Eight species of range-restricted birds occur in the archipelago, of which six are strictly endemic. The land snail fauna is rich with many endemic species. Typical for oceanic islands in the region, there are several species of widespread skinks and geckos. Image credit: Creative Commonsįew of the 130 native plants are unique to the Cook Islands, though the cloud forests of Rarotonga are known to have nine locally-endemic species. The flagship species of the Cook Islands Tropical Moist Forests ecoregion is the blue lorikeet. On the limestone substrate makatea islands one finds Eleaeocarpus, Hernandia, Barringtonia, and Pandanus scrub forests. Freycinetia lianas and Fitchia shrubs tangle the mossy understory. These are low-stature habitats of Metrosideros, Weinmannia, Ascarina, and Elaeocarpus. Cloud forests start at around 400 m elevation. The massive roots of Fagraea and Fitchia help stabilize steep slopes. Montane forests start roughly from 50 to 200 m and have tree genera such as Homalium, Canthium, Elaeocarpus, Fagraea, Fitchia, Metrosideros, and Ixora. Lowland forests grade into montane and, higher up, cloud forests on the taller islands.

Rarotonga has steep volcanic slopes while other islands range from raised limestone ( makatea) to atolls. Centered in the South Pacific, about 1,000 km east of Niue, the southern Cooks include nine main islands: Palmerston Atoll, Aitutake, Manuae (Hervey), Takutea, Miti’aro, Atiu, Ma’uke, Rarotonga, and Mangaia. The Cook Islands, one of the most remote archipelagos in the world, are home to some of the planet’s most dazzling birds―the Rimatara lorikeet is a rainbow of colors, and the stunning blue lorikeet with its white bib and bright orange bill is the handsomest of birds.

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