Birds New Zealand

A new Southern Tūturiwhatu/New Zealand Dotterel chick, found by a Department of Conservation dotterel ranger on Mount Rakeahua, Rakiura/Stewart Island.

In his 5th blogpost from Te Araroa Trail covering the section between Auckland to Hamilton, Colin Miskelly reports finding an Australian Chestnut-breasted Shelduck south of Meremere and seeing some interesting wading birds incluiding a Grey-tailed Tattler among the Bar-tailed Godwit and Red Knot flocks at Ambury Regional Park.

Birds of Te Araroa 5 – Auckland to Hamilton | Te Papa’s Blog Between November 2023 and March 2024, Natural History curator Colin Miskelly is walking the length of Aotearoa New Zealand on Te Araroa Trail – counting every bird seen or heard along the way. In t…

Our latest South Auckland branch newsletter is now online with news of latest bird sightings, recent surveys and speakers, and dates for upcoming meetings. See link in comments below.

Puteketeke Australasian Crested Grebe photo by Michael Szabo.

Nic Rawlence of University of Otago reports: "When did the ancestors of takahē and moho (two flightless rails endemic to Aotearoa) arrive here? How did humans and past environmental change impact them? Our new ancient DNA research, led by Alex Verry, out now in Molecular Ecology sheds light on these questions https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.17227

Takahē were once thought extinct, but a relict population was discovered in southern NZ and they’re now heavily managed to ensure their ongoing survival. Moho are only known from subfossil remains and likely became extinct prior to European arrival.

We sequenced mitogenomes from subfossil and archaeological takahē/moho remains from throughout NZ, takahē museum skins, and living individuals to examine the evolutionary history of these species.

We show that takahē lost much of their diversity following human arrival ~750 years ago. The bottleneck and range contraction to Fiordland was so drastic that we don’t find the genetic lineage present in living takahē in any archaeological or subfossil specimen.
Contrary to previous research, our research suggests that the swamphen ancestors of takahē and moho didn’t arrive in NZ in two separate waves. We estimate that there was one colonisation event ~4 Mya, followed by divergence of a flightless swamp hen into takahē & moho ~1.5 Mya.

The fossil record can inform conservation. Takahē aren’t tussock-adapted birds, the fossil record suggests that they prefer edge habitats, and general grass/shrublands. If we are to conserve takahē, we need to take into account their prehistoric distribution & habitat preferences."

Ancient mitochondrial genomes unveil the origins and evolutionary history of New Zealand's enigmatic takahē and moho Molecular Ecology is an international journal for research using molecular genetic techniques to address questions in ecology, evolution, behavior and conservation.

Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre is mourning the death of Kahurangi, the only Kokako held in captivity in the world.

Wolf-whistling kōkako Kahurangi mourned

Here is Te Papa curator and Birds New Zealand council member Colin Miskelly's latest blog post from Te Araroa Trail, which covers Whangarei to Auckland and describes encounters with NZ Fairy Terns, a Little Egret and plenty of pelagic seabirds seen out at 'The Petrel Station'.

Birds of Te Araroa 4 – Whangārei Harbour to Auckland | Te Papa’s Blog Between November 2023 and March 2024, Natural History curator Colin Miskelly is walking the length of Aotearoa New Zealand on Te Araroa Trail – counting every bird seen or heard along the way. In t…

Meanwhile over in Australia.

Australian populations of threatened bird species fall 60% in past 40 years The threatened bird index reveals largest declines were in Queensland and South Australia

The Kiwi Capital Project have announced the discovery of two kiwi chicks on Monday near Makara. These are the first kiwi chicks born in the wild, west of the capital for over 150 years.

We are deeply delighted to announce the discovery of two pēpē kiwi on Monday. These are the first kiwi chicks born in the wild, west of Wellington for over 150 years. Mīharo!

They were found while CK’s Pete and Christine were monitoring several kiwi males sitting on eggs. Estimated hatch dates meant that there was a possibility of Pete finding a single bird in the burrow deep in the fronds of a mamaku fern — he was beaming as he pulled out a second.

Only a quarter of the 63 adult birds are being monitored, so there will likely be other chicks out there on our hills from here onwards. These two pēpē will be monitored via transmitters (along with the next 18 chicks to hatch). We will provide an update at the end of the season.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have supported and contributed to this significant milestone for the mission to restore a large-scale wild population of kiwi to the hills of our capital city. Thank you to our iwi, landowners and local communities – especially Mākara, who are ground zero as kiwi guardians – and all who have worked together to enable the return of our taonga and icon.

