Species Guardian Action Update: October 2012

Tahiti Monarch Pomarea nigra

Tahiti Monarch (© Pete Morris/www.rarebirdsyearbook.com)

Background

The Tahiti Monarch, endemic to the Society Islands, is one of four globally threatened Pomarea flycatchers found in French Polynesia. A further four species have already gone extinct with Eiao Monarch P. fluxa and Ua Pou Monarch P. mira having been lost as recently as the 1970s and 1980s, respectively. Although Tahiti Monarch is believed to have been rare throughout the 20th Century, by the 1980s it was on the verge of being restricted to just four valleys in the west of the island. Surveys conducted in September 1998 confirmed the species’s perilously low population, with a mere 27 individuals (12 pairs) located. Although numerous factors may have contributed to the species’s decline, including introduced and plants, the primary factor is thought to be nest predation by Rattus rattus. Indeed, following the introduction of year-round rodent control in 2004, abandoned territories have been reoccupied and the population has recovered to about 40 birds.

Actions being implemented

1. A Short Species Action Plan was prepared in 2011, summarizing the knowledge on Tahiti Monarch conservation and the action planned for the next 5 years.

2. The rodent control programme is ongoing; areas controlled for rats increased notably during 2011 and there have been no records of nest predation by rats in these valleys since 2008.

3. Control methods are used during the monarch breeding season to reduced the disturbance and predation threats posed by introduced birds, namely the common myna (Acridotheres tristis) and the red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer). There are plans to set up camera devices to further document the impacts of these birds on monarch nests.

4. Efforts have been made to involve landowners and inhabitants of the valleys. A Site Support Group (SSG) was established in 2009, but participation at meetings has been low. There have been recent proposals to set up SSG’s for each valley.

5. The project has raised awareness and gained support through its recent media presence. A fundraising application was held in conjunction with the local media, with articles published in the local newspaper and on a local website, and an interview was given on Tahiti Monarch conservation on a local television channel.

6. Recent studies have indicated that a second population could be established on Rimatara Island (Australes archipelago, South to Tahiti); a ship rat free island with sufficient suitable habitat to establish ~70 pairs. Management actions for this translocation have been specified.

Left; Meeting with Hopuetamai landowners, Nov. 11. Right; installation of a myna trap at the entrance of a valley (Photo: C. Blanvillain).

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