Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Birds Borneo field guide Indonesia Indonesian Archipelago taxonomy taxonomy and systematicsWay back in the days when blog posts still got a lot of comments, I wrote a piece on why field guides that arrange species in a more or less strict taxonomic order regularly frustrate me. I gave a number of reasons in a great number of paragraphs and got an enormous amount of comments, many of which were highly critical of what I had said. MORE
In descending order, the list starts with those countries with more than 1,000 bird species, so the country is NOT one of these: - Colombia - Peru - Brazil - Indonesia - Ecuador - Bolivia - Venezuela - China - India - Congo, Dem Rep - Kenya - Tanzania - Myanmar - Argentina - Mexico - Uganda 7. Two oceans ANSWER THIS QUESTION: Determine the country, but do not name it. This week’s quiz is geographically GLOBAL in nature. MORE
It is an adherent to fresh water lakes, canals and swamps from India through East Asia, Indonesia and New Guinea. This weeks post is driven by a glut of pictures and the need to clear the air with a small confession. Yellow Bitterns ( Ixobrychus sinensis ) showed strongly during a recent trip to Singapore and on occasion it would have been impossible to pose them any better than they were already doing themselves. MORE
They have expanded their range through Indonesia and into Australia and is found in post breeding dispersal as far north as South Korea and Japan. Will Raup is a birder from upstate New York who helped Corey learn a lot about birds when Corey was first starting out as a birder. MORE
Indonesia 1761 5. Almost every 4th bird is endemic in Indonesia , a large country spread over several huge (Borneo is the 3rd, Sumatra the 6th and Sulawesi the 11th largest island on the planet) and 17,500 smaller islands, not to mention over two zoogeographical regions. MORE
Visited this month were; Germany , France , Austria, South Africa, Hong Kong, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, Australia, China, Indonesia , Switzerland and Singapore). The year list has reached 2403 , a boost of 174 and the life list now stands at 3875 after beats’ efforts in Indonesia, South Africa and China added 39 ticks. 14 countries were birded this month by 13 beats; a record participative effort! MORE
The Olive-flanked (or Yellow-flanked) Whistler ( Hylocitrea bonensis ) is endemic to to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, where it lives inconspicuously in montane forests. Waxwings and their relatives are a small, interesting group of songbirds that have seen some interesting taxonomic changes in the last few years. MORE
Birds babbler Babblers IndonesiaThe pygmy wren-babbler is a tiny babbler that looks like a wren, making it a bird well named. This is not an insignificant fact from this blogger’s perspective, considering the awkward common names we often have to cope with in our day-to-day birding lives and the fact that all babblers are essentially brown, offering few options to those in charge of naming them. MORE
Distributed across a broad swath of territory that includes India’s Himalayan foothills, Thailand, Indochina, peninsular Malaysia and western Indonesia, this species occurs in moist or semi-evergreen forests that may include secondary growth and degraded habitats in its native range. Miami, Florida has a reputation among the birding community for being overrun with exotic bird species. It is well-deserved. MORE
Zebra Finch ( Taeniopygia guttata ), one of the study subjects, in Indonesia © David J. Last month, I wrote about hypothesized relationships between passerines, parrots, falcons, and seriemas , noting a need for further research on the subject. The post stimulated some great discussions but not really any additional commentary on the science behind these proposed relationships. MORE
” Birds Indonesia prinias It must suck to be called “ Brown Prinia “ Try as I might, I can’t think of a name that implies more boredom and more unattractiveness, and is less apt at attracting the interest of birders. From a birder’s perspective however, this is both a shame and a blessing, as I will show below based on my observations of the species on the island of Java in November. MORE
White-faced Herons are attractive medium sized herons, originally from Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, and New Caledonia. In celebration of the upcoming I and the Bird look at the heron family I invite you to consider the White-faced Heron ! New Zealand, where I live, am the 10,000 Birds Beat Writer of, and of which I very occasionally actually write about, is home to several species of heron. MORE
I was seeing all sorts of small to very small songbirds with yellow bellies and a greenish back in the dense foliage of Indonesia’s trees. “In failure lies opportunity”, and luckily I noticed this while still being in Indonesia. At the onset of this post, let me firmly state that I love taxonomy. I even attended taxonomy classes at university. Biogeography, speciation, splitting, lumping, all that jazz really sets my boat afloat (well, the lumping not so much). MORE
