Sulawesi

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Sulawesi

Overview

Sulawesi, aka Celebes, is Indonesia's fourth largest island (the world's eleventh) and its third largest by population. The island has a strange, vaguely starfish shape with four main "arms". It lies to the east of Wallace's line but nonetheless has many Asian faunal components such as Anoa, macaques and tarsiers. Much of the interior is mountainous with altitudes which may exceed 2,000 m.

Birds

Endemics

Mainland Sulawesi has between 71 and 77 endemic species depending on authority. This compares favourably with Colombia, the country with the most bird species. That has roughly the same number of endemics (80-90ish) but is around 6.5 times larger!

See: Sulawesi Woodcock, Sulawesi Serpent Eagle, Sulawesi Goshawk, Spot-tailed Goshawk, Small Sparrowhawk, Sulawesi Hawk Eagle, Spotted Kestrel, Sulawesi Masked Owl, Sulawesi Scops Owl, Cinnabar Boobook, Ochre-bellied Boobook, Satanic Nightjar, Great Eared Nightjar, Uniform Swiftlet, Sulawesi Swiftlet, Glossy Swiftlet, Purple Needletail, Grey-rumped Treeswift, Sulawesi Cuckoo, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Green-backed Kingfisher, Scaly Kingfisher, Purple-bearded Bee-eater, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Ashy Woodpecker, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Sulawesi Ground Dove, Red-eared Fruit Dove, White-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Grey-headed Imperial Pigeon, Silver-tipped Imperial Pigeon, Sombre Pigeon, Yellow-cheeked Lorikeet, Golden-mantled Racket-tail, Cerulean Cuckooshrike, Pygmy Cuckooshrike, Sulawesi Cicadabird, White-rumped Triller, Citrine Canary-Flycatcher, Sulawesi Fantail, Maroon-backed Whistler, Yellow-vented Whistler, Golden-bellied Gerygone, Grey-streaked Flycatcher, Turquoise Flycatcher, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Little Pied Flycatcher, Blue-fronted Flycatcher, Great Shortwing, Sulawesi Thrush, Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Mountain Tailorbird, Sulawesi Leaf Warbler, White-breasted Woodswallow, Ivory-backed Woodswallow, Short-tailed Starling, White-necked Myna, Fiery-browed Myna, Grosbeak Starling, Sulawesi Drongo, Piping Crow, Sulawesi Babbler, Malia, Geomalia, Dark-eared Myza, White-eared Myza, Sulawesi Myzomela, Black Sunbird, Olive-backed Sunbird, Crimson Sunbird, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Grey-sided Flowerpecker, Warbling White-eye, Lemon-bellied White-eye, Black-fronted White-eye, Streak-headed White-eye, Scaly-breasted Munia, Hylocitrea, Mountain Serin

Other Wildlife

Sulawesi has 230 species of mammals. Around half are endemic: some 111 species. They include the largest viverrid in the world, the Sulawesi Palm Civet. (Note that the fossa of Madagascar has traditionally been treated as a viverrid but is now placed in the Malagasy endemic family Eupleridae. It is heavier but has a shorter head-body length.) Better known inhabitants include macaques (7 species), Anoa (2 species), tarsiers and Babirusa.

Access and Facilities

There are airports at Makassar (main), Manado and Pula. Most visitors fly from Jakarta.

Selected Sites

• Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park
• Lore Lindu National Park