Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
State
of Birds
| 2013
atureFiji
MareqetiViti
598.099611
CONTENTS
Introduction
Fiji: An Island Nation
Why Birds?
Fijis Birds
Endemic Birds
CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Knowledge Base: What do we Know?
Threatened Birds
12
Protected Areas
17
22
26
Introduced Predators
32
38
Climate Change
42
Introduction
WHY BIRDS?
Birds have been of immense cultural significance
to Fijians in a variety of ways they were key to
successful inter-island navigation; the feathers
of some were important as a trade item and
prized for edging fine mats; and some were an
important food source. Today, many mataqali
(landowning clans) have a bird as their clan
totem.
Birds are wonderful flagships for conservation,
for several reasons:
They are by far Fijis most conspicuous form
of terrestrial wildlife they sing, they are
fairly easy to observe and identify, and there
is a limited number of species. Biodiversity
conservation in Fiji requires the support
of landowners and the populace, who can
better understand, participate in and support
conservation if they are familiar with and
knowledgeable about the species of concern.
Birds play a key role in the dispersal of seeds,
thereby maintaining the health and diversity
of our native forests.
Left: Kadavu Shining Parrot Prosopeia splendens Jrg Kretzschmar. Above: Barn Owls Tyto alba Jrg Kretzschmar.
Introduction
Introduction
WHY BIRDS?
Introduction
Introduction
Fijis Birds
English Name
Scientific Name
Common
Fijian Name
Distribution in Fiji
Fiji Petrel
Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi
Kacaunigau
Gau
Fiji Goshawk
Accipiter rufitorques
Reba, Latui
Barking Pigeon
Ducula latrans
Soqe
Widespread
Golden Dove
Ptilinopus luteovirens
Ko, Bunako
Orange Dove
Ptilinopus victor
Bune, Bunedamu
Whistling Dove
Ptlilinopus layardi
Soqeta
Kadavu, Ono
Collared Lory
Phigys solitarius
Kula
Red-throated Lorikeet
Charmosyna amabilis
Kulawai
Prosopeia personata
Kaka, Ka
Viti Levu
Prosopeia tabuensis
Kaka, Vaga
Prosopeia splendens
Kaka
Kadavu, Ono
Silktail
Lamprolia victoriae
Sisi
Fiji Bush-warbler
Cettia ruficapilla
Long-legged Thicketbird
Trichocichla rufa
Manukalou
Kadavu Fantail
Rhipidura personata
Bui-iri
Kadavu, Ono
Slaty Monarch
Mayrornis lessoni
Sasaire
Ogea Monarch
Mayrornis versicolor
Blue-crested Broadbill
Myiagra azureocapilla
Batidamu
Black-faced Shrikebill
Clytorhynchus nigrogularis
Kiro
Fiji White-eye
Zosterops explorator
Qiqi
Larger islands
Orange-breasted
Myzomela
Myzomela jugularis
Delakula
Widespread
Rotuma Myzomela
Myzomela chermesina
Armea
Rotuma
Kadavu Honeyeater
Xanthotis provocator
Kikou, Visilou
Kadavu, Ono
Gymnomyza viridis
Sovau, Ikou,
Cavucavuivalu
Fiji Parrotfinch
Erythrura pealii
Kulakula, Qiqikula
Widespread
Pink-billed Parrotfinch
Erythrura kleinschmidti
Sitibatitabua
Viti Levu
Fiji Woodswallow
Artamus mentalis
Sikorere
Widespread
Widespread
Ogea + offshore islands
Endemic Birds
STATE
Knowledge Base:
What do we know?
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
(encounters/hr)
Number of Birds
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Jan
Mar
May
Jul
Sep
Nov
Barking Pigeon
Collared Kingfisher
Wattled Honeyeater
Fiji Goshawk
250
Barking Pigeon
Golden Dove
200
150
100
Fiji Bush-warbler
Golden Whistler
Giant Forest Honeyeater
50
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
2011
2012
1998-2007
Nov
Dec
Collared Kingfisher
PRESSURE
RESPONSE
Knowledge Base:
What do we know?
Knowledge Base:
What do we know?
