#indonedia

Bali, Indonesia

The island of Sangihe is one of the most important sites for bird conservation in the world. The island is part of the Sangihe and Talaud Endemic Bird Area, which extends from near the tip of the Minahassa Peninsula of northern Sulawesi towards the southern tip of Mindanao in the Philippines. This area also forms part of the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea Marine Ecoregion, which is situated in the heart of the Coral Triangle and is world-renowned for its coastal and marine biodiversity, including 70 genera of corals and about 2,500 fish species.

Three ASAP species are entirely restricted to the remnant primary forest patches of Mount Sahendaruman on Sangihe, the Critically Endangered Caerulean Paradise-flycatcher Eutrichomyias rowleyi, Sangihe Shrike-thrush Colluricincla sanghirensis and Sangihe White-eye Zosterops nehrkorni. The endemic Sangihe Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx sangirensis and Sangihe Golden Bulbul Thrapsinallas platenae will soon be elevated to full species status (del Hoyo and Collar in prep.) and are also likely to be evaluated as Critically Endangered, which will bring the total number of CR species in Sangihe to five. Mt. Sahendaruman has been designated as an Alliance for Zero Extinction site (IDN 18: www.zeroextinction.org) for the three ASAP species as well as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by BirdLife International and a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA).