Five rare birds that could return to Rakiura/Stewart Island

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

From a long list of threatened native species, learn about five birds that used to live on the island and the vision to bring them home through Predator Free Rakiura.

A short history of biodiversity loss and recovery

The introduction of predators including pacific rats/kiore in the 1600s, and ship rats, Norway rats, stoats, feral cats and possums in the 1800’s, threw ecosystems out of balance. Native birds, unaccustomed to these new predators, began to decline due to predation, increased competition for food, and loss of habitat, with some species driven to extinction.

On Rakiura, wildlife populations were devastated. Kākāpō were moved to predator-free islands for their safety, but tutukiwi/Stewart Island snipe, South Island kōkako, pekapeka/greater short-tailed bat, and mātuhituhi/bush wren couldn’t be rescued in time and are now extinct. Others that remain have suffered dramatic declines and some face extinction, including pukunui/southern dotterel and hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin.

Today, there’s a shocking absence of birdsong in Rakiura National Park. The dawn chorus used to be joined by many different birds, and the sound of sea birds overhead was immense. Now, DOC rangers report that you mostly only hear blackbirds outside of Oban township.

Rakiura could become NZ’s largest predator free sanctuary

There are still many native species on Rakiura, such as tokoeka kiwi, Southern Rātā and tukutuku rakiurae/harlequin gecko, but greater protection is needed. Rakiura tokoeka kiwi are doing well because stoats are not on the island, showing what’s possible when threats are managed. Nearby on Whenua Hou, Ulva Island and most of the 36 Tītī Islands, predators have been eradicated, and nature is recovering, but more space is needed for wildlife populations to grow.

Rakiura is New Zealand’s third largest island, and it has a huge national park covering 157,000 hectares which is about 85% of the total land area. Predator Free Rakiura is seeking to make the island New Zealand’s largest predator-free sanctuary, hosting huge populations of endangered wildlife, including these five rare birds which used to live there.

Tīeke/South Island saddleback

Tīeke belong to New Zealand’s unique wattlebird family, an ancient group which includes the endangered kōkako and the extinct huia. Their Māori name mimics their sharp, rapid cries. They’re not just vocal but also energetic bathers, splashing water in all directions. This is reflected in the Māori saying that is used when something is being done to excess: me he wai tā tīeke, ‘like the water spread around by a saddleback’.

Tīeke were once abundant, but by about 1900 they were extinct on Rakiura and the South Island, surviving only on predator-free islands and sanctuaries. They are extremely vulnerable to rats and stoats due to their tendency to nest, forage and roost on or low to the ground. 

In 1964, ship rats arrived in Taukihepa/Big South Cape, the largest of the Tītī/Muttonbird Islands, wiping out the last population there. The NZ Wildlife Service (now DOC) rescued just 36 birds, moving them to nearby Kaimohu and Big islands.

Today’s population of over 2,000 birds descends from those survivors, and they are found on predator-free islands around Rakiura and the South Island. But tīeke still need more space to grow, and Rakiura would be an ideal home.

Earlier this year, one hundred tīeke were translocated to Orokonui Ecosanctuary, Dunedin, to try and reestablish a population on the South Island, following an unsuccessful attempt at Brook Sanctuary in Nelson in 2021.  

Mohua/yellowhead

There is nothing quite like experiencing a flock of bright yellow mohua darting through the canopy, chattering and interacting. In winter, their flocks scramble up tree trunks and among branches, dislodging moss and bark in a noisy feeding frenzy. Historically, these flocks could number more than 100, often accompanied by other forest birds such as pīpipi/brown creeper, kākāriki/parakeets, riroriro/grey warbler, miromiro/tomtit and pīwakawaka/fantail.

In the 1800s, the small, yellow, insect-eating mohua / yellowhead was one of the most abundant forest birds. But today, the only place most New Zealanders will have seen mohua is on a $100 note.  Since the introduction of predators, mohua have plummeted and now only a few isolated populations remain in the South Island and on predator free islands.

Mohua used to be common on Rakiura but by the 1920’s it was reported they were rarely seen, hinting at a decline in abundance in the early 1900’s. Mohua have not been recorded on Rakiura since the 1970’s. But given the chance, mohua would bounce back on Rakiura as we’ve seen nearby on Ulva Island and Whenua Hou.

Mohua nest in tree holes, so there is no escape from predators. Ship rats are excellent climbers. Rats not only eat chicks and eggs, but also adult female mohua that they catch incubating the eggs. When they are not predated in their nest, they become forest floor snacks when feeding on the ground.

