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ball.gif (4563 bytes) FIJI March 1996 - Species Account:

Sequence follows Sibley and Monroe
E = endemic to Fiji Islands
I = introduced

Great Frigatebird Fregata minor Observed Viti Levu and Kadavu.
Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel Only seen once on Viti Levu travelling to Naigani Island.
Masked Booby Sula dactylatra Observed off the coast of Kadavu.
Red-footed Booby Sula sula Also seen off Kadavu.
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster One off Kadavu.
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa One bird in wetlands on Viti Levu.
Eastern Reef Egret Egretta sacra Common on the foreshore in Suva, also Taveuni
Swamp Harrier Circus approximans Common on Viti Levu and Taveuni.
Fiji GoshawkE Accipiter rufitorques One bird only seen on Viti Levu whilst driving from Nadi to Suva.
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Two birds on the mudflats of Suva
Wandering Tattler Heteroscelus incanus A number seen on beaches in Viti Levu while travelling from Nadi to Suva.
Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva Common on soccer pitches throughout Viti Levu, some in breeding plumage.
Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus One bird seen on mudflats while travelling to Suva by car.
Crested Tern Sterna bergii Common.
Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana Not common, one near Naigani Island and one offshore from Taveuni.
Common Noddy Anous stolidus Also not common, one Viti Levu, one Kadavu.
White Tern Gygis alba One bird offshore from Kadavu.
Rock DoveI Columba livia Common in the larger towns, that is Nadi and Suva.
White-throated Pigeon Columba vitiensis Two birds seen in the Nausori Highlands.
Spotted Turtle-Dove I Streptopelia chinensis Common around towns in Viti Levu.
Many-coloured Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus perousii This stunning Ptilinopus was observed many times on all three islands, usually in groups of ten or so birds.
Orange DoveE Ptilinopus victor One of the three endemic Ptilinopus, this one is found only on Vanua Levu and Taveuni. We observed two females on the walk down De Voeux Peak and one adult male in a group of five birds in the lower areas of Taveuni. It is a truly incredible bird and possibly the highlight of the trip. It could easily be mistaken for a dead leaf of one of the many broadleaves, as these often turn bright orange.
Golden DoveE Ptilinopus luteovirens An endemic of Viti Levu, we saw a number of female birds in the Nausori Highlands but were unlucky to only glimpse a flying male.
Velvet DoveE Ptilinopus layardi After much searching (see site account) we eventually had excellent looks at a group of this Kadavu endemic. The plumage really does have a velvet look about it.
Peale's Imperial-PigeonE Ducula latrans Common on all islands.
Red Shining-ParrotE Prosopeia tabuensis This and the following species are lumped by Clements but split by Sibley & Monroe, although superficially noticeably different. Seen a couple of times on De Voex Peak.
Crimson Shining-ParrotE Prosopeia splendens Seen a few times on Kadavu near our accommodation.
Masked Shining-ParrotE Prosopeia personata Fairly common in the Colo-I-Suva park on Viti Levu.
Collared LoryE Phigys solitarius Very common on all islands, a treat to have such a beautiful bird around all the time.
White-rumped Swiftlet Collocalia spodiopygius Fairly common on Viti Levu and Taveuni.
Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus Quite common on all islands.
Orange-breasted MyzomelaE Myzomela jugularis Not uncommon on all three islands.
Wattled HoneyeaterE Foulehaio carunculata Common on Taveuni and Viti Levu, not found on Kadavu.
Kadavu HoneyeaterE Xanthotis provocator Endemic and common on Kadavu.
Giant HoneyeaterE Gymnomyza viridis Found on Viti Levu and Taveuni but not common on either island.
Scarlet Robin Petroica multicolor Strange to see this very familiar Australian dry forest bird in such a setting as the rainforest of Fiji. Only seen once in the Colo-I-Suva park.
Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis This species is also very familiar to me but not this race! The birds on Viti Levu lack the black breast band so look like quite a different bird.
Streaked FantailE Rhipidura spilodera Not uncommon on Viti Levu and Taveuni in undisturbed forest.
Kadavu FantailE Rhipidura personata Takes the place of Streaked Fantail on Kadavu, quite common.
Slaty MonarchE Mayrornis lessoni Another very attractive bird found on all three islands that is fortunately common.
Fiji ShrikebillE Clytorhynchus vitiensis Not common, seen a couple of times on Viti Levu and Kadavu.
Black-throated ShrikebillE Clytorhynchus nigrogularis Also not common, three seen on Viti Levu and Taveuni, not found on Kadavu.
Vanikoro FlycatcherE Myiagra vanikorensis Common and seen often on all three islands.
Blue-crested FlycatcherE Myiagra azureocapilla One of the best looking birds in Fiji, one only seen in Colo-I-Suva park.
Fiji WoodswallowE Artamus mentalis Another disputed species often lumped with White-breasted Woodswallow although it looks quite different, Common on Viti Levu.
Australian MagpieI Gymnorhina tibicen Another strange sight! Introduced to Taveuni in order to control pests in the banana plantations. They prospered for a while, but the plantations are falling into disrepair, consequently the magpies are also suffering.
Polynesian Triller Lalage maculosa Common on the three islands.
Island Thrush Turdus poliocephalus Only seen once on Taveuni but heard fairly often.
Polynesian Starling Aplonis tabuensis Seen on all three islands, not uncommon.
Common MynaI Acridotheres tristis Very common on Viti Levu.
Jungle MynaI Acridotheres fuscus Also very common.
Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica Seen most days.
Red-vented BulbulI Pycnonotus cafer The most common bird on Viti Levu.
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis Common.
Layard's White-eyeE Zosterops explorator Only seen on Viti Levu in primary and secondary forest.
Fiji Bush-WarblerE Cettia ruficapilla Purportedly hard to see, we saw this bird on all three islands. Best views were in the Colo-I-Suva park.
Red AvadavatI Amandava amandava Common in grasslands on Viti Levu.
Fiji Parrot-FinchE Erythrura pealii Quite common in edge habitat on Viti Levu.

 

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