Understanding plant invasions is important in conservation ecology and land management, as invasive plant species worldwide have caused irreparable damage and often incur substantial control costs. To record the dispersal vectors for the invasive barberry (Berberis glaucocarpa) in a New Zealand regenerating forest, video cameras were used to film 24 barberry plants in fruit in Kowhai Bush, Kaikoura. During 242 hours of video, a total of 101 foraging events were recorded by four bird species: silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), blackbird (Turdus merula), song thrush (T. philomelos), and starling (Sturnus vulgaris). The four bird species varied in visitation frequency, time spent on plants, and fruit removal rates. The estimated daily contribution to recorded barberry fruit removal was 42.8% by song thrush, 32.6% by silvereye, 24.3% by blackbird, and 0.2% by starling. No endemic bird species were observed feeding on barberry, despite bellbirds (Anthornis melanura) being common in Kowhai Bush. Removal rates for ripe barberry fruit were relatively modest (1.14% per day), but given the ~3 month fruiting season, represented a sizable seed rain in the surrounding forest. Although barberry is now sympatric with several introduced frugivores in New Zealand, none of its dispersers from its native range in Nepal and northern India are present. Instead, dispersal in New Zealand is facilitated primarily by introduced European bird species and native silvereyes.
A collection of 16 birds from Hokianga, including the type specimens of banded rail Hypotaenidia philippensis assimilis and black petrel Procellaria parkinsoni, is recorded as presented to the British Museum in 1842 by a mysterious “Miss Rebecca Stone.” She is identified as Rebecca Stones of London, who presented birds brought from Hokianga by her brother William Stones. A further search for the collector in Hokianga, based on the evidence of the specimens and how they were obtained, prepared and documented, points to the Wesleyan missionary William White, and also reveals much about the practices of ornithology of the time. It also reveals that Hokianga Māori, notably Mohi Tāwhai of Waimā, played a significant role in obtaining and naming birds for the collection. The type localities for New Zealand banded rail, black petrel, and Botaurus melanotus are restricted to Hokianga, Northland.
Understanding the drivers for the seasonal movements of kea at landscape scales is critical to their conservation. Recent developments and increasing use of Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers prompted a small-scale trial on kea (Nestor notabilis) in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park during October 2021 to February 2022. We attached a solar charged Druid Debut Lego™ tracker to four birds: two nesting females, a juvenile male and a recently fledged male. One tracker, with a raised solar panel, transmitted data by 3G cell phone network and the others sent data by 2G GSM cell phone network. The two trackers with raised solar panels collected and transmitted substantially more data than the flush-mounted solar panels. Location data was mapped, and elevation, distances travelled, 24-hour movement patterns and activity behaviour were analysed. The limitations of these GPS trackers are discussed, and recommendations are made for future use of GPS trackers on kea where topographic shading, power consumption, satellite reception, and data transmission are likely to remain significant challenges.
The Auckland Domain is the city’s oldest park and contains over 70 ha of contiguous, mature urban forest. Five-minute bird counts were made across one year within the domain forest in 2019 and 2020 and compared with counts conducted in 1987 and 1988, using the same methods and at the same survey sites, to investigate changes in the structure of the urban bird community. The abundance and species richness of native and introduced birds increased between the count years and there was structural change within the community driven by increases in the abundance of forest-adapted endemic species, tūī Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, grey warbler Gerygone igata, and kererū Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae, and declines in generalist native species, silvereye Zosterops lateralis and fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa. Tūī showed the most profound increase in abundance between count years, reflecting regional conservation management of mainland and island forest habitats that benefit this highly mobile species. Increased abundance of eastern rosella Platycercus eximius and common myna Acridotheres tristis also altered community structure between count years, indicative of ongoing colonisation by these exotic species in the Auckland region since their introduction to the North Island. The fact that both these species compete with native taxa for nest cavities within forests is of concern. Our results reinforce the need to manage and protect maturing urban forests to enhance native bird populations. Such actions will also support the recovery of native bird populations at a landscape scale.