Unlike other threatened species, mohua can reproduce at a high rate. Each year mohua can lay up to four eggs and can raise two broods. When effective predator control is in place, mohua populations recover extremely well. For example, when predator control began in Landsborough Valley in 1998 numbers grew from just 14 mohua to 479 in 2023, thanks to periodic aerial predator control operations and trapping.

Pāteke/brown teal

Pāteke is New Zealand’s largest native teal and the only one of the country’s three brown-plumaged teal species that can fly, it is reluctant to do so and usually prefers to swim away from danger. Its two close relatives — the Auckland Island teal and the Campbell Island teal — have both lost the ability to fly, but all three share a common ancestor.

Male calls are soft, usually described as trills or piping, given in alarm and in territorial defence. The female has a rasping growl and a high-pitched and rapid quack.

Pāteke feed on invertebrates which they scoop off the water surface or mud in shallow water estuaries, freshwater wetlands, in peaty pools and sheltered coastal bays. They may also be seen probing seaweed on the beach or even rummaging through the bush, especially at night, as they are mainly nocturnal feeders.

Pāteke were once widespread throughout New Zealand, including on Rakiura and its offshore islands. Predation by introduced mammals, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage, as well as hunting, have resulted in pāteke becoming New Zealand’s rarest waterfowl.

By 1972, pāteke were extinct on Rakiura, likely due to predation by feral cats and rats. In 2022, there were estimated to be between 2,000 and 2,500 pāteke living in a wild state in New Zealand. A breed-for-release programme has helped to reestablish populations in some areas across the country. Rakiura would be a prime location for pāteke to be released if predators can be eradicated.

Tutukiwi/snipe

As their Māori name, suggests, tutukiwi resemble a small kiwi with their long bills, stout legs and probing method of finding worms, insect larvae and other invertebrates. Although classed as waders, they live and feed in forest and shrubland, rather than near water.They are often described as shore birds gone bush.

To the muttonbirders, snipe are well known as their alter-ego, the hakawai – a giant, unseen mythical bird with a terrifying call from the night sky. The noise of this great bird was in fact the courtship flight of the male snipe. The hakawai display includes a roar created by vibration of the tail feathers as the bird dives at speed.

Snipe existed on the mainland until kiore and dogs exterminated them before European settlement. Today, four populations live on southern islands: the Snares Island snipe, and three subspecies of the subantarctic snipe, one on each of the Auckland Islands, Antipodes Islands and Campbell Island. 

The last remaining population of the Stewart Island snipe became extinct shortly after the invasion of Taukihepa by ship rats in 1964. In 2005, 30 Snares snipe were transferred to rat-free Putauhinu Island, one of the tītī islands, to establish a back-up population, and by 2015 there were more than 400 birds. Thirty more were released on Whenua Hou in 2012. Their successful establishment on these islands provides hope for what could be achieved on Rakiura.

Titipounamu/riflemen

The titipounamu/rifleman is one of two surviving species of the New Zealand wren family – the other is rock wren. It is the smallest native bird, and it weighs about 6 grams, the same as an A4 piece of paper.

Titipounamu are always on the move, foraging for insects and flitting through the treetops. They live in cooperative groups and it’s common for other birds to help feed the nestlings. These helpers can be older siblings from previous broods, or they can be completely unrelated to the nestlings. It is thought these unrelated, often male, helpers gain opportunities to find a mate in return for their efforts.

Titipounamu were reported as becoming scarce on Rakiura by 1950 and they appear to have gone extinct on the island by about 1990, largely due to introduced predators preying on eggs, chicks and adult birds. Thankfully, a population remained on Whenua Hou, and they have become abundant since predators were eradicated there.

Its relative, the bush wren, was last recorded on Rakiura in 1950 and it went extinct in 1972 after the last remaining individuals died on Kaimohu Island. Like the Stewart Island snipe and tīeke, the bush wren was decimated on Taukihepa during the ship rat invasion in 1964.

Titipounamu are relatively poor flyers, which means that once they are extinct in a certain area new birds can’t fly in to re-establish a population. Titipounamu were successfully reintroduced to Ulva Island from Whenua Hou in 2003, and they are also present on some of the Tītī Islands. The healthy populations on these islands could support the return and recovery of titipounamu on Rakiura.

Learn more about Predator Free Rakiura

Learn about the Department of Conservation’s role in the project: Predator Free Rakiura: Our work

See other stories about Predator Free Rakiura: Predator Free Rakiura News Stories

MIL OSI