Explore new spot for Biak Leaf-warbler

The weather was clear yesterday morning (Thursday, 25 June 2026), I set out to search for my first target bird species Biak Leaf-warbler since the previous location had been damaged. 

While exploring the new area, I found a spot to see the Biak Leaf-warbler, I also saw the Biak Gerygone, Biak Coucal, Black-winged Lory, Pacific Baza, and Brahminy Kite. There were also birds I could only hear from a distance such as Biak Whistler and Geelvink Imperial Pigeon as my time constraints prevented me from luring them coming closer to me, so my next plan is to return to this location after exploring a new site in the west of Biak City to see what bird species can be found there.

Here's the photo of Biak Coucal and Biak Gerygone that I took while exploring the area. I hope when return to the same location later, I will taken more of the birds found there.

Biak Coucal

Intro :

Biak Coucal is a very shy and sometimes elusive bird, as it frequently hides amidst the branches and dense foliage of the forest understory. It is entirely black, featuring striking yellow irises and a relatively straight bill that give it a fierce appearance. Although it inhabits both dense forests and secondary habitats across various elevations, the bird is rarely sighted. This bird only coucal species found on Biak Island. While somewhat resembling the Orru Crow, it possesses a longer tail. It is a rather vocal bird, and its calls are heard far more often than the bird itself is seen. The Biak Coucal has a length of approximately 46 cm and weighs around 244 grams.

Biak Gerygone

Intro :

Biak Gerygone is a small songbird species belonging to the Acanthizidae family. This endemic bird is found only in Biak and Supiori. It actively forages in pairs, small groups, or sometimes alone, and may join mixed-species flocks. It feeds in the mid-canopy and is frequently seen in lowland forests, secondary forests, and along roadsides. 

The color of Biak Gerygone is an olive-brown back, a grey head, a pale yellow belly, and a broken white eye-ring. It resembles the Biak race of the Island Leaf-Warbler, but Biak Gerygone has a black bill and legs rather than orange ones. Its call consists of a chaotic-sounding whistle with rising, falling, and discordant notes, occasionally interspersed with harsh sounds. They are small, with most having an average weight of 6–7 gr and show little variation in size across their distribution range.

Geelvink Fruit-dove

Intro :

The Geelvink fruit-dove, (before called Yellow-bibbed fruit dove), is a locally endemic fruit dove we can found in the lowland rainforests of Biak Island, Supiori Island, Numfor Island, and the surrounding areas.  This bird is very easy to find on every island where they live, but in some places it is a bit difficult to see them because of tree felling. As one of the many endemic birds found on the islands of Biak, Numfor, and the surrounding area, this bird is also a target for bird watchers and wild bird photographers. 

This bird has a large, bright (fried egg) yellow and white patch on the chest, a hot pink patch on the belly. Its body is mostly green, except for the underside of its tail, which is yellow in Male. Females are green, with yellow on the underside of the tail and belly. This bird looks like to the White-breasted Fruit Dove, but is smaller overall and has a smaller bill with a bird size of around 18 - 20 cm.

Special offer this year

Birding trips are available upon request and available on June, October, November and the early of December 2026 ... 🙏

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• 3 Days / 2 Nites Biak Bird Photography Tour 

        Main Target: [Biak Hooded Pitta - Biak Paradise Kingfisher - Biak Scops Owl]

• 4 Days / 3 Nites Biak Bird Watching Tour

        Main Target: [Endemic Biak Bird, Excluded: Biak Myzomela and Biak Scrub fowl]

• 5 Days / 4 Nites Jayapura Bird of Paradise Photograpy Tour

        Main Target: [5 of the Bird of Paradise, Papuan Paradise Kingfisher and Pitta]

• 5 Days / 4 Nites Waigeo Bird of Paradise Photography Tour

        Main Target: [2 of the Bird of Paradise: Red & Wilson Bird of Paradise]

• 5 Days / 4 Nites Aru the Greater Bird of Paradise Photography Tour

        Main Target: [2 of the Bird of Paradise: Greater & King Bird of Paradise]

• 6 Days / 5 Nites Sorong Lowland & Waigeo Bird of Paradise Photography Tour

        Main Target: [Lesser BOP, King BOP, 12-wired BOP, Magnificent BOP, Red                                              BOP, Wilson BOP and Magnificent Riffle Bird]

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Notes : 

This trip is flexible, depend on the target's and the weather reason during the activity. It's important to note that these birds are in the wild, and sometimes we can't find them in the same location, so we must find them together without coercion.

This plan / itinerary can be a tour with fullboard or only tour in particular to Biak Island.

The participants for Bird Photography Tour starts from 2 to 4 peoples, and then for Bird Watching it starts from 2 to 6 people plus 1 TL.

Geelvink Pygmy Parrot

Intro :

My target for a small parrot on Biak Island is the Geelvink Pygmy Parrot, a very cute bird that lives in ant nests. At only 9 cm long, this bird is the smallest parrot in the world, and we can only find them on Biak and Numfor Islands. With extra patience and sharp eyesight, we can find it camouflaged with tree branches in the secondary forest of Biak Island. This bird has a brown head, blue crown, light blue ear-coverts, yellow breast, green body, and blue tail. Its eyes are red. Females have less brown than males. This bird feeds on moss, fungi, seeds, fruits, flowers, insects. 

Biak Paradise Kingfisher

Intro :

Biak Paradise Kingfisher has a fairly long tail and a white underbody, a long, spoon-like rump and tail, a thick red beak, and a dark blue upper body. It has a pale blue spotted head, shoulder patches, and a narrow tail. The Biak Paradise Kingfisher (Tanysiptera riedelii) is a species of kingfisher in the Alcedinidae family. This bird lives in the lowlands and is the only Paradise  kingfisher on Biak Island.

Note :

This bird is the main target of Wildlife Bird Photography and Bird Watching. This bird is from the kingfisher family, which is the main target as an endemic bird of Biak Island and very easy to see or find in the forests of Biak Island.

Biak Scops Owl

Intro :

Night trips to see and photograph this beautiful bird were challenging due to limited night-watching gear. However, when luck came, I was really happy to see it perched on a tree branch very close to me. "YES!" It was a Biak Scops Owl... this endemic owl from Biak Island, perched on a small branch close to me. It didn't wait time to take me long, with the distinctive shutter sound of my camera ringing out in quick succession, to capture his photos.

Note :

A small owl endemic to the forests of Biak Island. It has dark plumage, a finely striped belly, and a white stripe running down its shoulders. It can also be found in gray-brown or fawn forms. Its yellow eyes are surrounded by black spots, and its pale gray face is ringed with black. It is not particularly rare, but it is difficult to see. It feeds on insects. This species is the only owl on Biak that is quite vocal, especially after the rain stops.

Biak Hooded Pitta

Intro :

The Biak Hooded Pitta lives in tropical rainforests and is limited to the Biak and Supiori regions. This bird is territorial, feeding on insects, earthworms, other small invertebrates, and berries. Breeding around February and August, the pitta pairs are highly territorial and build their nests on the ground. This bird is known to be shy and difficult to observe in the wild. its activity more often heard through distinctive sounds than seen directly. However, I was finally able to try feeding this bird and the bird activity can be observed in the hidden place that i have been created. 

Note : 

My plan for the next time maybe will trying to create new spot for this bird in several locations that I have surveyed to provide the best experience for those who want to see this bird easily from behind a hiding place.