It takes place in Indonesia. Tags: reptiles indonesia lizards crocodile endangered species The skins are being used for handbags and other products. This link has a horrible photo and a worse video. Just warning you. MORE
Adding to their mystique is the remoteness of their home, the undeveloped and rarely visited islands of New Guinea and eastern Indonesia. There are few families of birds as bewitching as the birds-of-paradise. They are feathered jewels with extraordinary breeding dances almost unrivalled in the bird world. MORE
The demand for palm oil in the US and Europe, is threatening to wipe out orangutans in Indonesia. Indonesia is the world's top producer of palm oil, and prices have jumped by almost 70 percent in the last year. There are only an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans left in the wild, 90 percent of them in Indonesia, said Serge Wich, a scientist at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa. The demand for palm oil is rising in the U.S. MORE
Over the past two weeks, an incursion of Snowy Owls ( Bubo scandiacus ) has spread rapidly across the Great Lakes region and down the Atlantic Coast, as far south as North Carolina. The haunting image above is from another year, by Kate Ter Haar.). It’s the third year in a row for a significant, hunger-driven push south by these spectacular predators of the far north, so commanding of the imagination with their striking plumage, remote origins, and wondrous peregrinations. MORE
Birds Indonesia nightjars I am starting to feel my age. To be clear, in my early 40′s I really am not complaining. However, I feel the wind of an increasingly fast downhill ride in my face now: I notice that I should probably get myself some reading glasses soon. My left knee occasionally hurts after a long day in the field. Overall, I can’t do things anymore that I could do just a few years ago, both physically and mentally. MORE
They belong to the same species like those found back in Europe, Sus scrofa – which inhabits a belt stretching from northern Africa and Europe all the way to Indonesia, but a different subspecies, S.s. Wake up buzz at 5.30 am, breakfast at 6 (toast – who can eat at that ungodly hour?) and at 6.30 we’re already in an open 4×4 heading for the salt pans of the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, India. MORE
However, around 90 % of Indonesia’s population is Muslim and the cage bird trade is a huge, huge problem. Birds finches Indonesia mystery birds To all but the greediest rice and spirulina farmers of Southeast Asia, any member of the genus Lonchura is a joy to watch. MORE
While shooting the premiere episode of National Geographic Channel’s new series, Beast Hunter , host Pat Spain visited the Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia to visit a seven-year-old Orangutan named Pinky. Too cute, right?! Pinky sure does love Pat! The show premieres tonight, Friday, March 4 at 9PM ET/PT on the National Geographic channel. cute video tv MORE
Indonesia (1615 / 1603). What are the best countries for a passionate birder to move to? And why? I discovered this map a while ago, hidden somewhere at the not so easy to navigate BirdLife International’s website, and I have used it as my computer wallpaper ever since. Usually, I interchange some birdy wallpapers several times per month, but this one has stayed for several months already. It makes me think what is the meaning of life, the universe and everything? Why am I here? MORE
Birds Borneo tropical Indonesia broadbillSince this is the season of love and harmony and all things nice, I sincerely and originally had planned to write an equally nice, loving and harmonic post on a beautiful group of birds that’s mostly found in SE Asia, the broadbills. MORE
All donations go to the National AAZK for distribution to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, Africa, the Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia and the Bukit Barisan Seletan National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia. Please join the Utah Chapter American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK) for their 18th annual “Bowling for Rhinos” on Friday, May 1st. MORE
Destinations Indonesia Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, which comprises the twin volcanoes Gede and Pangrango (with gunung meaning “mountain”), surely must rate as one of the birding highlights of Southeast Asia, and is arguably the most important and well-known birding site on the island of Java. MORE
Like Snowy Owls or crossbills they are also prone to irruptions, caused by Australia’s extreme climate, that have seen birds wandering as far from Australia as Indonesia, Palau, and Fiji. As 10,000 Birds’ New Zealand beat writer, I sometimes should write about New Zealand birds, but today I thought I’d talk about a bird that people thought was one but almost certainly wasn’t. MORE
Birds dabbling ducks Indonesia waterfowl The Sunda Teal is a brown duck. This may make it very popular amongst European birders who can relate, but it doesn’t make it much of a deal within such an illustrous group as the dabbling ducks. There is one thing however that makes the Sunda Teal a rather highly desired species, and the name is a bit of a give-away: the species’ magic is in its range. MORE
