Birds in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland

Tangkoko Nature Reserve is a protected tropical rainforest area in the Province of North Sulawesi. The forest is the habitat of a lot of species of birds such as Green-backed Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Great-billed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher, White-necked Myna, Sulawesi-crested Myna, Green Imperial Pigeon, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit-dove, Sulawesi Brush Cuckoo, Sulawesi Cicadabird, Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Minahasa Racquet-tail (also called Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail), Sulawesi Racquet-tail (also known as Golden-mantled Racquet-tail), Blue-backed Parrot. 

Some birds from Tangkoko of Minahasa Peninsula: Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Purple-winged Roller, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Knobbed Hornbill

Because the forest is located along the coastal area, sometimes we could see such birds as White-bellied Sea Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Little Egret, Sulawesi Crow, Great-billed Heron, Pacific Reef Heron, and etc. 

There is a man-made lake near the forest of Tangkoko Nature Reserve. We could see Oriental Darter, White-breasted Waterhen, Yellow Bittern, Little Grebe, Purple-winged Roller. 

Gursky's Spectral Tarsier

Minahasa Highland

Most visitors, combine their birdwatching tour in Tangkoko with another trip to Minahasa Highland. The recommended birding sites include farm forest of Sonder, Lake Linow, Tincep Ricefield, Pine Forest, and Kiawa farmland. Birds that could be watched in these areas include Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Sulawesi Pitta, Mountain White-eye, Black-crowned White-eye, Sulawesi Myzomela, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Crimson Sunbird, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Superb Fruit-dove, and etc.

Scaly-breasted Kingfisher

On the average, birdwatchers spend on the average 7 days/ 6 nights for the birding trip in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland. To share the cost, it is better for participants to travel in a group of 2 to 4 people. 

Warbling White-eye (also called: Mountain White-eye)

Most birdwatchers bring binoculars. To enhance the birding experience, a digital camera with telephoto lens or a spotting scope that is mounted on a tripod can be brought during the trip.

Speckled Boobook

Acommodation

There are homestays/ lodges in Tangkoko. There are also hotels in Tomohon of Minahasa Highland. 

Booking

To take birding tour in Tangkoko and Minahasa highland, participants need to fly to Manado city of Indonesia.

If you are interested in taking a birding tour in Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Minahasa highland, and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Wildlife Photography Tour in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland
• Birding in Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Minahasa Highland
• Farm Tour in Minahasa Highland

Collared Kingfisher in Minahasa Highland

This is the photograph of Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) that I saw in Tomohon town of Minahasa.  This bird can easily be found in paddy fields, dry farmland or forest edge. It eats grasshopper, spider, lizard, snails, frog, small fish, and etc. 

Collared Kingfisher

In agricultural area, this is a natural predator that most farmers like to keep because the bird helps them kill pests from their crops.

Villagers in Minahasa highland grow produce such as rice, corn, aubergine, papaya, coconut, peanut, green bean, kidney bean, carrot, cabbage, chilli, and etc.

Agricultural produce in Minahasa highland

They supply food to various towns, and cities in North Sulawesi, Maluku and West Papua such as Tondano, Tomohon, Langowan Manado, Bitung, Balikpapan, Ternate, Ambon, Sorong, Manokwari and Jayapura.

Agricultural commodities such as clove, nutmeg and mace, vanilla and copra are sent to factories which will further be processed into various kinds of products. 

If you are interested in taking a holiday trip in the highland of Minahasa and want me to organize your tour and guide you, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Kingfishers in Minahasa
• Birds of Sulawesi
• Birds in Minahasa
• Hiking Tour and Birdwatching in Minahasa
• Sooty-headed Bulbul

Kingfishers in Minahasa Peninsula

Kingfishers are birds with long pointed, and sharp bills that live at beaches, rivers, small streams and ponds. There are also kingfishers that live in the mountains, deep in tropical rainforest. There are several interesting species of them that can be watched in Minahasa peninsula. 

