Exotic "(Introduced) Birds in Fiji Home, The Collection, Go to Order Page, Mailing List

Exotic Introduced Birds in Fiji

Today, the idea of introducing exotic birds to new lands is frowned upon, but this was not always the case. Fiji's first colonists brought with them the Jungle Fowl, early British and other colonists actively spread birds from their home-countries around the globe. There are records of about 29 species of bird being introduced into Fiji. Fortunately, fewer than half have survived. In contrast, Hawaii has had 162 introduced, of which 70 have probably become established, and New Zealand about 133 of which 40 survived. So Fiji is lucky by comparison!

50 c -Red-vented Bulbul —Uluribi, Ulurua  Pycnonotus   cafer

A conspicuous   bird,    easily   recognised   by the combination of its dark, almost black plumage, black erectile crest, white rump, and scarlet vent. The Red-vented ulbul is native to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Myanmar. Because the arrival of the bulbul in the Pacific was first noticed in Fiji at the turn of the century, it is most likely to have arrived" with the indentured migrants, for it was not deliberately introduced by Fiji's Agriculture Department. The Bulbul holds a special place in Indian literature and folklore and was extensively used as a gaming bird in the subcontinent. The Bulbul is commonly accused of competing and displacing native birds. This has never been studied in detail and the absence of many native birds from gardens and townscapes in the region is not necessarily because of the exotic species such as Bulbuls and Mynahs, as native birds are primarily adapted to forest habitats not open modified habitats.The cycle consists of spawning in freshwater, free embryos drifting downstream to the sea where they will remain during a planktonic phase before returning to rivers to grow and reproduce. As the larvae return to freshwater, often in mass migrations after heavy rainfall, local human populations have developed a culture of harvesting the larvae in huge numbers as an important source of protein. In Fiji these larval fishes are known as cigana but may well be known as other names in different Fijian dialects. This practice of larval harvest is widespread in the Indo-Pacific and is certainly unsustainable given burgeoning human populations and the complexity of the life cycle. It is this movement from ocean to rivers that is the key link in completing the amphidromous life cycle and crucial to maintaining the ecological integrity of insular freshwaters. These stamps aim to assist in highlighting this group for the Fiji Islands by providing awareness of their existence and threatened freshwater environment.

65 c -Spotted Dove - Kukuru, Fasoro Streptopelia chinensis

So-called because of its attractive black and white spotted half-collar,   the   Spotted   Dove  is one of the most widespread exotic birds established in Fiji. A native of southeast Asia, the Spotted Dove was first recorded as being established in Fiji in 1923 where, with the exception of Kadavu, it is found on all the larger islands and their off-shore islets, and some islands of Lomaiviti, Mamanuca and Yasawa. It is usually encountered in villages, suburban gardens, and agricultural land, it sometimes ventures into grass clearings in forested areas, and surprisingly is often found in and around mangroves. The Spotted Dove is a grain eater and it can become a serious pest of certain grain crops such as sorghum.

$1.50 - Australian Magpie -Mekepai Gymorhina tibicen

The Australian Magpie was first introduced to Fiji in the 1880s to control the Coconut Stick Insect which can on occasions be a serious of coconut palms. There have been at least two and probably more separate introductions from Australia, one of which, in 1916, was organised by the Agriculture Department who charged planters £1 a pair. Some of these birds went to plantations on Taveuni, also to Vanua Levu and probably also to Viti Levu, as well as Mago, Laucala and Cicia islands, but only on Taveuni are they quite well established today. The Fijian Magpies are hybrids of the black and white backed races imported from different parts of Australia.

$2.00 - Java Sparrow - Manumanu ni Raisi, Daligavula Padda oryzivora

The Java Sparrow is an attractive large  finch  with  light  grey  plumage and contrasting black  head  with white  cheek ' i patches, and a conspicuous large pink bill. As S2? its name suggests, the Java Sparrow originates from the island of Java in Indonesia, where today it is rare and categorized as a Globally Threatened Species. The Java Sparrow was first recorded in Fiji in 1925 and populations are recorded as having become established on Taveuni, around Savusavu on Vanua Levu and in south-east Viti Levu. However, as in Java, this attractive little finch is declining in Fiji, today only the Viti Levu population survives in small pockets from Bau Landing around to Navua. The Java Sparrow is a strictly grain-eating bird which can seriously damage cultivated rice.

First Day Cover - Jungle Mynah - Maina Mainaloa
Acridotheres fuscus
That there are two species of introduced Mynah in Fiji is often a surprise to even life-long residents. The Jungle or Buffalo Mynah, as illustrated on the envelope, is best distinguished from the Common or Indian Mynah A. tnstis by its black as opposed to brown plumage, the conspicuous tuft of hair­like feathers at the base of the bill and its bright yellow eye. Jungle Mynahs are the more gregarious species and readily congregate in fairly large loose flocks. The native range of the Jungle Mynah is the Indian sub-continent across to the Malay Peninsula. Jungle Mynahs were introduced to Viti Levu in about 1900, but not until after 1938 did they become established on Vanua Levu, where they have not flourished. It was purportedly introduced to Fiji to control Armyworm caterpillars, which can be a serious pest to many crops.
Today, the Jungle Mynah is found abundantly only on Viti Levu and Ovalau and their immediate offshore islands, though it avoids the 'jungle' and prefers pasture and open agriculture land. The Jungle Mynah is much rarer though increasing slowly on Vanua Levu and is present but rare on Taveuni. Interestingly, flocks of Jungle Mynahs manage to colonise fairly distant islands and have become established on isolated islands such as Cicia, Laucala and Namenalala islands; Niuafo'ou in Tonga and as far as Samoa.

$0.50	$0.65
$2.00	$1.50

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