Birdwatching in Raja Ampat

Besides the beautiful birds you can see here on Kri Island, such as the paradise kingfisher, glossy-mantled manucode, rufous-bellied kookaburra, willie wagtail, honeyeaters, and megapodes, a special birding trip can be arranged see the famous and endemic birds of paradise only found in Raja Ampat.

Red Bird of Paradise

Endemic to Raja Ampat, witness the red birds of paradise display the most complex courtship of the whole family. On high intensity display, the male performs a butterfly dance, spreading and fluttering his wings like a giant butterfly.

This cruise is undertaken every Saturday just before sunset or in the afternoon, departing the resorts at 3:00 PM. We will visit a small neighboring village by boat (30 min boat trip) followed by a 30 minute hike to the birding location to see the endemic Red Bird of Paradise. This trip is complementary (free boat transfer to starting point of the start of the 30 minute hike to the birding location) however each participant is kindly requested to leave a donation to protect the birds and assist in local healthcare initiatives. Bring binoculars and walking shoes!

Niko, has worked with Papua Diving since we started in the 1990’s.

Red Bird of Paradise Raja Ampat
Red Bird Of Paradise

Wilson’s Bird of Paradise

Males perform their courtship display within an ‘arena’, a small clearing in the middle of dense forest but well lit. The male first carefully clears the arena of unwanted items such as leaf litter and the leaves from sapling stems.

This trip can be done any day of the week except on Saturday and must be requested at least two days in advance. Departing at 4 AM, we will visit Waigeo island by boat (40 min boat trip) followed by a 30 minute hike to the birding location to see the endemic Wilson’s Bird of Paradise.