Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T16:31:49.732Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 19 - Isolation, invasion and innovation: forces of change in the conservation of New Zealand birds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2014

By
Sarah Withers
Edited by
Adam Stow ,
Norman Maclean  and
Gregory I. Holwell
Sarah Withers
Affiliation:
University of Auckland
Adam Stow
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Sydney
Norman Maclean
Affiliation:
University of Southampton
Gregory I. Holwell
Affiliation:
University of Auckland
Get access

Summary

Summary

New Zealand is home to a small but strange set of land-birds and is world-renowned as a hotspot of sea-bird diversity. This unique assemblage of species is the result of the fact that the New Zealand landmass is continental in origin but island-like in nature, being isolated from other countries by a large extent of ocean. A lack of mammalian predators means that many New Zealand birds have evolved remarkable features, including gigantism, flightlessness, ground-nesting habits and physiology which protects them from aerial avian predators. Unfortunately, these features have made New Zealand birds highly susceptible to the impacts of introduced mammalian predators and many species are now threatened. The high levels of extinction and rates of decline have spurred the development of highly innovative and revolutionary conservation techniques. New Zealand conservation efforts have paved the way for international conservation projects, in particular with regard to the use of offshore islands, pest control methodologies, species translocation and breeding manipulation. The use of these interventions has led to the recovery of numerous highly endangered species and the discipline continues to evolve, with New Zealand scientists contributing to ongoing development and discussion of conservation methods. While New Zealand is home to one of the largest public conservation organisations in the world, dwindling governmental and financial support is putting many successful conservation projects at risk and private initiatives are becoming increasingly vital for the ongoing protection of New Zealand’s unique species.

The history and origin of New Zealand’s avifauna

New Zealand has long been recognised as an environment which hosts a remarkable avian assemblage. During its history New Zealand has contained 245 species in 110 genera representing 46 families. Like Australia, New Zealand has a high level of endemism in its avifauna, with 176 (72%) of the 245 resident species endemic to the archipelago (Holdaway et al. 2001). Species diversity is dominated by three groups, the Procellariiformes (53 species), Charadriiformes (30 species) and Passeriformes (44 species) and the country has a global reputation as a hot-spot of sea-bird diversity, with almost a quarter of the 359 sea-bird species worldwide occurring as breeding populations in New Zealand, of which 36 (42%) are endemic (Gaskin and Rayner 2013). The prevalence of sea-birds, shore-birds and forest-birds reflects New Zealand’s unique environment as an isolated archipelago with a very recent history of human occupation and consequent destruction.

Type
Chapter
Information
Austral Ark
The State of Wildlife in Australia and New Zealand
 , pp. 405 - 421
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, N. J., Parker, K. A., Cockrem, J. F., Brunton, D. H. and Candy, E. J. (2010). Corticosterone responses and post-release survival in translocated North Island Saddlebacks (Philesturnus rufusater) in New Zealand. Emu 110(4): 296–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, D. P. (1995). Effects of familiarity on the outcome of translocations, II. A test using New Zealand robins. Biological Conservation 71: 281–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, D. P. and Craig, J. L. (1995). Effects of familiarity on the outcome of translocations, I. A test using saddlebacks Philesturnus carunculatus rufusater. Biological Conservation 71: 133–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, D. P. and Davidson, R. S. (2006). Developing population models for guiding reintroductions of extirpated bird species back to the New Zealand mainland. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 30(1): 73–85.Google Scholar
Armstrong, D. P. and Ewen, J. G. (2001). Assessing the value of follow-up translocations: a case study using New Zealand robins. Biological Conservation 101(2): 239–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, D. P. and Ewen, J. G. (2002). Dynamics and viability of a New Zealand robin population reintroduced to regenerating fragmented habitat. Conservation Biology 16(4): 1074–1085.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, D. P. and Reynolds, M. H. (2012). Modelling reintroduced populations: the state of the art and future directions. In Reintroduction Biology: Integrating Science and Management, Ewen, J. G., Armstrong, D. P., Parker, K. and Seddon, P. J. (eds.). Oxford, U.K., Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 165–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, D. P., Castro, I., Alley, J. C., Feenstra, B. and Perrott, J. K. (1999). Mortality and behaviour of hihi, an endangered New Zealand honeyeater, in the establishment phase following translocation. Biological Conservation 89: 329–339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, D. P., Raeburn, E. H., Lewis, R. M. and Ravine, D. (2006). Estimating the viability of a reintroduced New Zealand robin population as a function of predator control. Journal of Wildlife Management 70(4): 1020–1027.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, I. A. E. (1990). Ecological restoration on islands: Prerequisites for success. In Ecological Restoration of New Zealand Islands, Towns, D. R., Daugherty, C. H. and Atkinson, I. A. E. (eds.). Conservation Sciences Publication No.2, Department of Conservation, Wellington.Google Scholar
