The family Fringillidae encompasses 152 genera and 677 species of finches worldwide. They feed on fruits, seeds, and insects. The genus Passer, commonly referred to as sparrows, consists of small birds that are very similar in size and plumage. Typically, their upper body is mottled with brown and black, which is why they are colloquially known as sparrows. They have 9 primary feathers on their wings, with the pale feather edges on the outer feathers (except the first) slightly expanded at the base and near the tip, forming two faint crossbars, which become particularly prominent during flight. Their beaks are short, stout, and strong, shaped like a cone, with a slightly curved culmen.
We chose this hide specifically for this bird and spotted it early in the morning. Afterward, we decided to move to another hide. The male arrived briefly before leaving, but luck was on our side as we caught the moment.
One of the standout birds at Baihualing, Yunnan, China is often seen as a highlight by both locals and visitors. Whenever someone spots or photographs one, it becomes big news in the village, quickly drawing bird enthusiasts and photographers to the area. This one shows up unexpectedly, as it did this time to take a drink, it captivates everyone around. It is a beautiful bird, with the female being particularly striking.
Stenostiridae, or the fairy flycatchers,[1] are a family of small passerinebirds proposed as a result of recent discoveries in molecular systematics.[2] They are also referred to as stenostirid warblers. [WIki]
An active little bird with a bright yellow belly and a pale-tipped fan-like tail. Most common in foothill and submontane broadleaf forests, where it forages energetically and acrobatically in the middle and lower levels, often with fulvettas, warblers, and other small passerines in mixed-species foraging flocks. Very similar in shape to fantails but much smaller, and actually more closely related to tits. Song is a series of high “tsit” notes interspersed with twitters and trills. Call is often repeated at length, akin to a song, but much simpler, a series of high “tsip” notes. [Ebird]
An active little bird with a bright yellow belly and a pale-tipped fan-like tail. Most common in foothill and submontane broadleaf forests, where it forages energetically and acrobatically in the middle and lower levels, often with fulvettas, warblers, and other small passerines in mixed-species foraging flocks. Very similar in shape to fantails but much smaller, and actually more closely related to tits. Song is a series of high “tsit” notes interspersed with twitters and trills. Call is often repeated at length, akin to a song, but much simpler, a series of high “tsip” notes.
update 202412
One of the most active birds, behaving much like a fantail. While it’s not a lifer for me—I previously recorded it in Northern Thailand—it’s still a challenge to spot here in Yunnan, China. Thankfully, luck was on our side, and we managed to witness it spreading its tail, giving us a few great moments for some good photo opportunities.
– newly update it may not belong to the Laughingthrush family
– rare and shy montane Borneo endemic
update 202509
One of Borneo’s rare, shy, active, and truly beautiful endemics. We spent two evenings and one morning searching at this spot.
Finally, on the last morning, the bird showed up and stayed for around 30 minutes—but still didn’t come low or stay still for long. Only a few quick stops, but enough for a few precious photos of this lovely bird.
It’s becoming more challenging to get a good look at this bird, but our relaxed birding approach seems to pay off. We’ve come across a few nice pairs over the past 2–3 years, and while this time wasn’t the best, everyone still got to see it. That classic “Where? There!” moment never gets old—still exciting every time!
– one of my best moment of 2029, this bird stay close and one of best view of this bird
– 我的2029最好的一刻，这鸟站这个位置真的最好角度看这鸟。
202407, Trusmadi, Sabah, Malaysia
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– another main target of the short trip, it is close and fast .. all of us saw the bird .. but sad my buddies didn’t got the picture of it feeding on “fruit” (think my first time saw this bird eat fruit) …
– the bird moving fast and inside dark bush, 2 of the Z9 failed to got the bird in focus 🙁 lucky me with new R5markii , if bring mark 1 may be also dont have this best moment of this rare bird
– 与朋友的几天，主要目标之一。这鸟来的蛮近的。可是有入常态，动很快，在暗的地方动。朋友们Z9都没办法对上焦（在这站了好几秒大家都看到）。幸好佳能R5Mark ii 好好表现还是对上了几张。这鸟非常害羞，稀有。非常不容易拍照，还加上第一次看到它吃果子（通常吃昆虫）.
