4-2-3-Macquarie-Island-Parakeets

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

4-2-3-Macquarie-Island-Parakeets Science for Saving Species Research findings factsheet Project 4.2.3 Resurrecting the Macquarie Island red-crowned parakeet In brief Macquarie Island, an Australian We aimed to determine which sister red-crowned parakeet (Reischek’s sub-Antarctic island, has undergone species may be most suitable for parakeet) as the most suitable successful eradication of multiple an introduction, restoring roles in species for the introduction to invasive mammals, including the ecosystems that disappeared Macquarie Island. This allows any predators that drove the extinction when the species went extinct. future assessment to focus on of the endemic Macquarie Island this species. We developed a new decision red-crowned parakeet in the 1880s. framework, which can overcome An additional benefit is that the This study examined replacing the the issue of not knowing which introduction offers the opportunity extinct parakeet species with a factors, such as climate and to create an insurance population closely related surviving species. vegetation type, will be of greatest for Reischek’s parakeet, which Four other species of red-crowned importance in determining suitability, occurs on only one small island. parakeets occur on New Zealand by considering a range of scenarios. Our decision framework will be islands that are geographically of use to others pursuing Applying this framework consistently close and environmentally similar restorative island restoration. identified the Antipodes Island to Macquarie Island. Red-crowned parakeet Cyanoramphus. n. novaezelandiae, Enderby Island. Image: Aleks Terauds Further Information Justine Shaw - [email protected] Hannah Wauchope - [email protected] Megaherbs (Pleurophyllum hookeri) on Macquarie Island. image: Justine Shaw Coastal habitat on Macquarie Island. Image: Justine Shaw Background Reintroducing species to islands, These invasive predators multiple closely related extant or introducing species to islands as contributed to the extinctions not species. Cyanoramphus parakeets havens, are topics attracting much only of the Macquarie Island red- are naturally distributed throughout conservation interest and effort. crowned parakeet (Cyanoramphus New Zealand and on many offshore These introductions, which involve novaezelandiae erythortis) in the and sub-Antarctic islands. They are people intentionally moving a species 1800s but also the Macquarie separated by crown colour, with outside its natural range to achieve Island buff-banded rail (Gallirallus the extinct Macquarie Island conservation goals, are becoming philippensis macquariensis). Cat parakeet belonging to the red- an increasingly relevant strategy to eradication was declared a success crowned clade, or group, of species. help restore, maintain and protect in 2002, and a program to eradicate The remaining four populations biodiversity in a rapidly changing rabbits, rats and mice was declared from this clade occur on islands world. Island species are among successful in 2014. The island is now that are geographically close or the most threatened globally, officially free of invasive mammals. environmentally similar to Macquarie and present particular opportunities Island: C. n. novaezelandiae on the Given this success, there is now and challenges for such strategies. Auckland Islands and Stewart Island; an opportunity to focus on further Reischek’s parakeet (C. hotchstetteri) Macquarie Island, a sub-Antarctic restoration, including bringing one of World Heritage Site and Tasmanian on Antipodes Island; and C. n. the closely related extant red-crowned Nature Reserve, has recently undergone chathamensis on the Chatham parakeet species to Macquarie Island. a major conservation restoration. Islands (see Figure 1). Given this Natural colonisation is unlikely in Invasion by several vertebrates, array of related species, how do the foreseeable future due to the including rats, Weka (Gallirallus australis), we determine which would provide extreme isolation of the island. mice, rabbits and cats had caused the best potential source population devastating impacts on vegetation In the case of the Macquarie Island for a conservation reintroduction and predation on native species. red-crowned parakeet, there are to Macquarie Island? Research aims We aimed to determine how to choose the best sister species as a source population for translocation to Macquarie Island New Zealand Mainland to replace the Macquarie Island C. novaezelanidae parakeet. Proactively introducing a closely related species may have multiple benefits. First, it may enhance the island’s ecosystems and values, Chatham Islands C. n. chathamensis through the parakeets’ role in seed Stewart Island dispersal, which would help with C. n. novaezelanidae island. Second, it may provide an additional insurance population for the chosen species. Auckland Islands Antipodes Island C. n. novaezelanidae C. hotchstetteri Macquarie Island C. (n.) erythrotis (extinct) Figure 1. New Zealand and surrounding islands, showing populations of the red-crowned clade of parakeets, Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae. The mainland population is presumed extinct. What we did To determine the relative suitability Because we don’t know whether of all closely related red-crowned certain habitat variables are more parakeets for introduction to important to the parakeets than Macquarie Island, we undertook others, we iteratively weighted structured decision-making, using different variables to see if different a systematic four-step process: source populations performed better when different variables 1. Identify the suite of potential were weighted highly. source populations The six variables we chose were 2. Identify attributes that can be (1) beta diversity, that is, the similarity used to choose among the of vegetation between the two possible source populations islands; (2) maximum temperature; 3. Weight these attributes according (3) minimum temperature; (4) rainfall; to which are likely to be the most (5) tree presence; and (6) distance important to source population to Macquarie Island. To weight the survival on Macquarie Island. relative importance of attributes, we Figure 2. Relative suitability scores of 4. Rank the suitability of the sources ran six analysis iterations. In each, four potential source populations of by summing the attribute values we chose one