10
eBird
There is now an opportunity for interested
amateurs to become involved in bird monitoring
through an online bird recording system called
eBird. eBird (www.ebird.org) is a web-based
global bird-recording database co-ordinated
by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Fiji
component forms part of the global programme
that was established in 2010.
Knowledge is Power
Information gathered from monitoring bird
populations is essential if we wish to provide
decision-makers with the evidence of how birds
and other biodiversity are faring in the face of
changing environmental and climatic conditions,
and what conservation or other action is
required.
11
STATE
Threatened Birds
English Name
Common
Fijian Name
Threat
Status
Reason for
Threatened Status
Kacaunigau
CR
Red-throated Lorikeet
Kulawai
CR
Long-legged Thicketbird
Manukalou
EN
EN
Predation by rats
VU
VU
White-throated Storm-petrel
Collared Petrel
Kacau, Lagio
Bristle-thighed Curlew
Friendly Ground-dove
Ruveniqele
VU
Kaka
VU
Pink-billed Parrotfinch
Sitibatitabua
VU
Predation by rats
VU
Restricted distribution
Ogea Monarch
Black-faced Shrikebill
Kiro
VU
Rotuma Myzomela
Armea
VU
Restricted distribution
Ganivatu
CC
Audubons Shearwater
DD
White-tailed Tropicbird
Lawedua
CC
Masked Booby
Gutulei, Toro
AR
Brown Booby
Gutulei, Toro
CC
Harvesting
Lesser Frigatebird
Kasaqa
CC
Harvesting
Sooty Tern
AR
Bridled Tern
CC
Harvesting
AR
White-browed Crake
12
13
PRESSURE
Threatened Birds
Opposite: Fiji Petrel Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi spends most of its life on the high seas Tubenoses Project & Extreme Gadfly
Petrel Expeditions Hadoram Shirihai.
14
15
RESPONSE
STATE
Threatened Birds
Protected Areas
NatureFiji-MareqetViti has initiated some indepth work on Fijis most highly threatened
birds including the Fiji Petrel, the Collared Petrel
and the Red-throated Lorikeet.
16
17
STATE
PRESSURE
Protected Areas
Protected Areas
FOREST
Korobasabasaga Range, Viti Levu, recently excised from the Sovi Basin Conservation Area for mining purposes Dick Watling.
18
19
RESPONSE
Protected Areas
20
Sisi Initiative
21
STATE
Pine Production
Hardwood Plantation
Coconut Plantation
1991
Above: Kauvula Endospermum macrophyllum Jrg
Kretzschmar. Right: Mt Tomaniivi cloud forest Stuart Chape.
2007
PRESSURE
23
RESPONSE
24
Forest Conservation:
the Way Forward
Traditionally and to a large extent currently,
landowners had few if any options for
benefiting financially from protecting their
forests. Government and the private sector
generally encouraged landowners to log
their forests without ensuring sustainability,
or convert to mahogany, cocoa or coconut
plantations, or fell their forest for agricultural
crops. Conservation of forests has been
regarded as a beneficial land use, but the
benefits accrue largely to the public in free
ecosystem services without any monetary
benefits accruing to the landowners.
25
STATE
26
27
PRESSURE
28
29
RESPONSE
30
Steve Cranwell.
31
STATE
Introduced Predators
1
We learned only in 2009 that there are two species of introduced mongoose in Fiji, Herpestes javanicus and H.fuscus. Fiji has
the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world (as far as we know), with two introduced species of mongoose.
32
Above: Preventing further spread of the mongoose to biodiversity-rich islands is of the highest priority Craig Morley.
Much-maligned Mynas
33
PRESSURE
Introduced Predators
being felt and the decline of the Red-throated
Lorikeet in the last 30 years could be attributed
to Ship rats. Whatever, the predatory pressure
remains and we urgently need to know the
extent of it in respect of our threatened birds.
34
35
RESPONSE
INTRODUCED PREDATORS
Eradication of introduced
invasives on small islands
To date, successful Fiji rat eradication campaigns
co-ordinated by BirdLife Fiji Programme have
re-created nearly 300 ha of predator-free habitat
on 11 islands. The island of Monuriki supports a
large colony of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters.
