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Indonesia Sulawesi

Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx fallax �James Eaton http://www.birdtourasia.com

The Island (once known as Celebes) Group of Sulawesi consists of four provinces - Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Utara, Sulawesi Tenggara and Sulawesi Selatan.

Indonesia lies within Asia and Australasia. East of wallace�s line, which falls between Bali and Lombok, the Island of the Lesser Sundas, Moluccas and Sulawesi form a transition zone, known as Wallacea, between the Asian and Australia avifaunas. The avifauna is partly Asian and many birders visit Asian and "Wallacean" Indonesia.

Birding in Sulawesi is an amazing experience because nearly 100 of the 330 or so birds which have been recorded are endemic (67) or near endemic (26) and first-time visitors will be forgiven for thinking that they are in that avian paradise they have always dreamt of, where almost every different species they see is a new one.

Furthermore, it is possible to see a high percentage of these unique and often extraordinary birds by visiting just three sites: Tangkoko NR and Dumoga � Bone NP at the northeastern corner of Sulawesi. Manado is the capital of the province, which is accessible by air from Singapore via Jakarta and Ujung Pandang. And Lore Lindu NP is in central Sulawesi; Palu is the capital of the province, which is accessible by air from Ujung Pandang, Denpasar, Jakarta and Balik Papan (Kalimantan or Borneo).

top sites

Lore Lindu National Park

Lore Lindu NP is home to most of Sulawesi�s endemic species, including the magnificent Red-Knobbed Hornbill (Rhyticeros cassidix) which is common and the largest bird in the park with a wing span of over one meter. Speckled Boobook, Yellow-breasted and Golden-mantle Racquet-tail, Green Imperial Pigeon, Grey-headed Imperial Pigeon, Sulawesi Hanging parrot, Pygmy and Ashy Woodpeckers, Purple-bearded Bee-eater (Jul � Sep); White-neck Myna, Red-bellied pitta, etc. And the Maleo bird, a megapode that buries its single large egg in the warm sand to be incubated by the heat of underground hot springs. Two other endemic birds are the Sulawesi woodcock (Scolopax celebensis) and Heinrich�s Nightjar. Sulawesi woodcock is rarely seen; many birdwatchers visit this park but miss it.

Last August (2000) three birdwatchers from England (Dave Rosair, Tony Prater and Don Taylor) who accompanied by me (Royke Mananta); found this bird at Lore Lindu NP after four days of exploring. They visited the park especially looking for this bird. In the Field Guide the call hasn�t been described, but we heard it when it was startled and took to the air making a short flight. If you are lucky you can find Heinrich�s Nightjar in the park during the day when they sleep on the ground or at night when they fly. This bird is also rarely seen.

Lore Lindu National Park Mammals

Lore Lindu National Park is a part of untouched tropical rainforest where many mammals also live. The largest Sulawesi mammal is the dwarf buffalo, or Anoa. There are two species; one in the mountains with smooth conical horns, and one with rough horns that lives in the lowland. The other interesting mammal is the babirusa, or � pig deer� (Babyrousa babyrusa); it is a primitive pig with two pairs of tusk, one of which grows through the roof of the upper jaw and curves back over the eyes. These tusks appear to be used in fighting to jab other males. [If a babirusa can hook his curved upper tusk over an adversary�s lower one, the latter is rendered useless and the advantaged male can stab his opponent�s throat or face].