Atkinson, I. A. E. (2001). Introduced mammals and models for restoration. Biological Conservation 99: 81–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, I. A. E. (2002). Recovery of wildlife and restoration of habitats in New Zealand. Pacific Conservation Biology 8(1): 27–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, I. A. E. and Cameron, E. K. (1993). Human influence on the terrestrial biota and biotic communities of New Zealand. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 8(12): 447–451.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bellingham, P. J., Towns, D. R., Cameron, E. K., et al. (2010). New Zealand island restoration: sea-birds, predators and the importance of history. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 34(1): 115–136.Google Scholar
Bradley, D. W., Molles, L. E., Valderrama, S. V., King, S. and Waas, J. R. (2012). Factors affecting post-release dispersal, mortality, and territory settlement of endangered kokako translocated from two distinct song neighborhoods. Biological Conservation 147(1): 79–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brekke, P., Bennett, P. M., Wang, J., Pettorelli, N. and Ewen, J. G. (2010). Sensitive males: inbreeding depression in an endangered bird. Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences Series B 277(1700): 3677–3684.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, K., Innes, J. and Shorten, R. (1993). Evidence that possums prey on and scavenge birds’ eggs, birds and mammals. Notornis 40: 169–177.Google Scholar
Butler, D. and Merton, D. (1992). The Black Robin: Saving the World’s Most Endangered Bird. Auckland, New Zealand, Auckland University Press.Google Scholar
Campbell, D. J. and Atkinson, I. A. E. (2002). Depression of tree recruitment by the Pacific rat (Rattus exulans Peale) on New Zealand’s northern offshore islands. Biological Conservation 107: 19–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Case, T. J. (1996). Global patterns in the establishment and distribution of exotic birds. Biological Conservation 78: 69–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cassey, P. (2001). Determining variation in the success of New Zealand land-birds. Global Ecology & Biogeography 10: 161–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castro, I. (1995). Behavioural ecology and management of hihi (Notiomystis cincta), an endemic New Zealand honeyeater, Massey University.
Castro, I., Alley, J. C., Empson, R. A. and Minot, E. O. (1994). Translocation of hihi or stitchbird Notiomystis cincta to Kapiti Island, New Zealand: transfer techniques and comparison of release strategies. In Reintroduction Biology of Australian and New Zealand Fauna. M. Serena, Surrey Beatty and Sons.Google Scholar
Caughley, G. (1989). New Zealand plant–herbivore systems: past and present. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 12: 3–10.Google Scholar
Clapperton, B. K. and Day, T. D. (2001). Cost-effectiveness of Exclusion Fencing for Stoat and Other Pest Control Compared with Conventional Control. DoC Internal Series 14. Wellington, Department of Conservation.Google Scholar
Clout, M. N. (2001). Where protection is not enough: active conservation in New Zealand. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 16(8): 415–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clout, M. N. (2002). Biodiversity loss caused by invasive alien vertebrates. Zeitschrift fuer Jagdwissenschaft 48(Supplement): 51–58.Google Scholar
Conner, R. N., Saenz, D., Schaefer, R. R., et al. (2004). Group size and nest success in Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in the West Gulf Coastal Plain: helpers make a difference. Journal of Field Ornithology 75(1): 74–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, A. and Cooper, R. A. (1995). The Oligocene bottleneck and New Zealand biota: genetic record of a past environmental crisis. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 261(1362): 293–302.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, R. A. and Millener, P. R. (1993). The New Zealand biota: historical background and new research. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 8(12): 429–433.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Daugherty, C. H., Gibbs, G. W. and Hitchmough, R. A. (1993). Mega-island or micro-continent? New Zealand and its fauna. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 8(12): 437–442.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Daugherty, C. H., Towns, D. R., Atkinson, I. A. E. and Gibbs, G. (1990). The significance of the biological resources of New Zealand islands for ecological restoration. In Ecological Restoration of New Zealand Islands, Towns, D. R., Daugherty, C. H. and Atkinson, I. A. E. (eds.). Conservation Sciences Publication No.2, Department of Conservation, Wellington.Google Scholar
