Stamps

LES OISEAUX EN POLYNESIE FRANCAISE (Year 1980 issue)

	GYGIS ALBA - ITATAE
	VINI PERUVIANA - VINI
	FREGATA MINOR - OTAHA

LES OISEAUX EN POLYNESIE FRANCAISE

	PTILINOPUS - 'U'UPA Description : 20 cm - very beautiful small sized pigeon, upper part in dark green, head and chest in grey-green, crown in purple, beak in yellow, feet claret colored, yellow underneath the caudals. Habitat : rarely found in garden, this forest bird is quite typical in the vaUeys. It travels alone, by couples or in small groups. It eats mainly the fruit of banian and ylang-ylang trees.
	STERNA BERGII - TARAPAPA Description : 46 cm - a large sized sea-bird, generally light in appearance. Adult : upper side grey, white underneath with black crown. Young bird : grey.yellow dotted back, a barely visible black crown. Long and strong yellow beak, short black feet. Habitat : found in the lagoons and low-lands, tufted turn fishes alone or by isolated groups in the shallow waters.
	ESTRILIDA ASTRILD - VINI Description : 11 cm - a small sized generally brown bird with red stomach. Habitat : particularly appreciates fallow lands, cultivated and graminaeous zones.

LES OISEAUX EN POLYNESIE FRANCAISE

	EGRETTA SACRA - OTU'U Description : 50 cm, a big bird with long yellow feet, a long neck and a pointed yellow beak. One can distinguish two colorsphases) white and grey. White specimen with grey dots are not intermediate phases (not present in Polynesia) but youg birds of white mutation. One must note that the latter, very rare in Tahiti, are more common on the atolls. Habitat : The Reef Heron is found on reefs, beaches and river mouths.
	PLUVIALIS DOMINICA - TOREA Description :33 cm,slender gait, long feet and fairly short beak. It has its winter plummage (October to Februaru) with a white brow, a dark brown back spotted with gold, a pale belly ; a summer plummage (February-March to September) with the belly, chest and throat black, separated from the brown back by a white strip. Habitat : Can be observed either isolated or in groups of up to 30 or 40 birds. It is found on beaches, mudholes, open areas (landing strips) high tableland and prairies (Taravao).
	LONCHURA CASTANEOTHORAX - VINI Description : 12 cm, a small sized bird, black throat, brown chest separated from the belly by a black strip, brown back gold under the caudal, blue colored beak. Habitat : Present in gardens, slopes covered with ferns, but particularly abundant in humid areas. generally live in small flocks. The nest is a large structure made of grass. Lays three to four eggs.

OISEAUX UNIQUES AU MONDE (1)

	MEHO - SOOTYCRAKE - PORZANA TABUENSIS With greyish feathers, the Meho is an endangered species, in particular since cats were introduced in the country. This type of bird is more heard than seen. When disturbed, it runs away and otherwise fles very little. His habitat varies considerably, from mountain forests to bushes bordering swamp areas.
	PIHITI - THE LORI BIRD OF THE MARQUESAS - VINI ULTRAMARINA This small and yet magnificent bird, with blue feathers, lives in the woodiand in the interior and near the shores of the islands of Ua Pou and Ua Huka. It lives mainly on -fruits, nectar and insects... As this bird is one of the protected species, hunting, hawking and possession of such birds is prohibited.

OISEAUX UNIQUES AU MONDE (2)

KOTE'UTE'U - The Tuamotuan Wood King Fisher - Halcyon gambieri (Oustalet) Size: 17 cm
This magnificent, small-sized bird now lives exclusively in the Island of Niau, in the Tuamotus. It disappeared from the Gambier Islands long ago and lires in the forests and coconut groves, where insects and lizards are its staple food.
A major change occurring in the ecological equilibrium of Niau (introduction of animais or destruction of part of the forest) would mean that the species could disappear for good.
Consequently, the Tuamotuan King Fisher is listed among the protected species, the hunting, carrying and possession of which is prohibited.

VINI URA - The Lori of Kuhl - Vini kuhlii (Vigors) Size: 18 cm
The Vini Ura lives in the coastal wooded areas, in the hills inland and in the gardens of Rimatara, in the Australs. This parakeet lives mainly on fruit.
This type of bird is listed among the protected species, the hunting, carrying and possession of which is prohibited.

OISEAUX UNIQUES AU MONDE (3)

KOKO - HUTTON'S PTILOPE - PTILINOPUS HUTTONI Size : 31 cm
This bird is found exclusively in the Island of Rapa and in an extremely low number. Forests are its natural habitat and it feeds on fleshy fruit, flowers and nectar. As it is threatened by deforestation, a rescue plan has been set up to prevent the extinction of the species.

