Find Fiji’s most endangered forest bird – Kulawai

Find Fiji’s most endangered forest bird – Kulawai

In November 2019, in partnership with our friends from IUCN Oceania Regional Office, BirdLife International, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, National Trust of Fiji and the Fiji Museum, we launched our campaign to raise funds to find Fiji’s most endangered forest bird, the Kulawai.

  • Fiji $5 note specimen
  • KULAWAI – RED-THROATED LORIKEET
  • Photo by: Bill Beckon

Last seen in 1993, and last photographed in the 1970’s we fear that this small forest bird may be extinct.

We believe that our Kulawai still survives on the island of Taveuni – Fiji’s conservation stronghold. Taveuni is now considered the most likely place to find it as its forests have changed less than those of Viti Levu over the last 50 years, with the vast majority of its forest remaining untouched.

This Kulawai The Search Logo was kindly gifted by artist Craig Marlow, digitised and laid out by Moko Productions. You can read more about the fundraising campaign here.

From the 03rd to the 14th of August, our Kulawai friends, led by Fiji’s very own ornithologist, Vilikesa Masibalavu will be searching for the Kulawai on Taveuni.

In 2003, Vilikesa led the rediscovery of the Long-legged warbler. He further went on to identify Fiji’s Important Bird Areas and in 2005 with Guy Dutson, published “Important Bird Areas in Fiji: Conserving Fiji’s natural heritage”. In NatureFiji-MareqetiViti’s early days in 2008 – 2010, Vilikesa ran bird watching training workshops to help build local expertise in bird identification. One of his students, Meli Naiqama has now become a forest warden and bird and tour guide for the Greater Tomaniivi IBA.

  • The team will be stationed at a high viewpoint overlooking the tree canopies
  • The team will observe flowering vuga trees over many hours and days
  • Vilikesa ran birdwatching training for youths in 2008
  • The lush mountain ranges in the interior of Viti Levu, where the Kulawai was last seen in 1993
  • We met Nakula at the RoC market in 2019, and he enthusiastically took a picture with this “yaca”.
  • Vilikesa with actor, Harrison Ford when he visited Fiji’s largest protected area, the Sovi Basin.
  • Team Kulawai
  • Fiji’s parrots drawn to scale (by Anne O’Brien). The Kulawai is smaller than the big parrots, but slightly bigger than the small parrot finches.

Join us in our search for our Kulawai. The team’s itinerary is here.

The search will be fully funded by our membership through your annual subscription. Join us and help us find our Kulawai.