Birding in French Polynesia II
2 January 2026
Over the next 28 days, I will be spending my time birding on Tahiti and Mo'orea, two islands in the Windward Islands, an archipelago belonging to French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France. Birds in italics indicate lifers.
Friday Jan 2 2026 - Day 2
Today, at 6am, we arrived at Fa'a'a Airport, just outside of Pape'ete, the capital of French Polynesia. The second we stepped out of the aeroplane, we were met by a warm, humid air we had never felt before. Within a minute of arriving, I got my first lifer, a Common Myna, a bird that has been introduced to Polynesia and has since taken over. It has since become one of the most common species, damaging the endemic and native avifauna and ecosystems. However, its invasive status was the last thing on my mind as I observed for the first time this surprisingly beautiful bird, closely related to the Starlings I see back home. Soon after, I got another lifer, a Red-vented Bulbul, also introduced and invasive, this bird originates from the Indian subcontinent, just like the Myna. I watched the birds as they flew around the car park, in front of the airport. I also saw a few Feral Pigeons, reminding me of the UK. Eventually, we got a taxi, and, just before entering, I got my lifer Zebra Dove. To my huge surprise, they were the most miniscule things ever! While I was learning about the birds here, I thought they would be the size of Feral Pigeons, or Collared Doves, but these birds were only slightly larger than Robins.
Arriving, exhausted, in French Polynesia
On the drive into town, we saw Red Junglefowls, or chickens, for the general public, although I find Red Junglefowl to be a more attracting and interesting name. Before too long, we arrived at Bougainville Park, where we took some time to rest, and in my case, to bird. I soon saw my lifer Blue-billed White Tern, a beautiful and majestic bird that's recently had a three-way split from White Tern. I quickly got some more lifers, including a couple Chestnut-breasted Mannikins and Common Waxbills, as well as a very elusive Silvereye, that only showed itself very briefly.
Zebra Dove in Bougainville Park
My best photo of the Silvereye
Red-vented Bulbul, in a tree
White Tern nest in tree, Bougainville Park
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, feeding on grasses
After some initial birding, we walked to the McDonald's, for breakfast, although for our internal clocks, it was dinner, due to the -10 time zone difference, and jet lag. We saw some more Mynas, which were trying to grab some food from us, and a rooster RJ (I will refer to Red Junglefowls as RJs since chicken is too boring and Red Junglefowl is a mouthful to say, and annoyingly long to write). While we were finishing our enormous cups of juice, we got yet another lifer; a Great Frigatebird. We watched a female glide over the buildings in front of us and saw a flock of them in the distance. Eventually, we walked down to Pape'ete Harbour, spotting a baby Red-vented Bulbul and some more RJs.
Male RJ, hiding under some benches
Baby Red-vented Bulbul
When we arrived, we soon saw a few Brown Noddies and another large brown/black bird flying past a cruise ship, which turned out to be a Pacific Reef-Heron. We then saw two male Blue Moon Butterflies, also known as Great Eggflies, and watched them as they battled.
Brown Noddy at Pape'ete Harbour
Pacific Reef-Heron (Dark morph)
Male
Blue Moon Butterflies
View over the Pacific Ocean
We then walked towards the Pā'ōfa'i Gardens, where we watched RJs, Chestnut-breasted Mannikins, more Zebra Doves, and some more of the same birds we had seen earlier. We also saw a few not-so-friendly-looking feral dogs.
Male RJ
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
