The Samoan Moorhen hasn’t been confirmed alive in more than 140 years.
But in the early 2000s there seemed to be a chance a small population of this unique bird might still be alive somewhere in Samoa’s rugged and rarely-visited mountains.
In 2005, I spent two months in the mountains of Savai’i searching for the moorhen. I interviewed local hunters, waded up mountain rivers, and spent nearly three weeks camping in the cloud forest around the “eye of fire” volcano crater in Savai’i’s highlands. Sadly, I did not find any evidence of the Samoan Moorhen, nor did I meet any local people who reported seeing the bird. Worse, I found widespread evidence of rats and cats, species introduced by people that are often devastating for flightless birds like the moorhen. In all likelihood, the Samoan Moorhen is extinct.
Check out the links below to learn more about this expedition and my findings on Samoan birds.
Learn more…
This expedition was possible thanks to support from Yale University’s Chase Coggins Memorial Fund, the Yale Environmental Studies Summer Internship, and the Yale College Dean’s Research Fellowship.
Pratt, H.D., and J.C. Mittermeier. 2016. Notes on the natural history, taxonomy and conservation of Samoan forest birds. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 128(2): 217-241.
Mittermeier, J.C. 2006. Searching for Samoa’s mysterious moorhen: a summer spent surveying birds in the upland forests of Savai’i, Samoa. Yale Environmental News 11(2): 18-20.
Chase Coggins Memorial Fund project report: http://www.chasecogginsfund.org/2005-searching-for-samoas-mysterious-moorhen/
