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Paitchau (also Gunung Paitchau, or Paitchao, or Paitxau; locally, Pai Tekau Ile) is a mountain in the
Tutuala Tutuala is a village and suco in the subdistrict of Tutuala (Lautém District, East Timor). It is situated at the extreme eastern end of Timor. Its population at the 2004 census was 3,707. The subdistrict of Tutuala comprises two sucos, inclu ...
subdistrict,
Lautém District Lautém (Tetum: Lautein) is a toponym for a place eastmost in East Timor. It may refer to, from small to large: * Lautém (city) * Lautém Administrative Post * Lautém Municipality Lautém ( pt, Município Lautém, ) is one of the municip ...
of
East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
. Situated within
Nino Konis Santana National Park The Nino Konis Santana National Park is East Timor's first national park. The park, established on 15 August 2007, covers . It links important bird areas such as Lore, Mount Paitchau, Lake Ira Lalaro, and Jaco Island. The park also includes of t ...
, it is south of Lake
Ira Lalaro Lake Ira Lalaro (also Iralalaro, Ira-Lalaro, Surubec, Suro Bec) is a freshwater lake in Mehara, Subdistrict Tutuala, Lautém District, East Timor. It is the largest of the island of Timor, and thus too of the country. The lake is part of the Moun ...
. Though part of a mountain chain, Paitchau is an isolated mountain in the southern Sucos Mehara. It ranges in altitude from .
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
has classified the mountain and its surrounding region of as an
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
of East Timor. The area contained within the Paitchau Range and Ira Lalaro is sparsely populated and contains several unique faunal and floral species.


Geography

Paitchau is a sharp peak, prominent from the southwest. The hill range is located in the extreme eastern part of Timor-Leste and it slopes towards the coastline of Lore and Silvicola which have coral reefs. The area is thinly populated and has diverse flora and fauna. Its slopes are steep and the southern part of the range towards the coast is thickly forested. The range rises to a maximum height of or and is made up of massive primary
karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
formations.


Flora and fauna

Paitchau is characterized by tropical moist deciduous lowland forest and tropical mixed
evergreen forest An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, Live oak, acacias, magnolia, and banksia in more temperate zone ...
. There is swamp land around Ira Lalaro. Paitchau is said to contain "the best remaining 'primary’ forest" in the country.


Fauna

;Avifauna There are 24 restricted-range species (listed below) in the Important Bird Area which includes the endangered '' Treron psittaceus'' (Timor green-pigeon), and the critically endangered '' Cacatua sulphurea'' (yellow-crested cockatoo). ;Critically endangered *
Yellow-crested cockatoo The yellow-crested cockatoo (''Cacatua sulphurea'') also known as the lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo, is a medium-sized (about 34-cm-long) cockatoo with white plumage, bluish-white bare orbital skin, grey feet, a black bill, and a retractile y ...
(''Cacatua sulphurea'') ;Endangered * Timor green-pigeon (''Treron psittaceus'') ;Near threatened *
Slaty cuckoo-dove The black cuckoo-dove (''Turacoena modesta''), also known as the slaty cuckoo-dove, is a species of bird in the Family (biology), family Columbidae. It is Endemism, endemic to the Lesser Sunda Islands, being found on Timor, Wetar, Rote Island, R ...
(''Turacoena modesta'') *
Pink-headed imperial-pigeon The pink-headed imperial pigeon (''Ducula rosacea'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae found in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical ma ...
(''Ducula rosacea'') * Spot-breasted white-eye (''Heleia muelleri'') *
Orange-banded thrush The orange-sided thrush or orange-banded thrush (''Geokichla peronii'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found on Timor island and the southern Maluku Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and su ...
(''Zoothera peronii'') *
White-bellied bushchat The white-bellied bush chat (''Saxicola gutturalis'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Semau, Timor and Rote Island. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and dry savanna. It is ...
(''Saxicola gutturalis'') *
Black-banded flycatcher The black-banded flycatcher (''Ficedula timorensis''), also known as the Timor flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. In the past the species was considered to be related to the Australasian robins but this was as the resul ...
(''Ficedula timorensis'') *
Olive-shouldered parrot The jonquil parrot or olive-shouldered parrot (''Aprosmictus jonquillaceus'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in forest, woodland and acacia savanna on the islands of Roti, Timor and Wetar. It is fairly common, ...
(''Aprosmictus jonquillaceus'') *
Cinnamon-banded kingfisher The cinnamon-banded kingfisher (''Todiramphus australasia'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is found in Indonesia and East Timor. It is endemic to the Lesser Sundas. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. I ...
(''Todiramphus australasia'') ;Least concern *
Dusky cuckoo-dove The bar-necked cuckoo-dove, also called the dusky cuckoo-dove was split into the following species in 2016. The name "bar-necked cuckoo-dove" remains valid when used to describe the ''Macropygia magna'' species complex as all of its members have bar ...
(''Macropygia magna'') *
Streaky-breasted honeyeater The streak-breasted honeyeater or streaky-breasted honeyeater (''Territornis reticulata'') is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is found on Timor island. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, su ...
(''Meliphaga reticulata'') *
Plain friarbird The Timor friarbird or plain friarbird (''Philemon inornatus'') is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is found on Timor island. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest A forest is an area of land dominated ...
(''Philemon inornatu'') * Yellow-eared honeyeater (''Lichmera flavicans'') * Red-rumped myzomela (''Myzomela vulnerata'') *
Plain gerygone The plain gerygone (''Gerygone inornata'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is found on the islands of Wetar and Timor. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangro ...
(''Gerygone inornata'') *
Fawn-breasted whistler The fawn-breasted whistler (''Pachycephala orpheus'') is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found on the islands of Timor and Wetar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest A forest is an ...
(''Pachycephala orpheus'') * Timor figbird (''Sphecotheres viridis'') *
Olive-brown oriole Olive-brown oriole has been split into the following species: * Timor oriole, ''Oriolus melanotis'' * Wetar oriole, ''Oriolus finschi'' Birds by common name {{Short pages monitor