Wildlife· Rimatara· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs

Rimatara Lorikeet

22° 38.8′ S · 152° 47.5′ W · approximate

Rimatara holds the only surviving natural population of Kuhl's lorikeet, the 'ura': a small, endangered parrot with scarlet cheeks and belly, green back and blue nape, feeding on flowering trees in the villages and plantations.

TuamotusMarquesas

Practical

Approximate position: Amaru village (OSM); the birds feed on coconut and banana flowers around the villages. IUCN Endangered. Around 1900 Queen Tamaeva V placed a tapu on the birds, which saved them; the island has stayed free of black rats, the main threat, so never let a rat ashore from your boat. A population reintroduced to Atiu (Cook Islands) in 2007 numbered more than 400 by 2019. Locals call it 'manu ura' / 'vini 'ura' (Wikipedia; Tahiti Tourisme). Watch quietly with binoculars; no playback calls.

Best for

Seeing one of the Pacific's rarest parrots

Nearby