Guide to the birds of Niue

Abstract

Niue is a single raised coral atoll in the South-central Pacific located at latitude 19 S and Longitude 169 W. It is isolated, being approximately 480 kilometre East of Tonga. 930 kilometre west of Rarotonga and 660 kilometre South-East of Samoa. The island is the largest raised coral atoll in the world, being 259 square kilometers and formed of two terraces: a lower terrace averaging about 60 metres. The interior is a plateau, the edge of which slopes steeply down to the lower terrace. This lower terrace ends abruptly in most places in steep cliffs containing caves and deep chasms