to watch the Magnificent Riflebird. Some of them that I know include:
- Klatomok Village in Sorong regency. Visitors who fly to Sorong city in order to take a holiday in Raja Ampat can also take a rainforest tour to Klatomok village by a 4WD car to find this bird and a lot of other tropical bird in the forest. The forest in Klatomok is also the habitat of wallaby, wild pigs, deer, echidna, soa-soa lizard, snake, cuscus possum and etc.
- Tambrauw - This regency has got hundreds of birding sites which visitors can explore to find not only the riflebird but also a long list of birds and other wild animals that are endemic to rainforest of West Papua.
- Susnguakti forest of Manokwari, and
- Aisandami Village of Wondama regency.
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| Silhouette of the Paradise Riflebird |
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| Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus) |
BIRDING IN MINAHASA
Minahasa is a region in the Province of North Sulawesi, the Republic of Indonesia. It is a good destination for birding visitors. There are a lot of birds which visitors can watch while walking along the forest edge, farmland and paddy fields of Minahasa. There are a number of sites which tourists can explore to watch birds. Some of them are listed below:
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| Black-naped Oriole |
- Tounelet Slope. This is a very small forest in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency that can be reached by car for around 1.5.hours. Siloam hospital and Birding Minahasa (a birding tour organizer) are located in the vicinity. Birds that can be watched here include: Sooty-headed Bulbul, Sahul Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, Black-crowned White-eye, Sulawesi Swiftlet, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Black-naped Oriole, Eurasian Treesparrow, Brush Cuckoo, Pale Blue Monarch, White-nest Swiftlet, Sulawesi Swiftlet Pacific Swift, Uniform Swiftlet, Purple Needletail, and etc.
- High elevation forest of Sonder is the habitat some interesting species such as Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Sulawesi Myzomela, Crimson Sunbird, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Warbling White-eye, Black-faced Munia, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, and etc.
- Farmland and Paddy Fields of Sonder is the habitat of more interesting birds such as Zebra Dove, White-eyed Drongo, Finch-billed Myna, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Cinnamon Bittern, Sunda Teal, Collared Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Malkoha, White-breasted Woodswallow, and etc.
- More birds can be watched when we visit Mount Mahawu. Red-eared Fruit Dove, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Sulphur-bellied Whistler, Mountain Tailorbird, Isabelline Bush-hen, Vinous-breasted Sparrowhawk, Eyebrowed Thrush, Maroon-chinned Fruit Dove, Spotted Dove, Sulawesi Leaf Warbler and etc.
- The Nature Reserve of Tangkoko is a must see destination for lowland birds such as Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Silver-tipped Fruit Dove, Green Imperial Pigeon, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Hornbill, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher,Green-backed Kingfisher, Ashy Woodpecker, Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher, Spot-tailed Goshawk, and etc.
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| Gray-sided Flowerpecker |
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| Black-faced Munia |
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