Derraik, J. G. B., Tompkins, D. M., Alley, M. R., Holder, P. and Atkinson, T. (2008). Epidemiology of an avian malaria outbreak in a native bird species (Mohoua ochrocephala) in New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 38(4): 237–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, J. M. (1990). New Zealand as an archipelago: an international perspective. In Ecological Restoration of New Zealand Islands, Towns, D. R., Daugherty, C. H. and Atkinson, I. A. E. (eds.). Conservation Sciences Publication No.2, Department of Conservation, Wellington.Google Scholar
Diamond, J. M. and Veitch, C. R. (1981). Extinctions and introductions in the New Zealand avifauna: cause and effect?Science 211(4481): 499–501.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dowding, J. E. and Murphy, E. C. (2001). The impact of predation by introduced mammals on endemic shore-birds in New Zealand: a conservation perspective. Biological Conservation 99(1): 47–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duncan, R. P. B. and Worthy, T. H. (2002). Prehistoric bird extinctions and human hunting. Proceedings: Biological Sciences 269(1490): 517–521.Google ScholarPubMed
Elliott, G. P., Merton, D. V. and Jansen, P. W. (2001). Intensive management of a critically endangered species: the kakapo. Biological Conservation 99: 121–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ewen, J. G., Acevedo-Whitehouse, K. and Alley, M. R., Eds. (2012). Empirical consideration of parasites and health in reintroduction. In Reintroduction Biology: Integrating Science and Management. Oxford, UK, Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 290–335.CrossRef
Fischer, J. and Lindenmayer, D. B. (2000). An assessment of the published results of animal relocations. Biological Conservation 96: 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleming, C. A. (1962). History of the New Zealand land-bird fauna. Notornis 9(8): 270–275.Google Scholar
Franklin, D. C. and Wilson, K.-J. (2003). Are low reproductive rates characteristic of New Zealand ’s native terrestrial birds? Evidence from the allometry of nesting parameters in altricial species. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 30(3): 185–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaskin, C. P. and Rayner, M. J. (2013). Sea-birds of the Hauraki Gulf: Natural History, Research and Conservation, Hauraki Gulf Forum.
Gibbs, G. (2006). Ghosts of Gondwana: The History of Life in New Zealand. Nelson, Craig Potton Publishing.Google Scholar
Gillies, C. A., Leach, M. R., Coad, N. B., et al. (2003). Six years of intensive pest mammal control at Trounson Kauri Park, a Department of Conservation ‘mainland island’, June 1996 – July 2002. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 30(4): 399–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, J., Trewick, S. A. and Paterson, A. M. (2008). Evolution of New Zealand’s terrestrial fauna: a review of molecular evidence. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences 363(1508): 3319–3334.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Griffith, B., Scott, J. Michael, Carpenter, J. W. and Reed, C. (1989). Translocation as a species conservation tool: status and strategy. Science 245: 477–479.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holdaway, R. N. (1989). New Zealand’s prehuman avifauna and its vulnerability. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 12: 11–25.Google Scholar
Holdaway, R. N. (1990). Changes in the diversity of New Zealand forest-birds. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 17(3): 309–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holdaway, R. N. and Jacomb, C. (2000). Rapid extinction of the Moas (Aves: Dinornithiformes): model, test and implications. Science 287(5461): 2250–2254.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holdaway, R. N., Worthy, T. H. and Tennyson, A. J. D. (2001). A working list of breeding bird species of the New Zealand region at first human contact. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 28(2): 119–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howe, L., Castro, I. C., Schoener, E. R., et al. (2012). Malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) infecting introduced, native and endemic New Zealand birds. Parisitology Research 110: 913–923.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Innes, J., Kelly, D., Overton, J. and Gillies, C. (2010). Predation and other factors currently limiting New Zealand forest-birds. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 34(1): 86–114.Google Scholar
Innes, J., Lee, W. G., Burns, B., et al. (2012). Role of predator-proof fences in restoring New Zealand’s biodiversity: a response to Scofield et al. (2011). New Zealand Journal of Ecology 36(2): 232–238.Google Scholar
IUCN (2012). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. Downloaded on 07 August 2012.
