Sulawesi Birding for MALEO (Macrocephalon maleo) by Sultan Birding Indonesia

Indonesia is a mega biodiversity country, home to various animal and plant species, which is hypothetically divided between the Wallacea and Weber lines. These two lines separate the geographical areas of Asian and Australasian animals. The western part of this line is related to Asian species, and to the east is mostly related to Australian species and the intermediate region between them. One of the diversity of the animal species typical of the Wallacea ecosystem is the Maleo bird (Macrocephalon maleo).

Maleo is the most unusual bird in Sulawesi. This endemic bird is a member of a small family of so-called incubator birds, the Megapodidae, which are of Australian origin. The Maleo size 55 – 60 cm, it is about the size of a domestic hen (1,6 kg) but its stylish black-and-salmon plumage and cocked tail give the bird a more classy appearance. Adult Maleo has distinctive brown-black upperparts and pink-white underparts, bill and bare facial skin variably pink and yellow, horny casque on the crown.

Maleo does not lay their eggs in a nest or incubate them with body heat. Instead, they bury them near hot springs, volcanic vents or along exposed beaches where they are hatched by the sun, or by geothermal heat. The Megapodes and the Egyptian Plover are the only birds in the world that do not use their own body heat for incubation.  Maleo nests in the open sandy areas, areas around the coast of the volcano, and areas warm from geothermal heat to hatch their large eggs, reaching five times bigger than chicken eggs. After hatching, the juvenile will dig his way out of the ground and hide in the forest. During the egg-laying season, males and females arrive at communal nesting grounds, generally at night, and take turns the following morning digging deep holes in which the female will deposit an egg every 10 days or so. After the pair covers their eggs, they return to the forest and have nothing more to do with their developing chicks. Hatching takes place after 3 months and it is probably the most challenging event of a Maleo’s life. Maleo can reach the age of 25 – 30 years and reach adulthood productivity after 4 years.

Maleos are communal nesters with hundreds of breeding pairs digging at one site. Experts estimate that there are 50 active sites in Sulawesi and most of these are found in Central and North Sulawesi. Nesting grounds at Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park is among several active sites. The Maleo is now Sulawesi’s most endangered bird species. Egg hunters, however, continue to undermine conservation efforts and the future survival of this unique Sulawesi bird remains tenuous. 

Feel interested to see this classy and stylish bird with its beauty and uniqueness? Please do not hesitate to contact us! Sultan Birding Tours Indonesia offers a range of private and small group birding tours throughout Sulawesi cover Birding Sulawesi, Birdwatching Sulawesi, Sulawesi Birding, Sulawesi Birdwatching, Tangkoko birdwatching, Birding Tangkoko, Birding Lore Lindu National Park, Gunung Ambang Birdwatching, Dumoga bone Park Birdwatching and birding in Gunung Mahawu. 

TARSIER (TARSIUS SPECTRUM) Tangkoko Park, Tangkoko Birding, Birdwatching Tangkoko, Tangkoko Mammal's

TARSIER / TARSIUS

One of the most remarkable sounds of the forest is produced by the diminutive Spectral tarsier. Their ear-piercing cries defy the size of the animal; adult tarsier weight little more than 100 grams, placing them among the world’s smallest primates. The enormous size of the eyes, sensitive ears that move independently of one another, large needle-sharp teeth, and an extraordinary capacity to rotate their head nearly 180°, indicate the tarsier’s nocturnal, predatory habits and impart a gremlin-like character. Hind limbs, twice the length of their head and body combined, provide the power behind their famous leaps. The second and third does are equipped with long, decurved talons, called toilet claws, used for grooming while the other toes and the long, slender fingers bear ordinary nails.

Tarsier is considered to be primitive primates and biologist categorizes them somewhere the monkeys and the prosimians, another primarily nocturnal group of primates that includes the bush-babies of Africa and the lemurs of Madagascar. As a group, tarsiers are unusual in their distribution because they are found on both sides of Wallace’s Line, the artificial boundary that marks the division between the Eurasian and Australasian fauna. This is an indication of the tarsiers’ long residence in the region, possibly going back more than 40 million years. The T. spectrum, however, is restricted to Sulawesi and small adjacent islands.

