Fiji Birds
Male orange-breasted Myzomela. Mark Fraser photo.
- marvels of the natural world
I
t is the Year of the Bird. 2018 marks the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the most powerful and important bird-protection law ever passed. In honour of this milestone, National Geographic, the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and BirdLife International have joined forces with more than 100 other organizations and millions of people around the world to celebrate 2018 as the “Year of the Bird.” This effort aims to raise public awareness of birds because of their wonder and beauty - and because they symbolize nature’s interconnectedness and the importance of caring for our shared planet. As the world celebrates the splendor of birds, EXPLORE Fiji magazine features some of Fiji’s birds which are by far the country’s most eye-catching form of terrestrial wildlife. They are inspirational, they sing, they are fairly easy to observe and identify, and there is a limited number of species. Our magazine cover features a male orangebreasted Myzomela which is endemic to Fiji. It breeds on all the islands except Rotuma and is a familiar bird in gardens as well as rural forest and mangrove habitats, plus among coconut trees in disturbed areas. Fiji’s first-ever State of Birds report was released in 2013 by NatureFiji-MareqetiViti with the
assistance of BirdLife International, the Department of the Environment and local ornithologists. NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is the only domestic NGO working solely for the conservation and sustainable management of Fiji’s unique natural heritage. The report said birds have been of huge cultural significance to Fijians in a variety of ways – they were key to successful inter-island navigation; the feathers of some were important as a trade item and prized for edging fine mats; and some were an important food source. Today, many mataqali (landowning clans) have a bird as their clan totem. It notes that all of Fiji’s birds are special but some are particularly important. These are our endemic birds – those that are found only in the Fiji Islands. Fiji has 27 endemic birds, comprising nearly half of our land birds. There is just one endemic seabird, the critically endangered Fiji Petrel. Pacific Robin. Kevin Vang photo.
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