Photographer: Dušan Brinkhuizen   Destination: Papua New Guinea

Of all the world’s birding destinations, Papua New Guinea is often regarded as the most fascinating and exotic. Virtually untouched forests still cloak the hillsides and valleys for miles on end, and its rich assortment of bird species include some of the most vibrant and exotic in the world. From ornately plumaged fruit doves, parrots and fairywrens to sumptuously adorned paradise kingfishers, jewel babblers and bowerbirds, the birds of New Guinea are quite simply eye-candy of the purest indulgence.

New Guinea is the planet’s second-largest island, and was the last inhabited landmass to be explored by Europeans. A rather checkered history has since unfolded, with the result seeing the island being split rather randomly down the middle. In recent history, the western half of the island has often gone by the name Irian Jaya; however, it is currently known as West Papua and belongs to Indonesia. The eastern half is known as Papua New Guinea, or within birding circles as, simply: ‘PNG’. Our personal romance with the island began back in 2005, when we ventured to Papua New Guinea in search of the legendary birds-of-paradise. Fifteen years on and with over fifty tours under the belt, our relationship with this enchanting part of the world continues to blossom, with the dazzling birds-of-paradise still rightly taking center stage.

The birds-of-paradise have been revered on the island for generations, and local tribes often use the elaborate plumes and tail feathers of various species in traditional costume. Focus is often pinned on the most decoratively plumaged species, such as Greater, Lesser, Raggiana, King, Blue, Twelve-wired and King of Saxony, but for our image of the month we have decided to feature one of the more intricately patterned species – a female Brown Sicklebill. Residing at higher elevation in the beautiful moss-draped montane forests, their eponymous sickle-shaped bill is used to effectively probe and forage for insects in the tree canopy, though they’ve also been known to enjoy fruit and even smaller animals when the opportunity arises. With an iridescent blue-green plumage and pale blue irises, not forgetting their ornamental purple-tipped plumes which frame the chest and long sabre-shaped tail feathers, the dazzling males are large birds, and can reach a staggering 3 feet in length. Females, roughly half the size and less bejeweled in their overall plumage, are still a treat for the eyes. As with all birds-of-paradise, male Brown Sicklebills employ a showy display to attract females: chest feathers are puffed out before they begin to rotate with a series of short jerks, a sight more akin to a surrealist painting than a bird display. As previously mentioned, many of the birds-of-paradise are hunted by the local tribes for their highly prized tail feathers. The Brown Sicklebill is not excluded from this list, but fortunately still occurs in good numbers and are currently not a threatened species according to the IUCN.

Within the family, there are currently 43 bird-of-paradise species. In recent years, this has seen a state of flux with some birds such as the melampittas (Lesser and Greater) and Blue-capped Ifrit now being placed in their own families. The latter now in its own monotypic family and entirely endemic to the island. New Guinea is very much the epicenter of the world when it comes to birds-of-paradise, with 39 species (90%) of the 43 found here. The remaining species are found in neighboring Indonesia and Australia, and include the fabulous Standardwing from Halmahera and Bacan, Paradise-crow of the Moluccas and Paradise and Victoria’s Riflebird from Australia.

We offer the largest variety of tours by date and style through Papua New Guinea, and our trips regularly enjoy the spectacle of up to twenty species of dazzling birds-of-paradise. Watching these spectacular birds in their natural habitat is an unforgettable experience, which is why the country typically finds its way onto almost every birder’s bucket list. If you haven’t yet experienced this phenomenal part of the world, we invite you to browse through the selection of tours below and consider experiencing one of the most astonishing exhibits of the natural world.

Papua New Guinea – Birding in Paradise I

May 16 – Jun 02, 2020 (18 days)

Tour price: PGK33,500 *USD9,870 *GBP8,116 *EUR8,846

Papua New Guinea – New Britain I

Jun 02 – 06, 2020 (5 days)

Tour price: USD2,250 *GBP1,851 *EUR2,017

Papua New Guinea – Birding in Paradise II

Jun 06 – 23, 2020 (18 days)

Tour price: PGK33,500 *USD9,870 *GBP8,116 *EUR8,846

Papua New Guinea – Huon Peninsula Extension I

Jun 23 – 28 (6 days)

Tour price: USD2,500 *GBP2,056 *EUR2,241

Papua New Guinea – Highlights

Sep 01 – 10, 2020 (10 days)

Tour price: PGK20,250 *USD5,966 *GBP4,906 *EUR5,347