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Click here to go back Details of this species in Phoenix Is. Status: Alien Invasiveness: Invasive Occurrence: Established Source: The Pacific Invasives Initiative 2006c Arrival Date: Introduction: Species Notes for this Location: At least three mammalian species are known to have been introduced to the Phoenix Islands – Pacific rats (R. exulans), rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and cats (Felis catus) all of which impact on indigenous biota, including birds. Recent visits to some islands have been brief and the status of invasive species and other biota has not been precisely established. Management Notes for this Location: A PII (Pacific Invasives Initiative) supported project was organised to determine the status and distribution of invasive alien species on selected islands in the Phoenix Island Group. Methods used to assess invasive species numbers included rodent and cat trapping, observation of potential invasives, (eg. mynas) and collection of exotic ants and plants. As a result of this survey priorities have been identified for eradication of the invasive mammals. Location Notes: The Phoenix Islands, Kiribati, are remote and due to the lack of severe disturbance by humans, many of the islands in this group are in a near pristine condition – as such they have been nominated for the status of World Heritage Site. The Phoenix Islands have also been identified as a Key Biodiversity Area in Conservation Internationals Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund Ecosystem Profile and an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International. The Phoenix Group supports some of the largest seabird populations in the Central Pacific with McKean Island having the world's largest nesting population of lesser frigatebird (see Fregata ariel in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) - up to 85,000 birds. There are at least 16 other species of seabirds that inhabit the islands - with a total population estimated to be over one million in number. These include wedge-tailed shearwaters (see Puffinus pacificus in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), Christmas Island shearwaters (Puffinus nativitatis in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), Audubon's shearwaters (Puffinus lherminieri in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), Bulwer's petrels (Bulweria bulwerii in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), white-throated storm petrels (Nesofregetta albigularis), masked boobies (Sula dactylatra in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) and sooty terns (Sterna fuscata in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species). Last Modified: 19/07/2006 1:12:32 p.m.