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Site description (2007 baseline):

Fonualei IBA comprises the whole island of Fonualei which supports a recently established population of the Tongan megapode Megapodius pritchardii, and another globally threatened species, the friendly ground-dove Gallicolumba stairi. The island is an isolated active volcano, approximately 200 ha in area and the megapodes lay their eggs in soil heated by volcanic ducts. The sooty tern Sterna fusca nests in very large numbers on the island and two restricted range species, the wattled honeyeater Foulehaio carunculata and the Polynesian starling Aplonis tabuensis occur on the island.

Fonualei is known primarily for its large colony of sooty tern Sterna fuscata which was estimated at over 100,000 in 1980 (Jenkins 1980). In 2003, there were three colonies on the island, the largest in the crater was over one hectare in area and quite densely packed (Watling 2003). More recently, Fonualei has become better known because of the successful translocation to the island of the Tongan megapode Megapodius pritchardii (Beaudry et al. 1997; Watling 2003) by Dieter Rinke and staff of the Tongan Wildlife Centre in 1993. Also occurring on the island is the friendly ground-dove Gallicolumba stairi, the wattled honeyeater Foulehaio carunculata and the Polynesian starling Aplonis tabuensis. The Whitney South Seas Expedition collected on the island, August 25 1925, their collections included a vagrant pintail duck Anas acuta, the only record ever in the region.

Non-bird biodiversity: There is no plant list for Fonualei and nothing recorded on faunal groups other than the birds.

Fonualei is an isolated island about 65 km north west of Vava’u. It is a round volcanic cone with a fumarolically active crater, approximately 1.5km across, which rises to about 195m. There are steep cliffs on all but the eastern side. There is a fresh lava flow extending from a breach of the crater to the south west, extending to the sea where it forms a rugged shoreline. Eruptions in 1846/7 and in 1864 covered Vava'u with ash which also blew onto ships 800 km away. There were new lava flows in 1939 and explosions in 1943. Significant eruptions took place in 1946/7 which formed a new cone inside the crater (Crane 1992). Fonualei island (photo: courtesy of Rene Dekker in Watling 2003). Thermal vents and areas of warmed soil from which steam rises early on cool mornings can be seen at several places around the island. Most of Fonualei is barren, relatively recent larva flows with myriads of small cliffs and ravines of jagged black larva covered in vines, ferns and shrubs. There are small areas of stunted trees up to 5 m, dominated by Macaranga harveyi, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Morinda citrifolia and Ficus scabra and only in a few steep gulleys and slopes, but for the most part vegetation is either absent or comprised of 1-3m shrubs of these and other species (Watling pers.obs.).

Fonualei is difficult to land on, very isolated and has no agricultural potential. It is rarely visited by people. The greatest threat to the avifauna at present would appear to be volcanic eruption.

There are no research or conservation projects on Fonualei at the present time (Prescott & Folaumoetu’i, 2004).

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Fonualei (Tonga). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/fonualei-iba-tonga on 23/11/2024.