Palau
Palau is a western Pacific archipelago of more than 300 islands, ranging from the mountainous volcanic island of Babeldaob to raised limestone islands, coral atolls and tiny forested islets. Its most distinctive landscape is the Rock Islands, where steep, mushroom-shaped limestone islands rise from sheltered turquoise lagoons. Babeldaob contains most of Palau's terrestrial habitat, including tropical rainforest, mangroves, rivers, wetlands and savanna. The climate is hot, humid and rainy throughout the year, with relatively little seasonal temperature variation. Despite its small land area, Palau retains substantial native forest, while extensive coral reefs and lagoons make the marine environment an especially prominent part of the country.
Overview
Palau has a distinctive Micronesian avifauna with several endemic species, including Palau Fruit Dove, Palau Flycatcher, Palau Fantail and Palau Bush Warbler. The unusual Palau Ground Dove and Micronesian Megapode are important targets around suitable forest and island habitats, while Palau Owl offers a specialised nocturnal target. Babeldaob provides the most extensive forest birding and can largely be explored by road, while the Rock Islands combine forest species with terns, noddies, frigatebirds and other seabirds. Palau is much better developed for diving than for birding, but its strong tourism infrastructure makes it relatively straightforward to visit independently, and specialist bird guides are available. Boat trips are useful for reaching smaller islands and seabird sites. For birders, Palau offers a compact endemic-focused destination that can produce many of its key specialties without extensive overland travel.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micronesian Starling Aplonis opaca | 62.5% | 75.1% | 64.4% | 64.6% | 56.8% | 54.4% | 63.1% | 70.8% | 60.9% | 55.0% | 53.3% | 63.9% | 68.2% |
| Palau Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus pelewensis | 56.0% | 59.5% | 57.5% | 60.6% | 51.0% | 46.9% | 60.9% | 65.7% | 57.8% | 54.5% | 41.6% | 57.3% | 58.7% |
| Micronesian Myzomela Myzomela rubratra | 46.7% | 54.1% | 49.5% | 51.7% | 42.0% | 38.6% | 47.1% | 52.5% | 47.2% | 42.5% | 37.0% | 46.9% | 51.5% |
| Black Noddy Anous minutus | 45.4% | 49.8% | 46.6% | 51.9% | 44.7% | 41.3% | 41.7% | 45.8% | 48.1% | 46.4% | 38.5% | 44.1% | 45.4% |
| Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris | 43.7% | 39.4% | 39.9% | 44.7% | 37.2% | 41.2% | 42.4% | 50.9% | 46.9% | 50.9% | 42.2% | 46.7% | 42.1% |
| Palau Flycatcher Myiagra erythrops | 42.9% | 45.2% | 45.5% | 46.6% | 36.4% | 35.0% | 44.0% | 50.9% | 42.8% | 41.2% | 33.4% | 45.6% | 47.9% |
| Palau Bush Warbler Horornis annae | 38.0% | 41.8% | 37.7% | 40.9% | 36.0% | 32.9% | 39.4% | 45.1% | 38.9% | 35.8% | 26.8% | 38.1% | 42.7% |
| Palau Fantail Rhipidura lepida | 37.7% | 42.5% | 40.1% | 41.0% | 29.9% | 29.4% | 37.3% | 44.1% | 39.0% | 37.2% | 27.0% | 42.7% | 42.1% |
| Palau Swiftlet Aerodramus pelewensis | 36.4% | 39.1% | 40.6% | 36.0% | 33.8% | 28.0% | 34.4% | 38.0% | 42.3% | 34.7% | 35.9% | 37.0% | 36.7% |
| Blue-billed White-Tern Gygis candida | 35.9% | 43.3% | 40.7% | 42.8% | 31.9% | 29.3% | 32.0% | 35.4% | 36.0% | 35.3% | 27.6% | 34.3% | 42.6% |