As previously mentioned, approximately half of the species we will see—about 150 species—will be endemic species mostly only found on these two islands; for example, the remarkable Maleo, belonging to the so-called megapodes. The Maleo buries its eggs in geothermal soil, which hatch after about 55 days, and the almost fully developed chick—complete with wing and arm feathers, for instance—digs itself out and almost immediately flies away.

We hope to see 13-14 endemic doves, almost all of which occur on these islands, as well as cuckoo-doves such as the White-headed Cuckoo-Dove, Beautiful Fruit-Doves such as the Scarlet-breasted Fruit-Dove, and large majestic Imperial Pigeons like the Silver-tipped Imperial Pigeon.

We have the chance to see almost all endemic cuckoos, such as the half-meter-long Sulawesi Malkoha with its vivid red-yellow-black colored bill, or the even larger, approximately 70 cm long, Magpie-like colored cuckoo, the Goliath Coucal. If we’re lucky, the Channel-billed Cuckoo, a large Cuckoo resembling more a Toucan or Hornbill with its enormous bill, which visits from Australia in winter, might appear.

On Halmahera, we will meet the endemic Moluccan Owlet-nightjar, resembling a cross between an owl and a frogmouth. We will see endemic nightjars, such as the Satanic Nightjar, which is only found on the mountaintops around Lore Lindu. According to legend, this nightjar flies into villages after sunset to snatch the eyes of naughty children.

Most of the raptors on the islands are island-endemic, including relatives of honey buzzards like the Sulawesi Honeybuzzard.

We hope to see Sulawesi Serpent-Eagle and Sulawesi Hawk-Eagle among eagles. There are also 7 endemic hawk species on the islands. We hope to also become acquainted with these.

Almost every island around Wallacea has its own set of Ninox and Otus owls (scops owls). Both genera have very peculiar distributions. Ninox is found almost exclusively around Wallacea and the Philippines, while most Otus owls seem scattered like pepper from a pepper mill on the small islands from West Africa through the islands of the Indian Ocean from East Africa to Asia—including several species on the mainland—to the archipelago around Indonesia, where most Otus owls are found. Then it stops. There are no Otus owls in Australia and only one species on an island north of New Guinea (Biak). There are two endemic Otus and four endemic Ninox owls on Sulawesi and Halmahera. We hope to see all of them.

Not many hornbill species have crossed the Wallace Line. There are two on Sulawesi, the Knobbed Hornbill and the Sulawesi Hornbill, and one species on Halmahera, Blyth’s Hornbill—which is also found on New Guinea. We hope to see these, sometimes in the hundreds when they gather at night roosts.

Even two woodpecker species have dared to cross the boundary, the Ashy Woodpecker and the Sulawesi Woodpecker. We hope to see both around the Tangkoko forests on Sulawesi. This genus is entirely absent from New Guinea and Australia.

Endemic kingfishers are well represented on these islands. Here we find Black-headed, Green-backed, Scaly, Sulawesi Lilac, T.browning (recently split from Common Paradise Kingfisher), Great-billed, Blue-and-white, Sombre, and Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher. Additionally, there are several kingfisher species that Halmahera shares with New Guinea. During the 2023 trip, we saw all endemics except one.

Cockatoos and parrots are well-represented genera on the islands with many endemics. The White Cockatoo (also called Umbrella Cockatoo) was almost disappearing completely from Halmahera, where it is an island-endemic. Poachers took almost the entire population and sold them as cage birds around the world. The Indonesian authorities confiscated as many specimens as they could lay their hands on and started a breeding program, which has been successful (some serious international breeders also helped). There are about 15 more parrot species on the islands, most of them endemics. We hope to be able to tick off most of them.

The colorful and charismatic pittas (jewel-thrushes) on these two islands cannot be forgotten. We hope to have photographic opportunities with the three endemic to the islands: the Ivory-breasted Pitta, Sulawesi Pitta, and Maluccan Pitta.

Of course, we must mention Wallace’s Standardwing Bird-of-Paradise, whose courtship display will likely be one of the highlights of the trip.

Yes, the list of endemic species we hope to see on these two paradise islands can be long. Two Honeyeater species, two Myzomela species, one Friarbird species, two Myza species, five Whistler species, ten Cuckoo-shrikes/Cicadabirds species, three Thriller species, two Fantail species, Drongos, Flycatchers, Crows, two Paradise bird species, eight White-eye species, two Leaf-warblers species, one Grasshopper Warbler species, eight Starlings & Mynas species, three Thrushes species, Flowerpeckers, Sunbirds, and Munias.

Certainly, some might be forgotten. What they all have in common is that they are only found on these two islands. The upcoming trip (2024) will also cover the southernmost part of Sulawesi. This means that we are likely to see more species (and endemics) compared to previous trips, during which we saw about 265 species. Hopefully, we will see around 275-300 species, of which roughly half are endemics.

Other Animals

These two islands are well-known for their rich populations of large and colorful endemic butterflies. Even though rarely seen, lizards and snakes have many representatives on the islands. Regarding mammals, you might spot the Black (Crested) Macaque, Bear Cuscus, and Sulawesi Tarsier (Spectral Tarsier). Between Ternate and Halmahera, dolphins and whales might appear.