Data Zone
Country/territory: Fiji
IBA Criteria met: A1, A2 (2006)
For more information about IBA criteria please click here
Area: 7,800 ha
Protection status:
| Most recent IBA monitoring assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | Threat score (pressure) | Condition score (state) | Action score (response) |
| 2018 | high | near favourable | negligible |
| For more information about IBA monitoring please click here | |||
Site description
The terrain is rugged and includes the second and third highest peaks on Kadavu, Mt Niabutubutu at 634 m and Mt Biloniyaqona.
Key biodiversity
A1 Globally threatened species
* Friendly Ground-dove (VU) – uncommon
* Kadavu Shining Parrot (VU) – common
* [Black-faced Shrikebill (VU) – likely to occur in small numbers]
* Whistling Dove (NT) – common * Kadavu Fantail (NT) – common
A2 Restricted-range species
16 (out of 18 on Kadavu and 36 in Fiji), including all four endemic to Kadavu.
On June 6 1925 Correia (1927-1929) recorded:
“many old holes, no birds inside. - only birds found all gray backed; - people went 3 times a week to get [petrels] to eat ; - they start coming in March, and during March and April the people kill many hundreds and take eggs, but they stop killing in May in order to give the younger birds a chance to grow up. In June they start killing the young ones for eating, so this is the reason that very few are left in the holes; - collected about 20 in 2 days.”
Harvesting was still reported in east Kadavu in the 1980s (Watling 1986) and 2004 (V. Masibalavu pers. comm.) and may continue today. It is noteworthy that by 2004 the numbers harvested were at least an order of magnitude lower than Correia (1927-1929) reports from 1925 (V. Masibalavu pers. comm.).
Non-bird biodiversity: East Kadavu has not been surveyed for other biodiversity. The lowland dry forests are likely to support species not occurring at Nabukelevu, the other IBA on Kadavu.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2019) Important Bird Areas factsheet: East Kadavu. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2019.
