Did you know….the national bird of Fiji is the Kula, or Collared Lory (Phigys solitaries)? This striking bird may be seen anywhere there are suitable flowering trees from mangrove to mountain top, as well as in urban Suva. If their beautiful colors aren’t enough to make you aware of them, kulas call attention to themselves with penetrating screeches! Their beautiful scarlet feathers used to be prized highly by Samoans and Tongans for ceremonial dress and mat edgings. Although we now substitute wool for feathers, Fijians still call decorative mat edging “kula.”

“Forests and Biodiversity – Too precious to lose!” is the theme of the upcoming International Day of Forests on March 21. Each day until then, we’ll be sharing information about a different bird highlighted in our special edition playing cards. We hope you enjoy learning more about the precious diversity you can find right here in our Fijian forests! #IntlForestDay #IDOF2020