202409, Trusmadi, Sabah, Malaysia
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update 202408
– before archive the folder, make another picture one of best moment of 2024. This bird stand here more than 3 minutes … making call.. looking at us ..such a handsome
– one of my favorite birds of Malaysia, it is not that rare just too active to have good view. But when lucky strike, me and David enjoy few minutes of best moment with this bird .. amazing bird to look at
2. Sunda Owlet, 巽它鸺鹠, 巽它鵂鶹, Taenioptynx sylvaticum, ヒメフクロウ, PUNGGUK-KECIL GELANG SELATAN
update 202407
– a long waiting day, today patient pay off with different prize. Missed the Bulwer’s Pheasant male…. after long wait … before we call it a day, heard this owl far away .. just try ours’ luck after long wait before we decided to walk back to ours’ car I saw this bird flying toward car park. Not long after walk toward car park, after got the Bornean Leaf bird and got this bird stay there for long for us.
3. Mountain Barbet, 山拟鴷, 山擬鴷,Megalaima monticola, ヤマゴシキドリ, TAKUR BUKIT BORNEO
update 202409
– another visit of this lovely forest, good weather…good birds (montane and sub-montane). While we trying to find few of ours target, found this bird busy making some hole .. lovely Borneo endemic
It’s a rainy day, and a few birds are perched on a tree. I quickly enable “pre-continuous shooting” and adjust the settings to the maximum speed possible at ISO 25600 and F7.1—1/1600s. Hoping for the best, I got lucky, and the shot of the bird flying down turned out well.
这是一个下雨天，几只鸟停留在树上。我迅速开启“预连续拍摄”模式，并将设置调整到 ISO 25600、F7.1 下的最高速度——1/1600 秒。抱着一丝希望，幸运的是，拍到了一张鸟儿俯冲的精彩瞬间。
A fairly common resident species in Borneo, but sightings have become less frequent lately. That bright orange crown makes it absolutely unmistakable!
这是一种婆罗洲常见的留鸟，但最近出现得比较少。头顶鲜艳的橙色非常醒目，不会和其他鸟搞混！
202505, Trusmadi, Sabah, Malaysia
6. Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler, 纹胸鹪鹛, 紋胸鷦鶥, Napothera epilepidota, コサザイチメドリ, KEKICAU KENING PANJANG
update 202609
While waiting for our primary target, we caught the distant call of this small bird. It slowly crept closer, staying hidden within the dense cover. Fortunately, we found a few brief windows through the vegetation to photograph this rare and shy species.
We were waiting for our main target bird when I heard a distinctive call from afar. After a long, patient wait, it finally appeared behind some bushes. Moments later, it stepped out completely into the open, giving everyone a perfect, unobstructed view for a few minutes! Others might not think it is a conventional beauty, but to me, it was absolutely stunning.
Just returned from a very special birding trip. My guest, Jonathan, had high expectations for bird photography. Although we didn’t see or photograph a large number of species, it was still a rewarding and memorable experience for both of us.
We stayed mobile throughout the trip, adjusting plans based on bird activity and Jonathan’s target species. One highlight was our determination to get a better shot of the Crimson-headed Partridge—which led to an unforgettable moment. A normally shy and fast-moving wren-babbler suddenly came into the open and stayed there, calling non-stop for almost 10 minutes! This species usually disappears after 1–2 seconds, so it was truly a rare and special encounter.
刚刚结束了一次非常特别的摄鸟之旅。我的客人 Jonathan 对鸟类摄影有很高的要求。虽然这次看到和拍到的鸟不算多，但对我们来说却是一次非常有意义和难忘的经历。
Finally got my photo lifer for Sabah! This bird has always been tricky—I had seen it twice before but never had the chance to photograph it. Today, I heard its unique call, and not long after, it came in silently and stood in the shadows. What a stunning bird!
7. Black-throated wren-babbler, 黑喉鹪鹛, 黑喉鷦鶥, ノドグロサザイチメドリ, KEKICAU-MURAI BESAR BORNEO
update 202606
One of our main targets for this special Borneo trip was this bird, but it certainly didn’t make things easy for us!