Tarsiers are territorial, defending areas from neighboring groups and possible intruders. Territorial boundaries are marked with urine and occupancy is announced every morning and evening as males and females sing their hunting duets. Although most territories are defended by a monogamous pair and their offspring, there is considerable variation in group size and composition, with some groups containing more than one breeding adult female. Sleeping trees are central to the life of a tarsier and all tarsier territories contain at least one sleeping site. Bamboo thickets, vines tangles, and hollow trunks are used as sleeping sites but the most favored spots are the intertwined roots of large strangler figs.

After leaving a sleeping site, typically 10-20 minutes after sunset, the group spends a few minutes interacting before members leap off in different directions. Males use an area as large as 4 ha while females occupy much smaller ranges of around 1-2 ha.

In North Sulawesi, tarsier births tend to occur in May and November. Tarsiers give birth to a single, fully furred and open-eyed young after 180 days gestation. At birth, the infant weights almost one-quarter as much as its mother and for several weeks are carried around in the mother’s mouth like a kitten. While hunting, the female often “parks” her young on a branch communicating with soft clicks and whistles.

Tarsiers are insectivorous and spend over 50% of their night chasing insects. They take arthropods including ants, beetles, moths, and cockroaches. Prey is caught by leaping at it and pinning it down or trapping it in the cage of their long, slender fingers. An occasional lizard or gecko may be taken but this is rare. The meal of choice is most likely a caterpillar or grasshopper.

North Sulawesi is one of the best places in the world to see tarsiers. Although rare outside parks and reserves, because of habitat loss and being hunted for pets, they are abundant within protected areas where they appear to find a safe sanctuary. In the Tangkoko Nature Reserve, tarsiers occur at densities high as 82/km².  Do you have an interest in this beautiful primate? We organize a custom trip to watch or photograph this wonderful Tarsier with other wildlife in Sulawesi and North Sulawesi. Please do not hesitate to contact us and join us to capture this unique primate in Tangkoko. Our team will be 24 hours ready to receive your call or your email. Our services are ranged from medium to high category in lodging and meals depending on your needs.

CRESTED BLACK MACAQUES (Macaca nigra) in North Sulawesi

There are more species of macaques and tarsiers on Sulawesi than anywhere else in the world. Seven macaque species and three tarsiers found only in Sulawesi inhabit the various sprawling arms and legs of the island. In North Sulawesi, there are one species of tarsier and three species of macaques. The Crested black macaque (Macaca nigra) is found from the tip of the peninsula in the east to Kotamobagu in the west. The Dumoga-Bone macaque (Macaca nigrescens), occurs in the central region primarily within the Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park. The Heck’s macaque (Macaca hecki), is distributed from the west of the park into Central Sulawesi.

Crested black macaques are among the largest of the Sulawesi macaques, a typical adult female weight around 7 kilograms, while an adult male may reach 11 kilograms. Crested black macaques, as their name implies, sport a long tuft of hair on the top of their head.

Crested black macaques live in large groups of 30 – 100 animals. The groups are centered around female matriarchies, with females generally outnumbering males four to one. Groups spend nearly most of their time foraging for fruits, which comprise nearly 70% of their diets. Groups may move from as much as 4 km to as little as 1.5 km in a single day. Each group has a core area in which it spends most of its time, and groups have preferred sleeping sites. Crested black macaques have highly organized and complex social behavior. Adult males form dominance hierarchies, in which the largest, most dominant males get preferential access to food and mates. Adult females do most of the grooming, which allows the monkey to remove parasites from their fir and also helps the females strengthen social bonds with other group members.

The Tangkoko Nature Reserve is one of the last strongholds for the dwindling population of black macaques in North Sulawesi. There are about 3000 monkeys remaining in the reserve. Macaques are hunted for food and pets throughout the year but they are particularly vulnerable in December when they are sought for traditional Minahasan Christmas dinners. Like many of the large mammals in Tangkoko, Crested black macaques are endangered and if current trends continue they may face extinction within the next 25 years.

Do you want to see these wonderful and unique mammals? Please do not hesitate to contact us. We can arrange and help you to set the ideal itinerary considering your main requirements as well as the mammals, birds or other wildlife in North Sulawesi.