37
STATE
38
39
PRESSURE
PIC TO COME
40
Left: Fair game in the pigeon shooting season? A Fiji Wood Pigeon? A Chilli Pigeon? Neither; this is a Pacific Pigeon
Ducula pacifica so is it protected? Paddy Ryan
LOGGING
41
CLIMATE CHANGE
change. These include measurable effects
on bird populations through mortality during
severe weather events, changing sea
temperatures, mis-timed insect emergence,
decoupling of the breeding seasons of birds
from those of their prey, and collapsing foodwebs.
Above: Nukucikobia sand cay Dick Watling. Right: Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus Jrg Kretzschmar.
42
CLIMATE CHANGE
43
REFERENCES
Anderson, O., C. Small, J. Croxall, E. Dunn, B.
Sullivan, O. Yates, and A. Black. 2011. Global
seabird bycatch in longline fisheries. Endang
Species Res.:14: 91106. doi: 10.3354/esr00347
BirdLife International (2012) Country profile:
Fiji. Available from: www.birdlife.org/datazone/
country/fiji
Lagataki, Samuela, Josua Wakolo, Akosita Lewai,
Viliame Tupua, Luke Delai, and Ilisaniasi Koroi.
2010. Global Forest Resources Assessment
2010. Country Report. Fiji. In Global Forest
Resources Assessment 2010, 47. Rome: Forestry
Department. Food and Agriculture Organisation
of the United Nations.
Jackson, D.B. and R. Jit. 2007. Population
densities and detectability of 3 species of Fijian
forest birds. Notornis 54: 99-111
Naikatini, A.N. 2009. Monitoring comparative
spatial and temporal variation in the landbirds of
Vago-Savura Forest Reserve, a native lowland
rainforest in south-east Viti Levu, Fiji. MSc.
Thesis, University of the South Pacific, Suva.
Masibalavu, V. & G.Dutson 2006. Important Bird
Areas in Fiji: Conserving Fijis Natural Heritage.
BirdLife International, Suva, Fiji.
44
atureFiji
MareqetiViti
About NatureFiji-MareqetiViti
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is the membership-based
working arm of the Fiji Nature Conservation
Trust, registered under the Charitable Trust Act
(Cap 67) in June 2007. Registered Charitable
Trust #817.
What We Do
The mission statement of the Fiji Nature
Conservation Trust is: to enhance biodiversity
and habitat conservation, endangered species
protection and sustainable use of natural
resources of the Fiji Islands for the benefit
of communities and the Fijian people.
Since our establishment in 2007, we have
launched or are currently undertaking over 30
projects. These include internationally groundbreaking work such as those projects focusing on
globally endangered species the Fiji Petrel, the
Fiji Flying Fox, the Fiji Sago Palm, the Lau Skink
and the Yaqaga Crested Iguana. Other projects
are even more challenging such as our current
Become a Member
By joining NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, you will
become a member of Fijis leading local
conservation organisation. As a non-profit
and non-government organisation, NatureFijiMareqetiViti depends on membership
subscriptions, donations and bequests. It is
your support and generosity that will enable
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti to work actively for the
conservation of Fijis unique natural heritage.
Acknowledgements
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti and Dick Watling are grateful to the core group of ornithologists and interested
colleagues who contributed to this report with conceptual ideas, information or with comments on drafts.
The photographs speak for themselves and we are grateful to all of the photographers, who without exception
contributed their images without charge. None more so than Jrg Kretzschmar, a Life Member of NatureFijiMareqetiViti, and Stuart Chape, whose continued support is highly appreciated. Mark OBrien of BirdLife
International Pacific Programme provided unpublished information on shorebird numbers at Suva Point and
provided valuable comments on the manuscript. Sialesi Rasalato drafted the IBA Map on pg 18. NatureFijiMareqetiViti works with many partners in Fiji and in particular the Government, all of whom have contributed
in one way or another to the production of this report. We are grateful to you all.
Photographs, from top left: Male Orange Dove Ptilinopus victor Paddy Ryan; Kauvula Endospermum macrophyllum Jrg
Kretzschmar; Golden Dove Ptilinopus luteovirens Baravi Thaman.
atureFiji
MareqetiViti