New Guinea is a kind of ending place, a terminus of land and of life forms: from a cultural perspective, ancient and obscure; in an avian context, the ultimate stage for evolutionary achievement. New Guinea's location at the juncture of two vast biogeographic regions has made it a crossroads on the pathway of evolution. A high degree of specialization is found in virtually all forms of life, including the more than 700 distinct languages spoken by native peoples. And this is the land of the fabled birds-of-paradise and bowerbirds, fascinating groups that evolved to occupy practically every habitat, from verdant rainforest to dry savanna to elfin cloud forest.

Our tour centers around locating a fabulous variety of birds-of-paradise, among them some of the most highly prized birds on Earth: King-of-Saxony, Twelve-wired, Raggiana, and Blue birds-of-paradise, the elegant Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, the huge Brown Sicklebill, and many more, each so uniquely plumed as to seem unrelated to the others. Parrots, pigeons, fruit-doves, cuckoos, and kingfishers are particularly well represented, while some less-familiar groups of birds form the bulk of the passerine avifauna: sprightly fairywrens, gemlike pittas, cuckoo-shrikes, whistlers, sunbirds, jewel-babblers, berrypeckers, and honeyeaters. Many of PNG's birds are extremely challenging to see; that's where the many years experience in New Guinea of both our company and guides distinguish us.

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