Kia Kaha kiwi!

Nau mai haere mai e ngā pēpē kiwi ki te ao mārama – Welcome kiwi babies to the world of light.

The Department of Conservation reports:

The allure of what’s beyond the sanctuary has proven too strong for some of the mainland Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari kākāpō population, with three birds finding a way over the fence in the past two months.

To reduce the monitoring load that comes with tracking the birds, we have made the decision with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari to temporarily decrease the sanctuary’s population size. Three of the ten birds (Motupōhue, Manawanui and Kanawera) have now been relocated to a predator-free island.

Kākāpō are famously curious parrots. On top of this they are impressive climbers, so departures from the fenced sanctuary were an expected challenge of the trial. By reducing the population, staff can keep closer tabs on the birds while still preserving the integrity of the trial and learning more about their behaviour as they adapt to life back on the mainland.

The allure of what’s beyond the sanctuary has proven too strong for some of the mainland Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari kākāpō population, with three birds finding a way over the fence in the past two months.

To reduce the monitoring load that comes with tracking the birds, we have made the decision with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari to temporarily decrease the sanctuary’s population size. Three of the ten birds (Motupōhue, Manawanui and Kanawera) have now been relocated to a predator-free island.

Kākāpō are famously curious parrots. On top of this they are impressive climbers, so departures from the fenced sanctuary were an expected challenge of the trial. By reducing the population, staff can keep closer tabs on the birds while still preserving the integrity of the trial and learning more about their behaviour as they adapt to life back on the mainland.

Keen to read more? Click here: https://bit.ly/47W7GcP

📸: Motupōhue on his release day | Peter Drury for DOC

Satellite-tracking of Red Knots - Phil Battley, Massey University
(2021 Birds New Zealand Research Fund)

Red Knots have proven to be reluctant to divulge their secrets to Aotearoa New Zealand researchers. Knowledge of their migration stopovers and staging sites has scarcely increased over the past decade, and the birds have become less numerous and harder to catch around our shores, yet there are important unknowns such as whether the initial staging site for knots heading north is in Australia or New Guinea, how often birds use Taiwan versus mainland China, and what proportion of the population uses (or more importantly does not use) the well-known staging site in Bohai Bay in China before heading to the breeding grounds.

With Lotek developing new 2-g satellite tags suitable for use on knots, we had high hopes of resolving these unknowns. The birds, and the weather, had other ideas in 2022 and no birds were caught. 2023 was to be better, we hoped, and in March three were tagged at Pūkorokoro Miranda. One of these transpired to be too immature to migrate, and it remained mostly in the Manukau Harbour through the winter. The other two left our shores and staged in northern Australia or in West Papua. That answered one question – Australia or New Guinea? Why not both?

Success declined after that. The West Papua bird carried on with a beautiful flight to a somewhat inhospitable part of the coast of Taiwan, and signals ended at that site. Either the tag was shed, or the bird died there. The bird from Australia embarked on a second flight, then thought better of it, turned around, and returned to West Papua. Transmitters were also sent to Chinese colleagues who deployed some on migrating birds passing near Shanghai, but we learnt little from those also. So, the project was not a huge success. We incrementally gained some new insights but are yet to get a high-resolution track all the way to the breeding grounds. Maybe in 2024…

This project received assistance from the 2021 Birds New Zealand Research fund.

Love the support has created for our native birds? Let's keep the interest in our feathered species going by contributing to citizen science projects like

🦉Teaching article: https://bit.ly/3sTW8YX

This comprehensive worldwide online citizen science (OCS) project collates bird species, numbers, locations and times of sightings into a large database. You can create a class as a user and, by recording observational information, use this information to focus on how to read the collated data and discuss what it means.

This project ends 31 May next year - so get started!



eBird Citizen Science New Zealand Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne Ecosanctuary New Zealand Garden Bird Survey Orokonui Ecosanctuary
New Zealand Bird Atlas Birds New Zealand New Zealand Birds Online Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research Forest & Bird Kiwi Conservation Club Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari New Zealand Association for Environmental Education Enviroschools Aotearoa NZ iNaturalist NZ - Mātaki Taiao

The nature cure: how time outdoors transforms our memory, imagination and logic Without engaging with natural environments, our brains cease to work well. As the new field of environmental neuroscience proves, exposure to nature isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity

Birds of Te Araroa 3 – Kerikeri to Whangarei Harbour

Here's Colin Miskelly's latest blogpost from his marathon trek along Te Araroa Trail - this one features his encounters with Weka, Wandering Tattler, Australasian Bittern and a flock of 81 Pāteke Brown Teal on the edge of Ngunguru!