UPE - FRUIT PIGEON OF THE MARQUE SAS - DUCULA GALEATA (Bonaparte) Size : 55 cm
The fruit pigeon of the Marquesas is found exclusively in the northwestern valleys of the Island of Nuku Hiva, although some Marquesan legends say that it was also found in the southern group of the Marquesan Archipelago. It lives in the forests covering valleys and plateaux. This bird dwells exclusively in trees, feeds with fleshy fruit picked in trees. This giant pigeon has been proclaimed a protected species as hunting will, in the long run, cause its extinction.

OISEAUX MARINS DE POLYNESIE

	Red-footed booby (Sula sula) This bird is a part of the 3 species recorded in French Polynesia and is actually the smallest of them. Quite gregarious, this bird forms impressive colonies, which may' exceed a thousand individuals and is always recognizable due to its red feet but also to its blue beak.
	Great frigatebird (Fregata minor) This superb gliding bird nests in trees on sea shores, on atolls where it knows it will not be bothered. This particular type, of which the specimen introduced here is a young one still in nest, is unquestionably the fastest bird in our skies. The characteristic of the frigatebird is that it never hunts by itself but merely steals food from other kinds of birds by charging down on them while they are flying, thus forcing them to release their prey. The male is identified by a crimson crop which stands out against its jet-black plumage.
	Brown noddy (Anous stolidus) There exists 7 species of terns and noddies in our archipelagoes and this brown noddy is found almost everywhere. Most of the time, it nests on the ground itself, in areas where dead coral is found and white it is still abundant, the vert' fact that it nests on the ground makes it obviously vulnerable. Morover, its chicks, like those of other wild birds, are quite fragile and should never be touched or handled, even to take pictures.

Birds of Polynesia

		A'O, a green heron, Butorides Striatus Patruelis A common bird in the early 20th century, the A'o today cannot be found but in Tahiti where there are nothing but a hundred individuals of this endangered species. It nests mostly in the coastal land vegetation and at the mouth of some rivers. It enjoys staying in the undergrowth of "purau" trees (the "purau" is a variety of large hibiscus tree blooming with daily yellow flowers that turn reddish before dusk) but is often seen flying up the valleys. It feeds on fish and chevrettes (Tahitian fresh water prawns).
		Vini, Lori nonette, Vini peruviana This species has disappeared from Tahiti and the other high islands of the Society archipelago, partly because of the introduction into the country of the Gould harrier. It can also be found on certain atolls (such as Rangiroa, Scilly, ...) where it feeds on fruit and above ail on flower nectar.
		O'mamao, Tahiti Monarch, Pomarea Nigra The O'mamao is an endangered Tahiti's endemic bird species. Only a dozen of pairs nest in the rain forest of the Tahiti's west coast. A conservation program is being implemented by the Manu association (In the Tahitian language "manu" means "bird").

These birds are listed among the protected species which it is prohibited to destroy, mutilate, capture, hold, sell and purchase pursuant to article n° 296 CM dated March 18th, 1996.

Birds in Polynesia

Tuamotu sandpiper, Prosobonia cancellata (Gmelin, 1789), Chevalier des Tuamotu, titi (Tuamotu), kivikivi (Mangareva).
17 cm. Formerly a migrating bird, it became sedentary a few thousands years ago in the Tuamotu. It represents the last species of a unique genus (Prosobonia). It breeds in this island group only and nowhere else in the world. The Tuamotu sandpiper disappeared from many islands during the last century. This species which is threatened by extinction can only be found in a small number of uninhabited atolls where cats and black rats are absent. This bird is far from being shy and is very curious. The Tuamotu inhabitants named it after the sound of its cry: "ti-ti". It likes living by the beaches and the dry areas with scattered bushes, where it feeds on small insects.

Society Islands ground-dove, Gallicolumba erythroptera (Gmelin, 1789), Gallicolombe érythroptère, amaho or u'uairao (Tahiti), tutururu (Tuamotu), itikoe (Mangareva).
25 cm. The Society Islands ground-dove was first described by naturalists in James Cook's early expeditions. It has disappeared from Tahiti for a long time now. This bird, which is unique in the world, is quite tame. It can be found only in three remote and uninhabited Tuamotu atolls, which are still free from cats and rats. With a total number of about one hundred individuals, the grounddove is among the most threatened species in the world, and is considered to be under critical threat of extinction. It lives at the border of woody areas on motu (islets) and it feeds on purslane buds.

Book of self-adhesive stamps Birds in Polynesia

	Kuhl's Lorikeet / Vini kuhlii Sanderling / Calidris alba White Tern / Gygis alba Blue Lorikeet / Vini peruviana
	Society Imperial-pigeon / Ducula aurorae Crimson-backed Tanager / Ramphocelus dimidiatus Wandering Tattler / Tringa incana Tuamotu Kingfisher / Todiramphus gambieri
	Rapa Fruit-dove / Ptilinopus huttoni Crested Tern /Sterna bergii Brown Booby / Sula leucogaster Pacific Golden-plover / Pluvialis fulva

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