One of their upcoming articles will focus on the effects of the bird pet trade in Indonesia, but if readers from 10000 Birds give at least $1,000 in the crowdfunding campaign, they will add an additional bird conservation story to their roster! . Hi all! In addition to birding as much as I can and my full-time job in Okaloosa County, I also work part-time for Voices for Biodiversity , an online magazine. MORE
Pierce Onthank, the president of an oil and gas company, was charged in January with illegal possession of a primate for keeping a siamang, a type of gibbon that is native to rain forests in Malaysia and Indonesia and can weigh up to 30 pounds and stand 3 feet high. I'm starting to wonder about Connecticut. It's the same state where the Travis incident occurred. However, this time the owner is an oil and gas company president , not some eccentric woman on Xanax. MORE
Black-backed Swamphen ( Porphyrio indicus ) in Java, Indonesia, by Ron Knight. Dark blackish swamphens occur from eastern Indonesia across Australia, Melanesia, southern Micronesia, and Polynesia as far east as American Samoa, having reached some of these islands only in the last few hundred years and, in the case of New Zealand at least, recolonizing islands previously settled by their cousins. MORE
35 countries were visited during 2019 , 7 of them ( Belgium , France , Germany , Italy , Thailand , Indonesia and Barbados ) bringing new blood to the Country/Territory/Emirate/Republic/Pricipality/Kingdom/Special Administrative Region list which now stands at 55. They came home exhausted. MORE
Borneo is the third largest island in the world; politically it is divided amongst three countries–Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), Indonesia (Kalimantan) and the sultanate of Brunei. The danger of reviewing a field guide to the birds of an exotic country you’ve never been to is that you become obsessed with visiting that country, no matter how far away and how expensive it may be. MORE
Indonesia hosts 1,597 species, of which 126 are endangered – 19 critically. Four critically endangered Indonesian birds – the Flores Hawk , the Siau Owl , the Sangihe Honeybird , and the Mandar Gendang , which is otherwise known as the Invisible Rail - will have their profiles raised a bit when they debut on Indonesian postage stamps. It is unclear if the Invisible Rail stamp will be blank. Asides MORE
But he’s got stiff competition, including peers working to save Tree Kangaroos in Papua New Guinea, Sumatran Orangutans in Indonesia, and Snow Leopards in Pakistan. Sparrowhawk photo by Freek Verdonckt, Batumi Raptor Count. The Whitley Awards , bestowed by the UK-based Whitley Fund for Nature, have been dubbed the “Green Oscars” for their role in recognizing and supporting grassoots-based conservationists in developing countries. MORE
Let’s take Singapore’s Changi International Airport as an example; it is a huge hub airport with large numbers of people passing through in transit to Australia, Indonesia and south-east Asia. Mike’s comments regarding his recent stopover in Japan struck a chord that has been resonating within me for a week or two. MORE
This is a bit of a quick post, but there is a very good reason for this: it was written back in October and then pre-scheduled since I’ll be in Indonesia again from the end of October until the day before this post goes up. Birds camouflage IndonesiaYou’d think that dressing in green to hide from predators inside a dense rainforest is as a strategy as plain as day, yet only a surprisingly limited number of bird species on Borneo have ventured down that evolutionary road. MORE
The 28 odd species of this genus are found in the Sunda (the islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and the southern bit of Thailand) and the Philippines, and are named for the inescapable (in this region anyway) Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, he of the founding of Singapore fame. When birding, as in life in general, it is important to stop occasionally and smell the metaphorical roses. MORE
Also, the island of New Guinea appeared as a whole, or as its parts, the eastern independent country of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the western West Papua province of Indonesia. 4%: Mexico, West Papua (Indonesia), New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya. 6%: Antarctica, Argentina, Indonesia (including the votes for West Papua), India. With 400 endemics, Indonesia tops the list of the world’s most wanted lister’s destination, but the only destination in Asia proper is India. MORE
So–the book covers islands that belong to the Republic of Indonesia and to Malaysia. But, it doesn’t cover all or Indonesia or all of Malaysia. Does the fact that this guide doesn’t include all of Indonesia or Malaysia mean that a birder going to these countries will have to invest in multiple field guides? And, there is A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia: Second Edition by Morten Strange (2012). MORE