People think that kingfishers eat fish and small crab. Yes, but there are kingfishers that eat lizards and worms that they find in trees of rainforest.

• Great-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis melanorhyncha) - The usual site for watching this bird is along the riverside that flows through mangrove forest. This kingfisher eats small fish.

Great-billed Kingfisher

• Collared Kingfisher -  This bird could be watched near water pond, rice field and even the dry farmland. The bird likes to sit alone on a dry branch of a tree. 

Collared Kingfisher in a farmland
at the outskirt of Sonder town

• Green-backed Kingfisher (Actenoides monachus). This bird is usually seen in lowland rainforest of central to northern region of Sulawesi. In the southern region of Sulawesi island, his relative Black-headed Kingfisher can be found. 

According to Wikipedia, Genus Actenoides was introduced by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a French ornithologist in 1850. In Greek, actis or aktinos means beam or brightness; oidēs resembling. In Late Latin, the word monachus means monk (i.e. hooded); in Greek monachos monk > monos > solitary. 

Green-backed Kingfisher

Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda) lives in lowland forest to lower montane forest. 

Ruddy Kingfisher

Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher (Ceyx fallax) - a small bird that is quite difficult to find. Tangkoko Nature Reserve is the usual place which visitors go to find the bird. Actually, there are a lot of other places that visitors could go to find this bird. Some forest areas in Sonder of Minahasa are also the natural habitat of this endemic bird of Sulawesi.

Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher

Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher

Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher

Scaly-breasted Kingfisher (Actenoides princeps). This bird is uncommon. Its habitat is montane forest around 900 to 2100 meters above sea level. Most visitors go to Mount Mahawu to find this rainforest bird. Local guide and tour leader often use the call of the bird to attract the kingfisher to land in the nearby branches. 

Because this practice have been done for years, the Scaly-breasted Kingfishers do not respond the calls anymore. So, I highly recommend that birdwatchers minimize the use of the artificial electronic calls.  Let's leave the bird in peace. If we want to watch the birds, we just do walking tour inside the forest to find them. 

Scaly-breasted Kingfisher

Please, book your Birdwatching Tour

If you are interested in taking a birdwatching tour in the highland of Minahasa and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Also read:

• Birds in Minahasa
• Birding in Tounelet Forest of Sonder
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birds of Sulawesi

Birds of Sulawesi

Sulawesi is a unique island. It is located in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago in the transitional region from the continent of Asia to the continent of Australia. This zone is often called Wallace region. There are 169 species of birds that are endemic to Sulawesi and its satellite islands. It is 31 percent of Indonesia's endemic birds. 

The endemism of birds and other wildlife is very high compared to other islands in Indonesia. I personally have accompanied tourists to a a number of birding sites across Sulawesi.

Birdwatching in Sulawesi

Some Birds from Sulawesi

In South Sulawesi, birding sites that are good for birdwatchers include Karaenta, Ramang-ramang, and Malino highland. There, I saw Black-ringed White-eye, White-necked Myna, Black-headed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Pygmy Hornbill and Red-backed Thrush, and etc.

More tropical birds could be watched if we go birdwatching in higher elevation forest of Sulawesi such as the Minahasa highland. Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Sulawesi Myzomela, Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Superb Fruit-dove, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove (a subspecies of Sultan's Cuckoo-dove), Black-crowned White-eye, Warbling White-eye, Turquoise Flycatcher, Sulawesi Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Turquoise Flycatcher, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker are some of the many birds that we could watch. 

Ashy Woodpecker in North Sulawesi

For North Sulawesi, more birding sites could be explored including Mount Mahawu, Sonder's farm forest, Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Mount Ambang, Maleo Sanctuary in Tambun and Dumoga Bone National Park. 

A lot of kingfishers could be found in Tangkoko. They are Great-billed Kingfisher, Lilac Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher. Other birds such as Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Myna, Finch-billed Myna, and Ashy Woodpecker could be seen there. 

