George is able to whistle up pretty much anything, from the endemic Cook Island Fruit Dove to Chattering Kingfisher via Kakerori, a population of which has been introduced to the island (and, with 150 pairs and rising, is doing spectacularly well). And, they were all saying this was miracle oil!,” said Gerald. “By far the most common animal encountered by visitors is the dog: “Europeans introduced dogs, though there was once a Polynesian dog. Ever wondered why people from New Zealand are sometimes called Kiwis? v All rights reserved. Neither of them dig in to the sand, they lie on top of it. “Most will encounter the House Gecko. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. About 1000 years ago the Polynesians brought chickens, dogs, pigs and the Pacific rat – they bought them all mainly as food. She said that is the ‘medicine for the man’. Here in Rarotonga we have the hibiscus that was originally introduced by the Polynesians. Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. “The story behind miracle oil was that this fourteen year old girl had a dream that a woman dressed in white came to her and took her to a place on the island, which was well described in the dream, which showed her a plant which was used to make an oil. It stays around the waters edge looking for its food. Black Rat-free, Atiuan birds are able to get on with life without having to worry too much about predators or habitat loss. The treatment is very simple, just use non-scalding hot water.”. Another beautiful tree is the golden shower – incredible bundles of yellow flowers hanging off these trees”. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. “By the time I came to the Cooks, everyone seemed to have a bottle, putting in on every little sore they had and so on. When you do the cross-island walk you will see the hibiscus shrubs there; the flowers on those shrubs is a dark red with multiple petals. He had put a fork through his foot and the medicines from the hospital were not working. They are very shy and stay away from people. Top Cook Islands Parks & Nature Attractions: See reviews and photos of parks, gardens & other nature attractions in Cook Islands on Tripadvisor. ( Log Out /  Country: National Bird: Photo on this Site: Birds on Stamps: Jamaica, Caribbean: Red-billed Streamertail: Yes.... Japan, Asia: Kiji (Green Pheasant Phasianus colchicus … “We have hawksbill turtles and green turtles. Its 15 small atolls and islands have a total land area comparable to that of a medium-sized city, but they are spread over about 770,000 square miles (2,000,000 square km) of sea—an area nearly as large as Greenland . The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons, and egrets. They are selling 1/10oz ".24 pure gold" Cook Islands coins for $99, with a markup of 310% over the gold content. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae. Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae. The albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds, and the great albatrosses from the genus Diomedea have the largest wingspans of any extant birds. This is a list of the bird species recorded in the Cook Islands. Gerald pointed out that the Cook Islands do not have native mammals either, except for the fruit bat, which was originally native on Mangaia and has since spread: “Only people wandering up valleys in the evening will encounter a fruit bat or if you go to the Takituma Conservation Area on a nature walk with a guide. They breed mainly in Fiji and Vanuatu then swim to the Cook Islands. They eat insects and fruit. More than half the plants listed have come since the missionaries in the 1800s. The avifauna of the Cook Islands include a total of 50 species, of which six are endemic, one has been introduced by humans and three are rare or accidental. Look for the Teachers knew Maori names, but rarely English or Latin names - and neither did Gerald! The two endemics – Rarotonga Flycatcher or Kakerori and Rarotonga Starling – just about cling on in the mountain forests. You certainly don’t put your hand in any hole – that is just asking a moray to take a finger. Red is the colour of chiefs. The best place in the Cooks to see land birds, by far, is the awesome island of Atiu, a forty-minute flight away. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) is a Cook Islands environmental NGO. “When you go snorkeling you are going to see a whole variety of fish. Cook Islands, self-governing island state in free association with New Zealand, located in the South Pacific Ocean. Peter J February 29, 2016 June 25, 2016 Cook Islands Like other islands of Polynesia, the Cook Islands have an abundance of bright, tropical flowers and other plants. Whichever is correct, Aitutaki has been clear of dogs since the early 1900s”. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. They could not imagine living without it! The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. .mw-parser-output .tocnumber{display:none}.mw-parser-output #toc ul,.mw-parser-output .toc ul{line-height:1.5em;list-style:none none;margin:.3em 0 0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist #toc ul ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist .toc ul ul{margin:0}.mw-parser-output .horizontal-toc{}.mw-parser-output .horizontal-toc-align-left{float:right}.mw-parser-output .horizontal-toc-align-left{float:left}.mw-parser-output .horizontal-toc-align-center{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;clear:none}.mw-parser-output .horizontal-toc-clear-right{clear:right}.mw-parser-output .horizontal-toc-clear-left{clear:left}.mw-parser-output .horizontal-toc-clear-both{clear:both}.mw-parser-output .horizontal-toc-clear-none{clear:none}, Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae. This one is almost like a chirping bird. The 15 islands of the Cook islands are located in the South Pacific, in the same time zone as Hawai'i. Now known commercially as Mauke Miracle Oil. So he said it was a miracle – hence miracle oil was born! The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, snowcocks, francolins, spurfowls, tragopans, monals, pheasants, peafowls, grouse, ptarmigan, and jungle fowls. The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. No doubt there used to be a few more that were eaten into extinction long ago. The convict tang (aka surgeon fish) is a dramatic little fish often in big schools. Many visitors to New Zealand are unsure of the answers to these questions. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae. When Gerald McCormack came to the Cook Islands in 1980 as the government's schools science advisor, he was surprised students were not being taught about local plants and animals. The mother made the oil according to the dream and they gave it to this man and within no time at all he was cured of his infection. This is a list of the bird species recorded in the Cook Islands.The avifauna of the Cook Islands include a total of 50 species, of which six are endemic, one has been introduced by humans and three are rare or accidental. “Another one visitors will see is one that runs ahead of you on the beach, the sandpiper. Now her mother was a famous medicinal person on the island on Mauke, and also a royal person. It is highly territorial bird.”, “The most common creature everybody sees is the black sea cucumber. Hot, sunny, lazy and with just enough scarce regional specialities to keep me happy. He is also President of the Cook Islands Library Museum Society Council. They are large, black and white or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen. Ten species are globally threatened. “Other medicines are family traditions, so they are not available commercially; they’re part of the social structure of the islands.”. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. Hawksbill turtles are non-migratory wandering turtles; it is not easy to predict where they are going to be. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites. While the Constitution provides for New Zealand to be responsible for defence and some aspects of international relation, this can only be enacted upon request by the Government of the Cook Islands. The thing that is common here is the scorpion fish – and it is nowhere near as dangerous as a stonefish. The Field Guide to the Ladybirds of Great Britain and Ireland is out now! “They can be almost any colour! Those that do not are commonly occurring native species. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. Maybe this book hold’s the clues for Jim’s fascination with that curlew. Their heads and long wings have black markings. But there is little, if any, known collector value to these Cook Islands coins. Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae. Key Activities. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang. What about the most common trees seen in the islands? ( Log Out /  The strangest thing about it was its outturned front feet. Coconut trees last only up to a hundred years, so when the native coconut tree was replaced by the version brought by the Polynesians it didn’t take long to die out”. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Ten species are globally threatened. I am unable to explain quite why I am so exceptionally fond of this wader. It can be white or speckled. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. If it doesn’t think it has time to move, it raises its spines, and you are going to inject yourself with a poison.

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