The Common Tailorbird , Orthotomus sutorius, is a small warbler whose range extends from India to southern China and down into Indonesia. It is common, mostly in the lowlands, but can range as high as 5000ft. It is found in most habitats with thick cover and can often be found in urban parks and gardens. It is an active bird that seldom stays still or quiet and often cocks its tail as it moves about through the thick cover. MORE
The birds have historically been found from the Philippines south through central Indonesia to Papua New Guinea though they recently colonized remote parts of the west coast of Australia’s Cape York peninsula. Birders across Australia are excited about reports of a flock of 23 Spotted Whistling Ducks just north of Cairns in a pond in Wonga Beach. MORE
Having more than 2500 bird species, including over 850 endemics (480 in Indonesia alone), Southeast Asia stretches roughly from the easternmost Himalayan slopes in Myanmar and the palm-fringed beached of Thailand all the way to the ridiculously colourful Birds of Paradise of New Guinea, which Phoebe Snetsinger described: “I’ve never done acid, but I imagine that when you do, you see things like the birds-of-paradise.” MORE
And what does it tell us, other than the obvious “head for South America” or perhaps Indonesia? 1401-1600 sp: Ecuador, Bolivia; Indonesia. It may be slightly impractical to focus on big countries such as Brazil or Indonesia. Summer is normally the vacation season, for ordinary tourists at least. Birders follow different patterns of bird migration and their local activities and travel accordingly. But – where? MORE
Indonesia Related Topics 10,000 Birds
AUGUST 13, 2020
Indonesia 1761 5. Almost every 4th bird is endemic in Indonesia , a large country spread over several huge (Borneo is the 3rd, Sumatra the 6th and Sulawesi the 11th largest island on the planet) and 17,500 smaller islands, not to mention over two zoogeographical regions.
Critter News
APRIL 12, 2010
It takes place in Indonesia. Tags: reptiles indonesia lizards crocodile endangered species The skins are being used for handbags and other products. This link has a horrible photo and a worse video. Just warning you.
Critter News
AUGUST 27, 2009
Tags: zoos wildlife crime poaching tigers indonesia
10,000 Birds
NOVEMBER 15, 2015
This is a bit of a quick post, but there is a very good reason for this: it was written back in October and then pre-scheduled since I’ll be in Indonesia again from the end of October until the day before this post goes up. Birds camouflage IndonesiaYou’d think that dressing in green to hide from predators inside a dense rainforest is as a strategy as plain as day, yet only a surprisingly limited number of bird species on Borneo have ventured down that evolutionary road.
10,000 Birds
APRIL 30, 2017
Birds Borneo field guide Indonesia Indonesian Archipelago taxonomy taxonomy and systematicsWay back in the days when blog posts still got a lot of comments, I wrote a piece on why field guides that arrange species in a more or less strict taxonomic order regularly frustrate me. I gave a number of reasons in a great number of paragraphs and got an enormous amount of comments, many of which were highly critical of what I had said.
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 18, 2015
Birds babbler Babblers IndonesiaThe pygmy wren-babbler is a tiny babbler that looks like a wren, making it a bird well named. This is not an insignificant fact from this blogger’s perspective, considering the awkward common names we often have to cope with in our day-to-day birding lives and the fact that all babblers are essentially brown, offering few options to those in charge of naming them.
10,000 Birds
SEPTEMBER 1, 2013
Birds Indonesia nightjars I am starting to feel my age. To be clear, in my early 40′s I really am not complaining. However, I feel the wind of an increasingly fast downhill ride in my face now: I notice that I should probably get myself some reading glasses soon. My left knee occasionally hurts after a long day in the field. Overall, I can’t do things anymore that I could do just a few years ago, both physically and mentally.
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 26, 2014
Birds dabbling ducks Indonesia waterfowl The Sunda Teal is a brown duck. This may make it very popular amongst European birders who can relate, but it doesn’t make it much of a deal within such an illustrous group as the dabbling ducks. There is one thing however that makes the Sunda Teal a rather highly desired species, and the name is a bit of a give-away: the species’ magic is in its range.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 21, 2014
” Birds Indonesia prinias It must suck to be called “ Brown Prinia “ Try as I might, I can’t think of a name that implies more boredom and more unattractiveness, and is less apt at attracting the interest of birders. From a birder’s perspective however, this is both a shame and a blessing, as I will show below based on my observations of the species on the island of Java in November.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 13, 2015
Birds Borneo tropical Indonesia broadbillSince this is the season of love and harmony and all things nice, I sincerely and originally had planned to write an equally nice, loving and harmonic post on a beautiful group of birds that’s mostly found in SE Asia, the broadbills.