After spending our first afternoon on-site without a single sighting, we returned the following morning. Thankfully, the bird finally decided to cooperate and gave us some fantastic views. This Bornean endemic is known for being very active and is a highlight for many visiting Danum Valley and Trusmadi.
We were searching for a special target, but this bird unexpectedly showed up and stayed in the open for over 10 minutes! Interestingly, both the previous and next tours spent so much time trying to get a clear view of it. What an incredible bird when seen up close!
It’s quite funny—this bird gave us such a hard time in our previous tours, but this time, she just showed up right in front of us while we were focusing on another target! And she stayed at the same spot like she was taking a nap!
Unfortunately, I told my friend to check the same spot later… but no sign of the bird at all!
While we looking for a few target species, this bird was one we really hoped to see. Luckily, we heard its call from a distance, and it flew in close enough for us to photograph this beautiful endemic.
9. Crimson-Headed partridge, 红头林鹧鸪, 紅頭林鷓鴣, Haematortyx sanguiniceps, アカガシラシャコ, SERUK KEPALA MERAH
update 202512
I still remember the early days when we worked hard to photograph this beautiful Bornean endemic. Back then, it felt special to get a clean shot. At Kinabalu National Park, the bird is quite used to people, giving great photo opportunities. Nowadays, though, there are many reliable spots where you can get good views and photos of this stunning bird.
10. Green Magpie, 蓝绿鹊, 藍綠鵲, Cissa chinensis, ヘキサン, GAGAK-GUNUNG BIASA
update 202605
It is a rare treat to get a clear view of the CommonGreen-Magpie in Sabah. If I am not mistaken, this is my Sabah Photo Lifer! Although I have spotted them a few times around Kundasang and Tambunan before, I never managed to capture a proper photograph until today.
While I was scanning the area for a highly anticipated country lifer, this beautiful pair suddenly appeared. They stayed low and lingered long enough for me to take my time. They used to be such a common sight at Fraser’s Hill, but they have become noticeably scarcer over the last one to two years.
When this pair came down and spent some time just staring right back at me, I was so stunned that I froze and could barely react. For a split second, I even confused them with the Bornean Green-Magpie!
Just checked off a new photo lifer! I made a special pre-tour trip just to photograph this bird. It’s quite plain and was completely silent—it just showed up to feed and left. I waited an hour after it vanished, but it never came back. It’s a large, brownish flycatcher with a distinct rufous tail and a white chest.
It is always a joy to encounter this “big-eyed” bird, but this sighting was especially memorable. The bird was staying around a small pond in an extremely hot and dry area, surrounded by thorny vegetation.
Image quality wasn’t ideal due to strong heat haze, but the experience of watching and photographing this cute and beautiful bird made it truly worthwhile.
– a very fast moving tiny bird with very soft call bird, it is so difficult to have a open picture .. but with the current new mirrorless animal detect and tracking. It is some how quite easy to have some picture even at complicated environment like this
– 非常小+快的小鸟。叫的很小声。也喜欢在丛里跳来跳去。现在无反的动物+动物眼的 AI ，被不大可能做成比较容易。只要一有机会，我都有办法拿下它。
– a special endemic for Halmahera, Indonesia, but seem quite pretty common and can be found many location
– 哈马黑拉岛岛的特有种。可是相当普通，几乎每个森林周边都可以找到。
update 202511
Another wonderful day in the field! It was raining on the way to the Standardwing display site, but the rain stopped just as we arrived. Right after watching the incredible display of the Standardwing, this little bird popped its head out to look at us—so adorable!
– a very short special target tour to Halmahera, Indonesia. One of the night just trying better photo for this my favourite bird.
– 2nd night, spent not that long, spotted 3 birds and this stay long and quite reasonable distance.
– 到哈马黑拉岛找几只特别目标鸟。在一个晚上，去找找这只我最喜欢鸟类之一。
– 在1小时内，见到3只。还是蛮容易的。
202310, Halmahera, Indonesia
3. Mountain Owlet-nightjar, 灰裸鼻鸱, 山裸鼻鴟, Aegotheles albertisi, ミヤマズクヨタカ, Atoku gunung
update 202508
This is another one of my favorite bird families—always a top priority whenever I visit sites where it’s possible to see them. During our 4-day stay at Mount Arfak, we saw four individuals: three Mountain and one Feline Owlet-nightjar. This one was especially memorable—so beautiful and just about 5–8 feet away, staring right at us!
