Cook Islands Project
The Cook Islands are a scattered group of mainly inhabited tropical islands in the South Pacific Ocean. While there are eight seabird species (all Procellarids) observed in the Cook Islands EEZ classified as threatened under the IUCN Red List, little is known about the contemporary breeding populations of Procellarids in the island chain. ARC initiated this project in 2025 with multiple local and international partners through funding from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.
The aim of the project is two-fold; (i) building local capacity for local NGOs (including primary project partner Te Ipukarea Society) to conduct seabird monitoring and management, and (ii) identifying which Procellariid species are breeding on three islands within the southern group of Cook Islands (Rarotonga, Atiu and Mangaiai) and assessing their breeding distribution and conservation threats.
Monitoring work includes the use of nocturnal surveys, acoustic recorders and motion cameras to identify the Procellarid species breeding on the islands of Rarotonga, Mangaia and Atiu.
Additionally, project partners are conducting ‘Knowledge Cafés’, which are open houses for residents on each island to both increase interest in seabird conservation on Rarotonga and potentially obtain additional information on areas where seabirds are breeding.
By the end of the first official trip to Rarotonga, we have already identified breeding colonies of Tahiti Petrel and Tropical Shearwater, neither of which have been confirmed breeding on the island before!
Focal Species
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Rarotongan Name: Kōputu
Common Name: Herald Petrel
Scientific Name: Pterodroma heraldica -
Common Name: Tahiti Petrel
Scientific Name: Pseudobulweria rostrata -
Common Name: Tropical Shearwater
Scientific Name: Puffinus bailloni