Critter News
JANUARY 27, 2009
The demand for palm oil in the US and Europe, is threatening to wipe out orangutans in Indonesia. Indonesia is the world's top producer of palm oil, and prices have jumped by almost 70 percent in the last year. There are only an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans left in the wild, 90 percent of them in Indonesia, said Serge Wich, a scientist at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa. The demand for palm oil is rising in the U.S.
4 The Love Of Animals
MARCH 4, 2011
While shooting the premiere episode of National Geographic Channel’s new series, Beast Hunter , host Pat Spain visited the Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia to visit a seven-year-old Orangutan named Pinky. Too cute, right?! Pinky sure does love Pat! The show premieres tonight, Friday, March 4 at 9PM ET/PT on the National Geographic channel. cute video tv
10,000 Birds
APRIL 25, 2019
Also, the island of New Guinea appeared as a whole, or as its parts, the eastern independent country of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the western West Papua province of Indonesia. 4%: Mexico, West Papua (Indonesia), New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya. 6%: Antarctica, Argentina, Indonesia (including the votes for West Papua), India. With 400 endemics, Indonesia tops the list of the world’s most wanted lister’s destination, but the only destination in Asia proper is India.
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 10, 2019
Having more than 2500 bird species, including over 850 endemics (480 in Indonesia alone), Southeast Asia stretches roughly from the easternmost Himalayan slopes in Myanmar and the palm-fringed beached of Thailand all the way to the ridiculously colourful Birds of Paradise of New Guinea, which Phoebe Snetsinger described: “I’ve never done acid, but I imagine that when you do, you see things like the birds-of-paradise.”
10,000 Birds
JULY 28, 2012
Indonesia hosts 1,597 species, of which 126 are endangered – 19 critically. Four critically endangered Indonesian birds – the Flores Hawk , the Siau Owl , the Sangihe Honeybird , and the Mandar Gendang , which is otherwise known as the Invisible Rail - will have their profiles raised a bit when they debut on Indonesian postage stamps. It is unclear if the Invisible Rail stamp will be blank. Asides
Critter News
MARCH 10, 2009
Pierce Onthank, the president of an oil and gas company, was charged in January with illegal possession of a primate for keeping a siamang, a type of gibbon that is native to rain forests in Malaysia and Indonesia and can weigh up to 30 pounds and stand 3 feet high. I'm starting to wonder about Connecticut. It's the same state where the Travis incident occurred. However, this time the owner is an oil and gas company president , not some eccentric woman on Xanax.
10,000 Birds
JULY 19, 2018
And what does it tell us, other than the obvious “head for South America” or perhaps Indonesia? 1401-1600 sp: Ecuador, Bolivia; Indonesia. It may be slightly impractical to focus on big countries such as Brazil or Indonesia. Summer is normally the vacation season, for ordinary tourists at least. Birders follow different patterns of bird migration and their local activities and travel accordingly. But – where?
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 5, 2011
The birds have historically been found from the Philippines south through central Indonesia to Papua New Guinea though they recently colonized remote parts of the west coast of Australia’s Cape York peninsula. Birders across Australia are excited about reports of a flock of 23 Spotted Whistling Ducks just north of Cairns in a pond in Wonga Beach.
4 The Love Of Animals
APRIL 17, 2009
All donations go to the National AAZK for distribution to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, Africa, the Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia and the Bukit Barisan Seletan National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia. Please join the Utah Chapter American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK) for their 18th annual “Bowling for Rhinos” on Friday, May 1st.
10,000 Birds
NOVEMBER 27, 2016
One of their upcoming articles will focus on the effects of the bird pet trade in Indonesia, but if readers from 10000 Birds give at least $1,000 in the crowdfunding campaign, they will add an additional bird conservation story to their roster! . Hi all! In addition to birding as much as I can and my full-time job in Okaloosa County, I also work part-time for Voices for Biodiversity , an online magazine.