The other endemic mammal is the tarsier, the world�s smallest primate with head and body length of just 10 cm, a tail twice as long, enormous eyes, and a weight of just 100 grams. Tarsiers live in family groups consisting of an adult pair and their offspring. Just before dawn, when they cease their nocturnal perambulations, the entire family sings a complicated territorial call of squeaks and squeals. After the song, the group retires to its nest hole in a tree, a thicket, or in tangles of roots and vines. Tarsiers live in a wide range of habitats including secondary scrub and even urban areas (though humans may not be aware of their presence).

contributor

Royke Mananta
Tankoko And Dumoga Bone Birdwatching Tours
(Sulawesi)
lorelindu@yahoo.com

useful reading

* Field Guides & Bird Song

For a comprehensive list of recommended titles covering Indonesia as a whole - please see the Indonesia page of Fatbirder

A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea

Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia - Brian J Coates and K David Bishop 535 pages, 64 col plates [697 species], colour photos, maps, illus. Dove Publications 1997
ISBN: 0959025731
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Bird Recordings from Sulawesi

Steve Smith Produced by the author
ISBN: 39904
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birds of Sulawesi, Lesser Sundas and Sabah

R Thomas and S Thomas - Frogmouth Publications - In preparation
ISBN: 156570
Buy this book from NHBS.com

The Birds of Sulawesi

Derek Holmes Series: IMAGES OF ASIA SERIES 120 pages, 142 col & 22 b/w illus. Oxford University Press 1996
ISBN: 9835600058
Buy this book from NHBS.com

The Birds of Wallacea

[BOU checklist number 7] ? C M N White and M D Bruce 1986 Price ?33. direct from:
http://www.bou.org.uk/pubchkll.html
ISBN: 090744606X
Buy this book from NHBS.com

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can�t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page� give them a try!

2002 [June] - David & John F. Cooper - Sulawesi & Halmahera

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/indonesia/sulawesi/sula-may2002.htm
Wallacea is a transitional zone between the Oriental and Australasian faunal realms. At 379, Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes, has the smallest numbers of bird species of any of the seven biogeographic regions in Indonesia, though hosts 96 species not shared with other regions...

tour operators

Sulawesi Birding

http://www.adventuresulawesi.com
Sulawesi has a total bird count of 350 species, with 4 categories classified: residents 127, endemic 88, migrants 97, and counted as residents or migrants 32...

Vacation Indonesia Tours

http://www.vacationindonesiatours.com
Vacation Indonesia Tours, owned by Nurlin Djuni & Darwin Sumang, is your gateway to Indonesia. We can immerse you in our culture, heritage and our extraordinarily diverse natural history. The Islands of Indonesia are justly famous for birdwatching. Over 372 species have been recorded and many are found nowhere else. Nurlin Djuni specialises in Birdwatching/Holidays Tours in Sulawesi, Halmahera, Papua, Java, Bali, Kalimantan, Lesser Sundas and Sumatera...

Birding Sulawesi and Halmahera

http://homepage.mac.com/alanwilkinson/birding/sulawesi/
During September 1999 I was lucky enough to be a client on a Birdquest tour to Sulawesi and Halmahera in Indonesia, led by Pete Morris and Dave Farrow. Here is a trip report adapted from the tour report produced by Pete for Birdquest tour participants. The accompanying photos and sounds are all derived from Pete`s video and audio recordings made on the trip. I have added a reference list with itinerary to help anyone planning their own trip...

BLOG - Suara Burung Sulawesi - Iwan Hunowu

http://burungsulawesi.blogspot.com/
The blog contain of story of birding experience, birdwatching journal, reseach and everything related to the birding activities in Sulawesi, Indonesia...

Burung Sulawesi

http://burungsulawesi.web.id
To Promote the potential and unique of bird of Sulawesi. All including trip report, birdwatching event, species, articles, photos, and everything related to bird of Sulawesi...

Operation Wallacia

http://www.opwall.com/
Operation Wallacea is a series of scientific wildlife survey and conservation expeditions to a remote corner of the island of Sulawesi. It has been running wildlife research and community development projects in SE Sulawesi for the last 6 years. In 2001 there were nearly 300 mainly University students, together with 35 scientists, a professional photographer, an artist, expert trackers and forest support teams, diving staff and extensive logistics team to support the wide range of projects completed.

Sulu and Sulawesi Seas

http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildplaces/ss/index.cfm
The Sulu Sea's Tubbataha Reef, with corals covering more than 81,000 acres, is the heart of coral diversity for the region...