Rare, Colorful Denizens of the Forest
Whit some 600 species, Sumatra is second only to Irian Jaya in the sheer variety of it's bird life. Fully three quarters of these birds are resident, though only 17 are unique. Sadly, many species are endangered by clearing of land for settlement, logging and hunting, and some are now sighted only rarely.-Calls of the wild
Majestic hornbills attract your attention with their noisy wing beats and loud calls. Particularly spectacular is the Rhinoceros Hornbill Buceros rhinoceros. The male is 1.2 m long, with a huge reddish, up-turned casque and loud honking call. The call of the Long-tailed Helmeted Hornbill Rhinoplax vigil consists of a long series of "hoop" notes gradually quickening in tempo, then rapidly building to a crescendo, climaxing in a cackling laugh.
Another common call of the forest is the loud "ku-ow" of the great Argus Pheasant Argusianus argus. When its decorative wing and tail plumes are fully developed, the male pheasant reaches a length of nearly 2 m, like so many secretive forest birds, you must be very fortunate to see it in the wild.
The colorful kingfishers are mostly inconspicuous forest dwellers, but the White throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis lives in open country. This bird was first spotted in 1921 near Medan, but has subsequently spread throughout the island. Along swamps and rivers, watch out for the huge Stork billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis capensis-with its loud, wailing cries.
-Mixed dinner parties
If you are lucky enough to chance upon a fruiting fig tree, you will probably see a host of pigeons, hornbills and barbets-all so intent on gorging themselves that they ignore the observer standing below in a a shower of discarded fruit debris. Occasionally shattering the cathedral stillness of the noon-time forest, a flock of birds will sweep down upon you, excitedly searching for food. This "feeding party" ranges from woodpeckers, jays and trogons to drongos, bulbuls and babblers. Such parties are believed to be a spontaneous response to food shortages in the dry season. The birds' frenzied activity drives insects from every nook and cranny, to be gobbled up greedily. After just a few minutes, the flock moves on, leaving the equally frenzied birdwatcher frantically trying to remember each species as the last bird departs.
-Montane birds
Hill forest are the best birdwatching regions for the casual visitor. Many are accessible, the climate is comfortable, and the birds are less secretive. Here you will hear the rapid , monotonous, three-note call of the Black-browed Barbet Megalaima oorti and the curious buzzing note of the Fire-tufted Barbet Psilopogon pyrolophus. The lucky birdwatcher will also find the distinctive Yellow-naped Woodpeckers Picus flavinuchus and Picus chlorolophus, or a party of colorful but secretive Green Magpies Cissa chinensis.
Prominent calls are those of the large Cuckoo-dove Macropygia unchall, the Mountain Imperial Pigeon Ducula badia, and the White-crested Laughing Thrush Garrulax leucolophus, with its distinctive hopping gait and beautiful call, which builds to a maniacal climax. The Bronze-tailed Peacock Pheasant Polyplectron chalcurum and the Salvadori's Pheasant Lophura inornata are endemic to the mountains of Sumatra. The latter was not seen for several decades, but has been sighted recently on Mt. Kerinci in West Sumatra.
-Lowland forest
The most popular lowland area for birdwatching in Sumatra is Way Kambas Reserve in Lampung, easily accessible on a weekend trip from Jakarta. A majority of lowland forest species have been recorded here, including the hornbills. Further up the east coast are extensive expanses of swamp forest, but the remaining dryland forests here are greatly in demand for agriculture, and it is increasingly difficult to find good birdwatching localities within easy acces of the main roads. It is essential to reach the forest soon after dawn in order to catch the peak activity.
In Way Kambas, the birdwatcher may happen upon a party of Crested Fireback Pheasants Lophura ignita, or see the huge Whitebellied woodpecker Dryocopus javensis. The Black-and-yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus orchromalus is a common songster, with its trilled notes on one pitch that steadily gather speed to a cicada-like buzz.
The best songster of the lowland forest is undoubtedly the long-tailed, scarlet, black and white Shama Copsychus malabaricus, a secretive robin of the deep forest. The Eared Nightjar Eurostopodus temminckii is also a favorite, with its "tok-tedau" calls uttered in flight just above the canopy of trees precisely at dusk and dawn.
The lowland forests have the greatest variety, but even the brightly colored birds are not found easily. A dedicated birdwatcher requires not only skill and patience but also a considerable degree of luck to sight some of the birds mentioned.
-Wetlands
The remote and muddy east coast is a major wintering and transit zone for over 100,000 palaearctic waders from some 25 species. The 4,000 Asian Dowitchers Limnodromus semipalmatus sighted hee are most exciting, as they represent about half of the world's population of this rare bird.
The Asian Wetlands Bureau is anxiously trying to locate the breeding colonies of Sumatra's 3,000 Milky Storks Ibis cinereus, in order to protect this endangered species. The wetlands are also home to large numbers of egrets and herons, Lesser Adjutant Storks Leptoptilos javanicus, Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, and a tiny relict population of spot-billed Pelicans Pelecanus philippensis.
Two wetland birds are high on the endangered list. Sumatra and Kalimantan are home to most of the world population of Storm's Stork Ciconia stormi-a forest bird of the swamps and rivers. Sumatra is also one of the main strongholds of the forest-dwelling White-winged Wood Duck, whose range formerly extended from Northeast India south to West Java. It is now confined to scattered relict populations. One such population lives in southeast Sumatra, but the wetlands here now possess only a fraction of their former wealth due to human population pressures.
