Over the last seven years, since 2015, I have been fortunate enough to have birdwatched at Komodo National Park in Flores three times, all solo birding adventures with the help of the park rangers.

Komodo Island is renowned for the majestic dragons that roam freely on the three main islands that comprise the national park, located outside Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara. This place is also home to some interesting birds native to the region.

Birdwatching at Komodo National Park

In 2015, my first visit to the national park was purely for observation purposes, as I was writing a tourism article about visiting Komodo Island and asking the park rangers about birds. They told me that many foreigners, mainly from Europe, had been visiting Komodo Island for birdwatching.

This news got me all excited, and I asked my park ranger to also look out for any birds along our trek around the island. Sure enough, they showed me some of the star birds of the island, which include the Orange-footed Scrubfowl and Wallace’s Drongo, along our trek.

Three main islands make up the national park: Komodo Island, Rinca Island, and Padar Island, which sits between the other two islands. All three islands have Komodo Dragons living freely, but the Komodo and Rinca Islands are the most popular.

Padar Island is more suited for the trek up to the peak and taking in the magnificent view of the entire national park from the summit. This location has been viral since 2015 as hordes of people made their way up to get that epic photo for social media.

There is no accommodation at the national park; therefore, everyone stays in Labuan Bajo, the main town where you will arrive via flight. From Labuan Bajo, you need to book a boat trip to either one or all of the islands to experience seeing the Komodo Dragons.

If you plan to stay longer here, I suggest exploring the island further for birding. You can also check out the article I wrote in 2017 about birdwatching in Flores, which covers most of the places I visited.

Types of Birding at Komodo National Park

There are two types of birding you can do here, and it all depends on your budget. For those who travel a long distance to get here, you may want to consider the second option, while some who live in the region can opt for a simple birding experience, like mine.

Easy Birdwatching at Komodo National Park – This is the cowboy option, which is budget-friendly. First, you need to book a boat to Komodo Island from Labuan Bajo town. When you arrive at the park office on the island, you can arrange for one of the park rangers to be your bird guide. Ask for someone who knows about birds, because not all rangers are knowledgeable about them.

One of the rangers will follow and guide you throughout your birding at the park. There is no option for birding alone, as a ranger is always required to be with guests for safety purposes. You don’t want to be attacked by a Komodo Dragon while looking at birds. So, the only way is to have the ranger by your side, as he will be on the lookout.

Birdwatching Tour at Komodo National Park – This is where you book a specialised birdwatching tour to Komodo Island and use a proper bird guide who knows where and what birds to see and photograph. This option requires pre-booking before you arrive, so it’s essential to find a reputable bird guide for Komodo National Park.

This option is also on the higher-priced tier, where they pick you up, book the boat, pay the park fees and everything else. So, you don’t need to worry about the logistics as everything is pre-arranged. Just go with the flow, and let them know if you have a bird life. If you go looking for one in Labuan Bajo, I don’t think you’ll find any. However, rest assured that if you ask, everyone will claim they can do it just to get your business.

Birds of Komodo National Park

Overall, I had some luck during my three birding trips at Komodo National Park, as I saw most of the endemic birds there. However, all three times were the easy birdwatching options due to my work commitments. My primary focus was on the Komodo Dragons, and I sure had some interesting encounters with this prehistoric cousin of the dinosaurs.

Below is my simple bird list for Komodo National Park. It is not a comprehensive list, but the ones I can recall off the top of my head.

• Large-billed Crow
• Barred Dove
• Orange-footed Scrubfowl
• Green Imperial-Pigeon
• Brahminy Kite
• White-bellied Fish Eagle
• Black-naped Oriole
• Wallacean Drongo
• Flores Crow
• Singing Bushlark
• Spotted Dove
• Collared Kingfisher
• Chinese-crested Tern
• Golden-headed Cisticola
• Great-billed Heron
• Great Crested Tern
• Pacific Reef Egret

Birds of Komodo National Park

Below are random photographs taken around the three main islands that comprise the Komodo National Park. I visited all three on different days and took several photos, but with my old digital camera, most of the pictures did not turn out nicely. So, below are some of the best bird photos on Komodo Island.

I took all the bird photos above using my Nikon D5100 and a basic 18-300mm VR lens; therefore, the bird photography quality is not up to today’s standards. I am currently using a Canon R7 with a 100-500mm lens, and I will soon move to an RF 200-800mm lens.

Additional Information about Komodo Island

Before I conclude, you may want to read this article on Komodo Island for first-time visitors, as it provides some good information about this unique island and the majestic Komodo Dragon. And I also wrote about how to get to Komodo Island for anyone who wants to know more.

And finally, if you plan to spend a little more time around this part of Indonesia, I wrote an article about things to do in Flores, which is entirely commercial and targeted to general travellers who like to explore new places.

Conclusion

Being here since 2015 has opened my eyes to East Nusa Tenggara, and I have even managed to explore scuba diving at Alor Island and Raja Ampat during my active diving days. For the curious, you can read about my diving in Alor Island, a trip report similar to a bird trip report.

I hope this article has provided you with the necessary information for anyone planning to engage in birdwatching at Komodo National Park. Also, my last trip here was back in 2018; therefore, I believe it is time to make a proper birding trip to Komodo Island soon.

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