Fiji's finches and other unique land birds

When I arrived in Fiji to take up a job at the University of the South Pacific (USP), I knew nothing about Fiji's birds. If I'd given the islands' avian life any thought at all, I would have imagined tropical birds of the sea and shore would be dominant on this archipelago of more than 300 small islands. I hadn't realised Fiji's biggest islands were sufficiently large and mountainous to support extensive forested areas, despite the depredations of agriculture, forestry and tourism.

Within a few days, I was in for a technicolour surprise. Walking through the lush grounds of USP to my building, I encountered a small flock of tiny birds fluttering on the grass, cheeping sociably. Puffballs of brilliant emerald, scarlet and blue, they seemed to bounce as they fed. Entranced, I watched until they flew away, then rushed into my department where my new colleagues listened to my description and identified the Fiji parrot finch, a common sight on campus.

Fiji parrot finch. Source: Aviceda via Wikimedia

Birds of Fiji's forests

After several weeks we found a house to rent in an outer suburb, close to the hills of the Suva peninsula where some remnant forest thrived. Our compound consisted of mown grass, palms, guava, orange and cumquat trees and border hedges of hibiscus and ginger. Somehow, this environment attracted daily visits of parrot finches and other native birds including the collared lory or kula, Fiji's national bird, kingfishers, honeyeaters and others we never identified.. These endemic species more than held their own in our garden among the common species introduced in the last two centuries - the Indian mynahs and bulbuls. The native birds seem to have adapted well to suburban gardens that supply their dietary needs, whether seeds, nectar or insects.

Most of Fiji's 66 land bird species are forest-dwelling, and 34 are endemic. Fiji has a higher bird diversity than the Galapagos Islands, where Charles Darwin's observations of the variations in different species of finch in 1835 led him to propose his theory of evolution of species by natural selection, which blew the scientific world apart.

Collared lory (Kula), Fiji's national bird

How did forest birds get to Fiji?

How did the ancestors of birds like the tiny, feather-light parrot finches get to Fiji? There are only two possible ways: by air, being blown willy-nilly by strong winds or by sea, travelling on vegetation rafts. The key factors in the evolution of Fiji's bird ancestors are the archipelago's isolation and age (over 26 million years), which allowed extensive speciation and unique adaptations. Birds evolved to exploit various niches (seeds, insects, fruits), similar to Darwin's finches but in a much older setting, with species like the collared lory (Kula) adapting to diverse flowering plants. 

Prehistoric human arrival led to the loss of several land birds, including flightless rails, megapodes, and pigeons, known only from fossils, significantly increasing species richness in prehistory. Read more in another post here. From prehistoric times to the present, the conversion of native forests (over half the land area) to grasslands for agriculture drastically impacted forest-dependent endemic birds. Added to these negative impacts, deliberate and accidental introductions, like the Indian mynah, compete with native birds and disrupt ecosystems, impacting forest specialists. 

Fiji sub-species of Pacific kingfisher Source: Wikimedia Commons

Current threats to Fiji's unique land birds

The main threats to Fiji's land birds have already led to significant declines and extinctions of unique endemic species. 

• Habitat Loss: Conversion of native forests for agriculture, housing, and tourism destroys vital bird habitats, with over half of Fiji's native forest cover lost.

• Invasive Species: Introduced predators, particularly rats, severely impact ground-nesting and forest birds, pushing species like the Fiji petrel and long-legged warbler towards extinction.

• Agriculture and Logging: These activities are major drivers of deforestation, reducing forest cover and fragmenting remaining habitats, impacting forest-dependent bird species.

• Pollution: Heavy metal pollution, from sources like batteries and industrial waste, threatens bird food sources and habitats, particularly near coasts. 

  
  

Future prospects

The Fiji government is aware of the threats and has enacted protective legislation for native fauna. However, policing the legislation is notoriously difficult because of Fiji's geography and inadequate enforcement bodies. However, there's some good news from recent scientific research. A significant recent study measured the diversity, abundance, and distribution of endemic, native, and introduced bird species over a 5-year period. This study showed stable populations across five years in Fiji’s forest bird communities, but not those in grasslands.

"Given that most of Fiji’s forests have been degraded, the finding that the age of the forest was not a strong predictor for avian species diversity or abundance is a positive sign for bird conservation in Fiji. It suggests that secondary forests have great value for native Fijian birds and that reforestation and improved habitat connectivity should be effective tools to sustain Fiji’s forest birds." Naikatini AN, et al 2023

In my layman's opinion, there is much cause for hope in the future of Fiji's captivating land birds.

Reference:

Naikatini AN, Keppel G, Brodie G, Kleindorfer S. (2023) Avian diversity and abundance across years: consistent patterns in forests but not grasslands on Viti Levu, Fiji. Pacific Conservation Biology 29, 223–237. https://doi.org/10.1071/PC21039

I would love to answer any questions from readers about Fiji, or my books. Please comment on this post or email me on bernadette@bmallsopp.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

again, all the best for 2026,

Bernadette