Alan & Ann Tate
AA Bird Photography
REUNION ENDEMIC BIRD SPECIES
Reunion is an overseas department and region of France, named Department of Reunion. It is located in the Indian Ocean E of Madagascar and 175 kilometres SW of Mauritius. The island covers 2,512 km² and more than 850,000 people are living on the island.
Reunion has volcanic origin. The landscape includes rugged mountains eroded by short, torrential rivers. In the WC area, three summits exceed 2,740 metres of elevation, and the Piton des Neiges which is the highest peak, reaches 3,069 metres. These mountains are surrounded by wide basins and several smaller plateaus.
In the extreme east of the island, Le Volcan, with one of the craters named Piton de la Fournaise, is active from time to time. The west coast is ringed by coral reef, and numerous aquatic animals inhabit the coastal waters. A large part of Reunion is still covered with forest and endemic plant species.
The tropical climate involves cool and dry weather from May to November, whereas November to April is mostly hot and rainy. The east of the island received much more rain than the other parts.
The island is home to several bird species, among them the White-tailed Tropicbird. There are some endemic bird species, but birds are numerous on the islands, with more than 90 species.
The birds are threatened by poaching for trade and food, predation by introduced species (cats and rats), human disturbances, invasive plant species destroying the native vegetation, habitat degradation and competition with other birds, and in addition, all are restricted-range species.
Text by Nicole Bouglouan
Sources:
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
Wikipedia - Wildlife of Réunion
Encyclopaedia Britannica Reunion
Species list:
Sources: Avibase (Lepage Denis)
Reunion Bulbul - Hypsipetes borbonicus - Bulbul de Bourbon
Reunion Cuckooshrike - Lalage newtoni - Echenilleur de la Réunion
Reunion Grey White-eye - Zosterops borbonicus - Zostérops de Bourbon
Reunion Stonechat - Saxicola tectes - Tarier de la Réunion
Reunion Olive White-eye - Zosterops olivaceus - Zostérops de la Réunion
Mascarene Petrel - Pseudobulweria aterrima - Pétrel de Bourbon