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Fiji

Long-legged Warbler Trichocichla rufa BirdLife International http://www.birdlife.org/

You will notice that there is no introduction to this section yet.

I would like to fill this gap with an introduction from a local birder [or someone who is a frequent visitor] for every on of the geographical pages. The many thousands of birders now regularly using these pages prefer to read something written by someone who can see the place from an insider's point of view. They know the best spots, not just the ones that first time overseas visitors usually visit or that are on the normal birding trip itineraries.

Each introduction carries the e-mail address of the contributor so that birders can get in touch with them if, for example, they are planning a trip [unless the contributor is unable to do this].

Please get in touch if you feel you can contribute an introduction to this page - you don't have to be an expert; I'm not!

numbers

Number of bird species:133

numbers

Number of endemics:22
Fiji Goshawk Accipiter rufitorques Orange Dove Ptilinopus victor Golden Dove Ptilinopus luteovirens Velvet Dove Ptilinopus layardi Peale`s Imperial-Pigeon Ducula latrans Crimson Shining-Parrot Prosopeia splendens Masked Shining-Parrot Prosopeia personata Collared Lory Phigys solitarius Orange-breasted Myzomela Myzomela jugularis Wattled Honeyeater Foulehaio carunculata Kadavu Honeyeater Xanthotis provocator Giant Honeyeater Gymnomyza viridis Streaked Fantail Rhipidura spilodera Kadavu Fantail Rhipidura personata Slaty Monarch Mayrornis lessoni Fiji Shrikebill Clytorhynchus vitiensis Black-throated Shrikebill Clytorhynchus nigrogularis Vanikoro Flycatcher Myiagra vanikorensis Blue-crested Flycatcher Myiagra azureocapilla Fiji Woodswallow Artamus mentalis Layard`s White-eye Zosterops explorator Fiji Bush-Warbler Cettia ruficapilla Fiji Parrot-Finch Erythrura pealii

useful reading

A Guide to the Birds of Fiji and Western Polynesia including American Samoa, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Wallis & Futuna

By Dick Watling Hard Cover; 16 Full Colour Plates; Figures, Tables & Maps; 272 pages.
ISBN: 9829030040
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Important Bird Areas in Fiji

Conserving Fiji's Natural Heritage Edited by Vilikesa T Masibalavu and Guy Dutson 66 pages, 50 Col photos, 14 tabs, 17 maps. BirdLife International Distributed by NHBS
ISBN: 9829101010
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Pocket Poster Guide to the Birds of Fiji - Volume 1 - Landbirds

Dick Watling Series: POCKET POSTER GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF FIJI Col illus. Distributed by NHBS - other posters available too...
ISBN: 99085
Buy this book from NHBS.com

useful information

Proact

Coordinator: none (why not apply?) see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: None yet!
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team

clubs

Birdlife Fiji

Dr Dick Watling, c/o Environment Consultants Fiji, P0 Box 2041, Government Buildings, Suva. +679 383189 watling@is.com.fj

reserves

Bouma National Heritage Park

http://www.bnhp.org/
Pristine rainforest covers much of the island of Taveuni, and around 80% of this is protected by forest reserve and the Park. At about 15,000 hectares, the Park can be regarded as a conservation success story. An agreement in the 1980s between the four Park communities of Waitabu, Vidawa, Korovou and Lavena ensures the forests will be protected indefinitely. Instead of cutting down the forests, these communities have turned to tourism as a means of generating income. Park entry fees go towards maintaining the Park, community education, and community development...

Colo-I-Suva Forest Park

Colo-I-Suva Forest Park (pronounced Tholo-ee-Suva) was once a true tropical lowland rainforest, which has been interplanted with mahogany. It is in the upper drainage area of Waisila catchment, alongside Princes Road. The Department of Forestry manages the Forest Park.

Wildlife & Reserves

http://www.fijivision.com/ecofiji/HikTex.html
There are over 100 species of birds in Fiji. The main island of Viti Levu has many species of birds, especially around the rainforests along the coral coast and Pacific Harbour. Kadavu, a large rainforested island in the Southern Islands, has a number of stunning musk parrots as well as unique species of fantails and honeyeaters. Taveuni in the Northern Islands has a diverse bird life including parrots and lorikeets...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can�t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page� give them a try!

1996 [March] - Susan Myers

http://users.wired.net.au/susan/Fiji.htm
A report of a trip to Fiji made in March 1996 by Susan Myers, Stuart Dashper and our friend Chris Doughty. We visited three islands - Viti Levu, Taveuni and Kadavu-from 24th March to 2nd April.

2001 [January - August] - Dick Watling

http://www.pacificbirds.com/tripreportkoro.html
A series of reports on various Islands...

2002 [June] - Neil Money

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/fiji/fiji2/fiji-june2002.htm
The prime reason for the trip was birding, but we wished to give ourselves sufficient time to appreciate other aspects of Fiji life. On a trip of only three weeks, including travelling time to and from Fiji, we decided that we could do this best, and maximise the number of potential species to be seen, by concentrating on the three islands of Viti Levu, Taveuni and Kadavu...

2002 [October] - Chris Lloyd

http://www.pacificbirds.com/chris_lloyd.pdf
A PDF file of the trip...

2003 [February] - Chuck Pell

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/fiji/fiji4/fiji-feb-03.htm
...We were able to See several Orange Doves and Silktails, in addition to most of the other forest birds...

