The Vini lorikeets are highly threatened by human changes to their islands. Most species have been lost from a number of islands and two species became extinct before the arrival of European explorers in the Pacific. As of 2017[update], two species are listed as endangered species by the IUCN and two are considered vulnerable.[1] They are primarily threatened by introduced species, such as rats, and habitat loss.
Taxonomy
The genus Vini was introduced in 1833 by the French naturalist René Lesson for Kuhl's lorikeet.[2][3] The genus name is the Tahitian word for a local bird.[2][4][5]
^[Davies, John] (1851). "Vini". A Tahitian and English Dictionary. Tahiti: London Missionary Society's Press. p. 314. the name of a small paroquet
^Wahlroos, Sven (2002). "Vini". English-Tahitian Tahitian-English Dictionary. Honolulu: Māʻohi Heritage Press. p. 684. (1) Tahiti parakeet; (2) small birds of various species imported to Tahiti
Species (taxonomy note: * indicates taxa that may classified as a subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet or a separate species) (extinctions: † indicates a species confirmed to be extinct, ₴ indicates evidence only from sub-fossils)