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.
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
www.birdingsiteguide.com