New Hope for Exotic Parrots on Cook Islands
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Hunted to local extinction nearly 2 centuries ago, the Rimatara lorikeet has been re-established to Atiu, one of the Cook Islands with the aid of the islands’ royalty and funds raised at last year’s British Bird Watching Fair.
One of 27 Rimatara lorikeets reintroduced to Atiu. Photo Phil Bender
The queen of Rimatara Island in French Polynesia issued a royal declaration roughly 100 years ago that locals claim saved the last naturally occurring population of the lorikeet. The decree thwarted lorikeets from being caught and removed from Rimitara. Queen Rongomatane of Atiu in the Cook Islands escorted 27 of the birds on the passage back to her island.
The Rimatara Lorikeet has a green back, wings and crown, a blue nape and legs, bright red undersides and face, and purple patches on the back of its neck and on its belly.
It became extinct in Atiu and the other Cook Islands before 1820, as it was hunted for its radiant red feathers used in ceremonial costumes. Later, the Black or Ship’s Rat became widely established in French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, devastating two other Pacific parrot species, the Blue Lorikeet and the Ultramarine Lorikeet.
Photo Clair Moss
After confirming that Atiu was free of Black Rats and had the same trees and shrubs as Rimatara to ensure the birds would find the nectar and fruit they needed, Gerald McCormack of the Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust led the reintroduction which has taken 15 years from inception.
McCormack said, “On previous occasions the removal of birds from their island resulted in the birds’ deaths, a phenomenon they attributed to the tapu of their late Queen.”
“The community finally agreed to the reintroduction program only after they understood how the spread of the Ship Rat had destroyed island populations of the Blue Lorikeet and the Ultramarine Lorikeet, and that there was a scarcity of suitable ship-rat-free islands in French Polynesia. By agreeing, the community made it very clear that they were sharing their bird with Atiu so it could live in the wild without interference, and that it should never be transferred to any other island or country.”
There have been regular sightings since their reintroduction. McCormack says the birds have spread over the entire 12 square miles of the island of Atiu, a coral atoll also known as Enuamanu — land of the birds — 117 miles northeast of Rarotonga, the capital of the Cook Islands, reports Bird’s Guide.
“As of August, sunny-day flocks are up to 13 birds and some apparent pairs are being reported. We are now organizing a community contest to find the first juveniles as evidence of breeding.”
Photo OzJustin
“This was the bird that provided the feathers for chiefs and ceremonial costumes — and most red feathered birds in the Pacific have been wiped out.” McCormack said Thursday.
“I would expect these birds to boom, creating a little bit more of a barrier against extinction.” he added.
Up to 1,000 of the birds live in the wild on Rimitara.
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Such beautiful birds but get a bunch of them together and they really make a racket. Lorikeets are regular visitors to our garden. They seem a little braver than some of the other parrots around here who prefer to remain closer to the nature reserves. I think it wonderful that they are being successfully reintroduced to the island.
I hadn’t thought about that Sue. A friend of mine takes in rescue parrots providing a permanent home for them, and also breeds them. They do make an lot of noise, and their squawks can be very shrill, especially when they’re demanding your attention.
But they’re highly intelligent creatures. I’ve heard parrots in general have the intelligence of an average 6 year old child. They can be an awful lot of fun.
They require considerable attention and don’t do well in homes where the owner isn’t home much through the day. They suffer severely for it. One parrot my friend took in had plucked most all feathers off that he could reach from the stress of being alone too much and not receiving individual attention.
That’s so cool that you have them flying freely where you live
stunning photos Deborah….
it’s enough motivation to paint them haha….
I had a cockatoo once but the lorikeets are plentiful here (as Sue mentioned)….the colours are incredible…. IRL too !!!!
I remember painting a pair of parrots a few years ago…but I painted over them….tsk tsk
What a shame that you painted over them, but for some reason I’m not surprised, haha. I’d love to see you paint parrots Kim, particularly in your ‘cubism’ style you used for The Turban
They are really very beautiful…why would people want to hunt such beautiful creatures. What can i do to save them from extinction?
SEO WD, maybe there’s like a fund you can donate to.
Those birds are definitely beautiful. There was a place I went to a few years ago that was just about 3 hours drive away from one of the most polluted cities in the world, and right there in that tiny cove – I saw parrots of all sizes and colors (red ones being more abundant) flying around freely.
It’s sad to think how many different types of species have become extinct because of the greed of humans.
This is a great story and I would be interested to know if these parrots are still doing well and continuing to increase and thrive. I always go to the Bird Fair if I am in the UK at the right time and it’s great to hear about a success story like this.
I am looking for unusual and exotic art techniques. Anyone have any new ideas?