ARFAK BIRDWATCHING

Bird’s Head or Vogelkop Peninsula truly is a land of birds.

The northeastern region of the Bird’s Head or Vogelkop Peninsula is made up of an isolated yet massive, more or less continuous mountain chain. The name ‘Tamrau’ applies to the western portion, bisected by the grassy Kebar Valley, heartland of the indigenous Karoon people. The Tamrau Mountains have been very scantily surveyed for any purpose till this day. In contrast, the easternmost sector, known as the Arfak Mountains — ‘Arfak’ meaning little more than ‘interior’ in the language of the coastal Biak people — is since Dutch colonial times one of the most frequently explored and best known regions of western New Guinea. Among these are the Vogelkop Bowerbird Amblyornis inornatus with its formidable so-called 'roofed maypole' bowers, the beautiful and little-known Arfak Astrapia Astrapia nigra, the rare Long-tailed Paradigalla Paradigalla carunculata, easily overlooked when not vocalizing, and the violently enrapturing Western Parotia Parotia sefilata. In addition, the Bird’s Head boasts 21 species with a restricted range, 15 of which can be seen in the Arfaks. In total, more than 320 bird species have so far been recorded from the Arfak region.