Fruit doves

One of the rarest birds that nest on Tutuila is also one of the most beautiful: the manuma, or many-colored fruit dove.

Used with permission from Dick Watling

The male manuma is creamy white below and pale yellow above, with a dark crimson band across the back, a crimson patch on the forehead, and a purplish-red blotch on the breast. The female is very different and is mostly green above and gray below, with a crimson forehead patch. The colors of these birds are reflected in many areas of local culture.

The manuma was not rare on Tutuila in the 19th and early 20th centuries, according to the journals of the early scientific expeditions. However, by mid-1970, only a small number of manuma could be found. Today, manuma are regularly seen at some locations on Tutuila, although not in very large numbers.

We know very little about the biology of manuma in American Samoa. These are social birds, often being seen in small flocks, but they are also very protective of feeding areas, driving other manuma away from their spot in the canopy of a fruiting tree. We do know that they seem to have a very strong preference for the fruits of banyan trees, and in American Samoa it is almost always seen near or in these trees. They are also known (from Fiji and Tonga) to eat moso'oi, o'a and magele fruits, all of which occur in America Samoa. Perhaps there are still so few manuma here that they are seldom forced to eat anything other than their favorite food but would eat other fruits if necessary.

It is dangerous for animals to specialize too much on any one food, especially on remote islands like American Samoa. An island animal that concentrates on only one kind of food may find itself in trouble when that food supply fails. An animal that lives on a continent can move in search of the food it needs, but island animals have nowhere else to go. Unlike insect eaters, these creatures can only specialize on very reliable food trees such as banyan trees.

The giant banyan trees, which are so important to manuma, face many problems of their own. The Tafuna Plain used to have many huge banyans, but most of these have been cut down to make way for the exploding human populations in that area. Moreover, banyans, with their large size and spreading crowns, are very vulnerable to storm damage. Many were killed or severely damaged by Hurricanes Ofa and Val in the early 1990s.

There are two things that must happen if the manuma is to survive and remain a special part of Samoa's wildlife. First, the birds must be protected from hunting. Although the manuma is too rare to be sought by hunters, a few may have been killed every year by hunters out for lupe and manutagi. The second thing that must be done if the manuma is to survive is to protect banyan trees on which they depend. People need to protect these magnificent trees, which are important food sources for many other Samoan wildlife species, including bats.