3 June 2026
New records provide proof that the lost bird Blue-fronted Lorikeet persists in Buru’s highlands.
Hidden in the remote highlands of Mount Kapalatmada in Buru, Indonesia, the Blue-fronted Lorikeet has re-emerged after going missing for more than a decade. Only documented once in the past hundred years, the elusive parrot species was spotted in April during a 14-day trek, carefully tucked away in the island’s most unexplored and challenging landscape.
Led by Indonesian mountaineering group Kanal Buru and expedition leader Handoko, a team that included members of American Bird Conservancy (ABC), Birdtour Asia, and Yayasan Planet Indonesia witnessed and snapped the first photographs of the species since 2014, marking only the second record since the species was described more than 100 years ago.
“When we saw the Blue-fronted Lorikeet, I couldn’t hold back my tears,” says Sumaraja, Birdtour Asia guide and tour leader. “Every day, I almost cried with joy at seeing that these birds still exist.”
