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FJ14
Ogea
Location Fiji, Lau Group
Central coordinates 178o 24.00' West  19o 10.00' South
IBA criteria A1, A2
Area 2,000 ha
Altitude 0 - 91m
Year of IBA assessment 2006

BirdLife Fiji Programme (Country programme)



Ornithological information This IBA has six endemic subspecies which are restricted to the Lau group or other small islands in the south of Fiji and are not included in any other IBAs. The Blue-crowned Lory is also restricted to the South Lau group within Fiji but is more widespread around Tonga and Samoa. A1 Globally threatened species * Ogea Monarch (VU) – entire world population A2 Restricted-range species 11 species (out of 36 in Fiji), including the Blue-crowned Lory which is not in any other Fiji IBA.

Site description This IBA covers the world range of the Ogea Monarch (VU) which inhabits forest on three small islands. It is a remote and poorly known island group, and the threats and possible conservation work for the IBA and the Ogea Monarch need research.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Many-coloured Fruit-dove Ptilinopus perousii resident  2005  common [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 
Purple-capped Fruit-dove Ptilinopus porphyraceus resident  2005  common [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 
Blue-crowned Lorikeet Vini australis resident  2005  frequent [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 
Wattled Honeyeater Foulehaio carunculatus resident  2005  common [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 
Orange-breasted Myzomela Myzomela jugularis resident  2005  common [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 
Polynesian Triller Lalage maculosa resident  2005  common [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 
Ogea Monarch Mayrornis versicolor resident  1986  2,000 breeding pairs  unknown  A1, A2  Vulnerable 
Slaty Monarch Mayrornis lessoni resident  2005  rare [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 
Fiji Shrikebill Clytorhynchus vitiensis resident  2005  uncommon [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 
Vanikoro Flycatcher Myiagra vanikorensis resident  2005  common [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 
Polynesian Starling Aplonis tabuensis resident  2005  common [units unknown]  -  A2  Least Concern 

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Forest   major

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture minor

Other biodiversity No surveys have been undertaken.

Management considerations Agriculture; Alien Invasive Species

Protection status Unprotected. Site of National Significance.

Conservation response The threats to the Ogea Monarch are poorly known but it may be threatened by chance catastrophic events (such as cyclones), predation and other impacts of invasive alien species, and hybridisation with the closely related Slaty Monarch which also occurs on Ogea. Research is needed on the potential impacts of alien species such as feral cats and Black Rats. The proportion of birds showing plumage features of Slaty Monarch does not appear to have increased, suggesting that hybridisation is not a new or increasing threat. The threat from habitat loss is low as it is (currently) uneconomic to clear the forest, and it appears that this species prefers degraded successional forest. Ornithologists have visited the island on three occasions (in 1924, 1986 and 2004) and the population was estimated at approximately 2,000 birds in 1986. Some basic monitoring of this species is required, but all work is confounded by the difficulty of finding transport to this isolated island.

References HOBCROFT, D. in litt. 2005 MAYR, E. (1933) Birds collected during the Whitney South Sea Expedition. XXV. Notes on the genera Myiagra and Mayrornis. American Museum Novit. 651. WATLING, D. (1988) Notes on the status and ecology of the Ogea Flycatcher Mayrornis versicolor. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club 108: 103–112.

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Ogea. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013

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