| Summary: | [Extract] Of the five existing species of Vini lorikeets in the South Pacific four are considered endangered or vulnerable to extinction (IUCN 2006). Two other species, Vini sinotoi and V. vidivici, have become extinct since human occupation of the region began (Steadman 1989). The susceptibility of Vini lorikeets is a function of their naturally small population sizes, their confinement to islands that may be subject to rapid environmental changes and their vulnerability to introduced predators or competitors of continental origin. All three species in French Polynesia are threatened. The threats they face are familiar and include habitat loss and alteration, hunting and collection for the pet trade and the effects of introduced species (Steadman 1989; Seitre and Seitre 1992; McCormack and Kuenzle 1996; Ziembicki and Raust 2003). Black Rats Rattus rattus in particular, through nest predation and competition, have decimated populations of various birds on islands throughout the Pacific and beyond (Atkinson 1985; Hay 1986; Seitre and Seitre 1992). Rats are considered a principal threat to Vini populations and their decline has closely paralleled the spread of rats across the lorikeets’ ranges (Seitre & Seitre 1992; Ziembicki & Raust 2003).
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