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About the birdlife of PapuaPapua foremost is home for a rich and exquisite humid forest avifauna. Just short of 680 bird species have now reliably been recorded from the territory, out of slightly more than 700 for the entire New Guinea or Papuan faunal region. Knowledge of the birdlife of Indonesian Papua certainly is far less comprehensive than that for adjacent Papua New Guinea, however, and taken in tow by Papua Expeditions you'll experience firsthand that the intrepid and careful observer is bound to make significant observations just about anywhere. The breeding land- and freshwater avifauna that adorns Papua with a nearly mythical status, comprises more than 550 species. This total includes 279 widespread regional New Guinea endemics and at least 42 currently recognized species who's distribution is entirely confined to Papua alone. Species richness is high, lowland forest habitats typically supporting close to 200 different resident breeding birds. New Guinea forest bird communities differ markedly from elsewhere, however, in featuring an unusually high proportion of fruit- and nectar-eaters as well as ground-dwellers, but no wood-borers. Australo-Papuan passerines including fairywrens Malurini, warblers Pardalotidae, robins Eopsaltriidae, honeyeaters Meliphagidae, and the diverse corvid assemblage radiated to fill all niches. Of paramount interest naturally, are the 29 species of bird of paradise (here including Melampitta but excluding Macgregoria) scattered across the territory. Among these, the Wilson's Bird of Paradise Cicinnurus respublica stands out as 'a wanton waste' of extreme beauty (just to use the epic words that the celebrated 19th century naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace bequeathed us), and may well rank among Earth's greatest avian treasures.
Clockwise from upper left: Frilled Monarch Monarcha telescophthalmus, White-faced Robin Tregellasia leucops, Red-collared Myzomela Myzomela rosenbergii, Magnificent Riflebird Ptiloris magnificus, and Grey-green Scrubwren Sericornis arfakianus. Some 115 Palearctic and Australian migrants, including vagrants and seabirds, have also been recorded from Papua, and its southeastern Trans-Fly zone, which includes the famed Wasur National Park, is a globally significant staging and wintering ground for waders and waterfowl. Papuan bird families, subfamilies and tribesBoth New Guinea endemic families (Berrypeckers-Longbills Melanocharitidae and Painted Berrypeckers Paramythiidae) are represented in Papua, as are the seven (sub)families and tribes shared with Australia (Cassowaries Casuariini, Australo-Papuan Treecreepers Climacteridae, Bowerbirds Ptilonorhynchidae, Fairywrens Malurini, Logrunners Orthonychidae, Australo-Papuan Babblers Pomatostomidae, and Quail-thrushes and allies Cinclosomatinae. In addition, heaps of genera are endemic to the New Guinea region, the higher level systematic position of some of which, like Ifrita, Pachycare and Melampitta, remain poorly resolved.
Three common representatives of the Melanocharitidae: from left to right, Green-crowned Longbill Toxorhamphus novaeguineae, Black Melanocharis nigra and Fan-tailed Berrypecker M. versteri. Papua endemic bird speciesThe following 42 bird species may only be seen in Papua and nowhere else on Earth: Bruijn's Brush-turkey Aepypodius bruijnii >
Waigeo We are aware that the Spice Imperial-Pigeon listed above,
does in fact also marginally occur extralimitally on the tiny Widi Islets
off southeastern Halmahera in the northern Moluccas, but opted to treat
this species as a Papua endemic here. In addition, the following nine
species occupy such circumscribed ranges in adjacent Papua New Guinea,
and moreover are so difficult to access there, that they are virtually
Papua endemics too:
From left to right: Rufous-sided Honeyeater Ptiloprora erythropleura, Kofiau Paradise-Kingfisher Tanysiptera ellioti, and Vogelkop Scrubwren Sericornis rufescens are among 42 bird species that may only be seen in Indonesian Papua and nowhere else on Earth! New Guinea bird taxonomyAvian taxonomy of New Guinea remains largely Mayrian (after the late Ernst Mayr who in 1941 published his influential 'List of New Guinea Birds'), following a broad biological species concept, to a considerable extent neglecting the island’s dazzling bird diversity. Curiously, compared to other biomes, little contemporary research has been directed towards a reassessment of species limits within the Papuan avifauna. No doubt, taxonomic reappraisal combined with elaborate field surveys yielding novel taxa and shedding new light on existing taxonomic issues, will entail elevation to species level of a fair number of distinct taxa currently recognized at the subspecific level only, and quite possibly significant redefinition of the present Endemic Bird Area map. Papua Expeditions has acquired intimate knowledge of such issues and in the field strives to devote appropriate attention to the vast array of distinctive yet often overlooked taxa. In so doing, you'll later still be in the fortunate opportunity to continually add 'new' species to your world list from the comfort of your easy chair, if such things are important to you of course. Related linksIndonesian New Guinea just got better: read on about the formal description of an entirely new species of honeyeater from the remote Foya Mountains (from www.bioone.org). Browse our check-list of the birds of Papua. |
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