Is a long journey from Malaysia – Sulawesi – Jayapura (~26 hours without a bed, too much coffee and waiting) …for the day1 when we arrive, we give Magnificent Riflebird a try but failed to have any photo .. but the bird was well seen above our “hide”
Day2 – Nimbokrang
We start our drive, walk ~430am, 15 min drive and ~20min walk … the first Bird-of-paradise is waiting for us .. before we walk into our “hide”. The bird keeps calling, trying to attract female … but seem it is not attractive enough. only one female comes close and fast. The male trying to “show off” with some action but the female flew off just immediate it trying to show his “dance”
I am mostly recording video, so this picture I share is a Jpeg extract from Canon Digital Photo Professional software …
– one of the most easier, walk not that far and the birds just there without any waiting
– first Bird-of-Paradise of the trip and amazing beautiful
非常漂亮的天堂鳥。
update 202509
Our 2025 group had a great session today as Feng Shu shared a presentation about the upcoming West Papua Bird Photography trip. While I couldn’t be there, I really miss the fun times we had together. Let’s plan again soon — and go after one of those stunning Birds-of-Paradise!
202507, Nimbokrang, Jayapura, West Papua, Indonesia
update 202508
It’s amazing how this bird kept calling during all three of our visits—only once did it attempt to display for a nearby female. I really enjoy watching this species dance; it’s not as dark or fast-moving as some other birds-of-paradise, which makes it even more enjoyable to observe.
It’s our last day at the first birding spot, and we were happy with our choice—got an even better view of this stunning Bird-of-Paradise. Since I already had good shots of its display, I focused on capturing it in flight. And yes… it flew off right after a nearby female called!
202507, Nimbokrang, Jayapura, West Papua, Indonesia
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update 202507
After several years, I’m finally back in West Papua—so excited to return! Our first bird-of-paradise of the trip was the same as before: a beautiful male Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise, calling at dawn in the dim morning light.
– let’s share some old pictures and video
– this was 2019 Oct, our West Papua Bird Photography trip first Birds-of-Paradise and one of the most easier.
– special of this bird is the tails
2. King Bird-of-paradise, 王极乐鸟, 王天堂鳥, Cicinnurus regius, ヒヨクドリ, Cendrawasih Raja
update 202602
This is one of my absolute favorite birds, and seeing it always gets my heart racing. This trip was particularly special because we found a much better vantage point. Unlike the first spot where the birds stayed high up after a 15-minute walk, this site offered open, low-level views for everyone. It did require a 40-minute trek through flat, muddy trails, but the proximity was worth it. Some of us even went back for a second round to capture better shots. I am already looking forward to returning in August 2026. Who wants to join me?
202507, Nimbokrang, Jayapura, West Papua, Indonesia
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update 202508
This is definitely one of my favorite birds-of-paradise. It usually stays high in the canopy, but with some luck, you can still capture its stunning poses and display.
For this trip, we were lucky—it came down really low, giving us a perfect chance to photograph this beautiful bird up close!
202507, Nimbokrang, Jayapura, West Papua, Indonesia
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BoP #2 which is my target #1 for this tour, was just about 20min walking after Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise, but this is so much smaller, higher & active makes only a very limited angle to get the full view. I am lucky to have this just ~5min wait.
King Bird-of-paradise, 王极乐鸟
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3. Lesser Bird-of-paradise, 小极乐鸟, 小天堂鳥, Paradisaea minor, コフウチョウ, Cendrawasih Kecil
– The only BoP we didn’t see much and dancing .. just hear most of the time … the location we wait seem not the really correct location for “dancing” … but it did flying across and let us record
– 在非常高的樹上叫不停，就見到它們飛來飛去。幸運都停了一會。
update 202508
Same as before—it stayed high up in the trees. But this time, we were lucky to be much closer (surprisingly, we didn’t walk much on this tour—except one guest who followed me for the Black Sicklebill). Still, the bird was displaying with a few females nearby, and everyone was happy with the show!
