VIDEO: the ura of the Austral Islands threatened by the black rat

The kuhl vinikuhlii lori is an endemic species listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. This magnificent bird whose plumage dressed the finery of Polynesian chiefs remains on the island of Rimatara, in the Austral archipelago. It is one of the last two inhabited islands of French Polynesia still free from the black rat. Because this invasive alien species is one of its worst predators. Also called ura in Tahitian, the 7-colored bird is 18 centimeters long, its cheeks, chest and the front of its belly are bright red, while the top of the body has different shades of green. A blue-purple area is present on the nape of the neck and on the stomach. Its legs and beak are orange.

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