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Notes on the status of Kuhl's Lorikeet Vini kuhlii in the Northern Line Islands, Kiribati

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2010

Dick Watling
Dick Watling
Affiliation:
Box 2041, Government Buildings, Suva, Fiji
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Kuhl's Lorikeet Vini kuhlii has a precarious status reflected by its disjunct distribution in the Pacific, with surviving populations in the Northern Line (Kiribati) and Austral Islands (French Polynesia) some 3,000 km apart, possibly as a result of Polynesian trade in red feathers. The species is extinct in the southern Cook Islands. On Rimatara (Austral Islands), where it is believed indigenous, it is still common but the recent introduction of the Rattus norvegicus is of concern. In the Northern Line Islands, R. rattus appears to have all but extirpated the lorikeet on Tabuaeran (Fanning Island), but one small population has apparently survived for over 70 years, an explanation for which may guide in situ conservation of Vini lorikeets on ship-rat-infested islands elsewhere. The arid and unpredictable climate of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) may preclude the establishment of lorikeets. Only on Teraina (Washington Island), where over 1,000 V. kuhlii survive, are there no confirmed threats and good in situ conservation potential.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , December 1995 , pp. 481 - 489
Copyright
Copyright © Birdlife International 1995

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