Philippine Eagle
The largest and most spectacular raptor in the world is also among the
rarest — it is threatened with extinction as Philippine forests are
destroyed. Perhaps only 250 adults remain in isolated & difficult to reach
remnants. "Seeing the Philippine Eagle" page has some personal
experiences. I chose this as my #1 most wanted bird back in 1975, and it
remains the best bird in the world.
I chose this as my #1 most wanted bird back in 1975, and it remains the
best bird in the world.
Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise
Of all the incredible birds of paradise, none is more remote and
spectacular than this species whose latin name commemorates the
French revolution. Its bare crown glows neon-blue as the male performs
on his carefully tended forest floor display site. An almost unbelievably
wonderful bird to watch (which is not at all easy to do)
Gray-necked Rockfowl
Huge predators and gaudy passerines are wonderful, but few birds
capture my imagination as the elusive ground-dwelling enigmas of
tropical forests. None are more unique, impressive, and rare than the
two rockfowl of Africa. The adventure to reach a cave in which they
build mud nests is a peak experience of any life.
this fabulous central African bird, best searched for in Cameroon or Gabon.
White-necked Rockfowl
Along with the Congo Peafowl (#7 below), African field ornithologists have
long considered the two rockfowl to be the best birds of Africa. This west
African representative is now very rare in the fragments of forest still
extant.
Kagu
Once considered virtually impossible to see, this exceptional bird of very
uncertain affinities is making a good recovery in the forest remnants due
to predator removal and captive breeding. Still a shadowy ghost on the
forest floor.
Only a few hundred in the wild, it rates very high on uniqueness.
Horned Guan
This huge near-mythical guan lives only in remote cloud forests atop
extinct volcanoes; the bare vivid red horn is completely unique. Even a
40+ mile trek to its habitat does not guarantee finding any; it took me
two trips 16 yrs apart.
Congo Peafowl
Someone with enough time and money might be able to acquire the
guides or information to find any other bird on this page, but you can't
"buy" a look at a Congo Peafowl. Only recently have Western researchers
seen any in the wild. Almost nothing is known of its behavior. Perhaps
things will change in the Democratic Republic of Congo where it is
endemic, but this has been widely considered the most elusive bird on
earth.
Harpy Eagle
The second largest eagle in the world and the king of the Neotropics, this
is the ultimate prize on any New World lowland forest visit. Its range is
widespread but it requires huge swathes of jungle full of monkeys to
survive. It is everywhere thinly spread and thus missed often even in
prime habitat.
Long-tailed Ground-Roller
Of all the great birds in Madagascar, this is the one that captured my
imagination 25 years ago. It is the strangest of this Malagasy endemic
family: a unique mix of a roadrunner, pitta & roller. It is the headline
species of the unworldly spiny desert. It is decidedly rare and elusive.
Any Tragopan
In my initial picks 35 years ago, all five 'horned-pheasants' in genus
Tragopan made my "top 50." Now I go with this single pick, as any
tragopan is a spectacular & elusive prize in montane forests of c. Asia.
Western T. melanocephalus (shown) may be the rarest & most isolated
(in n. Pakistan & Afghanistan); Blyth's T. blythii and Cabot's T. caboti
(Chinese endemics or near-endemics) may as difficult to reach; while
Temminck's T. temminckii and Satyr T. satyra may be the most colorful. Any one would make me happy.
