The further spread of introduced birds in Samoa

Five introduced bird species were observed in the wild in Samoa in November 2004. The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) maintains wild populations in the mountainous areas; the rock dove (Columba livia) is presently confi ned to urban areas; and the red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) and jungle myna (Acridotheres fuscus) have increased their ranges markedly over the past six years. The last two species, found in most inhabited areas, may be close to their maximum possible distribution in Samoa. The common myna (Acridotheres tristis) has also increased in range signifi cantly and efforts should be made to control this species.