Sulawesi Hanging Parrot in Sonder of Minahasa Highland

Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove in Sonder of Minahasa Highland

The mountainous region of Minahasa from Tomohon to Sonder is the habitat of various species of birds such as Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-naped Oriole, Sultan's Cuckoo Dove, Pale Blue Monarch, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Crimson Sunbird, Black-crowned White-eye, Mountain White-eye, Sahul Sunbird, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Slender-billed Crow, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher. In general, visitors need to spend at least 2 weeks to explore the birding sites of this island and see birds of Sulawesi. 

Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi is a famous destination for visitors who want to see Hylocitrea, Dark-eared Myza, White-eared Myza, Yellow-cheeked Lorikeet, Geomalia, Purple-bearded Bee-eater, Diabolic Nightjar, and etc. The birding sites are located along the Anaso Track and Lake Tambing. 

Ducula aenea at the outskirts of Manado city

Black-naped Oriole in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa Highland

Flying Routes to Manado

The entry point for taking birdwatching tour in Sulawesi can be Manado city first. There are regular daily flights between Manado city and major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, Balikpapan and Sorong city. They are served by domestic airlines such as Garuda, Citylink, Lion Air and Batik Air. There is also direct international flight from Singapore to Manado city served by Scoot Air. 

Flying to Manado

Booking

If you are interested in traveling to Indonesia to watch birds and wildlife in North Sulawesi, and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com. 

Also read:

• Guided Birding walk in Manado city
• Birding and Photography Tour in North Sulawesi
• Birds in Minahasa
• Birding and Wildlife Watching in Sulawesi
• Birdwatching and Photography Trip in Sonder of Minahasa
• Hiking and Birdwatching in Minahasa
• Zebra Dove in the Farm Forest of Sonder Town
• Birdwatching and Photographic Guide in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Sulawesi
• Watching Black-naped Oriole in Sonder Town of Minahasa
• Discovering the Black-naped Oriole: A Tropical Jewel of the Canopy
• Wildlife Watching and Photography Tour in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland
• Birding in Tangkoko, Mount Mahawu and Sonder's Farm Forest

Wildlife Watching Trip in Minahasa

Minahasa land both in coastal area around Tangkoko Nature Reserve, and in highland around Mount Mahawu have got a lot of unique flora and fauna that are attractive for wildlife photographers. 

As a tourist guide, I have organize and accompany tourists to various parts of Indonesian islands including North Sulawesi. We travel from the highland forest of Minahasa to the coastal rainforest of Tangkoko to photograph birds, butterflies, and other animals of the region. 

Finch-billed Myna from Sulawesi Island of Indonesia

For butterflies and dragonflies, my favorite places to visit include the hill forest and terraces of ricefields in Kecamatan Sonder. I could easily see various colorful butterflies there. The best time to explore the forest for taking picture of birds is in the mornings and late afternoon before sunset. 

Mountain White-eye (Zosterops montanus) in Sonder's forest of Minahasa highland

In Mount Mahawu of Tomohon, and Tounelet forest of Sonder, we could take pictures of Crimson Sunbird, Mountain White, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Sultan's Cuckoo Dove, Black-naped Oriole and Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker whereas in Tangkoko, we could take photographs of Green-backed Kingfisher, Knobbed Hornbill and Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher. 

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

I usually wear darker colour clothing. I have got dark-grey and dark-green t-shirts as well as dark-brown long pants. These natural colours greatly enhance my wildlife watching experience while walking in the forest. 

Butterflies in Sonder's forest of Minahasa

Crimson Sunbird in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa Highland

Most tourists who travel to North Sulawesi want to enjoy their holiday by diving and snorkeling in Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen, and Lembeh Strait. This tour land tour in Minahasa can be done before or after the marine trips.

