The Philippines: Island Birding at its Finest

The Philippine archipelago comprises of over 7,000 islands that have been geographically isolated from mainland Asia for a long period of time. These islands stretch across a huge area within the South China and Pacific seas. Subsequently, the Philippines is a country of huge avian importance, being an area of extremely high endemism. Out of almost 600 species, a third are unique to the Philippines. First time visitors therefore leave there with heaps of new birds. Aside from the fact that it is loaded with endemics, it contains a varied bunch of birds, with some islands like Palawan showing a strong relationship with Southeast Asian birds, while the southern islands like Mindanao show stronger ties in their avifauna with some Indonesian areas to the south. Despite a bewildering array of islands with many, many spectacular birds, thankfully it is only necessary to visit just a few of the larger islands to get a good bird list and a haul of endemics. Along with the more familiar bird families like some flashy endemic Hornbills, breathtaking Pittas, striking Kingfishers, and a whole host of endemic nightbirds; the Philippines also has its own unique bird family – the frankly weird Philippine Creepers or Rhabdornises.

We offer two very different tours to the Philippines – a shorter introductory tour that can be linked with an equally short trip to the endemic rich island of Taiwan; and a longer endemic-hunting tour to three of the Philippines’s principal islands, focusing on areas where many of the most spectacular of the country’s unique birds occur.