Bird's Head Peninsula, Indonesia
Bird wonders of New Guinea’s western-most province
WildlifeThere is a mind-boggling diversity of birds in the Vogelkop ecoregion. Of the more than 300 species found, scientists have determined that at least 20 of them are unique to the ecoregion, and some live only in very restricted areas.
Examples of these are the grey-banded munia (Lonchura vana), which can be found only in one small mountain range, and the Vogelkop bowerbird (Amblyornis inornatus), which is known to the mountain people as the "knowing bird." Males of this remarkable species construct hut-like structures in order to attract the attention of females. The king bird of paradise (Cicinnurus regius) is also found in the Vogelkop ecoregion, with males performing beautiful displays to attract females.
But birds are not the only remarkable things in this area. The Arfak Mountains, one of the most rugged mountain ranges on New Guinea (rising to 2,347 m above sea level), is home to 23 butterfly species unique to the island.