BIRD FAMILIES (5)

Psittacidae-parrots, lories and allies:
East of wallacea’s line the forests resound with the screeches of parrots: Indonesia boasts no fewer than 30 endemic species. Most parrots are conspicuous and easy to identify, and the sight of a flock of cockatoos assembling for roost, red lories scorching over the florest canopy, or the exqusite, turquoise wings of a Great-billed Parrot catching the evening sun are some of the most enduring memories of a birding trip to Indonesia (72 species).

Cuculidae-cuckoos, koels and coucals:
This is another mega-diverse family in Indonesia comprising typical migrant and Asian Species, with several island endemics. The javan coucal has the distinction of being one of Indonesia’s most endangered bird, and the plaintive and Brush Cuckoos the most maddening, because of their persistent, annoying, ascending whistles and the difficulty of getting good views to tell them apart. (53 species).

Caprimulgiformes-owls, frogmouths, owlet-nighjars and nightjars:
If you want to make a name for yourself in birding circles, this is the group to focus on. The boobooks and scopsowls readily speciate on islands, as yet undescribe forms have been seen by birders on Timor and Sumba, and almost nothing is known about the Taliabu and Lesser Masked Owls of Moluccas. (66 species)

Apodiformes-swiftlets, swifts and tree-swifts:
The 12 species of swiftlet are among Indonesia’s commonest birds but are so difficult to identify that most birders do not bother. Tree-swifts are larger, wit long, scythe-shaped wings and forked tails; they sit around on exposed branches of forest trees. (24 species).

Trogonidae-trogons:
These beautiful and unobtrusive forest birds, with their black hoods, red or orange bellies and exquisitely vermiculated wing feathers, are quite common in lowland forests of Sumatra, borneo and Java. The Blue-tailed Trogon is an exception: it is a montane forest specialist with blue-and-yellow plumage. (8 species)

Taken from Jepson, P, 1997, Birding Indonesia, Periplus Editions. Singapore

BIRD FAMILIES (4)

Megapodiidae-megapodes:
Indonesia support all but five of the world’s 22 species. These extraordinary birds, which bury massive eggs in sand or large mounds of rotting vegetation, from which freeflying chicks emerge, are one of Indonesia’s greatest birding highlights. The black-and-white Maleo of Celebes is the most famous; the orange-footed Scrubfowl of Nusa Tenggara and Dusky Scrubfowl of North Moluccas are among the easiest to see strolling around the forest floor. (17 species)
Taken from Jepson, P, 1997, Birding Indonesia, Periplus Editions. Singapore

Phasianidae/Turnicidae: pheasants, quails and button quails:
Birders in Sumatra and Borneo invest considerable effort in catching up with the superb forest pheasants. Red Jungle-fowl, the ancestor of the domestic chicken, is locally common in Sumatra and Java, and the Green Peafowl’s range extends from Java into Nusa Tenggara. Only the button-quails’ range extends east of the Wallace line. (28 species)

Rallidae-rails, moorthens, and coots:
Rails are long-legged, mostly drably coloured birds that skulk around the margins of forest pools or marshes. They are favourites with birders, probably because they are a challenge to see, although, with a few notable exceptions such as the invisible Rail of Halmahera, they are easy to find in Indonesia compared with other countries in the region. (27 species).
Charadriiformes-waders:
Indonesia is good place to catch up with eastern paleartic species on their wintering grounds: they include Asian Dowitcher, Great Knot, Grey-tailed Tatler, Oriental Plover and Sharp-tailed and Terek Sandpipers. The largest concentarations of shorebirds are found on the river deltas of west Sumatra and north Java, but many birds are scattered in small groups along the eastern Indonesia coasts. Flocks of Red-necked Phalrope are common sight on the seas of moluccas and Lesser sundaes.

Stercorariidae/Laridae-skuas, gulls, terns and noddies:
The almost total absence of gulls is a striking feature of Indonesian Bird Life. Great Crested and Bridled Terns are the typical inshore species, but black-naped Terns are qute common around rocky coasts. In the northern winter flocks of Common Terns, mixed with Brown Noddies and often with couple of skuas in attendance, feed in the mangrove-fringed bays of the eastern islands. Whiskered and White-winged Terns are common over freshwater swamps. (26 species).

