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Category: TAHITI & MOOREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA
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TAHITI & MOOREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA
SOCIETY ARCHIPELAGO,
WINDWARD ISLANDS

Pape’ete (NW)

Lat: 17°40′S 149°25′W 104,500ha2 (Tahiti) 134,00 (Moorea) volcanic tropical south pacific island, Mont Orohena (2,241m)
Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit; anytime ()

 

Birding Site Guide

Located in the S Pacific Ocean 4,900 miles from Chile. The NW part Tahiti Nui is the larger part and the SE smaller part is Tahiti Iti. Moorea a separate island lies less than 20km to the NW. The airport is located near the capital Pape’ete (Tahiti Nui).


Species

·         Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans

·         Royal Albatross Diomedea epomophora

·         Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris (A)

·         Antarctic Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus (A)

·         Cape Petrel Daption capense (A)

·         Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera

·         Tahiti Petrel Pterodroma rostrata

·         White-headed petrel Pterodroma lessonii

·         Phoenix Petrel Pterodroma alba

·         Mottled Petrel Pterodroma inexpectata

·         Murphy's Petrel Pterodroma ultima

·         Kermadec Petrel Pterodroma neglecta

·         Herald Petrel Pterodroma heraldica

·         Henderson Petrel Pterodroma atrata

·         Juan Fernandez Petrel Pterodroma externa

·         Cook's Petrel Pterodroma cookii (A)

·         Black-winged Petrel Pterodroma nigripennis

·         Blue Petrel Halobaena caerulea

·         Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii

·         Grey Petrel Procellaria cinerea

·         Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus

·         Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacificus

·         Sooty Shearwater Ardenna griseus

·         Short-tailed Shearwater Ardenna tenuirostris

·         Christmas Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis

·         Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis

·         Tropical Shearwater Puffinus bailloni

·         Rapa Shearwater Puffinus myrtae

·         White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina

·         White-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta grallaria

·         Polynesian Storm Petrel Nesofregetta fuliginosa

·         Band-rumped Storm Petrel Oceanodroma castro (A)

·         Leach's Storm Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa

·         Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus (A)

·         Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda

·         White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus

·         Masked Booby Sula dactylatra

·         Red-footed Booby Sula sula

·         Brown Booby Sula leucogaster

·         Great Frigatebird Fregata minor

·         Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel

·         Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias

·         Great Egret Ardea alba

·         Pacific Reef Heron Egretta sacra

·         Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

·         Striated Heron Butorides striata

·         Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa

·         Northern Pintail Anas acuta (A)

·         Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata

·         Swamp Harrier Circus approximans (I)

·         Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus (I)

·         Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus (I)

·         Spotless Crake Porzana tabuensis

·         Australasian Swamphen Porphyrio melanotus

·         Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva

·         Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola (A)

·         Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus (A)

·         Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis

·         Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes (A)

·         Grey-tailed Tattler Heterosceles brevipes

·         Wandering Tattler Heterosceles incanus

·         Tuamotu Sandpiper Prosobonia cancellata (E)

·         Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

·         Sanderling Calidris alba

·         Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos

·         Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis (A)

·         Ruff Philomachus pugnax (A)

·         Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus

·         Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus (A)

·         Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis (A)

·         Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla (A)

·         Franklin's Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan (A)

·         Greater crested Tern Thalasseus bergii

·         Spectacled Tern Onychoprion lunatus

·         Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus

·         Black Noddy Anous minutus

·         Brown Noddy Anous stolidus

·         Blue Noddy Procelsterna cerulea

·         White Tern Gygis alba

·         Rock Pigeon Columba livia (I)

·         Zebra Dove Geopelia striata (I)

·         Polynesian Ground Dove Gallicolumba erythroptera (E)

·         Marquesan Ground Dove Gallicolumba rubescens (E)

·         Grey-green Fruit Dove Ptilinopus purpuratus (E)

·         Makatea Fruit Dove Ptilinopus chalcurus (E)

·         Atoll Fruit Dove Ptilinopus coralensis (E)

·         Rapa Fruit Dove Ptilinopus huttoni (E)

·         White-capped Fruit Dove Ptilinopus dupetithouarsii (E)

·         Red-moustached Fruit Dove Ptilinopus mercierii (E)

·         Pacific Imperial Pigeon Ducula pacifica (I)

·         Polynesian Imperial Pigeon Ducula aurorae (E)

·         Marquesan Imperial Pigeon Ducula galeata (E)

·         Kuhl's lorikeet Vini kuhlii (E)

·         Blue Lorikeet Vini peruviana (E)

·         Ultramarine Lorikeet Vini ultramarina (E)

·         Long-tailed Koel Eudynamys taitensis

·         Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus (I)

·         Polynesian Swiftlet Aerodramus leucophaeus (E)

·         Marquesan Swiftlet Aerodramus ocistus (E)

·         Tahiti Kingfisher Todirhamphus veneratus (E)

·         Chattering Kingfisher Todirhamphus tuta

·         Marquesas Kingfisher Todirhamphus godeffroyi (E)

·         Tuamotu Kingfisher Todirhamphus gambieri (E)

·         Sand Martin Riparia riparia

·         Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

·         Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica

·         White Wagtail Motacilla alba

·         Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer (I)

·         Tahiti Reed Warbler Acrocephalus caffer (E)

·         Tuamotu Reed Warbler Acrocephalus atyphus (E)

·         Rimatara Reed Warbler Acrocephalus rimatarae (E)

·         Southern Marquesan Reed Warbler Acrocephalus mendanae (E)

·         Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe

·         Tahiti Monarch Pomarea nigra (E)

·         Iphis Monarch Pomarea iphis (E)

·         Marquesas Monarch Pomarea mendozae (E)

·         Fatuhiva Monarch Pomarea whitneyi (E)

·         Silver-eye Zosterops lateralis (I)

·         Common Myna Acridotheres tristis (I)

·         Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild (I)

·         Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis (I)

·         Chestnut-breasted Munia Lonchura castaneothorax (I)

·         Crimson-backed Tanager Ramphocelus dimidiatus (I)

 

Other Fauna 
There are no native mammals, reptiles or amphibians. There are native, endemic fish: 13 freshwater and 50 marine.

Endemic fish

 

Flora 
There are 8 endemic plants, see link above.

 

Extinct species

There is a long list of extinct species including birds for French Polynesia, this list covers all Oceania.

List of extinct animals of Oceania


Author: BSG

 

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