The fantastic Wilson's Bird-of-paradise, photographed on the island of Waigeo by Dubi Shapiro.
WEST PAPUA
- Birds-of-paradise - the most amazing birds in the world
- With a shocking blue 'skullcap' and frilled epaulettes (Wilson's), a 'tutu', side-to-side dance and waving head-wires (Western Parotia), a golden fan (Magnificent), shivering thick red and yellow plumes (Red and Lesser), glassy blood-red upperparts (King), candyfloss-yellow plumes and tail-wires (Twelve-wired), and extraordinary long head-pennants (King-of-Saxony)
- As well as astrapias, sicklebills, paradigallas, and Crested Satinbird and MacGregor's Honeyeater (two former birds-of-paradise)
- Bowerbirds, including Flame Bowerbird, possibly the brightest bird on Earth, with bowers and 'gardens' meticulously designed and tended by males, to impress females
- And many of the island of New Guinea's other spectacular birds including Palm Cockatoo, Western Crowned Pigeon and Blyth's Hornbill
- All along with over 1300 fish species offshore, part of the greatest concentration of marine life for an area of its size in the world
- The birds may be fabulous but for the most part they are extremely elusive and birding in New Guinea is as tough as it gets, so this is a destination where local guides are vital, not only to help with arranging boat trips, other transport and camps, but to see the birds and to see them well. Most birds-of-paradise and bowerbirds for example are only likely to be seen well at their traditional display trees and courts, known to only a few.
- There are many slight differences between West Papua and Papua New Guinea as far as birds are concerned but the main ones are that Wilson's Bird-of-paradise is endemic to West Papua, whereas Blue Bird-of-paradise and Ribbon-tailed Astrapia are endemic to Papua New Guinea, a parotia and Magnificent Bird-of-paradise are only likely to be seen dancing and displaying in West Papua, male Brown Sicklebill is only likely to be seen well in Papua New Guinea, and MacGregor's Honeyeater (a former bird-of-paradise) is usually on the beaten track in West Papua but a long way off it in Papua New Guinea.
- Some visitors combine West Papua with Sulawesi and Halmahera where the many endemic birds include Knobbed Hornbill, Maleo, Purple-bearded Bee-eater, Ivory-breasted Pitta and two more birds-of-paradise; Wallace's Standardwing and Paradise Crow.
Best Wildlife in West Papua
Birds
Wilson's Bird-of-paradise, Western Parotia, Magnificent, Red, Lesser, King,
Twelve-wired, King-of-Saxony and Superb Birds-of-paradise, Arfak and Splendid Astrapias, Black, Brown,
Buff-tailed and Pale-billed Sicklebills, Magnificent Riflebird, Long-tailed and Short-tailed Paradigallas, Lesser
Melampitta, manucodes, Crested Satinbird, MacGregor's Honeyeater, bowerbirds including Flame (Masked), Palm
Cockatoo, Western Crowned Pigeon, Blyth's Hornbill, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Wattled Ploughbill, Torrent Lark,
Lesser Frigatebird and White-bellied Sea Eagle, as well as Salvadori's Teal, Snow Mountain Quail, Great-billed
Heron, Brahminy Kite, Black-mantled Goshawk, cuckoo doves, fruit doves, imperial pigeons, Sulphur-crested
Cockatoo, lories, lorikeets, pygmy parrots, tiger parrots, Eclectus Parrot, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Greater Sooty
Owl, owlet nightjars, Marbled and Papuan Frogmouths, Moustached Treeswift, Beach and Yellow-billed Kingfishers,
paradise kingfishers, Rainbow Bee-eater, Dollarbird, Hooded and Red-bellied Pittas, fairywrens, honeyeaters,
Fan-tailed, Tit and Crested Berrypeckers, Black-breasted and Yellow-breasted Boatbills, Great Woodswallow,
Lowland and Mountain Peltops, butcherbirds, cuckoo shrikes including Golden, Black Sittella, whistlers including
Dwarf and Regent, pitohuis including Hooded, fantails, monarchs including Frilled and Golden, Blue-capped Ifrita,
robins including Garnet and Grey-headed (Ashy), Torrent Flycatcher, Island Thrush, Yellow-faced Myna, Blue-faced
Parrotfinch and munias. Also a chance of Northern Cassowary, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Pesquet's Parrot,
Shovel-billed Kookaburra, Blue, Chestnut-backed and Spotted Jewel Babblers, Bruijn's and Wattled Brush Turkeys, New
Guinea Eagle, White-striped Forest Rail, Dusky Woodcock, Pheasant Pigeon, New Guinea Logrunner, and Spotted and
White-eared Catbirds. Also present in the Trans-Fly region, off the usual circuit, are Brolga Crane, Black-necked
Stork, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Australasian Bustard and Spangled Kookaburra.
Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish
The islands of the Raja Ampat Archipelago off West Papua,
including Batanta, Salawati and Waigeo, lie in an area with the greatest concentration of marine life for an area of
its size in the world, with over 1300 fish species, twice as many as there are in the Red Sea and the Caribbean.
Best Sites for Wildlife in West Papua
- Sorong A chance of Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher.
- Raja Ampat Archipelago islands of Batanta, Salawati and Waigeo spectacular coral reefs, Wilson's and Red Birds-of-paradise (display sites for both on Batanta and Waigeo), Glossy-mantled Manucode, Palm Cockatoo, Western Crowned Pigeon, Blyth's Hornbill, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Lesser Frigatebird, Great-billed Heron, Black-naped Tern, Eclectus Parrot, Moustached Treeswift, Beach and Yellow-billed Kingfishers, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Hooded and Red-bellied Pittas, Yellow-breasted Boatbill and Frilled Monarch. Also a chance of Bruijn's Brush Turkey, Pheasant Pigeon and White-eared Catbird.
- Arfak Mountains Western Parotia, Magnificent and King Birds-of-paradise (display sites for all three), Arfak Astrapia, Black Sicklebill, Long-tailed Paradigalla, Superb Bird-of-paradise, Lesser Melampitta, Crinkle-collared Manucode, Flame Bowerbird, Palm Cockatoo, Blyth's Hornbill, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Eclectus Parrot, Barred and Mountain Owlet Nightjars, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Red-bellied Pitta, Fan-tailed and Tit Berrypeckers, Black-breasted Boatbill, Great Woodswallow, Dwarf and Regent Whistlers, Frilled Monarch, and Garnet and Grey-headed Robins. Also a chance of Lesser Bird-of-paradise, Buff-tailed Sicklebill, Western Crowned Pigeon, Shovel-billed Kookaburra, Feline Owlet Nightjar, Blue, Chestnut-backed and Spotted Jewel Babblers, Wattled Brush Turkey, New Guinea Eagle, White-striped Forest Rail, New Guinea Logrunner and Spotted Catbird.
- Nimbokrang King, Lesser and Twelve-wired Birds-of-paradise (display sites for all three), Pale-billed Sicklebill, Glossy-mantled and Jobi Manucodes, Palm Cockatoo, Blyth's Hornbill, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Marbled and Papuan Frogmouths, Moustached Treeswift, Yellow-billed Kingfisher and Yellow-breasted Boatbill. Also a chance of Northern Cassowary, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Shovel-billed Kookaburra, Blue Jewel Babbler, Blue-black Kingfisher and White-eared Catbird.
- Grand Baliem - Ibele Valley - Lake Habbema King-of-Saxony and Superb Birds-of-paradise, Splendid Astrapia, Brown Sicklebill, Short-tailed Paradigalla, Lesser Melampitta, Crested Satinbird, MacGregor's Honeyeater, Wattled Ploughbill, Salvadori's Teal, Snow Mountain Quail, Fan-tailed and Crested Berrypeckers, Black-breasted Boatbill, Great Woodswallow, Regent Whistler, Torrent Lark, Blue-capped Ifrita and Island Thrush. Also a chance of Dusky Woodcock.
- Biak Biak Paradise Kingfisher.
- Kofiau Kofiau Paradise Kingfisher.
- Numfor Numfor Paradise Kingfisher.
New Guinea Eagle by Mark Harper. There is a chance of seeing this rare bird in the Arfak Mountains.
Best Times for Wildlife in West Papua
West Papua has a warm, wet equatorial climate and rain falls year round in the highlands, but there is usually a dry season in the lowlands which lasts from May to September and this is the best time to go, especially July. The best scuba-diving and snorkeling conditions overlap with both ends of this season, from April to June and September to November.
Recommended Books etc. for West Papua
Birds of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago: Photographic Guide by B Coates. Dove Publications, 2001.
Birds of New Guinea by B M Beehler et al. PUP, due 2013 (Second Edition) (First Edition Out of Print).
Birding Indonesia edited by P Jepson and R Ounsted. Periplus Editions, 1997.
Mammals of New Guinea by T Flannery. The Australian Museum, 1990.
Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific by J E Randall. University of Hawaii Press, 2005.
Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific by G Allen et al. New World Publications, 2003.
Trip Reports for West Papua
Many trip reports, some for West Papua, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to West Papua. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to West Papua' below.
- The best website for trip reports is Travelling Birder
- but these are also worth a look
- Birdtours
- Fatbirder
- Jon Hornbuckle
- Mammal Watching
Local Guides and Tours in West Papua
The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.
Accommodation in West Papua
Some Organized Tours to West Papua
There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.
While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.
Tour companies who run organized tours or can arrange custom tours to West Papua include the following.
