Sorong lowlands

Birding walk │ 0.5 or 1 day

A variety of low-lying secondary forests near the town of Sorong still support a well-diversified and colorful lowland forest avifauna, including the West Papua endemic Red-billed Brushturkey and Black Lory and the restricted-range Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, plus seven species of widespread lowland bird-of-paradise: Glossy-mantled and Trumpet Manucode, Magnificent Riflebird, and Magnificent, King, Twelve-wired and Lesser Bird-of-paradise.

When?

Possible year-round, but most certainly best from June to November.

Scheduled departures

Please inquire for details on our upcoming departures.

Physical effort

Relaxed birding in flat or only slightly undulating terrain.

Tour description

We shall collect you at your Sorong hotel and set out on the one hour's drive by chartered vehicle to arrive pre-dawn in an area of secondary flattish lowland forest so to first try our luck on the nocturnal birdlife present here: both Papuan Hawk-Owl and Boobook, Rufous Owl, Papuan and Large-tailed Nightjar, and Marbled and Papuan Frogmouth. From the crack of dawn onward then, we hope to witness the display of the adult male Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise on its display pole.

We shall then bird the wider vicinity in search of a fine selection of other goodies that occur here: Red-billed Brushturkey, Pacific Baza, Long-tailed Honey Buzzard, Variable and Grey-headed Goshawk, Pale-vented Bush-hen, Stephan's Emerald Dove, Pink-spotted, Beautiful, Claret-breasted and Orange-bellied Fruit Dove, Pinon's and Zoe's Imperial Pigeon, Lesser Black Coucal, Pacific Koel, Brush Cuckoo, Moustached Treeswift, Papuan Spine-tailed Swift, Hook-billed Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Blyth’s Hornbill, Palm and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Papuan Eclectus, Red-cheeked Parrot, Red-flanked Lorikeet, Black-capped Lory, Coconut Lorikeet, Papuan and Eastern Hooded Pitta, Emperor Fairywren, Long-billed and Streak-headed Honeyeater, New Guinea Friarbird, Tawny-breasted, Mimic and Yellow-gaped Honeyeater, Rusty Mouse-warbler, Yellow-bellied, Green-backed and Fairy Gerygone, Papuan Babbler, Yellow-bellied Longbill, Lowland Peltops, Black and Hooded Butcherbird, Boyer's and Golden Cuckooshrike, Grey-headed and Black Cicadabird, Black-browed Triller, Grey Whistler, Rusty Pitohui, Arafura Shrikethrush, Brown Oriole, Spangled Drongo, Northern Fantail, Sooty and White-bellied Thicket Fantail, Spot-winged, Golden and Frilled Monarch, Shining Flycatcher, Grey Crow, Glossy-mantled and Trumpet Manucode, Black-sided Robin, Metallic Starling, Yellow-faced Myna, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, and Black and Sahul Sunbird.

Other noteworthy birds that occur here include Red-necked Crake, Coroneted Fruit Dove, Greater Black Coucal, Long-billed Cuckoo, Common and Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, Black Lory, White-eared Catbird, Blue Jewel-babbler, and Magnificent, King and Lesser Bird-of-paradise.

Heading back toward Sorong, a stop in an area of mangroves and open swamp forest en route may produce Spotted and Wandering Whistling Duck, Osprey, Barred and Buff-banded Rail, Australasian Swamphen, Orange-fronted Fruit Dove, Collared Imperial Pigeon, Lesser Black Coucal, Pacific Koel, Little Bronze Cuckoo, Blue-black and Little Kingfisher, Oriental Hobby, Blue-fronted Fig Parrot, Brown-backed, Scrub and Varied Honeyeater, Large-billed Gerygone, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Willie Wagtail, and Black Thicket Fantail.

Best bird of the day, and a lifer for me was undoubtedly King Bird-of-paradise of which we all had unexcelled views on a fabulous forest trail. — Victor Mason, Founder, Bali Bird Walks, Indonesia

If you stick with us for the entire day, we shall enjoy lunch in town and then drive out for 45 minutes to a drop-off point in foothill forest from where we shall continue on foot along a forest trail toward a display tree of the King Bird-of-paradise. Here we shall take ample time to witness the full array of amazing display postures of this little gem, in fact the smallest of all paradisaeids, which 19th century naturalist A. R. Wallace so affectionately described as 'a wanton waste of extreme beauty'.

Other goodies we may encounter in the foothill forest, in addition to many of those already mentioned above, include New Guinea, Pygmy and Gurney's Eagle, Collared Sparrowhawk, Sultan's and Great Cuckoo-Dove, Wompoo, Superb and Dwarf Fruit Dove, Purple-tailed Imperial Pigeon, Dwarf Koel, White-crowned Cuckoo, Pesquet's Parrot, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Moluccan King Parrot, Dusky Lory, Large and Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Orange-fronted Hanging Parrot, Wallace's Fairywren, Green-backed and Plain Honeyeater, Ruby-throated Myzomela, Spotted and Puff-backed Honeyeater, Pale-billed Scrubwren, Black Berrypecker, Spectacled and Pygmy Longbill, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Southern Variable Pitohui, Magnificent Riflebird, Olive Flyrobin, Golden Myna, and Streak-headed Munia.

The final hour of light or so shall see us gathered at an open vantage point to witness evening flights of pigeons, hornbills and parrots, the latter usually including the West Papua endemic Black Lory.

Finally, a nocturnal foray here could produce both Papuan Hawk-Owl and Boobook, Rufous Owl, Papuan and Large-tailed Nightjar, and Marbled and Papuan Frogmouth.

Related links

❯Read on about the birdlife of the Vogelkop lowlands.

❯Read on about our Easy West Papua birding expedition visiting the Sorong lowlands.

❯Browse our terms and conditions.

❯Browse our checklist of the birds of West Papua