Did you ever know that birds were a contributing factor to the success of the sugar industry? Until recently, the industry had been the backbone of the country’s economy?
According to Birdlife International mynahs and bulbul are among the 12 species of birds that were introduced 150 years ago during the indenture system.
Interesting, aye?
Did you know that in Fijian mythology the first Fijians to be created were off the eggs of Turukawa the hawk? According to the myth, Degei lived a lonely life with only Turukawa, the hawk, as a friend. One day, Turukawa disappeared, and Degei went in search for her. He came across Turukawa’s nest, in which he found two abandoned eggs which he promptly took to his own house to nurture. After several weeks of nesting, the eggs hatched to reveal two tiny human bodies. Degei raised the humans and told them stories that revealed the nature of all things. These were the first two Fijians.
Again interesting, aye?
A flock of birds hovering over the waters signals to fishermen the location of a school of fish. Another huge flock of sea birds flying inland is a signal of adverse weather conditions approaching.
Interesting.
Now if the kacau or Fiji petrel (Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi)becomes extinct then it is like taking away a piece of identity of the people of Gau. The reason; the bird is endemic to Fiji and found only on the island of Gau.
However one may see it, birds play an integral part in our society. Birds are a food source, birds are part of our culture, birds have also helped contribute to the rise of the Fiji economy.
Birds were an inspiration towards the creation of aeroplanes. Birds are a representation of the possibility of freedom to soar without boundaries.
This week we take you on a new journey of discovery, we discover birds in Fiji.
There are a total of 166 species of birds in Fiji — 117 of these are frequently sighted while the remaining 49 are only reported in the country on a few occasions.
According to Birdlife International, 84 species are known to breed locally, of which 35 are endemic.
“Of the locally breeding species, 54 are land birds, 18 seabirds and 12 are introduced. Seventy-one other species are known to visit Fiji occasionally, but breed elsewhere: 39 seabirds, 30 shorebirds and two land birds.”
“There are five endemic genera: three species of the shining (or musk) parrots, prosopeia (the Tongan population is introduced); the collared lory or kula, phigys; three fruit doves, chrysoena, the long-legged thicketbird (Warbler) trichocichla and the two species of silktail, lamprolia.”
Mark O’Brien, the regional program co-ordinator for Birdlife International in the Pacific, said the 12 introduced species were brought over as an attempt to prevent insects that were pests to sugar cane and cotton.
“It was the mynahs and the bulbul that were brought over, I would imagine to rid off the beetles and the insects that were devastating the crops.
“They had some impact on that, they ended up doing some more rather than just getting rid of pests. They spread into urban areas, like the common mynah in parts of Suva.”
According to Mr O’Brien some species endemic to Fiji are probably extinct or extinct.
“There are a few species that are likely to be extinct in Fiji. The barred winged rail hasn’t been seen in Fiji in the past 100 years, and that used to be recorded here on Viti Levu and on Ovalau.
“Within Fiji there was also what is called the whistling duck and that has not been seen for a very long time. It is still present in other parts of the world but not in Fiji, it was last seen on Viti Levu about a hundred years ago.
“Our view is that most of these species were extinct when mongoose was introduced into the country. Mongoose is the devastating ground predator and the whistling duck was one of those species that was wiped out. So we have given up looking for these two,” he said.
Mr O’Brien said because of various reasons two more species were now critically endangered. Both the red throated lorikeet (kulawai) and Fijian petrel (kacau) found only in Fiji are now believed to be on the verge of extinction.
He said the Fiji petrel was last seen in 2012, while the kulawai was last sighted in 1993.
“Fiji petrel is a seabird but we think it nests on the high mountain which is Gau. We think it nests up there and spends most of its time out at sea.
“The kulawai, we only see at high altitude like Mount Tomaniivi, we think it’s in other high regions like in Taveuni.
“It’s an interesting bird, when it was regularly seen 30-40 years ago, it usually comes in flocks in lowland even in Suva. It seems to be a bird that flies around quite a bit, so it covers quite a big area.”
Mr O’Brien revealed three reasons that lead to a decline in population thus the extinction of certain species. These are habitat loss as most species are associated with the forest, native forest so it is a combination of loss of native forest, invasive predators and climate change.
“Three of this combined will have a major impact on bird population in the country.
“For us the key driver to its decline is the introduction of predators like rats and mongoose, cats and dogs. We think that quite a number of species became extinct when men first arrived in Fiji. And then when again the white men arrived, they brought a set of species and another set of extinction began.
“So black rats is a serious threat to a lot of species and likely to be in Fiji, so we will be intrigued to know how much black rats have spread into Fiji forest and it’s probably still spreading.
“Then there are man-made activities like agricultural expansion and deforestation.
“Climate change increases the threats and increases the stress on these species. So we need to remove the predators in order for them to be able to cope with the impact of climate change.”
The next big question that one often ponders, is why do birds matter? How important are they to the environment?
Birds are important because they keep systems in balance; they pollinate plants, disperse seeds and recycle nutrients back into the earth.
“For me it’s just an integral part of my spiritual kind of wellbeing. If there are no birds around, I can’t stand it. I think birds represent the natural world, they are a good link to the environment,” said Mr O’Brien.
“The endemic birds are part of our identity, so losing them is like losing a part of your identity.
“If you can’t protect the bird, how can you protect culture?” asked Mr O’Brien.
He said BirdLife was now working with NatureFiji/MareqetiViti looking at how to save critically endangered endemic species.
“We provide technical expertise, and the money or we help look for funding.
“So we work closely with NatureFiji and locals so they know how to monitor the bird, how to mark the bird, how to handle the bird and how to protect the bird.
“Think about how much value those birds are in the forest and in those areas. So when you thinking of your forest think of all the birds. For people around the country, forest loss is the biggest threat. Birds add value by being there, their colours, what would the forest be without the sound of the bird singing?”
Conservationist Andy Mauro once wrote in Why Birds Matter:
Nature’s gift to grace the sky.
Flights of fancy, spirits high.
With cheerful song they greet
the day
And gently ease our cares
away.
Fact file:
* 166 species of birds;
* 35 are endemic to Fiji; and
* 20 important bird areas in Fiji.
