American Samoa
Avifauna

Sixteen of the Samoan Islands' 34 bird species are found nowhere else on Earth. This includes the critically endangered tooth-billed pigeon. Four species of birds are only found in the Manu ʻ a Islands and not on Tutuila. These include American Samoa's only parrot, the blue-crowned Lory. Other special birds to Manu ʻ a are the lesser shrikebill and the friendly ground-dove. The spotless crake has only been observed on Ta ʻ ū Island.

There are more species of birds than all species of reptiles, mammals and amphibians combined. Native land birds include two honeyeaters: cardinal honeyeater and wattled honeyeater. Cardinal honeyeaters only occur on Tutuila Island. The only endemic land bird to American Samoa is the Samoan starling. Four pigeons are native to American Samoa: Pacific imperial pigeon, many-colored fruit dove, white-capped fruit dove, and shy ground dove. The local government banned all pigeon hunting in 1992.

The many-colored fruit dove is one of the rarest birds that nest on Tutuila. Studies in the 1980s estimated their population size at Tutuila to be only around 80 birds. Amalau Valley has been described as the best place in American Samoa to observe the many-colored fruit dove.

The offshore islet of Pola Island near Vatia is a nesting site for many seabird species and an excellent area to observe seabirds. The Pola region of Vatia and Rose Atoll are the only places in American Samoa where there are breeding colonies of red-footed boobies.

Birds that depend on freshwater habitat include the Pacific reef heron and Pacific black duck, the Samoan Islands' only species of duck. The largest wetland areas are the pala lagoons in Nu ʻ uuli and Leone as well as Pala Lake on Aunuʻu Island.
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