Mont Panié is a mountain on the island of Grande Terre in

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

, a special collectivity of France located in the south-west

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. At , it is the island's highest point. Mont Panié is situated in the Chaîne Centrale mountain range. The second highest peak on the island, Mount Humboldt, is nearly as tall as Mont Panié, with an elevation of .

Environment

The eastern slopes of the mountain descend directly and steeply to the sea. On the western side are the upper valleys of the Diahot and Ulaeeum Rivers. Above the vegetation is dominated by dayu biik forest; farther down, between , there is a transition zone characterised by

niaouli ''Melaleuca quinquenervia'', commonly known as the broad-leaved paperbark, paper bark tea tree, punk tree or niaouli, is a small- to medium-sized tree of the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It grows as a spreading tree up to tall, with its trunk cov ...

, followed by

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

s and anthropogenic areas. The mountain's forests are home to 13 species of

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

s, three of which are endemic to the massif.

Important Bird Area

The Panié massif has been recognised as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because it supports populations of New Caledonian imperial pigeons, cloven-feathered doves, white-bellied goshawks,

horned parakeet The horned parakeet (''Eunymphicus cornutus'') is a species of parrot in the genus ''Eunymphicus'', in the family Psittaculidae. It is a medium-sized parrot endemic to New Caledonia. It is called "horned" because it has two black feathers that pr ...

s, grey-eared honeyeaters,

crow honeyeater The crow honeyeater (''Gymnomyza aubryana'') is a very large honeyeater endemic to humid forests in New Caledonia in the South Pacific.Higgins, P., Christidis, L., Ford, H. & Sharpe, C.J. (2017). Crow Honeyeater (Gymnomyza aubryana). In: del Hoyo ...

s, New Caledonian friarbirds,

New Caledonian myzomela The New Caledonian myzomela (''Myzomela caledonica'') is a species of bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. The species is sometimes considered to be conspecific with (the same species as) the scarlet myzomela of Australia. It is endemic t ...

s, barred honeyeaters,

fan-tailed gerygone The fan-tailed gerygone (''Gerygone flavolateralis'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is found in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The Rennell gerygone (''G. citrina'') of the Solomon Islands was formerly considered conspecific, b ...

s, New Caledonian whistlers,

South Melanesian cuckooshrike The south Melanesian cuckooshrike (''Coracina caledonica'') is an uncommon species of bird in the cuckooshrike family. It is found in New Caledonia, Bougainville Island, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. The species is a large (32–37 cm) c ...

s, New Caledonian cicadabirds,

long-tailed triller The long-tailed triller (''Lalage leucopyga'') is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found in New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. The Norfolk Island subspecies of the long-tailed triller, the Norfolk triller, has become ...

streaked fantail The New Caledonian streaked fantail (''Rhipidura verreauxi'') is a species of bird in the family Rhipiduridae. It is endemic to New Caledonia, and the Loyalty Islands (but not Ouvéa Island). Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical mo ...

Melanesian flycatcher The Melanesian flycatcher (''Myiagra caledonica'') is a species of bird in the monarch-flycatcher family Monarchidae. The species is found on islands in Melanesia. Taxonomy and systematics It is closely related to the Vanikoro flycatcher. Alter ...

s, southern shrikebills,

New Caledonian crow The New Caledonian crow (''Corvus moneduloides'') is a medium-sized member of the family Corvidae, native to New Caledonia. The bird is often referred to as the 'qua-qua' due to its distinctive call. It eats a wide range of food, including many t ...

s, yellow-bellied robins, New Caledonian thicketbirds, green-backed white-eyes, striated starlings and red-throated parrotfinches. There is also a small breeding colony of

Tahiti petrel The Tahiti petrel (''Pseudobulweria rostrata)'' is a medium-sized, dark brown and white seabird found across the Pacific Ocean. The species comprises two subspecies: ''P. r. rostrata'' which breeds in the west-central Pacific Ocean, and ''P. r. tr ...

References

External links

"Mont Panié, New Caledonia" on Peakbagger
Panie Important Bird Areas of New Caledonia Seabird colonies {{NewCaledonia-geo-stub

Environment

Important Bird Area

See also

References

External links