Malagufuk's Birds

Malagufuk, a small jungle village in Klasow valley of Sorong regency is a nice place for visitors who like birding. I introduced it for the first time to the outer world as a new destination for ecotourism activities in late 2014.

The Tropical Birds

Lesser Birds of Paradise

Visitors who travel to Malagufuk will be able to watch a lot of birds. Some of them are listed below:
Beautiful Fruit Dove, Orange-bellied Fruit Dove, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Ornate Fruit Dove, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Great-cuckoo Dove, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Western-crowned Pigeon, Magnificent Riflebird, King Bird of Paradise, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Lesser Birds of Paradise, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Rainbow Bee-eater, Yellow-faced Myna, Golden Myna,
Eclectus Parrot, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo,
Palm Cockatoo, Black Lory, Black-capped Lory, Large Fig Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Coconut Lorikeet Lorikeet,
Greater Black Coucal, Blue-black Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher,
Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Sacred Kingfisher, Lowland Peltop, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Boyer's Cuckooshrike, Red-bellied Pitta, Hooded Pitta, Shining Flycatcher, Grey-streaked Flycatcher, Variable Goshawk, Grey-headed Goshawk, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, Spangled Drongo, Black Sunbird, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, Hooded Butcherbird, Oriental Dollarbird, Glossy Swiftlet, Moustached Treeswift, Metallic Starling, Rufous Owl, Papuan Nightjar, Northern Cassowary, Emperor Fairywren, Blyth's Hornbill, Nankeen Night Herron, Torresian Crow, Papuan Babbler, Little Shrikethrush, Helmetted Friarbird, Yellow-bellied Longbill,Frilled Monarch, Rusty Pitohui
Black-browed Triller, Black-sided Robin, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, Oriental Cuckoo, Forest Bittern, and a lot more.
Some birders who went to Malagufuk said that they also saw rare species such as Green-naped Pheasant Pigeon, Blue Jewel Babbler, and Thick-billed Ground Pigeon.

Western-crowned Pigeon. Photo by Kostan Magablo

My Photographic and Birding Devices

Every time I go to the jungle village, I will bring my camera to take pictures of birds, wild animals and unique plants. In the past, I brought Nikon Coolpix P600. After that I used a Fujifilm HS50EXR which I used for several years. In recent years, I bring Canon 200D with Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens.
For watching birds, my devices are quite modest, a pair of Visionking 10×42 mm binoculars and a Kinglux 20-60×60mm spotting scope.
Malagufuk is located quite deep into the lowland forest of Klasow valley.  The path from mainroad to the village is quite muddy and the plants on both sides of the it are infested with mosquitoes and leeches.

Alternative Birding and Wildlife Watching Sites

They may not be suitable for tourists who could not walk for several hours. There is some good alternative places for birdwatching. My recommendation will be Klatomok - a roadside village in the same valley. For birdwatchers and nature lovers who are willing to travel further into the interior areas of Vogelkop region of West Papua, I suggest that they go to Fef or Mount Sakofsiah and Ases Valley in Tambrauw regency. At least two, three or more participants are needed to share the cost of transportation.

Common Paradise Kingfisher

Please, contact me by email to peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 if you are interested in taking a tour to West Papua starting from the year 2021.
This year, government of Indonesia still do not allow any foreign tourists to travel in this country due to Covid-19 pandemic. We fully hope that next year, ecotourism activities can be restored again. This is written by Charles Roring.
Also read:

• Birding in Malagufuk village of Klasow Valley
• Birding in Malagufuk in Rainy Season
• Rainforest Tour in Malagufuk Village