Jamieson, I. G. and Ryan, C. J. (2000). Increased egg infertility associated with translocating inbred takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri) to island refuges in New Zealand. Biological Conservation 94: 107–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jamieson, I. G., Tracy, L. N., Fletcher, D. and Armstrong, D. P. (2007). Moderate inbreeding depression in a reintroduced population of North Island robins. Animal Conservation 10(1): 95–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keast, A. (1971). Continental drift and the evolution of the biota on southern continents. The Quarterly Review of Biology 46(4): 335–378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, C. M. (1990). The Handbook of New Zealand Mammals. Auckland, New Zealand, Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Leech, T., Craig, E., Beaven, B., Mitchell, D. K. and Seddon, P. J. (2007). Reintroduction of rifleman Acanthisitta chloris to Ulva Island, New Zealand: evaluation of techniques and population persistence. Oryx 41(3): 369–375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lever, C. (2005). Naturalised Birds of the World. London, U.K., Poyser.Google Scholar
Lloyd, B. D. and Powlesland, R. G. (1994). The decline of kakapo Strigops habroptilus and attempts at conservation by translocation. Biological Conservation 69(1): 75–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Long, J. L. (1981). Introduced Birds of the World: the Worldwide History, Distribution and Influence of Birds Introduced to New Environments. Terrey Hills, NSW, Reed.Google Scholar
Lovegrove, T. G. (1996). Island releases of saddlebacks Philesturnus carunculatus in New Zealand. Biological Conservation 77(2–3): 151–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lovegrove, T. G. and Veitch, C. R. (1994). Translocating wild forest-birds. Ecological Management 2: 23–35.Google Scholar
Mackintosh, M. A. B. (2005). High levels of hatching failure in an insular population of the South Island robin: a consequence of food limitation?Biological Conservation 122: 409–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masuda, B. M. and Jamieson, I. G. (2012). Age-specific differences in settlement rates of saddlebacks (Philesturnus carunculatus) reintroduced to a fenced mainland sanctuary. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 36(2): 123–130.Google Scholar
McDowall, R. M. (2008). Process and pattern in the biogeography of New Zealand – a global microcosm?Journal of Biogeography 35: 197–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGlone, M. S. (1989). The polynesian settlement of New Zealand in relation to environmental and biotic changes. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 12: 115–129.Google Scholar
McLennan, J. A., Potter, M. A., Robertson, H. A., et al. (1996). Role of predation in the decline of kiwi, Apteryx spp., in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 20(1): 27–35.Google Scholar
Miskelly, C. M. and Powlesland, R. G. (2013). Conservation translocation of New Zealand birds, 1863–2012. Notornis 60: 3–28.Google Scholar
Miskelly, C. M., Taylor, G. A., Gummer, H. and Williams, R. (2009). Translocations of eight species of burrow-nesting sea-birds (genera Pterodroma, Pelecanoides, Pachyptila and Puffinus: Family Procellaridae). Biological Conservation 142: 1965–1980.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nugent, G., Fraser, W. and Sweetapple, P. (2001). Top down or bottom up? Comparing the impacts of introduced arboreal possums and ‘terrestrial’ ruminants on native forests in New Zealand. Biological Conservation 99: 65–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osborne, P. E. and Seddon, P. J., Eds. (2012). Selecting suitable habitats for reintroductions: variation, change and the role of species distribution modelling. In Reintroduction Biology: Integrating Science and Management. Oxford, UK, Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 73–104.CrossRef
