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Birds of the Oriental Realm
by c. artuso
The Oriental Realm encompasses South Asia, i.e. the Indian subcontinent (bordered to the north by the Himalaya); South-East Asia (bordered to the north by the Yangtze River) including the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali; as well as the area known as Wallacea which includes the islands of eastern Indonesia but not Irian Jaya (which is the western limit of the Australasian Realm). Whilst South Asia and South East Asia act as wintering grounds for many Palearctic migrants, Wallacea is a transitional zone, which has a good deal in common with both the Oriental and the Australasian Realms. There is often an east - west cline here for families that are more typically found in one region or the other. For example, woodpeckers are numerous in the Oriental realm but as one moves eastward through Wallacea they become fewer and fewer and are not found in the Australasian Realm at all. Conversely, parrots, which are not all that numerous in the Oriental Realm, increase substantially in Wallacea and in the Australasian Realm. Some of the islands in Wallacea and the Philippines, have an extraordinary degree of endemism, and as so much of their forest is being destroyed so rapidly, there are enormous conservation concerns in the region.
I have not yet found an exact figure for the number of species in the Oriental realm, but I believe it must exceed 2000. South Asia has c. 1300 species and South East Asia has a similar number (with considerable overlap between the two). A similar number is also found in Wallacea (though with less overlap). South East Asia is the region that I know and love the best -most of my exploration here coming during the two years I lived in Singapore. Photographing birds in the lush tropical rainforest that covers so much of this region is extremely difficult. The forest is invariably dark and the birds are often, shy and elusive - It takes patience and a powerful flash to get a shot! Some of the photos on these pages are not great, but they represent good birds that are difficult enough to see, let alone photograph. Some of these species have very seldom been photographed, in fact one or two of these images may be the only photographs of that species, e.g Bornean Bristlehead.
I have divided this page up into two sections, viz.
I haven't yet made it to Wallacea, but, you guessed it, I hope to one day! Species are placed in alphabetical order of their common names. A species' status according to Birdlife International is given where appropriate.
A few more of my images from the region can be viewed on the following pages: * http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/Artuso/index.html * http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/photographers.php?action=birdercontrib&Birder_ID=41 (part of the Oriental Bird Club Image Database)