'Martin' is the vernacular name given in French to several species of birds of the Alcedinidae and Sturnidae families. The difference between the 'martin-chasseur' and the 'martin-pêcheur', both kingfisher in English, is due to its habitat and its customs. The 'martin-chasseur' is the terrestrial version of the 'martin-pêcheur', it lives in trees and bushes. That of Niau nests in the 700 ha of coconut groves which have replaced the native forests along the lagoon and the ocean coast and perches on shrubs of Miki miki (Pemphis acidula) or Kahaia (Guettarda speciosa).