STATE BIRDPohnpei Lorikeet
Serehd
Crimson with a golden tail — the state bird of Pohnpei and the forest's noisy favorite, darting between palms in search of nectar.
FLORA & FAUNA
Endemic Flora & Fauna
Songs heard nowhere else, and the bounty that colors the island.
Not only the sea — Pohnpei's forests are alive with birdsong heard nowhere else on Earth, and with the scent of flowers and fruit.
Seven endemic birds, mwaramwar flower crowns worn every day, and the fruits that fill the island's tables — here is a first taste of the tropical life you will feel at every step.
ENDEMIC BIRDS
Seven Songs Heard Nowhere Else
Seven birds live only on Pohnpei and its surrounding islets. Walk the forest at dawn, and you will meet their songs one after another.
STATE BIRD
Pohnpei Kingfisher
Todiramphus reichenbachii
A kingfisher in lapis blue found nowhere else. Spot one perched still on a branch, hunting, and count the day lucky.
Pohnpei Fantail
Likepsir
A tiny dancer that fans its tail wide as it flits about. Barely shy of people, it sometimes drops right down to your feet on the trail.
Pohnpei Flycatcher
Koikoi
Named "koikoi" for its call, this quick little hunter snaps up insects in the middle levels of the forest.
Pohnpei Cicadabird
Edolisoma insperatum
Named for its cicada-like song — a blue-grey, slightly bashful resident of the deeper forest.
Long-billed White-eye
Rukia longirostra
One of the world's most unusual white-eyes, true to its name. A dweller of the misty mountain forest that birders dream of finding.
Grey-brown White-eye
Zosterops ponapensis
The little flocks you will see most often in the island's greenery — plain of plumage, yet found only on Pohnpei.
Birding is best in the early morning, when the forest is loudest. Walk with a guide and track them by their calls.
FLOWERS & ISLAND FRUITS
Flowers & the Island's Bounty
On Pohnpei, flowers woven into mwaramwar crowns are still everyday wear — and the forests and gardens are a treasury that feeds the island.
Flowers of the Island
By the roadside, along the rivers, in front gardens — a small field guide to the flowers we meet around the island.
King's Mantle
Thunbergia erecta
Giant Red Ixora
Ixora casei
Ketieu
Pink Ginger
Alpinia purpurata
Blue Morning Glory
Ipomoea indica
Red Ginger
Alpinia purpurata
Chenille Plant
Acalypha hispida
White Leadtree
Leucaena leucocephala
Sensitive Plant
Mimosa pudica
Lantana
Lantana camara
Randana
Pagoda Flower
Clerodendrum paniculatum
White Ginger Lily
Hedychium coronarium
Sinter pwetepwet
Beach Hibiscus
Hibiscus tiliaceus
Keleu
Ylang-Ylang
Cananga odorata
Seir en wai
Garden Balsam
Impatiens balsamina
Crepe Ginger
Cheilocostus speciosus
Hibiscus (Red)
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Keleu en wai
Hibiscus (Pink)
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Keleu en wai
Hibiscus (Coral Double)
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Keleu en wai
Hibiscus (Cream)
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Keleu en wai
Hibiscus (Apricot Double)
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Keleu en wai
Star of Bethlehem
Hippobroma longiflora
Mussaenda
Mussaenda cv.
Barbados Lily
Hippeastrum puniceum
Beach Spider Lily
Hymenocallis littoralis
Flame Violet
Episcia cupreata
Identifications are based on local references such as the COM-FSM ethnobotany flora
Island Fruits
Karat Banana
Karat
Pohnpei's golden banana, its flesh glowing orange with over twenty times the beta-carotene of an ordinary banana — long a traditional first food for babies.
Breadfruit
Mahi
An island staple. Stone-roasted, it tastes like warm fresh bread, filling tables across the island in season.
Yam
Kehp
A crop of prestige, its size a point of honor. At harvest festivals, yams dressed in fern leaves are presented to the chiefs.
Pohnpei Pepper
Piper nigrum
Volcanic soil and abundant rain grow some of the world's most aromatic pepper — the classic souvenir.
Coconut
Uhpw
Drink it, eat it, weave it, burn it — nothing is wasted, and a freshly picked nut is the finest treat of all.
"Let's Go Local," a movement to rediscover traditional island foods, was born right here on Pohnpei.
Come hear the songs of this forest.
No photograph or field guide can carry the scent of the forest, or the cheerful racket of lorikeets crossing overhead.
On treks and island tours, your guide shares the stories of the birds and plants along the way.