If you are interested in taking wildlife photography and sightseeing tour in Minahasa highland of Indonesia and want me to organize your tour and accompany you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

• Wildlife Watching Tour in Tangkoko Nature Reserve
• Butterflywatching in Minahasa
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Scaly-breasted Kingfisher

Birding and Photography Tour in North Sulawesi

The Province of North Sulawesi in the Republic of Indonesia is a great destination for visitors who like birding, wildlife watching, and sightseeing. To explore most of the birding sites, visitors need from 4 days to 1 or 2 weeks. The first place that can be visited is waterfall in the suburban area of Manado city. We need to go there by car and walk along slippery concrete path to the waterfall to see its beauty. 

Some Birds in Minahasa

Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Barn Swallow, and Sulawesi Swiftlet are the birds that we can see flying around the open space near the cliff of  the waterfall. 

After that we could walk back to main road and then enjoy watching birds. 

Birds in Minahasa Highland

As we walk along the roadside, we can see more interesting birds such as Oriental Dollardbird, Green Imperial Pigeon, and Black-naped Fuit Dove. There are Sulawesi Spangled Drongo, Sulawesi Crow, Collared-Kingfisher, Little Egret, and Cattle Egret in the farmland of around the waterfall. There are Ruddy-breasted Crake, Isabelline Bush-hen and White-browed Crake too. 

After exploring the waterfall and farmland, we can go to Bunaken island the next day to enjoy snorkeling and watching birds.  

Birding in Sonder town of Minahasa highland - the Province of North Sulawesi - Indonesia

Returning to Manado city, we can continue our trip to Doloduo and stay in a homestay. It is far from Manado and takes a few hours to reach it.

We can also walk along the roadsides, around the rice field and watch birds such as  Rock Pigeon, Red-collared Dove, Sahul Sunbird, Chestnut/ Black-headed Munia, Pacific Swallow near a water dam. Black-faced Munia like to hop around the branches of shrub plants. To shoot the birds, visitors need cameras with telephoto lenses.

Scaly-breasted Kingfisher

After spending a few days in Doloduo, the birding trip could be continued to Tangkoko Nature Reserve for a few days. A lot of birds could be photographed there including Sulawesi Hornbill, Ashy Woodpecker, Ruddy Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Finch-billed Myna, White-eyed Spangled Drongo, Spotted Dove, White-rumped Triller, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Knobbed Hornbill and a lot more. Mammals can also be watched in Tangkoko's forest. Two interesting species are Celebes Crested Macaque and Spectral Tarsier. The trip to Tangkoko will be a prolific birding experience.

Sulawesi Hanging Parrot

The highland of Minahasa is in the list of places to visit. By car, we can go to Tomohon to stay there for a few nights. We will go hiking to the crater of Mount Mahawu, to see the magnificent view of the landscape. We can enjoy drinking tea and watching birds in Lake Linow or Pine Forest in Lahendong. Another attraction is and the Extreme Traditional Market near the bus station. People sell and buy dogs, snake, fruit bats, mouse as meat. 

For the last leg of the tour, we could go to Paal beach in North Minahasa regency. The scenery is beautiful. It has got white sandy beach.

Paal Beach in North Sulawesi

Separate extra birding excursions can be organized to District Sonder where we could watch Sulawesi Scops Owl (Otus manadensis), Speckled Boobook (Ninox punctulata), Turquoise Warbling-flycatcher (Eumyas panayensis), Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster), Grey-sided Flowerpecker (Dicaeum celebicum), Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Malkoha, Black-naped Oriole, Black-crowned White-eye, Barred Rail (Gallirallus torquatus), female Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja), Sulawesi Hanging Parrot (Loriculus stigmatus), and a lot more.

Speckled Boobook

Sulawesi Scops Owl

At the airport, Sultan's Cuckoo Dove, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, Yellow-vented Bulbul, and etc.

Flight Routes to Manado City

There are daily flights from major city in Indonesia to Manado city served by such airlines as Garuda, Citilink, Batik Air and Lion Air. There is direct flight between Singapore and Manado city served by Scoot Air. 

If you are interested in visiting the province of North Sulawesi in Indonesia, and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: -6281332245180.