Birds of Te Araroa 3 – Kerikeri to Whangarei Harbour | Te Papa’s Blog Between November 2023 and March 2024, Natural History curator Colin Miskelly is walking the length of Aotearoa New Zealand on Te Araroa Trail – counting every bird seen or heard along the way. In t…

Heritage Expeditions have a 50% sale on selected voyages - find out more here: https://tinyurl.com/3ymz8ufp

***BLACK FRIDAY SALE - SAVE 50%***
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Our latest Canterbury regional newsletter 'Wrybill' is now online. This one is a bumper issue packed with photos, bird news and updates on recent surveys, field trips and the Bird Atlas project. See link in comments section below.

Wrybill Ngutu pare photo by Mike Soper/DOC.

Colin Miskelly's latest Te Araroa Trail blog - From Kaitaia to Kerikeri.

Birds of Te Araroa 2 – Kaitaia to Kerikeri | Te Papa’s Blog Between November 2023 and March 2024, Natural History curator Colin Miskelly is walking the length of Aotearoa New Zealand on Te Araroa Trail – counting every bird seen or heard along the way. In t…

The Department of Conservation has published a review of the ecology, threats, and research gaps for conservation of the Kea. The new document brings together a summary of current knowledge of Kea and the threats to population recovery, and identifies key gaps in this knowledge. The primary aim is to identify knowledge gaps that need to be addressed before an effective Kea recovery strategy can be fully implemented. A link to the report is in the comments section blow.

Kea photo © Michael Szabo.

BREAKING NEWS!

The Department of Conservation reports the first Takahē nests in the Greenstone Valley - five of them in fact!

Takahē were only re-introduced into this new site in August this year, just weeks before the start of the Takahē breeding season.

BREAKING NEWS!

We currently have a team in the field who have confirmed that we have our first takahē nests in the Greenstone Valley - five of them in fact!

Takahē were only re-introduced into this new site in August this year, just weeks before the start of the takahē breeding season. Although we hoped they might nest this year, we suspected the stress of the transfer and settling into a new site might have an impact on breeding. Apparently not! This is a great indication that takahe are settling well into their new home.

Information about the August linked in the comments.

"Here, we describe Plotornis archaeonautes sp. nov., a new albatross species from the earliest Miocene that represents the earliest record of Procellariiformes in New Zealand and the earliest uncontroversial record of the clade Pan-Diomedeidae [albatrosses] from the Southern Hemisphere."

Stem albatrosses wandered far: a new species of Plotornis (Aves, Pan-Diomedeidae) from the earliest Miocene of New Zealand Albatrosses are among the most intensely studied groups of living birds, yet their fossil record remains sparse. Despite modern albatrosses being more abundant and widespread in the Southern Hemisp...

20 Yellow-crowned Kākāriki fledglings were transferred today from their home at Ngā Manu to a holding aviary at Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre. They will spend time together as a flock at Pūkaha before being released to wild at Mount Bruce in the Wairarapa.

Moa footprints found in the Kyeburn River in Maniototo in 2019 have been found to be 3.6 million years old.

Scientists reveal fossilised moa footprints in Otago are at least 3.6 million years old It makes them the second-oldest fossils or traces of moa ever discovered.

The Pūteketeke Australasian Crested Grebe has been crowned NZ Bird of the Century. Second placed was Kiwi-Nui North Island Brown Kiwi, third was Kea, fourth was Kakapo, and fifth was Piwakawaka NZ Fantail.

Pūteketeke crowned Bird of the Century The fierce competition saw over 350,000 valid votes cast and mutliple references on American television.

Today we want to give a shout out to NT Bird Specialists for winning 'Best Tour & Transport Operators' at the 2023 NT Tourism Awards in Australia - good on ya!

Pūteketeke Australasian Crested Grebe has been in the headlines recently - you can read all about them here on the New Zealand Birds Online website.

Australasian crested grebe | Pūteketeke | New Zealand Birds Online Geographical variation: Three subspecies, australis in Australia and New Zealand, cristatus in the Palearctic and infuscatus in Africa.

Extinct birds of Hawai'i - another 8 species have been declared extinct this year.

Colin Miskelly's first blog post from his marathon 'Atlas' trek the length of the country along Te Araroa Trail includes a 90 Mile Beach Patrol and his first Unusual Bird Report - a vagrant Eastern Common Tern found among a flock of endemic White-fronted Terns.

