As the second highest mountain in Indonesia, Gunung Kerinci is well-known and a popular hiking destination but it is also one of the most accessible sites for a host of bird species that are endemic to the island of Sumatra. I recently returned from another visit to the forests on the slopes of this volcano which was one of the last sites on our West Java/Sumatra birding tour that I led from 5-25th September. Birding on Kerinci is not easy, involving walking up and down parts of the mountain in order to find the key species but patience is usually rewarded with some superb birds, particularly with the help of locals who know exactly where to go for some exciting species; thanks Dwi Wahyudi for your help.

We were not only able to see a lot of good birds on Gunung Kerinci but we were also presented with a lot of great photo opportunities so read on for photographs of Schneider’s Pitta, Rajah Scops Owl, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Sunda Bush Warbler, Shiny Whistlingthrush, Sumatran Trogon and Sumatran Frogmouth.

Join me on my next Sumatra, Java & Bali Birding Tour

Probably the most anticipated bird on Gunung Kerinci was Schneider’s Pitta. It is a difficult bird to find when birding along narrow forest trails but Dwi had something special in store for us with a pair of these rare endemics feeding in a damp forest gulley; when the birds emerged it was a special moment.

Female Schneider’s Pitta

Male Schneider’s Pitta

Another amazing bird that we looked forward to was Salvadori’s Pheasant. On a previous trip I had seen a few of these endemic pheasants along the trail but on this visit we were able to watch a pair of this species feeding as we sat in a hide.

Salvadori’s Pheasant

At both of these locations Shiny Whistlingthrushes were hanging around so that we were able to get fantastic views of yet another Sumatran endemic.

Shiny Whistlingthrush

Of course it was not all looking at birds from hides or feeding stations we had to walk the trails to find many of the birds including wonderful views of a party of stunning Red-billed Partridges, an incredible Sumatran Wren Babbler, shy Spot-necked Babblers, Sunda Robin, Large Niltava and this stunning Sumatran Trogon.

Sumatran Trogon

Sumatran Trogon is one of my favourite species on this West Java/Sumatra itinerary. It is usually fairly easy to get good views of it and it is a really stunning bird. Another colourful bird which is easily seen at Kerinci is Snowy-browed Flycatcher. This is a very widespread bird in Asia but lovely none the less.

Male Snowy-browed Flycatcher

Hiking uphill to look for higher altitude birds was a tiring trip but one that turned up Brown-winged (Sumatran) Whistlingthrush, Rufous-vented (Sumatran) Niltava, White-browed Shortwing, Mountain Leaf Warbler and, at night, Rajah Scops Owl.

Rajah Scops Owl

None of us had really expected to see this difficult-to-find bird but by hiking uphill and waiting for dark we gave ourslef a chance. It did not take long before we received a reply to call playback and we quickly located the bird but unfortunately the position it sat in did not give us a good view before it flew away. However, a little further downhill we tried again and a second bird was much more obliging. This was one of those happy times when calling in an owl did not take very long. This striking bird was eventually voted “bird of the trip’ due to its rarity, the good views and the long walk downhill in the dark made us feel like it had been well-earned.

Not all of the birds on Kerinci are as striking as these. This Sunda Bush Warbler was a rather duller bird but as a regional endemic it was a no less welcome sight and getting a photo of this skulker was nice.

Sunda Bush Warbler

Gunung Kerinci always turns up some excellent key species and I always visit this site along with the nearby Tapan Road, Way Kambas National Park all on Sumatra along with the following locations on Java; Carita Forest, Gunung Gede, Cibodas Botanical Gardens, Muara Angke, Pulau Rambut and Halimun National Park. I am already looking forward to leading the next trip; the full itinerary and details can be seen here – Sumatra, Java & Bali birding tour.