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History of the distribution of the crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) in the North Island and Nelson-Marlborough

  • Publication Type

    Journal Article

  • Publication Year

    1972

  • Author(s)

    K.E. Westerskov

  • Journal Name

    Notornis

  • Volume, Issue

    19, 1

  • Pagination

    74-82

  • Article Type

    Paper

  • DOI

Keywords

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History of the distribution of the crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) in the North Island and Nelson-Marlborough

Notornis, 19 (1), 74-82

K.E. Westerskov (1972)

Article Type: Paper

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The crested grebe Podiceps cristatus australis is a rare bird in New Zealand, now confined to the South Island. It was formerly present on a few of the large North Island lakes; there is a subfossil record from a Maori midden, carbondated to A.D. 945, and more recent observations – from the period 1870–1900 of breeding populations on Lakes Waikareiti and Waikaremoana. In Nelson-Marlborough crested grebes were formerly found on Lakes Rotoroa and Rotoiti; they were possibly first seen in New Zealand and identified on Lake Rotoroa in 1846 by Heaphy, and certainly observed and correctly identified at these lakes by Haast in 1860. They have disappeared as breeding birds from the lakes some time during the last 15–20 years. There is a sub-fossil grebe from Lake Grassmere, Marlborough, possibly from a Maori midden. Today there are no longer crested grebes in the North Island or in Nelson-Marlborough, northern South Island.