From dawn until dusk, Papua New Guinea’s dense forests host the melodies of myriad birds. Fiona Harper provides a field guide to some of the best places to birdwatch in the country.

The brightly coloured birds of Papua New Guinea. Credit: TPA

Papua New Guinea’s birds have names as pretty as their colourful plumage. Fairywrens, jewel babblers, berrypeckers and honeyeaters are among the near 900 bird species that flutter across forests, highlands and islands.

Then there are the famed ‘birds of paradise’ (known locally as kumuls), sought by birdwatchers the world over. Their striking plumes have long been used in traditional dress, ceremonies and rituals. Photographers are known to shun sleep in exchange for the rare opportunity to photograph the intriguing pre-dawn rituals of these PNG icons.

From the flatlands of mangrove forests to over 4500 metres above sea level at Mount Wilhelm, PNG’s diverse landscape makes the entire country ideal for birdwatching.

The best time for birdwatching is during the dry season (June to October) when forests and roads are more accessible. Here’s where twitchers can scratch the birdwatching itch across PNG.

Highlands Region

Over 200 bird species have been recorded in the Doma Peaks around Ambua Lodge near Tari in the Southern Highlands. The area is home to Huli Wigmen, known for their ornate ceremonial wigs adorned with bird of paradise plumes above faces painted in yellow clay.

Traditional songs and dance take inspiration from the mating rituals of the bird of paradise, with at least 10 species recorded in Tari rainforests.

Look for cassowaries, marbled and Papuan frogmouths, Blyth’s hornbills, bowerbirds, honeyeaters, flowerpeckers, fantails, babblers and warblers. But it is the more than 10 species of birds of paradise that most come to see, most notably PNG’s national bird, the ragianna bird of paradise.

Ambua Lodge near Tari provides a perfect base for birdwatchers. Credit: BAI

Equally sought by any self-respecting twitcher is the superb bird of paradise. The male spreads his feathered black cape and aquamarine chest to lure females during elaborate courtship rituals.

Where to stay: Ambua Lodge

Get there from: Tari

Momase Region

In the East Sepik area of Momase, where the Karawari River branches off the mighty Sepik River, is a little-visited area of northern PNG.

With no road access, and longboats and dugout canoes the main form of transport, the only way in is by flight to the private airstrip at Karawari Lodge. The Sepik region is culturally diverse and revolves around the river, which is the lifeblood for villagers from more than 250 language groups who maintain traditional lives.

Here, a complex habitat of tropical lowland rainforest is home to extraordinary birdlife. More than 220 species have been recorded, including the elusive twelve-wired bird of paradise with its velvety black plumage, eyes with a bright red iris and golden yellow plumes along its flanks.

Twelve wire-like filaments sprout from its rear, sweeping forward in an elegant display and used to ‘caress’ females in an elaborate mating ritual.

Other birds to look for include dwarf and northern cassowaries, 13 species of colourful parrots and an eclectic mix of bee-eaters, hornbills, drongos, whistlers, warblers and delicate fairy-wrens.

Where to stay: Karawari Lodge

Get there from: Mount Hagen

Southern Region

In the westernmost savannahs of PNG, near the Papuan border, wide, flood plains teem with birdlife and wildlife such as wallabies, deer and reptiles. Tidal river reaches, mangroves, grasslands and woodlands are part of the almost 6000 square kilometre Tonda Wildlife Management Area, an important wetland for over 250 species of resident and migratory waterbirds.

The area is adjacent to Wasur National Park (over the Papua border), a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The fertile plains are a vital stopover point for migratory birds moving between northern breeding grounds and southern feeding areas.

Expect to see curlew sandpipers, ruddy turnstones (whose breeding grounds are Arctic Siberia) and yellow wagtails.

Wetlands rimmed by stands of paperbark (melaleuca) trees attract mammoth aggregations of pelicans, sea eagles and pygmy geese, which feed on fish in water-laden swamps and plains.

Bensbach River has a hardy population of barramundi, making it a popular area for catch-and-release sport fishing as well as birdwatching.

Where to stay: Bensbach Wilderness Lodge

Get there from: Port Moresby

The Islands

The rugged island of New Britain is the largest in the Bismark Archipelago and has at least six active volcanoes, most notably Tavurvur, which erupted in 1994, smothering Rabaul under metres of ash.

The rainforests and small coral islets that dot the northern coast and Huon Peninsula lure eagle-eyed birdwatchers. The big-ticket birds they’re looking for are endemic species such as the New Britain friarbird or the blue-eyed cockatoo. The striking aqua rim around its eyes beneath an erectile yellow crest gives the cockatoo the look of a dance-weary fugitive from an all-night 70s disco.

The waters of Kimbe Bay, with many coral reefs, are a biodiverse marine wonderland. The nutrient-rich Bismark Sea’s narrow coastal fringe drops abruptly to deep water, creating an alluring habitat for marine creatures. These fertile waters in turn attract seabirds and migratory birds while they’re migrating to and from northern breeding grounds.

Where to stay: Walindi Plantation Resort

Get there from: Kimbe

This article was first published in the July–September issue of Paradise, the inflight magazine of Air Niugini.