Birding Factoids

120 species

9 endemic species
6 endangered species,
all of which are endemic
15 speciality birds
One-week trip expectation
60 species including all of the known surviving endemics

Vanuatu
(formerly New Hebrides)
Hotspots

Vanuatu ......Specialities
Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher - ENDANGERED - Photo Naota Noda

Photo copyright Naota Noda

......Field Study of the Royal Parrot Finch and other species on Vanuatu -

by Peter Rindom, Denmark.To make a bird survey was new for me. I am just a little birdkeeper in Denmark with a big heart to Parrot Finches, but I must admit that my traveling friends were very professional in their way to work and coordinate things and I learned quite a lot this summer of the idea with survey and conservation.

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......Trip Report:Vanuatu - 7th-15th September 2002, by Steve Clark.

There are many excellent reasons to visit Vanuatu but the opportunity to see a large number of birds is not one of them. There are seven endemic species but only three of these occur on Efate. I managed to see 24 species and nine were new to me.

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......"This rugged mountainous archipelago, which lies between the

Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, supports 9 endemics, all of which occur on the island of Espiritu Santo. Getting to and around this large island is fairly easy, but it will be neccessary to organize a trek into the interior mountains with local guides to stand a chance of seeing the complete set of endemics." from Where to watch birds in Australiasia and Oceania - by Nigel Wheatley

Tours and Guides

See DISCLAIMER
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birdingpal.com...>>

A Birding Pal is not a paid guide, but someone who likes to help out of town visitors. You can become a Birding Pal today! Help someone to enjoy your local birding spots and find a pal to help you when you travel. Click here for Vanuatu Birding Pals, or join to be a Birding Pal!

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Photo copyright Kevin Roberts

**..Southwest Pacific: Solomon Islands, Vanuatu & New Caledonia with

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT) - Clearly this tour offers more than just the Kagu. The islands of the Southwest Pacific have a lazy, relaxed charm about them, and one of the features enjoyed by all will be the superb accommodations and exquisite food. Each island we visit has its own distinctive ensemble of characteristic and rarely seen endemics. But these are oceanic islands, and as we move further east from the major colonizing source (New Guinea) we will encounter more and more of those bird groups that tend to disperse well over water. Our Southwest Pacific tour begins in the Solomon Islands (Guadalcanal, Makira, and Rennell) and gradually moves eastward to the islands of Vanuatu and New Caledonia. An optional post-tour extension will visit Fiji and Western Samoa, including the island of Upolu in Western Samoa. VENT is one of the few bird tour companies ever to offer a tour to these rarely birded but nevertheless bird-rich islands.

Southwest Pacific: Solomon Islands, Vanuatu & New Caledonia October 20 - November 15, 2001 (27.0 days - Limit 11) with leader David Bishop.

VENT offers nearly 140 tours to over 100 land-based destinations each year and is the largest tour company in the world specializing in birding and natural history.

Eco-Lodges

See DISCLAIMER

Endemics and Specialities

in Vanuatu

Information on endemics and specialities is derived from Sibley & Monroe checklists and bird distribution lists in Thayer's Birder's Diary - Version 2.05, supplemented by material found in Where to watch birds in Australiasia and Oceania - by Nigel Wheatley. Oceania speciality birds, while not endemic, are those that can only be found in three or less countries of Oceania. Information on endangered birds is derived from the IUCN Red List, Birdlife International, and supporting data bases developed by Ian Patton, of Merlin Species Watcher. The endemic, endangered and speciality birds may be uncommon, extremely rare vagrants, may be extirpated in the country now or may only be present in migration. However, documented sightings of each species noted below have been made in Vanuatu.

Endemics in Vanuatu
___ Baker's Imperial-Pigeon ___ Buff-bellied Monarch ___ Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher	___ Mountain Starling ___ New Hebrides Honeyeater ___ Royal Parrotfinch	___ Tanna Fruit Dove ___ Vanuata Scrubfowl ___ Yellow-fronted White-eye

Endangered Birds in Vanuatu (endemics are printed in *bold italic*) for more information about threatened and endangered birds and mammals in Vanuatu, see IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals
Breeding Birds		Non-Breeding Birds
___ *Baker's Imperial-Pigeon* ___ *Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher* ___ *Mountain Starling*	___ *Royal Parrotfinch* ___ *Santa Cruz Ground-Dove* ___ *Vanuatu Scrubfowl*	None

Other Speciality and Near-Endemic Birds in Vanuatu (adapted from Where to watch birds in Australiasia and Oceania - by Nigel Wheatley.)
___ Cardinal Myzomela ___ Dark-brown Honeyeater ___ Fan-tailed Gerygone ___ Guadalcanal Thicketbird ___ Long-tailed Triller	___ Mackinlay's Cuckoo-Dove ___ Melanesian Cuckoo-shrike ___ New Caledonian Flycatcher ___ Palm Lorikeet ___ Polynesian Triller	___ Red-bellied Fruit-Dove ___ Red-headed Parrotfinch ___ Santa Cruz Ground-Dove ___ Southern Shrikebill ___ Streaked Fantail

Print and Other Resources on Birds

and Birding in Vanuatu

(logos and links take you to on-line locations where you can order/purchase these resources)
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AMAZON.COM is the registered trademark of Amazon.com, Inc.

A small portion of your purchase price for any books purchased by following links from this site will go toward supporting the maintenance and development costs of this site.

....A Field Guide to the Birds of the Solomons, Vanuatu and New

Caledonia - by Chris Doughty, Nicholas Day, Andrew Plant (October 1999).

....Birds of Vanuatu - by Heinrich L. Bregulla. 1992. A reasonably

priced hardback, full of pictures.

....Vanuatu Travel Survival Kit - from Lonely Planet. 1995