– another not so obvious Bird-of-Paradise got from Irian Jaya.
– this is so far away, and somehow it still belongs to BoP .. we got it record ..
– 鳥不是特別出色，還要在遠遠的。
– 攝於伊里安查亚
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After 5 days of “enjoy”, reasonable food, easy walk (flat), air-cond room, not far from airport and bird spots .. we finally move to 2nd destination Arfak Mountain..
After got the information before, we get ready with some extra food … sleeping beg, insect repellent, etc .. just before we going into a “no Phone” (only a particular spot can get a phone signal which is a bit distance from our “homestay”. After ~2 hours of offroad travel, we arrive at our homestay a little bit late and with rain .. so we call this a day and enjoy our cold stay
Here, we need to split into a few groups to decide on different BoP hide due to limited “hole” for photography …
Day1 at Arfak Mountain
5. Western Parotia, 阿法六线风鸟, 阿法六線風鳥, Parotia sefilata, カンザシフウチョウ, Parotia Arfak
– lucky to have this amazing, lovely bird for bird #1 .. we walk a very steep hike ~45-60 degree uphill for ~500m … we saw the bird-eating, calling for the whole morning but just not dancing … at ~9 am, we almost give up … the female came to the dancing group, followed by the male than the moment begin …
update 202602
This is one of our main target species, both to photograph and to witness in person just how incredible its display can be. It is a big bird, and once it starts displaying, it looks both spectacular and amusing at the same time. No matter how many times we watch it, the display never gets boring. Sometimes, we even return again in the afternoon, hoping to catch more action.
##### It’s hard to miss this amazing bird when visiting West Papua—but getting good photos during its “dance” is still a big challenge. The bird moves in every direction with lightning speed, often in low light. Once we had enough photos, everyone switched to video mode, hoping to capture its incredible display. This shot shows the moment it ends its dance—standing still and shaking its head. Captured at 40fps and turned into a short video. Hopefully, I’ll get to share the full display video soon!
– 4 years ago 5 of us went to West Papua for Photography and today 3 out of 5 we back to same airport and same Starbuck ..good memory … and hope tomorrow we have same good experience for the photography tour
– a big overall blackbird, with a colorful throat depends on the angle and also have a Blue eye
– the male famous with ballerina dance displaying to attract female
– 非常特别的天堂鸟。大，黑，喉会变黄绿。为吸引母鸟会跳草裙舞
201910, Mount Arfak, West Papua, Indonesia
update 2020 Jul
Western Parotia, 阿法六線風鳥, 阿法六线风鸟, Parotia sefilata
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so amazing to see it dancing ..
update 2020 Jan 16
a close look at the Juv
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6. Red Bird-of-paradise, 红极乐鸟, 紅極樂鳥, Paradisaea rubra, ジュウニセンフウチョウ, Cendrawasih Mati-kawat
actually, this is the last BoP of the tour but I really like it so much when I process the pictures …. can’t wait to share this great moment with you all. Endemic, common but somehow I really like this
update 202508
This year’s setup is much better—a shorter walk and an improved bird hide gave us a better viewing angle. Unfortunately, no female showed up, so the bird just did a short display as if preparing, then left. Still, a stunning bird and a moment worth witnessing.
This marks the final Bird of Paradise for our 16-day West Papua trip. Everyone was thrilled to see this beautiful and relatively easier species. It looked like it was just starting to display and call for a female—but no luck today. Still, it was fun watching it practice its dance moves!
– another BoP that really amazes us, it keeps cleaning the “dancing” ground and displaying (dancing) to attract a female. make a lot of photo opportunity
– 唯一不冷場的鳥，從早上到中午。下午都一直清理它的舞場，叫不停。
update 202603
Meet one of the most accessible and stunning Birds of Paradise. The male features a striking yellowish hue overall, complemented by a magnificent tail that shimmers with different colors as the light hits it from various angles.
I am planning a photography trip for August 2026 to capture this beautiful species. Who would like to join me?
