Trip Reports - Koro Island

Observed on Koro Island, Fiji

Background
As far as birds are concerned, Koro is a very poorly known island – there appear to be no publications or reports of the birds from Koro, other than the Whitney South Sea Expedition in December 1924.

I visited the island for the second time December 28th 2000 to January 5th 2001 and stayed at Dere Bay. My first visit was in 1985 (?) and was only a matter of half a day.
I walked quite extensively in the hills around the Bay, but the time in the really good forest on the top ridge was quite limited – four or five hours on two days and during the middle of the day.

I was surprised not to see Golden Whistlers – I will have to go back and be in the forest at dawn before confirming that they have been lost from the island. Similarly more survey in open areas to confirm the absence of the Woodswallow.

Send your observations as a word document or as a .pdf file, attached to an email: Watling@is.com.fj

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© Copyright Environment Consultants 2001

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English name	Scientific name	Comments
Reef Heron	Egretta sacra	Both grey and white phase
Pacific Black Duck	Anas superciliosa	Not observed but reported by villagers
Fiji Goshawk	Accipiter rufitorques
Junglefowl	Gallus gallus	Common
Banded Rail	Gallirallus philippensis
Sooty Rail	Porzana tabuensis	Not observed but reported by villagers
Swamphen	Porphyrio porphyrio	Not observed but reported by villagers
Swamp Harrier	Circus approximans
White-throated Pigeon	Columba vitiensis	Seen once
Spotted Turtle-dove	Streptopelia chinensis
Friendly Ground-dove	Gallicolumba stairii
Peale's Pigeon	Ducula latrans	Quite common
Many-coloured Fruit-dove	Ptilinopus perousii	Quite common
Collared Lory	Phigys solitarius	Common
Red-breasted Musk Parrot	P. tabuensis	Very common
Barn Owl	Tyto alba
White-rumped Swiftlet	Collocalia spodiopygia
Pacific Swallow	Hirundo tahitica
White-collared Kingfisher	Todiramphus chloris	Breeding
Island Thrush	Turdus poliocephalus
Lesser Shrikebill	Clytorhynchus vitiensis	Breeding
Vanikoro Broadbill	Myiagra vanikorensis
Golden Whistler	Pachycephala pectoralis	Collected by Whitney Expedition, but not observed by me
Silvereye	Zosterops lateralis	Common, breeding
Orange-breasted Myzomela	Myzomela jugularis	Very common
Common Mynah	Acridotheres tristis	About 5-10 birds in Nakodu village; 1 in Sinuvaca, 1 in Naqaidamu, 2 reported Batiri Estate; 3 flying across Dere Bay
Polynesian Starling	Aplonis tabuensis
Fiji Woodswallow	Artamus mentalis	Collected by Whitney Expedition, but not observed by me
Wandering Tattler	Heteroscelus incanus	Two only
Crested Tern	Sterna bergii
White-naped Tern	Sterna sumatrana	Breeding
Red-footed Booby	Sula sula	Single bird seen flying offshore

Trip Reports - Koro Island