What Birds and Animals Can You Find in Fiji?
We humans are not the only ones who love the tropical islands of Fiji. Fiji, with its huge array of soft coral underwater and more than 800 unique plant species on its shores, makes a unique habitat for some species of animals and bird found nowhere else on earth. Most of Fiji’s endemic species are birds, reptiles and marine wildlife, while its only native land mammals are bats. So learn a little more about the South Pacific island nation with this list of animals and birds unique to Fiji.
Want to learn more about Fiji’s animals and birds and where to find them? Head to our A Traveller’s Guide to Wildlife in Fiji.
1. Orange Fruit Dove
Found in: Forested areas of Vanua Levu and Taveuni principally.
Description: Big fat pigeon bright orange up to 20cm (7.9″) with a green head.
Fun fact: They have a funny call.
© Aviceda on Wikipedia
2. Fiji Crested Iguana
Found in: Only small uninhabited islands around Fiji.
Description: Green with white stripes and quite a big lizard at up to 75cm (29.5″) long.
Fun Fact: One of the longest incubation of any reptiles in the world at over eight months!
Not Fun Fact: They are critically endangered.
© Benjamint444 on Wikipedia
3. Fijian Monkey-Faced Flying Fox
Found in: Forests near Des Voeux Peak.
Description: Small brown fruit bat about 20cm (7.8″).
Fun Fact: Only endemic native mammal in Fiji – so rare that it took 40 days to capture one (it was for a breeding program and it was released afterwards).
Not Fun Fact: They are critically endangered.
© William N. Beckon on Wikipedia
4. Pink-billed Parrotfinch
Found in: Treetrunks and forests of east Viti Levu.
Description: It’s like a classic teenager that does not know what to wear: pink beak, black face, red eyes, green body with red highlights 11cm (4.3″).
Fun Fact: The male and female look alike.
© William N. Beckon on Wikipedia
5. Red-throated Lorikeet
Found in: High in canopies on Fiji’s largest islands Viti Levu, Vanua Levu and Ovalau.
Description: 18cm (7.1″) red throat (duh!) with a green body and yellow highlights.
Fun Fact: Babies have purple legs.
Not Fun Fact: Critically endangered – over five attempts at locating one have been done since the last sighting in 1993 to no avail.
© John Gerrard Keulemans on Wikipedia - Public Domain
6. Gau Iguana
Found in: Forests of Gau Island.
Description: The male is green with white stripes. The female is full bright green – 15cm (5.9″) without the tail that can be up to 25cm (9.8″).
Fun Fact: Named after the only island in the world they are found in, Gau Island.
© TomCatX on Wikipedia
7. The Fiji Goshawk
Found in: Almost all around Fiji in forests and even trees in parks.
Description: 30-40cm (11.8-15.7″) grey-to-dark-grey with a 73cm (28.7″) wingspan.
Fun Fact: It usually eats small birds and, on rare occasion, chickens. It’s also very noisy around the evening.
© Aviceda on Wikipedia
8. Fiji Ground Frog
Found in: Forests and gardens of Taveuni, Vanua Levu, Gau and Ovalau islands.
Description: Nocturnal frog about 11cm (4.3″) with a brown and yellow leafy ground pattern on their body.
Fun Fact: They stand still on the ground waiting for insects to make their way toward it. There is also a similar species of frog living mostly in trees called the Fiji Tree Frog.
© Tamara.osborne on Wikipedia
9. Orange-Spotted Scaleless Goby
Found in: Shallow freshwater streams.
Description: Small brown patterned 4cm (1.6″) fish that holds itself to rocks facing against the current.
Fun Fact: One of only a handful of freshwater fish found in Fiji.
© Sushi Girl1995 on Wikipedia
10. The Giant Fijian Longhorn Beetle
Found in: Lives in trees and eats plants in southeast Viti Levu, southeast Vanua Levu, and Taveuni.
Description: Found to be up to 15cm (6″) in length with super long antennas and four wings covered by a shell.
Fun Fact: It’s the world’s second-largest beetle.
© FijiPocketGuide.com
11. Bicoloured Foxface
Found in: Coral reefs around Fiji.
Description: 24cm (9.4″) rabbitfish type with a mostly dark body, yellow fins and a third of the back body is yellow.
Fun Fact: It has a venomous dorsal spine to chase predators away.
© Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble on Wikipedia
12. Barking Imperial Pigeon
Found in: Large forested areas of Viti Levu, Kadavu and Taveuni.
Description: Dark body, light grey face, pigeon-looking bird that grows to around 40cm (15.7″).
Fun Fact: They are very strong flyers and can move from habitat to habitat, feeding on fruit in trees.
© Tom Tarrant on Wikipedia
13. Fiji Petrel
Found in: Gau Island.
Description: Dark brown seabird of around 30cm (11.8″).
Fun Fact: Was thought to be extinct for 130 years but been spotted at sea again recently.
© FijiPocketGuide.com14. Rotuma Forest Gecko
Found in: Rotuma Island.
Description: Small dark-to-light-grey reptile about 5cm (2″) with a 3-4cm (1.2-1.6″) tail.
Fun Fact: Can lose their tail to escape predators and regrow it.
© FijiPocketGuide.comMore About Animals and Birds Unique to Fiji
