Rimatara lorikeet
(Vini kuhlii)

New Hope for Exotic Parrots on Cook Islands

Hunted to local extinction nearly 2 centuries ago, the Rimatara lorikeet has been re-established to Atiu, one of the Cook Islands with the aid of the islands’ royalty and funds raised at last year’s British Bird Watching Fair.



Today the Rimatara Lorikeet survives only on Rimatara, within its former natural range, and there are two populations in the northern Line Islands of Kiribati, where it was introduced in historical times. This lorikeet is listed in the IUCN RedList as "Endangered", because of its small population and limited distribution. It is also listed on Appendix II of CITES, which means it needs a CITES export permit to be moved to another country. The other two lorikeets of French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, the Blue Lorikeet (Vini peruviana) and the Ultramarine Lorikeet (Vini ultramarina), are also both on the RedList and on CITES.

The story here.
Cook Islands Biodiversity : Rimatara Lorikeet Reintroduction Programme

Rimitara Lorikeet, Kuhl's Lorikeet, or Kuhl's Lory (Vini kuhlii) is a species of lorikeet in the Psittacidae family. It is one of several species of Vini lorikeets found in islands ranging across the South Pacific. It is a fast flying lorikeet with vibrant plumage; a green back, wings and crown, a blue nape and legs and bright red undersides and cheeks.

The Rimatara Lorikeet's habitat is natural tropical moist lowland forests and plantations. Like all Vini lorikeets it is a nectarivore, and has a brushy tongue to acquire the nectar. In islands denuded of native forests and covered with extensive coconut plantations it is found exclusively in those areas.

Studies of fossils have shown that it once had a widespread distribution from the Cook Islands to French Polynesia. Its range contracted greatly after the arrival of humans, until the only surviving natural population was on Rimatara in the Tubuai Islands. Like many island species the Kuhl's Lorikeet is threatened by introduced black rats. Its colourful feathers have also meant that the species was regularly hunted. The species was also introduced to several islands in Kiribati. The last native population was protected by a tapu or taboo by the Queen of Rimatara. In 2007 a population was reintroduced to Atiu in the Cook Islands by Birdlife International, the Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust and numerous conservation bodies.

The link
Rimatara Lorikeet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"This was the bird that provided the feathers for chiefs and ceremonial costumes and most red-feathered birds in the Pacific have been wiped out," said McCormak.

According to local oral tradition, the last feather harvest in the Cook Islands occurred around the time Captain Cook visited in the 1770s. But the lorikeet was never recorded in the Cook Islands by any European visitors, so it probably went extinct on those other islands before the 1820s.



The link.
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted): Rimatara Lorikeets: Returning From the Edge

Wow! God really got creative on this guy!