First Success in rearing a Fatu Hiva Monach ex-situ

— Posted on by Simon Bruslund

MANU and the people of the island of Fatu Hiva celebrates the success of the first Fatu Hiva Monarch chick raised from an egg under human care.

The global population of the critically endangered Fatu Hiva Monarch now stands at 18 individuals thanks to the success of the first chick raised in captivity from an egg, achieved by the Manu association and its partners. “With only three breeding females in the wild, each egg is a hope for the survival of the species,” says Chiara Ciardiello, the association’s captive breeding project manager.

In 2022, a project was launched in collaboration with Auckland Zoo to create a captive population to protect individuals from threats in the wild, particularly avian malaria and invasive predators. A breeding center was specially built on this Marquesas island, including aviaries, an equipped laboratory, and accommodation, thanks to the loan of land by a local resident, Sarah Vaki, to whom the association is eternal grateful.

In 2023, three eggs were collected, but with little success as the chicks did not survive beyond three days after hatching. No specialist had mastered the breeding of this species or any closely related species, and the “code” to successfully rear this species remained difficult to crack. Renowned specialists from Auckland Zoo, Jersey Zoo, Copenhagen Zoo, San Diego Wildlife Alliance and Zoos Victoria worked closely together in the project to find the solution needed.

In 2024, a first chick was collected five days after hatch in the wild to rescue it from falling out of a leaning nest—a delicate operation that led to the first successful rearing: the chick is now almost two years old. Finally, in June 2025, the team was confident to attempt to collect another egg, with additional specialist support from London Zoo and great progress in the results, but still the chick only survived for 10 days however provided critical insights.

At the end of October 2025, the team working on the Life Stop Extinction program collected another egg—a last-ditch effort, given how small the population has become. Carefully transported to the breeding center, the egg was placed in an incubator with controlled temperature and humidity, under close professional guidance. Five days later, a tiny chick hatched: a few grams of life, and new hope for a species that could disappear tomorrow. Every feeding, every weight change, every behavior is analyzed hour by hour, from dawn to dusk.

“Successfully rearing the first Fatu Hiva Monarch chick from artificial incubation to full independence was both an extraordinary privilege and a daunting responsibility. My training in artificial egg incubation and chick rearing from some of the leading experts, combined with survival will of this Fatu Hiva Monarch chick made this step possible” said Leilani Fowlke, that supervised the chick rearing.

Little by little, the chick grew to adult weight of 40 grams. Once it was ready to fledge, the bird left the

incubator for a small cage, under the watchful eye of the team. « Watching and supporting these chicks first flight and steps in life is extraordinary” says Stella Jørgensen, team member from Copenhagen Zoo, and continues: « the long-awaited moment of its first flight, symbolizing the culmination of a month of uninterrupted vigilance, analysis, doubts, and determination of the whole team”.

Today, the 40-day-old monarch flutters about and feeds independently! This success confirms that even in a critical situation after two years of failure, hope remains when joint efforts are combined to strengthen expertise.

Thanks to all the partners already supporting the species conservation project.

This ex-situ project is supported by the European Union through the LIFE+ Stop Extinction program, the French government (Fonds Vert), Auckland Zoo, Beauval Nature, LPO, UNIVET Nature, Zoos Victoria, Copenhagen Zoo, BirdLife International and its Species Champion Ted Reissing. The French Polynesian Environment Department has also allocated funding and authorized the captivity of the species. Several international organizations have also supported the species conservation project (EAZA Silent Forest, Marlow Bird Park, Pendl Lab, Pacific Bird Conservation, ASZK, ZGAP, Keauhou Bird Conservation Center, Pacific Rim Conservation, ILM, IRD, Fondation Botiaux Dulac-Fondation de France, OFB, European Solidarity Corp). Other local organizations are also providing support, including Air Tahiti, Air Tahiti Nui, EDT Engie, and the Fatu Hiva Town Hall.

This project needs even more support in the future it includes the 5 most threatened bird species in French Polynesia in case you have any Christmas gifts left for conservation we urgently need additional co-funding for several activities for each species as well as expert knowledge and long-term and self-funded volunteers for the projects.

Direct contact for the Fatu Hiva project:

  • Chiara Ciardiello, Chargée du programme de captivité du Monarque de Fatu Hiva
  • Email: cchiara@manu.pf
  • Website: https://manu.pf
  • Facebook: Manu-SOP

Contact for international partners and general questions:

Download project flyer as PDF:

Some additional facts about the Fatu Hiva Monarch:

–    The island of Fatu Iiva (85 km²), accessible only by boat, has 600 inhabitants. It is the southernmost island of the Marquesas / French Polynesia (1,100 km north of Tahiti).

–    Critically endangered species: The Fatu Hiva Monarch (Pomarea whitneyi), a territorial forest-dwelling insectivorous bird, is endemic to the island and classified as “Critically Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN – Red List). Due to introduced invasive predators (black rats and cats), its population has declined by 97% in 21 years. It is now also threatened by avian malaria. Its current population is 16 individuals in the wild.

–    Distribution in Fatu Hiva: Once common throughout the island (and other Marquesan islands), it is now restricted to 29 hectares in the Tai‘u‘ Valley, in the heart of a 600-hectare predator management zone. The black rat arrived in the 1980s and spread throughout the island in less than 20 years.

–    Longevity & reproduction: The Fatu Hiva Monarch is a long-lived species, living above 20 years. Like many island species, it has a very slow reproductive biology: it begins to reproduce at around 2 to 3 years of age, lays only one egg, and both parents care for the young for 4 to 6 months.

–    Egg collection is the best strategy compared to chick collection as the wild pair can re-clutch within few weeks.

–   The Polynesian Ornithological Society (SOP Manu), founded in 1990, is the local representative of BirdLife International and has been running a conservation program dedicated to the Fatu Hiva Monarch since 2008.