2004 [December] - Paul Noakes

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/fiji/fiji5/fiji-dec-04.htm
This is the main island and holds a good number of species. Golden Dove and Masked Shining Parrot are endemic. It is also the island on which you are most likely to see Black-faced Shrikebill and the recently rediscovered Long-legged Warbler is also here...

2005 [October] - Richard Thomas

http://www.birdquest.co.uk/tripreports.cfm?trip=447
The October 2005 tour to the island archipelagos of New Caledonia and Fiji was the most successful Birdquest ever to this magical part of the South Pacific. In 2003, Birdquest became the first tour company to record all known 21 extant endemics on New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, and this feat was emulated in 2005. Highlights included stunning views of the notoriously skulking and elusive New Caledonian Grassbird, superb views of male Cloven-feathered Doves and Crow Honeyeater, and all topped off by the incomparable Kagu. Our visit to Fiji recorded 22 endemic species...

tour operators

Kiwi Wildlife Tours

http://www.kiwi-wildlife.co.nz/tours_southpacific.php
South Pacific Islands Birdwatching Tours - Fiji offers many birding delights (large musk parrots, frenetic flashing silktails, garrulous honeyeaters, exquisite golden and orange doves, Fijian goshawk, tropic-birds, frigatebirds, boobies and noddies). New Caledonia is also a must (kagu, cloven feathered dove, horned parakeet); with tropical, coral-fringed, rainforest-rich, mountainous islands or coral atolls throughout the region...

Nabogi Ono Farm

http://www.taveuniconservation.com/Bird%20Watching.htm
Nabogi Ono Farms provide a true picture of the Garden Island of Fiji, by providing tourists and visitors eco-agro tours in southern parts of theis beautiful island...

Sicklebill Safaris

http://www.sicklebill.com/
Tailor-made tours may be arranged to suit your birding interests plus other facets of natural history if you wish, including flowering plants, fungi, insects and other cold and warm-blooded animals. Tours are arranged and led by a professional ornithologist and natural historian of some 40 years experience in birdwatching and lecturing in UK and overseas. For further information on all aspects of Sicklebill`s tours contact Ian@sicklebill.demon.co.uk

places to stay

Raintree Lodge

http://www.raintreelodge.com/
Raintree Lodge is the first fully designed ecotourism lodge in the Fiji Islands! Colo-I-Suva Forest Park is a delight and is only 5 minutes walk away. The early morning observer may well be the first to greet the unafraid scarlet robin and be scolded by the spotted fantail. The sounds of civilization fade as the bush deepens, and soon the twitter of the mixed flocks of golden whistlers, blue-crested broadbills, slaty flycatchers and spotted fantails take over, punctuated occasionally by the raucous screech of the sulphur-breasted musk parrot or the resounding woof of a barking pigeon.

Silktail Lodge

http://www.geocities.com/silktaillodge/
Silktail Lodge offers a simple vacation of peace and quietness. No traffic, no TV, no news, no noise apart from the sounds of the birds and the laughter of people.

Birds and bird-watching

http://www.kiwi-wildlife.co.nz/southpacific_birds.php
Overview of a number of other islands too...

Birds of Fiji

http://rachel.des.ucdavis.edu/~beckon/birds.htm
The total number of land birds on the Fiji islands compared to the totals on neighbouring islands and archipelagos in the South Pacific Region. The number of species declines with distance from the major source of immigrants, the New Guinea region, illustrating the filter effect...

Birdwatching in Fiji

http://www.fijiguide.com/Recreation/birdwatch.html
Fiji, compared to other South Pacific nations such as New Guinea, lacks a diversity of avian life but there are enough interesting and sometimes spectacular looking birds to attract visitors from throughout the world. In all, there are about 80 species of terrestrial and freshwater birds of which about 10 have been introduced...

Check List

http://www.pacificbirds.com/fiji1.html
Complete bird list

Effect of Insularity on the Diversity of Land Birds in the Fiji Islands

http://www.springerlink.com/index/R361QQ2680447J14.pdf
Implications for Refuge Design - Ecologists have argued over rules of thumb that could be used to set priorities in configuring systems of reserves for preserving biological diversity. To evaluate these simple strategies, I assembled a particularly large and comprehensive data set on the land birds of the Fiji archipelago...

Fiji Nature Guide - birds, wildlife and fauna

http://www.fiji-travel.com/nature.html
The mangrove forests are rich in bird and sea-life and are excellent fishing grounds for the locals...

Fijian bird rediscovered

http://www.rspb.org.uk/international/long-leggedwarbler.asp
Researchers from BirdLife International have rediscovered the long-legged warbler, a small bird from the Fijian island of Viti Levu that has been feared extinct since 1894...

Hiking, Nature and Wildlife in Fiji

http://www.fijivision.com/ecofiji/HikTex.html
There are literally thousands of trails around the islands that connect villages, traverse peaks and lead to waterfalls. Most are known only to the local villagers but a few have been opened up for tourism. Several areas have recently been declared as National Parks by the Fiji Island Government and offer well maintained trails, visitor centres and dedicated accommodation...

Natural History

http://www.fijiguide.com/Natural/nathist.html
A variety of plants and animals occupy the terrestrial areas including birds, reptiles and amphibians. Fiji`s flora and fauna is not so diverse as the South Pacific islands that lie closer to the Asian landmass such as the Solomon Islands but not as poor as that of islands further to the east such as French Polynesia...

Wildlife of Fiji

http://rachel.des.ucdavis.edu/~beckon/index.html
This web page and daughter pages include excerpts from an unpublished manuscript on the terrestrial vertebrates of Fiji by Bill and Ruth Beckon.

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