Pygmy Parrots in New Guinea - not New York

Thanks to Twitter (which all you birders should get on) I was connected with an terrific article about Buff-faced Pygmy Parrots. These birds are amazing, small, exotic and hardly known by science and birders. The article, if you haven't clicked on the link, details the adventures of a one Gordon Buchanan stalking and filming for the first time these tiny birds. Buff-faced Pygmy Parrots are one of around 20 species in the Micropsittinae family of tiny parrots living on New Guinea and a few of the nearby islands.
New Guinea actually has a wealth of biological diversity the likes of which are not uncommon in near equatorial landmasses. The fact that seems most potent is that New Guinea occupies only 0.5% of the worlds total terrestrial land yet it has an estimated 10% of the worlds vertebrate species. North America is also home to around 10% of the worlds vertebrate species. This give you some idea of how dense all this biodiversity really is on New Guinea. The number of bird species is estimated to be around 650 and 700+, while this is fewer than whats on the AOU list for North America that number would represent a highly respectable year list for anyone I know.

Imagine being able to find this many species in such a small area? It's hard isn't it, because outside of a few places on this continent 100 bird days are relatively unheard of outside of migration. But where biodiversity density is high you are bound to find specialization the likes of which I don't find in Central Park. Remember there are 20 species of those tiny Micropsittinae on New Guinea and it's surrounding islands. So how did they manage to multiply with such diversity? Pure conjecture on my part leads me to believe that they utilized their physical specialization to exploit the equally diverse flora and habitats found around the island. So if you wanted to see a Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot it might not be as easy as strolling into your local stretch of Rain Forest and looking around. Instead you'd have to know what trees, fruits and microclimat the bird prefers and then know where to find an area like that.

In North America there are relatively few habitats choices in most regions. In Central Park there are even less, I can go to the Pinetum where there are lots of Pine Trees, or the Ramble where I can find deciduous trees and a good understory or to the Reservoir to look for ducks. Birding here is simple like a point and shoot camera:
It's easy to see birds of many species here in Central Park. In one May morning I've seen up to 80 species before work at 9am. Sometimes it's as easy as following another group of birder's binocular gaze at the Oven or Strawberry Field. This feat might not be possible in New Guinea as you would likely have to change habitats to get new species easily. I'm only guessing here that there isn't some small patch with 80+ bird species regularly occurring on it. In New Guinea Birders not only have to be aware of the identification points of the birds but, keen observers of behavior, habitat preference and daily movements.

Rather than the all you can eat buffet of North American Migration I could bird New Guinea like a connoisseur searching for a unique restaurant in Manhattan. Sounds fascinating and I hope you one day decide to get out there and try it!