Birds of Fiji

This is my first postcard from Fiji, and it's wonderful!

The avifauna of Fiji is the richest in West Polynesia. Numerous families reach the farthest east of their range, and the island is home to several endemic species and genera, as well as sharing several more endemics with its close neighbours Tonga and Samoa.The avifauna of Fiji include a total of 149 species, of which 27 are endemic, 13 have been introduced by humans and 34 are rare or accidental. Numerous species listed have been extirpated from Fiji and are not included in the species count, although they are listed where known. Of these, 17 species are globally threatened.

It's interesting story about word Bula! from postcard. Bula is the national greeting that seems to mean: hello, how are you, it’s a sunny day, take your time, have a good day, hope you and your extended family are well, play nicely. But sometimes it also can mean: goodbye, buy me a drink, I’m bored, I’m hungry or I’ve run out of conversation. It’s a nice all-purpose, well-meaning word that you can just roll out on any occasion.

This nice matching stamp is Fiji Goshawk (Accipiter rufitorques), from set od eight stamps. Date of issue  is 25.07.1995. The Fiji goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It was once considered to be the same species as the brown goshawk of Australia and New Caledonia. It is endemic to Fiji, where it occurs on the larger islands of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Kadavu, Gau and Ovalau.[2] It occupies a range of wooded habitats in Fiji, from natural rainforest to coconut plantations and urban gardens and parks.The Fiji goshawk ranges in size from 30–40 cm, making it medium-sized for its genus. It exhibits sexual dimorphism, with the females being larger than the males.The Fiji goshawk feeds on birds as large as pigeons, insects, introduced rodents and reptiles.



Thank you Umer!