First Photographed Active Nest of Fiji Pink-billed Parrot Finch!!!
Great 'Great Southern Bioblitz' news from Team Fiji. Vilikesa Masibalavu discovered an active nest of the Pink-billed Parrot Finch (Erythrura kleinschmidti) a few weeks ago in the Sovi Basin. As part of the Great Southern Bioblitz, Vili and Kevin went there today to see if it was still active. It was!! To our knowledge, this is only the second nest ever recorded, and the first time in history one has been photographed.
The nest was a large dome structure constucted primarily from adjacent old bamboo leaves (Bambusa vulgaris) and found in an introduced African Tulip Tree (Spathodea campanulata) about 9 m off the ground near the top of tree. Entry to the nest was from underneath (see photos). At least one adult parrot finch was seen continuously coming back and forth to the nest at 15-20 minute intervals, and then spending 1-2 minute at the nest before going out again.
We photographed it all from a very respectful distance, and as the nest was quite high, the birds and nest were not disturbed in any way, although there were plenty of Jungle Mynas, Red-vented Bulbuls and Western Wattled Honeyeaters foraging in the same tulip tree around the nest and occasionally making the nest slightly sway when they were jumping in the branches.
Between all the work of all the various groups in Team Fiji including Jake and the Nature Fiji Teams, looks like we will more than double our species level from 2020!!
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