The Ornithological Society of Polynesia (French: Société d'Ornithologie de Polynésie), also known as Manu, a Polynesian word for "bird", is an environmental

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats in

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

. It was founded in July 1990 by bird enthusiasts in

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

, for which it is the

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

partner organisation. Its

emblem An emblem is an abstract art, abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' ...

is the

red-tailed tropicbird The red-tailed tropicbird (''Phaethon rubricauda'') is a seabird native to tropical parts of the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Oceans. One of three closely related species of tropicbird (Phaethontidae), it was described by Pieter Boddaert in ...

Activities

The Society publishes the quarterly

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

bulletin ''Te Manu'', which is sent to all members. It is involved in surveys and conservation programs regarding the

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

Polynesian ground dove The Polynesian ground dove or Society Islands ground dove (''Pampusana erythroptera'') or ''Tutururu'' is a Critically Endangered, critically endangered species of bird in the family Columbidae. Originally Endemism, endemic to the Society Islands ...

, Marquesan imperial pigeon, Tuamotu kingfisher,

Tahiti monarch The Tahiti monarch (''Pomarea nigra''), or Tahiti flycatcher, is a rare species of bird in the monarch flycatcher family. It is endemic to Tahiti in French Polynesia. There are between 25 and 100 individuals remaining with an increasing populat ...

, Fatu Hiva monarch; the

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

Phoenix petrel The Phoenix petrel (''Pterodroma alba'') is a medium-sized tropical seabird, measuring up to long, with a wingspan of . It has a dark brown upperparts plumage, white below and whitish throat. The sexes are similar. The Phoenix petrel is found th ...

Tuamotu sandpiper The Tuamotu sandpiper (''Prosobonia parvirostris'') is an endangered member of the large wader family Scolopacidae, that is endemic to the Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia. It is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus ''Aechmorhynchus''. A na ...

, Marquesan ground dove,

Polynesian imperial pigeon The Polynesian imperial pigeon or Society Islands pigeon (''Ducula aurorae'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical o ...

, Rimatara lorikeet,

ultramarine lorikeet The ultramarine lorikeet (''Vini ultramarina'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae, endemic to the Marquesas Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane fo ...

, Marquesan kingfisher,

Marquesan monarch The Marquesan monarch (''Pomarea mendozae'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtr ...

, as well as the

blue lorikeet The blue lorikeet (''Vini peruviana'') is a small Lories and lorikeets, lorikeet from French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. It is also known as the Tahiti lorikeet, violet lorikeet, Tahitian lory, blue lory, nunbird, and the indigo lory. It was ...

and

Tahiti petrel The Tahiti petrel (''Pseudobulweria rostrata)'' is a medium-sized, dark brown and white seabird found across the Pacific Ocean. The species comprises two subspecies: ''P. r. rostrata'' which breeds in the west-central Pacific Ocean, and ''P. r. tr ...

. In July 2023 the society announced a joint program with

Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo () is a zoo, zoological garden in Auckland, New Zealand, situated next to Western Springs Park not far from Auckland's Auckland CBD, central business district. It is run by Auckland Council with the Zoological Society of Auckland as ...

to save the Fatu Hiva monarch from extinction. Eggs will be collected for incubation and hatching, and fledglings raised in a predator-proof aviary. In December 2023 the society was awarded XPF327 million from the French green fund to fund its "Stop Extinction" program. In February 2024 the society reintroduced the Tahitian

Striated heron The striated heron (''Butorides striata'') also known as mangrove heron or little green heron, is a small heron, about 44 cm tall. It is mostly sedentary and noted for some interesting behavioural traits. The breeding habitat is in South Am ...

Huahine Huahine is an island located among the Society Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Leeward Islands (Society Islands), Leeward Islands group ''(Îles sous le V ...

References

Animal welfare organizations based in French Polynesia Bird conservation organizations Ornithological organizations Environment of French Polynesia Environmental organizations established in 1990 1990 establishments in Oceania BirdLife partners {{FrenchPolynesia-stub

Activities

See also

References