There are 21 species of woodland kingfishers and 4 species of river kingfisher. The Yellow-billed Kingfisher (Syma torotoro) is categorized as the woodland one. It lives in lowland and lower montane or hill forest of New Guinea and its surrounding islands including Yapen, and Raja Ampat in West Papua; Aru islands in South East Maluku; as well as D'Entrecasteaux Islands in PNG.
The bill of the juvenile one is black or partly black. The female Yellow-billed Kingfisher has got black crown.
Yellow-billed Kingfisher in the forest of Klasow Valley - Sorong regencyWhere to Watch the Kingfisher Birds
This beautiful kingfisher can be watched almost in all lowland and hill forest of New Guinea. The birdwatching sites in West Papua that I have visited to guide birding visitors are listed below:
- Raja Ampat islands, located at the western end region of West Papua, are good destination not only for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving but also for birding and wildlife watching. Sacred Kingfisher, Beach Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra can be watched a long the coastal forest of Waigeo. Hook-billed, Yellow-billed, and Common Paradise Kingfisher and Yellow-billed Kingfisher can be seen when we walk a little deeper into the forest. Other birds such as White-bellied Woodswallow, Yellow-faced Myna, Eclectus Parrot, Spangled Drongo, Mimic Meliphaga, Torresian Crow, Pacific Swallow, tern, Whimbrel, Striated Heron, Singing Starling, Brahminy Kite, Eastern Osprey, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, are quite easy to find and watch. The vocal points of birding in Raja Ampat are actually the watching of Wilson's Bird of Paradise Bird and Red Bird of Paradise. However, when walking in the forest and beaches, birdwatchers will definitely see other tropical birds as well.
- Klatomok Village of Klasow valley in Sorong regency. This roadside village is between Sorong city and Sausapor town. There are homestays in the village where visitors can stay to watch not only the Yellow-billed Kingfisher but also other tropical birds such Common Paradise Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Red-breasted Kingfisher, Blue and Black Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher. Visitors can also see Western-crowned Pigeon, Eclectus Parrot, Blyth's Hornbill, Shining Flycatcher, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Orange-bellied Fruit Dove, Pinon Imperial Pigeon and etc.
- Tambrauw regency is a highly recommended destination for birdwatching. In Fef town, the capital of Tambrauw regency, there is a local guide named Nico Nauw (Contact number: +62 821 9806 0084). He lives near an elementary Catholic school in Fef town. There are rooms in the guesthouse that belong to the nearby Catholic church where visitors can stay during their wildlife watching trip in Fef town and its surroung area. In addition to kingfishers, visitors can watch a lot of birds in the surrounding forest including Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Black-capped Lory, Red-flanked Lorikeet, Josephine Lorikeet, Coconut Lorikeet, Magnificent Bird of Paradise, Moluccan King Parrot, Large Fig Parrot, Gurney's Eagle, Variable Goshawk, New Guinea Harpy-Eagle, Papuan Pitta, Hooded Pitta, and etc.
- Susnguakti forest - this is a hidden birding site in Manokwari regency. Birds that live in this lower montane foresr are Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Frilled Monarch, Shining Flycatcher, Spangled Drongo, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Marbled Frogmouth, Papuan Frogmouth, Hooded Pitta, Red-bellied Pitta (now called Papuan Pitta), Golden Cuckooshrike, and etc.
- Wondama Regency - There are a lot of places that are suitable for birdwatching. Some of them include Roon island, the northern tip of Wandamen peninsula, and the southern region of the peninsula that has got huge flat land. Wondama has got near complete rainforest environments. The regency has got a lot of island forest, tidal mangrove forest, lowland and lower montane forest and higher elevation forest at the top of Wondiboy range. I did some hiking and birdwatching in Wondama where I saw kingfishers, and other tropical birds such as White-bellied Sea Eagle, Grey Crow, Torresian Crow, Willie Wagtail, Red Myzomela, Blyth's Hornbil, Spangled Drongo, Lesser Bird of Paradise, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Lowland Peltop, and a lot more.
Wildlife Watching Equipment
Most nature lovers know what to bring when they go on a long holiday to watch birds and wildlife in the forest. Some important devices include binoculars, spotting scope (mounted on tripod), laser pointer, camera with telephoto lens (this can be a super zoom bridge camera such as Nikon P1000 and Sony HX400V or a D-SLR camera with 150-600 mm lens. A rain poncho and plastic wrapping will be needed during bad weather.
Flight Route
Most birding visitors travel to Manokwari city, the capital of the Province of West Papua, to watch birds of paradise, kingfisher and other tropical birds. International visitors need to fly to Jakarta which is the capital of Indonesia. After that, they can continue flying to Manokwari by Sriwijaya Air, Batik Air or Lion/ Wings Air
If you are interested in traveling to West Papua, and need my service to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.