Rimatara lorikeets breeding again on Cook Islands

This video says about itself:

My visit to the Rimatara Lorikeets called “Kura” on Atiu, Cook Islands.

From BirdLife:

Returned Lorikeets breed on Atiu

10-10-2008

Endangered Rimatara Lorikeets Vini kuhlii which were reintroduced to Atiu in the Cook Islands, using money raised by the British Birdwatching Fair, have begun to breed. The people of Atiu have played a part in monitoring and protecting the birds – known locally as Kura – and the hereditary chiefs of the Cook Islands have taken the lead in celebrating the success of the reintroduction.

Fossil and historical evidence show the bird was native throughout the Southern Cook Islands, and Rimatara, a small nearby island in French Polynesia. It was hunted to extinction for its red feathers, except on Rimatara, where it was protected by a tapu (taboo).

After the release in April 2007, the lorikeets were seen in large flocks on many parts of the island, except at the two release sites. Later in the year they settled into small groups which appeared to establish themselves in particular areas.

In October 2007 posters were distributed to advertise a contest with prizes for residents finding the first, second and third juvenile Kura.

See also here.

BirdLife International has received a grant from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) to produce an inventory of priority conservation sites for biodiversity in the Cook Islands: here.

Situated in the south-eastern quarter of Rarotonga, capital of the Cook Islands, the Takitumu Conservation Area (TCA) covers 155 hectares of steep bush-clad hills rising to 220m. Within it is found a thriving population of Rarotonga Monarch (or Kakerori) Pomarea dimidiata – once one of the rarest birds in the world. A new leaflet is attracting increasing numbers of eco-tourists to the sanctuary in search of the unique wildlife found there: here.

Te Ipukarea Society (BirdLife in the Cook Islands) Executive member Ana Tiraa was voted to the IUCN Global Council at the World Conservation Congress. Ana has worked in conservation in the Pacific region for more than 20 years: here.

Australia: A mystery illness resembling human drunkenness leaves dozens of lorikeets sick as parrots in Darwin: here.

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