10,000 Birds
APRIL 20, 2016
But he’s got stiff competition, including peers working to save Tree Kangaroos in Papua New Guinea, Sumatran Orangutans in Indonesia, and Snow Leopards in Pakistan. Sparrowhawk photo by Freek Verdonckt, Batumi Raptor Count. The Whitley Awards , bestowed by the UK-based Whitley Fund for Nature, have been dubbed the “Green Oscars” for their role in recognizing and supporting grassoots-based conservationists in developing countries.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 22, 2013
Destinations Indonesia Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, which comprises the twin volcanoes Gede and Pangrango (with gunung meaning “mountain”), surely must rate as one of the birding highlights of Southeast Asia, and is arguably the most important and well-known birding site on the island of Java.
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 7, 2017
So–the book covers islands that belong to the Republic of Indonesia and to Malaysia. But, it doesn’t cover all or Indonesia or all of Malaysia. Does the fact that this guide doesn’t include all of Indonesia or Malaysia mean that a birder going to these countries will have to invest in multiple field guides? And, there is A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia: Second Edition by Morten Strange (2012).
10,000 Birds
APRIL 15, 2011
In descending order, the list starts with those countries with more than 1,000 bird species, so the country is NOT one of these: - Colombia - Peru - Brazil - Indonesia - Ecuador - Bolivia - Venezuela - China - India - Congo, Dem Rep - Kenya - Tanzania - Myanmar - Argentina - Mexico - Uganda 7. Two oceans ANSWER THIS QUESTION: Determine the country, but do not name it. This week’s quiz is geographically GLOBAL in nature.
10,000 Birds
JULY 24, 2014
Distributed across a broad swath of territory that includes India’s Himalayan foothills, Thailand, Indochina, peninsular Malaysia and western Indonesia, this species occurs in moist or semi-evergreen forests that may include secondary growth and degraded habitats in its native range. Miami, Florida has a reputation among the birding community for being overrun with exotic bird species. It is well-deserved.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 28, 2014
Black-backed Swamphen ( Porphyrio indicus ) in Java, Indonesia, by Ron Knight. Dark blackish swamphens occur from eastern Indonesia across Australia, Melanesia, southern Micronesia, and Polynesia as far east as American Samoa, having reached some of these islands only in the last few hundred years and, in the case of New Zealand at least, recolonizing islands previously settled by their cousins.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 1, 2013
Over the past two weeks, an incursion of Snowy Owls ( Bubo scandiacus ) has spread rapidly across the Great Lakes region and down the Atlantic Coast, as far south as North Carolina. The haunting image above is from another year, by Kate Ter Haar.). It’s the third year in a row for a significant, hunger-driven push south by these spectacular predators of the far north, so commanding of the imagination with their striking plumage, remote origins, and wondrous peregrinations.
10,000 Birds
AUGUST 20, 2015
Indonesia (1615 / 1603). What are the best countries for a passionate birder to move to? And why? I discovered this map a while ago, hidden somewhere at the not so easy to navigate BirdLife International’s website, and I have used it as my computer wallpaper ever since. Usually, I interchange some birdy wallpapers several times per month, but this one has stayed for several months already. It makes me think what is the meaning of life, the universe and everything? Why am I here?
10,000 Birds
JUNE 6, 2012
Adding to their mystique is the remoteness of their home, the undeveloped and rarely visited islands of New Guinea and eastern Indonesia. There are few families of birds as bewitching as the birds-of-paradise. They are feathered jewels with extraordinary breeding dances almost unrivalled in the bird world.
10,000 Birds
SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
Zebra Finch ( Taeniopygia guttata ), one of the study subjects, in Indonesia © David J. Last month, I wrote about hypothesized relationships between passerines, parrots, falcons, and seriemas , noting a need for further research on the subject. The post stimulated some great discussions but not really any additional commentary on the science behind these proposed relationships.
10,000 Birds
JUNE 3, 2012
I was seeing all sorts of small to very small songbirds with yellow bellies and a greenish back in the dense foliage of Indonesia’s trees. “In failure lies opportunity”, and luckily I noticed this while still being in Indonesia. At the onset of this post, let me firmly state that I love taxonomy. I even attended taxonomy classes at university. Biogeography, speciation, splitting, lumping, all that jazz really sets my boat afloat (well, the lumping not so much).
