There are estimated to be just a few hundred of the birds left.
Called the Little Dodo because it is a close relative of the long extinct Dodo, the manumea is described as a unique tooth-billed pigeon.
Our correspondent said few Samoans have seen the manumea, apart from its depiction on the country's twenty tala note and 50 sene coin.
Habitat destruction, rats, cats and hunting has left the bird critically endangered.