– one of the easiest and beautiful Bird-of-Paradise
– every morning, it will come to “dance” ground clearing and calling the female – this is a moment after an hour clearing, no female is approaching so it is resting and preening nearby
– 一隻蠻普通+漂亮的風鳥，天堂鳥。
– 每天它都會到這清理，呼叫。希望母鳥的到來。
update 202602
This is one of the easiest Birds-of-Paradise to see, yet it is still among the most stunning and beautiful. This time, the display site was amazingly right beside the roadside! Compared to past trips, where we needed to hike 1–2 hours on steep slopes, this felt like a real luxury. If we have an extra morning, I would definitely return to enjoy this spectacular display again.
I will be revisiting West Papua in 2026 — anyone interested in joining?
update 202509 ##### Still remember the moment—our porters and local guides were late, so everyone rushed to the birding spot without them. Luckily, we arrived just in time to witness something special. A truly lucky group to see this stunning Bird-of-Paradise performing its display to attract a female. Such an incredible experience with these amazing birds! 还记得当时的情景——我们的挑夫和当地向导迟到了，大家只能自己快步前往观鸟点。幸运的是，我们还是赶上了精彩的时刻。 真是幸运的一组人，看到天堂鸟为了吸引雌鸟而展示求偶舞。这种鸟真是太神奇了！
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update 202112
update 202105
– one of the most seen, photograph BoP, but still like this bird very much. the body contains so much color and the chest “green” can changing depend on lighting and angle to “purple”
A large, front-heavy brown bird with a long, pale downcurved bill and a distinctive elongated head with a flat crown and a forehead tuft. Orange legs. Unmistakable males have a green-blue breast shield and long creamy-white plumes extending from the shoulders. Females are entirely earth-brown, lacking the shoulder extensions and shield. Immature resembles female. Found in canopy of tall forests in lowlands and foothills, confined to three islands in north Moluccas. Regularly sighted at known display sites. Very loud when displaying, giving raucous “WAA-WAA…” and “KEE-KEE…” notes. [Ebird]
update 202504
What a beautiful bird—one of the most easily accessible Birds-of-Paradise. I’ll definitely be visiting this site again soon. Can’t wait to see you once more!
– this a weird scene I seen, or I missed out anything before .. why the female is on top and I record few times ..
– another trip another good view of this bird after longer wait compared to previous trips. I didn’t have best angle but still trying to show the beauty of this bird .. 8km bird .. worth ? YES definitely
– will share some funny video about this bird … may be finish this trip
– another trip another good view of this bird after longer wait compared to previous trips. I didn’t have best angle but still trying to show the beauty of this bird .. 8km bird .. worth ? YES definitely
– will share some funny video about this bird … may be finish this trip
– 2nd trip to Halmahera 2023 and see you next week … never get bored to see it making noise and dance even the journey there bit challenge … I am coming
– lucky to see it display but not really full open view. capture video with 100p slowdown 50%
– 幸运的看到他在跳舞。可是没全露。可是还是记录下了。
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another special tour, which has main target of this Standardwing Bird-of-Paradise.
It is a real good experience to be Halmahera, we just spend 3 nights. We easily got ours’ targets seen.
This is our main target, on 2nd morning. We hike 3.7km straight to the “hide” (on the way, we heard owlet-nightjar which is my favorite bird but we failed to see the bird and also rushing to the hide for main target.
Arrived before 6am, while every still dark. We can heard many of them already calling infront of us but just very brief view. after 30minutes, finally we got clear view of this amazing beautiful bird. But I still only got some extreme high ISO picture even with my CANON RF400mm F2.8.
Long story short, the birds stay for long and from ISO 25600 – ISO800, Managed to have perfect view of the bird and pictures… oohh video too .
Immediate of this target, we walking out and birding. There is another very good story to talk about “pick up service for the Pitta”
It’s not a lifer for me, but watching this bird display openly—with such a unique courtship dance and even mating—definitely made my July 2025 unforgettable. Even with highlights like the dancing Western Parotia, displaying Black Sicklebill, close views of King Bird-of-paradise, a flying Twelve-wired BOP, and up-close Owlet-nightjars… this moment will stick with me forever.
It’s truly a privilege to witness this amazing courtship display. We were lucky to see it many times and even managed to capture it in slow motion with new technology—something that would’ve been nearly impossible just a few years ago. Enjoy the moment!