Also read:

• Wildlife Tour in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland
• Birding in Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Minahasa Highland
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birds of Sulawesi
• Birds in Minahasa
• Farmland Tour in Minahasa Highland
• Tour around the Farmland of Minahasa

BIRDS IN MINAHASA

I like to travel around the lowland forest and highland of Minahasa. I visit Tomohon, Tondano, Sonder, Kawangkoan, and Langowan, the outskirts of Manado city, Tangkoko Nature Reserve to explore their surrounding rainforests. I sometimes guide visitors to this region. During my exploratory birding trips in this part of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, I see a lot of species of birds. Some of them are listed below:

Yellow-billed Malkoha, Knobbed Hornbill, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, Black-faced Munia, Red-backed Thrush

• Warbling White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) - This bird could be found in Mount Mahawu near Tomohon or in higher montane forest of District Sonder of Minahasa regency. 

Warbling White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) in District Sonder of Minahasa regency

• Black-crowned White-eye (Zosterops atrifrons)
• Sulawesi Drongo
• Hair-crested Drongo (White-eyed)
• Scaly-breasted Kingfisher
• Collared Kingfisher
• Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher
• Green-backed Kingfisher
• Ruddy Kingfisher
• Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher
• Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) - I saw this bird at the edge of higher montane forest is in the east of District town of Sonder. The bird was sitting on a top branch of a tree when I was walking and looking at the branches of the surrounding trees to photograph birds. 

Crimson Sunbird in Sonder of Minahasa highland

• Olive-backed Sunbird
• Brown-throated Sunbird
• Black Sunbird
• Knobbed Hornbill
• Sulawesi Hornbill
• Grey-sided Flowerpecker
• Yellow-sided Flowerpecker
• Sooty-headed Bulbul
• Slender-billed Crow
• Chestnut Munia
• Scaly-breasted Munia
• Black-faced Munia
• Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon
• Green Imperial Pigeon

Green Imperial Pigeon

• Black-naped Fruit Dove
• White-faced Cuckoo Dove
• Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove
• Brush Cuckoo
• Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis omissus) - This small bird is an endemic species of Sulawesi island. I saw it early in the morning in higher elevation forest of District Sonder. It was sitting on a twig of a shrub plant. 
• Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata). In Indonesia, this bird is called Burung Perkutut. It can easily adapt to live in small villages and towns that are surrounded by agricultural lands that provides food for the bird population. 

Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata) at the outskirts of District Sonder in Minahasa regency of Indonesia

• Speckled Boobook
• Sulawesi Scops Owl
• Little Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Barred Rail
• White-browed Crake
• Cinnamon Bittern
• Purple Heron
• Sulawesi Hanging Parrot
• Purple-winged Roller

Purple-winged Roller

• Ashy Woodpecker
• Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker
• White-browed Crake
• White-breasted Woodswallow
• and a lot more.

Birds in Minahasa Regency

To watch birds, I bring my SVBONY 10×50 binoculars, spotting scope, and to take pictures, I bring my old Fujifilm HS50EXR which I bought from an online electronic store in Indonesia.

I often have the opportunity to speak with local farmers who make palm sugar, plant vegetables, and with ones who own fish, and pig farms. 

Minahasa highland is an interesting destination for visitors who want to see agricultural areas, historical and cultural attractions of local people.

For birding tour that I offer in North Sulawesi, I can include some additional trips to the volcanic crater of Mount Mahawu or to Lake Tondano. I can organize scenic and cultural trips to places where local farmers in North Sulawesi traditionally make palm sugar, farm tools, and earthenware.

Visitors who are interested in taking the tour could come as a solo traveler or as a group of 2, 4 and up to 8 participants to share the cost of traveling. For further info about the trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read: 

• Guided Birding Walk in Manado city
• Scaly-breasted Kingfisher
• Birds of Sulawesi
• Wildlife Watching and Photography Trip in Minahasa
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Tounelet Forest of Sonder