Birds collected and reported by the Austrian Novara Expedition while in northern New Zealand in December 1858 and January 1859 are described. These included birds collected at sea east of Northland and Auckland, and birds seen and collected between the Auckland isthmus and Waikato River during 18 days that SMS Novara was at Auckland. Notable records include the earliest known specimen of Pycroft’s petrel (Pterodroma pycrofti), and the earliest record of Kermadec petrel (Pt. neglecta) from near the New Zealand mainland. Scientists from the Novara encountered many species that are now rare or absent near Auckland city and northern Waikato, including brown teal (Anas chlorotis), long-tailed cuckoo (Eudynamys taitensis), New Zealand falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae), kākā (Nestor meridionalis), red-crowned parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae), yellow-crowned parakeet (C. auriceps), bellbird (Anthornis melanura), whitehead (Mohoua albicilla), and North Island robin (Petroica longipes), and possibly also North Island saddleback (Philesturnus rufusater) and the extinct North Island piopio (Turnagra tanagra). Other specimens obtained in Auckland (of uncertain provenance) included North Island kokako (Callaeas wilsoni) and hihi (Notiomystis cincta). All these species became much scarcer or extinct following the introduction of ship rats (Rattus rattus) and stoats (Mustela ermina) and other mammalian predators to New Zealand after 1859.
The Cook Islands are a scattered group of mainly inhabited tropical islands in the South Pacific Ocean. We provide a comprehensive review of petrel and shearwater (Oceanitidae and Procellariidae) records for the Cook Islands. Records include new fossil and subfossil records; however, the focus is on specimen records and observations made on land since 1970. Records and observations comprise details of 13 species of seabirds within the order Procellariiformes, from the Northern and Southern Groups, Cook Islands. This paper includes extensions to the breeding ranges of some Procellariiformes within the South Pacific Ocean. Significant new records include confirmation of Herald petrel (Pterodroma heraldica) breeding on Rarotonga, and the suspected breeding of black-winged petrel (P. nigripennis) on Ātiu, wedge-tailed shearwater (Ardenna pacifica) on Aitutaki, and tropical shearwater (Puffinus dichrous) on Mangaia. A thorough field survey across all islands needs to be conducted to determine more completely the breeding status and distribution of these species, and to potentially locate other species. We recommend surveys using a range of methods to determine the breeding status of species in the Cook Islands and, importantly, developing local capacity towards improving conservation efforts to protect Procellariiformes, including urgent predator control at some locations on Rarotonga.
Many aspects of the ecology of the endemic variable oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolor) have not been studied in detail. We colour-banded and monitored a population of the species in a study area between 36°S and 37°S on the east coast of the North Island, New Zealand. Monitoring was intensive during the breeding season from 1994/95 to 1998/99, during which time we gathered information on timing of breeding, chick growth, and productivity. We also recorded measurements of adult birds and eggs. Laying of first clutches was protracted and extended from early September to mid-December. Chicks fledged at lower weights than adults and with shorter total head length and wing, but with tarsus and mid-toe within the adult range. Productivity at four core breeding sites within our study area averaged 0.42 chicks fledged per pair per year. Juveniles commonly remained with their parents on their natal territory during their first winter. From 1999, monitoring was less intensive as we continued collecting data on dispersal, age at first breeding, survival, and pair-bond retention. Natal dispersal values ranged from 0–109 km, with most birds breeding within 60 km of their natal site. As with many oystercatcher species, maturity is delayed, and birds in our study area first bred at between 4 and 8 years of age. There was a high level of mate-fidelity, with one pair-bond lasting 16 consecutive years, but divorce was not uncommon. Once established on a territory, adults were highly sedentary. Annual survival rates of adults and pre-breeders were very high, and the local population had the capacity to grow by about 5% per year. Birds breeding at low-lying sites often lost nests to flooding, and this threat is almost certain to be exacerbated by ongoing climate change.
Shorebird nest outcomes can be affected by factors such as predation, human disturbance, and habitat characteristics. Over two breeding seasons between 2022–2024, we monitored the hatching success of banded dotterels (Anarhynchus bicinctus), southern black-backed gulls (SBBGs) (Larus dominicanus), black-fronted terns (Chlidonias albostriatus), pied stilts (Himantopus leucocephalus), and variable oystercatchers (Haematopus unicolor) at the Ashley River estuary, New Zealand, and compared these values to those in the literature. We also recorded habitat variables at the nest sites of the two species with the largest sample sizes: banded dotterels and SBBGs. Hatching success was lowest for black-fronted terns and highest for SBBGs. Overall, failure was predominantly due to predation and flooding. SBBG hatching success was unrelated to the measured nest site variables but may have been influenced by seasonal changes, with earlier nests appearing more successful. Banded dotterel nests that were closer to water appeared to be more successful, as did nests in the first year of the study. Cats (Felis domesticus) were recorded depredating banded dotterel nests, highlighting the importance of monitoring and controlling invasive species to protect native birds in New Zealand’s estuaries.