Les oiseaux de Komodo et de Rinca, deux îles de la Wallacea

The Wallacea represents the biogeographical transitional zone between the Sundaland to the west and the Australasian zone to the east. This zone covers about 338 494 km² land area in total, divided in multiple small islands, including the Lesser Sunda Islands. Lying 200 nautical miles east of Bali, Komodo National Park nestles between Sumbawa and Flores, two of the largest islands of the Lesser Sunda, and includes two main islands, Komodo and Rinca. Their generally steep and rugged topography reflects the position of the national park within the active volcanic ‘shatter belt’ between Australia and the Sunda shelf. The predominant vegetation type is open grass-woodland savannah, mainly of anthropogenic origin, which covers some 70% of the park. The dominant savannah tree is lontar palm, which occurs individually or in scattered stands. Tropical deciduous (monsoon) forest occurs along the bases of hills and on valley bottoms.
The park is best known for the Komodo Dragon, the world’s largest living lizard. But 72 species of birds have been recorded, including the very rare parvula yellow-crested cockatoo, and other interesting species of Asian and Australasian origins.