Source: NZ Department of Conservation
Date: 29 April 2026
With duck hunting season opening on Saturday, the Department of Conservation is asking hunters out naturing to double check their target is not a whio/blue duck or pāteke/brown teal.
Taranaki has an increasing population of whio in and around Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, and pāteke present in and around Rotokare Sanctuary in South Taranaki.
Both birds are endemic to New Zealand, with national populations sitting below 3,000 birds for each, making them rarer than some species of kiwi.
DOC Taranaki Whio Ranger Joe Carson says that whio have spread beyond the park and are increasingly being seen on streams and waterways throughout Taranaki.
“Whio or pāteke could be on a river or settling pond near you. We’re just asking hunters to pause and double check before pulling the trigger.”
Whio are distinctive blue grey ducks specialised to living on fast flowing streams – one of only a few waterfowl species worldwide to do so.
The local whio population on Taranaki Maunga was declared functionally extinct by 1945 due to predation by stoats and rats but has since recovered through conservation efforts.
Pāteke are a small brown dabbling duck with distinctive white eye rings. From a distance the appear similar to other ducks, but are smaller than mallards, and typically fly low and with fast wingbeats over water.
Regionally extinct for around 100 years, pāteke returned to Taranaki in 2019 following releases at Rotokare Sanctuary, with successful breeding recorded later that year.
Joe says these ducks are part of what makes Taranaki, and Aotearoa, special.
“So, we’re asking duck hunters to help us keep these unique birds safe.”
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