---
title: "Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Polynesian Rats and feral goats on a tropical island"
---

# Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Polynesian Rats and feral goats on a tropical island

Jeremy Bird ([BirdLife Internationa](http://www.birdlife.org/)l, Cambridge, UK) and colleagues write in [*The South Pacific Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences*](http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/248.htm)on the numbers of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters *Puffinus pacificus*on a Fijian island preparatory to alien mammal eradications.

 The paper’s abstract follows:

 “A brief visit to Monuriki, an island in Fiji’s Mamanuca group was completed in March-April 2011 to gather baseline data on the island’s population of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters *Puffinus pacificus* prior to the eradication of alien invasive Polynesian Rat *Rattus exulans* and feral goats *Capra hircus* from the island in December 2011.  We estimated an island-wide population of 2,000-5,500 pairs of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, the largest population recorded in Fiji.  Productivity was estimated to be 40%.  It is anticipated these baseline figures will be used to assess the impacts that the removal of invasive mammals has on the population.”

 ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Shearwaters/Wedge_tailed/wedge-tailed shearwater_alan_burger.jpg)

 Wedge-tailed Shearwater, photographed by Alan Burger

 **Reference:**

 Bird, J.P., Risalto S., Seniloli, E. & Tuamoto, T. 2013.   A pre-eradication survey of Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus on Monuriki, Mamanuca Group, Fiji.  [*The South Pacific Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences* 31: 45-50.](http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=SP13004.pdf)

 [http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=SP13004.pdf](http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=SP13004.pdf)

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 08 January 2014*