10,000 Birds
APRIL 2, 2011
The Common Tailorbird , Orthotomus sutorius, is a small warbler whose range extends from India to southern China and down into Indonesia. It is common, mostly in the lowlands, but can range as high as 5000ft. It is found in most habitats with thick cover and can often be found in urban parks and gardens. It is an active bird that seldom stays still or quiet and often cocks its tail as it moves about through the thick cover.
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 17, 2013
The Olive-flanked (or Yellow-flanked) Whistler ( Hylocitrea bonensis ) is endemic to to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, where it lives inconspicuously in montane forests. Waxwings and their relatives are a small, interesting group of songbirds that have seen some interesting taxonomic changes in the last few years.
10,000 Birds
JULY 22, 2014
They have expanded their range through Indonesia and into Australia and is found in post breeding dispersal as far north as South Korea and Japan. Will Raup is a birder from upstate New York who helped Corey learn a lot about birds when Corey was first starting out as a birder.
10,000 Birds
MAY 7, 2014
The 28 odd species of this genus are found in the Sunda (the islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and the southern bit of Thailand) and the Philippines, and are named for the inescapable (in this region anyway) Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, he of the founding of Singapore fame. When birding, as in life in general, it is important to stop occasionally and smell the metaphorical roses.
10,000 Birds
NOVEMBER 28, 2013
They belong to the same species like those found back in Europe, Sus scrofa – which inhabits a belt stretching from northern Africa and Europe all the way to Indonesia, but a different subspecies, S.s. Wake up buzz at 5.30 am, breakfast at 6 (toast – who can eat at that ungodly hour?) and at 6.30 we’re already in an open 4×4 heading for the salt pans of the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, India.
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 18, 2012
It is an adherent to fresh water lakes, canals and swamps from India through East Asia, Indonesia and New Guinea. This weeks post is driven by a glut of pictures and the need to clear the air with a small confession. Yellow Bitterns ( Ixobrychus sinensis ) showed strongly during a recent trip to Singapore and on occasion it would have been impossible to pose them any better than they were already doing themselves.
10,000 Birds
MARCH 6, 2013
White-faced Herons are attractive medium sized herons, originally from Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, and New Caledonia. In celebration of the upcoming I and the Bird look at the heron family I invite you to consider the White-faced Heron ! New Zealand, where I live, am the 10,000 Birds Beat Writer of, and of which I very occasionally actually write about, is home to several species of heron.
10,000 Birds
AUGUST 8, 2012
Like Snowy Owls or crossbills they are also prone to irruptions, caused by Australia’s extreme climate, that have seen birds wandering as far from Australia as Indonesia, Palau, and Fiji. As 10,000 Birds’ New Zealand beat writer, I sometimes should write about New Zealand birds, but today I thought I’d talk about a bird that people thought was one but almost certainly wasn’t.
10,000 Birds
NOVEMBER 2, 2019
Visited this month were; Germany , France , Austria, South Africa, Hong Kong, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, Australia, China, Indonesia , Switzerland and Singapore). The year list has reached 2403 , a boost of 174 and the life list now stands at 3875 after beats’ efforts in Indonesia, South Africa and China added 39 ticks. 14 countries were birded this month by 13 beats; a record participative effort!
10,000 Birds
JANUARY 4, 2020
35 countries were visited during 2019 , 7 of them ( Belgium , France , Germany , Italy , Thailand , Indonesia and Barbados ) bringing new blood to the Country/Territory/Emirate/Republic/Pricipality/Kingdom/Special Administrative Region list which now stands at 55. They came home exhausted.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 2, 2014
Borneo is the third largest island in the world; politically it is divided amongst three countries–Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), Indonesia (Kalimantan) and the sultanate of Brunei. The danger of reviewing a field guide to the birds of an exotic country you’ve never been to is that you become obsessed with visiting that country, no matter how far away and how expensive it may be.
10,000 Birds
MAY 25, 2013
Let’s take Singapore’s Changi International Airport as an example; it is a huge hub airport with large numbers of people passing through in transit to Australia, Indonesia and south-east Asia. Mike’s comments regarding his recent stopover in Japan struck a chord that has been resonating within me for a week or two.
67 
Let's personalize your content