Columbidae-pigeons and doves:
Indonesia’s amazing vriety of pigeons-flocking green pigeons; delicate, long-tailed, warm brown and rufous coloured cuckoo-doves; magnificent imperial pigeons, whose deep calls reverberate through the island forests and mangroves of eastern Indonesia; gorgeously coloured friute-doves and the dainty ground-doves and famous crowned pigeons of Papua-will leave you with new depths of appreciation of this familiar bird family (91 species).

BIRD FAMILIES (3)

Phalacrocoracidae/Anhingidae-cormorants and darters:

Wherever there are expanses of water-lakes, swamps and bays-you are likely to find these long-necked fish eaters. (6 species)

Sulidae-boobies:

These are the gannets of tropical seas. The brown booby is quite common; the other three species are much rarer, unless you visit the remote seabird islands in the Banda Sea (or Chrismast Island).(4 species)

Taken from Jepson, P, 1997, Birding Indonesia, Periplus Editions. Singapore

Pelecanidae-pelicans:

The great-white Pelican is only a vagrant, and the spot –billed now a very rare resident of coastal swamps in Sumatra. The Australian Pelican migrates to maluku and Nusa Tenggara; the sight of a flock loafing on a sand bar is unforgettable.(3 species)

Ardeidae-herons, egrets and allies:

White egrets and herons are still a familiar sight on Indonesia’s marshes and coasts. The smaller bitterns are largely migrants to Indonesia, but they are shy, hard to find inhabitants of dense marsh vegetation which is in itself becoming harder to find. Look out for the rare Great-billed Heron on coral flats. (22 species)

Ciconiidae-storks:

Storks are confined mainly to western Indonesia and all species are now very rare. However, the two rarest, Milky and Storm’s Storks, can be seen quite easily at Pulau Rambut (Jakarta Bay) and Way Kambas (Sumatra) respectively. (3 species)

Accipitridae/Falconidae-hawks, eagles and falcons:

Raptor enthusiast will find Indonesia a treat. Raptor population have drastically diminished on Java (probably due to excessive pesticide use) but are still strong elsewhere. The magnificient White-bellied Sea-eagle is a characteristics sight along coasts, but a sighting of Javan Hawk-eagle, Sulawesi Hawk-eagle or Gurney’s Eagle (in Halmahera or Irian Jaya) will be a highlight. In September and October large numbers of honey-buzzards and sparrowhawks migrate through Indonesia; Bali Barat is good place to watch them. Field identification marks of resident goshawks and sparrowhawks are poorly understood.(65 species)

Anatidae-ducks, geese and swans:

The resident duck population is swelled by migrants from northern winter, but accessible wetlands are few. The Sunda Teal, easily recognized by its bulbous forehead, is still common in western Indonesia. One of Indonesia’s top birding attractions is the near certainty of seeing the elusive and globally threatened White-winged Duck at Way Kambas in south Sumatra; in eastern Indonesia the stately White-headed Shelduck fills a similar niche along forested rivers, but is much more catholic in its choice of wetlands. (19 species)

BIRD FAMILIES(2)

Phaethontidae-tropicbirds:
These beautiful, white seabirds, with their long, central tail streamers, breed in small numbers on sea cliffs along the south coasts of java and Bali and also in eastern Indonesia. They are rarely seen at sea in Indonesia. (2 species)
Taken from Jepson, P, 1997, Birding Indonesia, Periplus Editions. Singapore

Fregatidae-Frigatebirds:
Common along the coasts of the archipelago, frigatebirds are unmistakeable: large, with black body, long-bowed, pointed wings and forked tail. The Lesser is the commonest species, but identification of immatures is headache-bring notes from specialist seabird guides if you want to be sure.(3 species)
Taken from Jepson, P, 1997, Birding Indonesia, Periplus Editions. Singapore

Bird Family

Casuariidae-cassowaries:
These very large, 1-m tall, flightless birds inhabit the forest of Irian Jaya. The Southern Cassowary is also found on Seram, where it was presumably introduced long ago.(3 species)
Taken from Jepson, P, 1997, Birding Indonesia, Periplus Editions. Singapore

Procellariidae/Hydrobatidae-petrels and shearwaters:
Indonesia is generally poor in seabird and no good sea-watching sites are known, although the Sunda Strait, between Sumatra and Java, has potential in the autumn. Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel and Matsudaira’s Storm petrel are the species most often seen from inter-island ferries.(15 species)
Taken from Jepson, P, 1997, Birding Indonesia, Periplus Editions. Singapore