Birds of Te Araroa 1 – Cape Reinga to Kaitaia | Te Papa’s Blog Between November 2023 and March 2024, Natural History curator Colin Miskelly is walking the length of Aotearoa New Zealand on Te Araroa Trail – counting every bird seen or heard along the way. In t…

A reminder that NZ Falcons can dive at people near nesting sites and cause injury with their sharp talons.

Wellington track closed after nesting kārearea cause injury With sharp talons, a top speed of up to 200kph and a nest to protect, swooping kārearea have drawn blood on a track popular with walkers.

20th November 2023 will be the 75th anniversary of the rediscovery of the Takahe - Birds New Zealand's scientific journal 'Notornis' is named after it.

🚨 Birds New Zealand Auckland is hosting an eBird workshop in Auckland!
📅 Date: 5 December 2023
⏰ Time: 14:30 to 16:00
📍 Event Address: The Barn, Ambury Park, Auckland 2022
🦉 Ian and Tom will explore how eBird data informs our understanding of species distribution, status, and population trends, including freely available relative abundance data and much more in this free 90-minute workshop. You are invited to come along to learn about how your eBird observations can inform research and conservation action here in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.
✍🏽 Please RSVP via this link
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9YrzsDYahMYBCGp-Cc1LJd23VOIvdnkrT3Yjuc_iDMRdkxQ/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3kmGvQQz3EJX4_SrS1Ye7nR1rB2xaBw4tym4Lgn7KOZ-W0TwNFMsRx6p4
🐦 Spaces are limited so make sure you register early!

🚨 Birds New Zealand Auckland is hosting an eBird workshop in Auckland!

📅 Date: 5 December 2023

⏰ Time: 14:30 to 16:00

📍 Event Address: The Barn, Ambury Park, Auckland 2022

🦉 Ian and Tom will explore how eBird data informs our understanding of species distribution, status, and population trends, including freely available relative abundance data and much more in this free 90-minute workshop. You are invited to come along to learn about how your eBird observations can inform research and conservation action here in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.

✍🏽 Please RSVP via this link
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9YrzsDYahMYBCGp-Cc1LJd23VOIvdnkrT3Yjuc_iDMRdkxQ/viewform?usp=send_form

🐦 Spaces are limited so make sure you register early!

The Department of Conservation reports that the breeding of critically endangered Orange-fronted Parakeet or Kākāriki Karaka at Nelson’s Brook Waimārama Sanctuary has exceeded expectations. 125 were first released into the sanctuary in 2021 and now, in a recent survey, 170 have been recorded there.

The breeding of critically endangered kākāriki karaka at Nelson’s Brook Waimārama Sanctuary has exceeded expectations!

125 Orange-fronted parakeet were first released into the sanctuary in 2021 and now, in a recent survey, we have recorded 170.

Almost all the birds we saw are the offspring of those originally released into the sanctuary in 2021, identifiable because they don’t have any coloured bands around their legs.

We knew the kākāriki had been breeding well in the sanctuary, but this survey went beyond what we anticipated or hoped for. It’s a really positive sign this is good habitat for kākāriki karaka to thrive.

We work in partnership with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to lead the Kākāriki Karaka Recovery Programme, with crucial support from The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, Orana Wildlife Park, MainPower, Christchurch Helicopters, and the University of Canterbury.

The programme’s work includes extensive predator control through the mainland habitat of kākāriki karaka, captive breeding, and maintaining a population on a predator-free offshore island.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/470sRKR

11 of 12 Welcome Swallows have died after being found covered in glue near Queensgate Shopping Centre in Lower Hutt.

Birds die after being found in carpark covered in glue, rescuers ask why? Only 1 of the 12 birds found in a Wellington shopping mall carpark covered in a sticky substance is expected to survive.

📅 Less than a month is left of the Spring season and we've seen some fantastic Atlas effort since last month, well done everyone!
🟩 520 Atlas grid squares still await their first bit of Spring data. 44 got their first bit in the past month. Can you help us by filling them in with valuable bird observations?
🗺️ Be sure to use the Atlas Effort Map (https://ebird.org/atlasnz/effortmap) to find the gaps!
🦉 Happy Atlasing!

📅 Less than a month is left of the Spring season and we've seen some fantastic Atlasing efforts since last month, well done everyone!

🟩 520 Atlas grid squares still await their first bit of Spring data. 44 got their first bit in the past month. Can you help us by filling them in with valuable bird observations?

🗺️ Be sure to use the Atlas Effort Map (https://ebird.org/atlasnz/effortmap) to find those gaps in need of some Atlasing love!

🦉 Happy Atlasing - let's finish this Spring season strongly!