A Petrel Breeding Diversity Hotspot: Raivavae Island (Austral Islands, French Polynesia), with a Need for Conservation Action

Authors

Vincent Bretagnolle, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CEBC-CNRS)Follow
Yves David
Thomas Ghestemme
Jean-François Butaud
Tehani Withers
Hadoram Shirihai
Jean-Claude Thibault

Abstract

Raivavae is a small island in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia that is surrounded by a lagoon with 28 islets. Its marine avifauna is one of the least known and least studied in French Polynesia. Overall, seabird surveys in the various Austral Islands have been extremely sparse. This study addresses this need, using both historical and recent findings. The results show high species richness, with 10 breeding procellarid species, though none are numerous. We also update the knowledge on breeding petrels from other Austral Islands (except Rapa) and discuss the consequences of these findings in terms of their conservation on an island with cats Felis sp. and rats Rattus sp.

DOI

http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.53.1.1630

Creative Commons License

Terms of use for work posted in Scholar Commons.

Recommended Citation

Bretagnolle, Vincent; David, Yves; Ghestemme, Thomas; Butaud, Jean-François; Withers, Tehani; Shirihai, Hadoram; and Thibault, Jean-Claude (2025) "A Petrel Breeding Diversity Hotspot: Raivavae Island (Austral Islands, French Polynesia), with a Need for Conservation Action," Marine Ornithology: Vol. 53 : Iss. 1 , Article 19.
http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.53.1.1630
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/marine_ornithology/vol53/iss1/19