Abstract: Captive facilities across New Zealand strive to mimic natural conditions for captive animals as closely as possible. In the case of the kiwi (Apteryx spp.), captive habitats are augmented with natural stimuli such as soils, leaf litter, bark, plants, logs, and mosses. Interaction with these introduced stimuli has been shown to encourage normal foraging behaviour and is speculated to aid in inoculating young animals with healthy microbial communities. However, introducing non-sterile natural stimuli into the captive environment also carries the risk of exposing kiwi to diseases such as aspergillosis, coccidiosis, and candidiasis. Aspergillosis is of particular concern to rearing facilities – the disease is most commonly attributed to exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus, an opportunistic fungal pathogen. Here we present a PCR-based screen to qualitatively detect the presence and/or absence of A. fumigatus in soils. Soil samples collected from nesting sites of rowi (Ōkārito brown kiwi, Apteryx rowi) in the Ōkārito region of the West Coast were screened for A. fumigatus using a species-specific primer set coupled with a basic DNA extraction. Willowbank Wildlife Reserve soil and substrate samples were also screened as a baseline comparison representing captive rearing facilities. Results from the assays showed that the extraction technique was effective at isolating A. fumigatus DNA at detectable levels from a variety of soils, and that Ōkārito soils did not harbour a higher abundance of A. fumigatus than those found at Willowbank. This preliminary screening method could be used by facilities in New Zealand to quickly and cheaply screen soils and substrates for A. fumigatus before introducing them to captive enclosures.
Abstract: The current Buller’s albatross taxa (Thalassarche bulleri bulleri [southern] and T. b. platei [northern]) engage in transpacific migrations from breeding sites on New Zealand offshore islands to non-breeding areas in the south-eastern Pacific Ocean. Both taxa are identifiable from a combination of plumage colour features in the head and bill that are easy to detect at short distance (<15 m). There is also breeding allopatry between the taxa, with the onset of breeding 2.5 months earlier in the ‘northern taxon’. In this study, close-range sightings and captures of lured Buller ́s albatross individuals off southern Perú were carried out during two pelagic trips in May–July 2021 onboard a small- scale longline fishery wooden boat (12 m long), during their normal operations when targeting sharks. We report on the presence of 41 Buller ́s albatross, of which 40 were recognized as ‘northern taxon’ and one as ‘southern taxon’. The great majority of the ‘northern taxon’ were adults (92.5%), with the remaining identified as sub-adults (7.5%). Birds were sighted between 126 and 223 km offshore west-south-west from the port of Ilo, Perú (17°38.64 ́S, 71°20.77 ́W). Birds sighted were preferentially in oceanic areas above the abyssal plain (68% of sightings), with a mean depth of 4,537 m, demonstrating that the ‘northern taxon’ is a truly oceanic species. No birds were observed by us over the continental shelf. Discrimination of ‘northern taxon’ from ‘southern taxon’ is possible from a combination of the plumage colour features in the head and bill. However, identification and comparison of photographs for both taxa taken at sea can be problematic, due to varying light conditions, unless the birds can be drawn close to the photographer using attractants, such as offal discards.
Abstract: We report Records Appraisal Committee (RAC) decisions regarding Unusual Bird Reports received between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2022. Among the 160 submissions accepted by the RAC were the first New Zealand records of black tern (Chlidonias niger), black-naped tern (Sterna sumatrana), and Matsudaira’s storm petrel (Hydrobates matsudairae). We also report the second accepted sightings of northern pintail (Anas acuta) and bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus), the third accepted sightings of long-toed stint (Calidris subminuta) and grey-backed tern (Onychoprion lunatus), and the third to fifth accepted records of Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae). Other notable records included the first record of long-tailed cuckoo (Eudynamys taitensis) from Campbell Island and of sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) from the Chatham Islands.