Uncertainty still surrounds the status of the orange-fronted parakeet, Cyanoramphus malherbi. Doubts first raised in 1974 that it was merely a colour morph of the much more common yellow-crowned parakeet, C. auriceps, were supported by a morphometric study of museum specimens in 1981, and the results of cross-breeding experiments with wild-caught and aviary birds in 1986. Subsequently, the orange-fronted parakeet was deleted from the most recent Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand. However, some researchers and conservation managers remain unconvinced, because of doubts raised by electrophoresis of blood proteins, and claimed differences in the orange-fronted bird’s size, behaviour and ecology. This paper reviews the topic, discusses the evidence and arguments in the species versus colour morph controversy, and supports the view that the 2 forms are colour morphs of a single species.
We present population size estimates of mollymawk species at Bollons Island in the Antipodes group based on counts in 1994 and 1995. Totals of 115 pairs of black-browed mollymawks Diomedea m. melanophrys and about 20 pairs of white-capped mollymawks D. cauta steadi were estimated to be nesting. Based on previous counts from Bollons Island and population estimates from other islands in the New Zealand region, we conclude that numbers of D. m. melanophrys have increased in this region, in contrast to D. m. impavida which has decreased. The few data on the population size of D. cauta steadi hint at a population increase in that taxon also.
The densities of Chatham Island pipits (Anthus novaeseelandiae chathamensis) and skylarks (Alauda arvensis) on the south coast of Chatham Island were estimated at 7 individuals km-2 and 10 ind. km-2, respectively. Foraging behaviours used by pipit differed significantly between rough fernland, pasture and beaches. Foraging behaviours also differed significantly between pipits and skylark on pasture, and pipits moved on average 10 times further per minute than skylark. The make-up of pipit foraging behaviour on fields and beaches on Chatham Island also differed significantly from those at Wellington, North Island, during autumn.
The breeding biology of kakerori, or Rarotonga flycatcher (Pomarea dimidiata) was studied during ten years (1987-97) of experimental management aimed at saving this endangered monarch flycatcher from extinction. Kakerori remained territorial all year and were usually monogamous. Most birds kept the same mate from year to year, but pairs that failed to raise any young were more likely to divorce than successful pairs. Despite living in the tropics, kakerori breeding was strictly seasonal, with eggs laid from early October to mid-February, and mostly in late October and early November. Nesting started earlier in years when October was very sunny. Most pairs (74%) laid only one clutch, but some pairs laid up to four replacement clutches when nests failed. Three pairs (1%) successfully raised two broods in a season. Rat (Rattus spp.) predation was the principal cause of nest failure, especially of nests in pua (Fagraea berteriana), the main fruiting tree used by rats during the kakerori breeding season. Annual breeding productivity was initially poor (0.46 fledglings per breeding pair over two years) and the population was declining, but intensive management since 1989 has led to a great increase in productivity (1.07 fledglings per breeding pair over eight years) and the number of kakerori has increased from 29 birds in 1989 to a minimum of 153 birds in 1997. Their IUCN conservation status can therefore be lowered from ‘critically endangered’ to ‘endangered’.
Weka (Gallirallus australis) can be aged accurately up until 50 days old using leg and bill measurements, and then less accurately up to 180 days old using plumage development, wing spur shape and iris colour. Weka less than one year old can be distinguished by their remex tip and wing spur shape. Beyond one year, weka can only be placed into age groups, using wing spur shape.
Osteological characters distinguishing the South Georgian diving petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus) from the common diving petrel (P. urinatrix) are described. P. georgicus is shown to be the main diving petrel in Holocene fossil deposits at Mason Bay, Stewart Island, New Zealand, where it is represented by thousands of bones. P. georgicus is also recorded from dune deposits on Chatham Island. The Codfish Island population is thus a remnant of a formerly large Pacific population that bred on Macquarie Island, Auckland Islands, Stewart Island and Chatham Island, and is therefore of high conservation priority.
The North Island weka (Gallirallus australis greyi) population at Parekura Bay was monitored in 1991-95, during a long dry El Niño event. Adult weka had declined from ~400, in February 1987 (Beauchamp 1988), to 47-63 Weka in Parekura Bay and Whangamumu areas in June 1991. By March 1995 there were only three weka left there. Enhanced production of young weka was insufficient to prevent decline. Known mortality factors were road kills, Timms traps and dogs and stoats. Throughout the study the population lacked females. A “crowing call” by males was identified as associated with mate loss and mate finding.
We examined digestive tract contents and stable nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) in breast muscles of Buller’s shearwaters (Puffinus bulleri) salvaged from squid and large-mesh driftnets in the central North Pacific Ocean. The epipelagic Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) was the predominant prey, making up 71% of prey mass in digestive tracts. The remainder of the diet included small numbers of crustaceans, small fishes, and squids. The high degree of specialization in the diet seems to indicate that in the North Pacific, Buller’s shearwaters usually feed at or near the water surface and rarely pursue food under water. Although these birds have been observed feeding on scraps from fishing vessels, our data suggest that offal comprises less than 10 percent of the diet. Stable nitrogen isotope values provided quantified information on the timing of arrival of migrants into the North Pacific.
A breeding male Chatham Island taiko (Pterodroma magentae) was found recently dead of injuries by its burrow on 14 November 1996. Intraspecific fighting followed by sepsis of wounds seems the likely cause of death. All parts were preserved. Food items of taiko include four squid species and one fish species. Its intestinal structure suggests a close relationship with the P. mollis group and P. macroptera. Measurements of bones indicate that most subfossil bones previously referred to this species were correctly identified.