according to the legend that describes the creation of the Marquesan islands, each island of the Marquesas represents different elements of a fare (house), the island of tahuata was created to resemble the dawn. tahuata, is the island of «light». the island, situated several kilometers from hiva oa, is aptly named. lacking a coral reef, it is renowned for its numerous white sandy beaches and superb bays. the island is also the last sanctuary of a rare bird - the Marquesas kingfisher, pahi, in the Marquesan language. the only surviving population in the world is found on tahuata (estimated at 450 individuals) is in danger of extinction. Males and females are similar in appearance and size (17 cm). The wings and tail are an azure blue, the underside of the body is white. a black band covers the eye, from the beak to the nape of the neck. the pahi digs its nest inside dead tree trunks, such as the screwpine, mango and breadfruit trees, and breed mainly during the austral NATURE The Pahi - symbol of Tahuata, the Marquesan island of « light » iN EVEry issuE of our mAgAziNE, wE sPoTlighT sPECiEs of ENdANgErEd birds from our islANds, iN PArTNErshiP wiTh ThE frENCh PolyNEsiAN bird ProTECTioN soCiETy, mANu, To hElP you disCoVEr ANd APPrECiATE ThE imPorTANCE of our ExCEPTioNAl NATurAl hEriTAgE summer (october to January). several reasons are thought to be causing their decline, such as loss of habitat, lack of nesting trees, and predation by feral. tahuata is the smallest inhabited island in the Marquesas, with a population of 671 inhabitants today. the main sources of income are copra (dried coconut meat), handicrafts and tourism. human disturbance is a significant threat to the pahi’s population, due to the development of the copra industry and fa’a’apu (agricultural land). the clearing of trees as wellas fires, both intentional and unintentional, are all part of the problem. that is why Manu, assisted by the tahuata’s council, have organized meetings with the local population and school children to explain how they can help protect this species. in 2012, a local guide, louis tohetia timau, was trained to survey the pahi. he regularly continues to informthe community about the threats to this species, the local children even call him « Mr Pahi ». P.Bacchet l’île de tahuata dans l’archiPel des Marquises est le reFuge de la seule PoPulation au Monde de pAhi/The oNly surviviNg populATioN oF Pahi iN The world is FouNd oN TAhuATA islANd iN MArquesAs. 91