Owens, I. P. F. and Bennett, P. M. (2000). Ecological basis of extinction risk in birds: habitat loss versus human persecution and introduced predators. PNAS 97(22): 12 144–12 148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parkes, J. and Murphy, E. (2003). Management of introduced mammals in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 30(4): 335–359.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reed, C. E. M., Murray, D. P. and Butler, D. J. (1993). Black Stilt Recovery Plan (Himantopus novaezealandiae). Threatened Species Recovery Plan Series No.4. Wellington, Department of Conservation.Google Scholar
Rickett, J., Dey, C. J., Stothart, J., et al. (2013). The influence of supplemental feeding on survival, dispersal and competition in translocated Brown Teal, or Pateke (Anas chlorotis). Emu 113(1): 62–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, C. J. R. (1985). Reader’s Digest Complete Book of New Zealand Birds. Sydney, Reader’s Digest Services Pty Ltd.Google Scholar
Rowe, S. J. (2007). The influence of geographic variation in song dialect on post-translocation pair formation in North Island kokako (Callaeas cinerea wilsoni). Notornis 54: 28–37.Google Scholar
Saunders, A. and Norton, D. A. (2001). Ecological restoration at mainland islands in New Zealand. Biological Conservation 99(1): 109–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simberloff, D. (1990). Reconstructing the ambiguous: can island ecosystems be restored? In Ecological Restoration of New Zealand Islands, Towns, D. R., Daugherty, C. H. and Atkinson, I. A. E. (eds.). Conservation Sciences Publication No.2, Department of Conservation, Wellington.Google Scholar
Starling-Windhof, A., Massaro, M. and Briskie, J. V. (2011). Differential effects of exotic predator control on nest success of native and introduced birds in New Zealand. Biological Invasions 13: 1021–1028.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, S. S., Jamieson, I. G. and Armstrong, D. P. (2005). Successful island reintroductions of New Zealand robins and saddlebacks with small numbers of founders. Animal Conservation 8: 415–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Towns, D. R. (2011). Eradications of vertebrate pests from islands around New Zealand: what have we delivered and what have we learned? In Island Invasives: Eradication and Management. Veitch, C. R., Clout, M. N. and Towns, D. R. (eds.). IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.Google Scholar
Towns, D. R. and Ballantine, W. J. (1993). Conservation and restoration of New Zealand ecosystems. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 8(12): 452–457.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Towns, D. R., Wardle, D. A., Mulder, C., et al. (2009). Predation of sea-birds by invasive rats: multiple indirect consequences for invertebrate communities. Oikos 118: 420–430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trewick, S. A. and Gibb, G. C. (2010). Vicars, tramps and assembly of the New Zealand avifauna: a review of molecular phylogenetic evidence. Ibis 152: 226–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallis, G. P. and Trewick, S. A. (2009). New Zealand phylogeography: evolution on a small continent. Molecular Ecology 18: 3548–3580.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wickes, C., Crouchley, D. and Maxwell, J. (2009). Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri) Recovery Plan. Threatened Species Recovery Plan No. 61. Wellington, Department of Conservation.Google Scholar
Wilson, K.-J. (1997). Extinct and introduced vertebrate species in New Zealand: a loss of biodistinctiveness and gain in biodiversity. Pacific Conservation Biology 3(3): 301–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, P. R., Karl, B. J., Toft, R. J., Beggs, J. R. and Taylor, R. H. (1998). The role of introduced predators and competitors in the decline of kaka (Nestor meridionalis) populations in New Zealand. Biological Conservation 83(2): 175–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolf, C. M., Griffith, B., Reed, C. and Temple, S. A. (1996). Avian and mammalian translocations: Update and reanalysis of 1987 survey data. Conservation Biology 10(4): 1142–1154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×