Using Samoan traditional ecological knowledge to identify calls of the critically endangered endemic tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris)

Abstract

The tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris) is an endemic and highly cryptic bird of the rainforest canopy of Samoa. According to the recently released Tooth-billed Pigeon Recovery Plan (2020–2029), one of the greatest obstacles to conservation efforts is the inability of ornithologists to reliably separate its advertising coo call from that of the common and sympatric Pacific imperial pigeon (Ducula pacifica). Because tooth-billed pigeons are very rarely seen, acoustic methods of identifying them, which have been problematic for ornithologists, would be helpful for population surveys. Our study examines the traditional ecological knowledge and skill of Samoan hunters, peer selected for knowledge and reliability from six villages located on Upolu and Savaii islands, to determine whether they can consistently identify the species based on the calls