attribute, weighted Cyanoramphus species parakeets being considered for a conservation introduction by the attribute weights for each. it as x times more important than the others, combined attribute values to Macquarie Island. The higher the score, First, we gathered information about the greater the suitability for translocation with these weights, and determined between that source and Macquarie Island, the populations of red-crowned which source population was the relative to other sources. As it is unknown parakeets on neighbouring islands most suitable. We then repeated which of the variables considered will be of and quantified various habitat variables the process for values of x of 2, 4, most importance in determining suitability, (listed below) to see which habitats we ran scenarios with attributes weighted 6 and 8 (see Figure 2). differently – symbols indicate which attribute were most similar to Macquarie Island. was weighted as x times (2, 4, 6 or 8) more important in that iteration. Key findings In this project, we developed a new An incidental advantage of this choice parakeet on Antipodes Island are also decision framework for choosing the is that Reischek’s parakeet comprise present on Macquarie Island, and most appropriate source population only a very small wild population, given that red-crowned parakeets to replace an extinct species on which only occurs on a tiny island are adaptable with a varied diet, their an island. This novel framework (22km2 cf. Macquarie Island, dietary needs are likely to be met. determined that the species that 127.8km2), and could benefit in Reintroduction of Reischek’s parakeet lives on Antipodes Island, Reischek’s the future from the establishment may therefore fulfil an ecosystem parakeet, consistently performed of an insurance population. niche that can contribute to ongoing as the most suitable choice for an restoration of vegetation on post- While the exact functional role of the introduction to Macquarie Island eradication Macquarie Island. extinct Macquarie Island parakeet to replace the extinct Macquarie cannot now be properly understood, Island parakeet. Megaherbs (Pleurophyllum hookeri, Stilbocarpa elsewhere the closely related sister polaris). Image: Justine Shaw Regardless of which attribute was species of red-crowned parakeets heavily weighted, Reischek’s parakeet forage on seeds and berries, and from Antipodes Island outperformed may contribute to plant propagule the others in almost all cases; only dispersal, especially in the light of when distance to Macquarie Island prior research that indicates that the was weighted ≥6 times more role of parrots as seed dispersers has important than other attributes did the been widely overlooked. Most plant Auckland Island parakeet outperform it. species consumed by Reischek’s Red-crowned parakeet. Image: Aleks Terauds Applications Recommendations This research presents a structured Our research gives some general way to identify suitable source recommendations for scientists and populations to replace extinct managers when they are considering species from island ecosystems. restoring island biodiversity after As eradication of invasive species
Recommended publications
  • Foraging Ecology of the World's Only
    Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. FORAGING ECOLOGY OF THE WORLD’S ONLY POPULATION OF THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED TASMAN PARAKEET (CYANORAMPHUS COOKII), ON NORFOLK ISLAND A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Conservation Biology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. Amy Waldmann 2016 The Tasman parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookii) Photo: L. Ortiz-Catedral© ii ABSTRACT I studied the foraging ecology of the world’s only population of the critically endangered Tasman parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookii) on Norfolk Island, from July 2013 to March 2015. I characterised, for the first time in nearly 30 years of management, the diversity of foods consumed and seasonal trends in foraging heights and foraging group sizes. In addition to field observations, I also collated available information on the feeding biology of the genus Cyanoramphus, to understand the diversity of species and food types consumed by Tasman parakeets and their closest living relatives as a function of bill morphology. I discuss my findings in the context of the conservation of the Tasman parakeet, specifically the impending translocation of the species to Phillip Island. I demonstrate that Tasman parakeets have a broad and flexible diet that includes seeds, fruits, flowers, pollen, sori, sprout rhizomes and bark of 30 native and introduced plant species found within Norfolk Island National Park. Dry seeds (predominantly Araucaria heterophylla) are consumed most frequently during autumn (81% of diet), over a foraging area of ca.
    [Show full text]
  • Aspects of the Ecology of Antipodes Island Parakeet ( Cyanoramphus Unicolor) and Reischek's Parakeet ( C
    Aspects of the ecology of Antipodes Island Parakeet ( Cyanoramphus unicolor) and Reischek's Parakeet ( C. novaezelandiae hochstetten) on Antipodes Island, October - November 1995 TERRY C. GREENE Science and Research Unit, Department of Conservation, Private Bag 68-908, Newton, Auckland, New Zealad ABSTRACT Aspects of the ecology of the Antipodes Island Parakeet (Cyanoramphus unicolor) and Reischek's Parakeet (C. novaezelandiae hochstettq were examined at the Antipodes Islands during October and November 1995. Significant differences in diet were detected between the species. Leaves of large tussocks formed the majority of the diet forhtipodes Island Parakeets, whereas tussock flowers comprised much of the diet of Reischek's Parakeet. Significant differences in the diet of these species between this and previous studies were thought to reflect temporal variations in food availability rather than any fundamental shift in dietary preferences. Observations were made of both parakeet species scavenging on bird corpses. Antipodes Island Parakeets were also recorded killing and eating Grey-backed Storm Petrels (Oceanites nereis). One Antipodes Island Parakeet nest was located; clutch size, physical characteristics of the nest and of behaviour during incubation are described. KEYWORDS: Antipodes Island Parakeet, Cyanorampbus unicolor, Reischek's Parakeet, Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae hochstetteri, Antipodes Islands, diet, predation INTRODUCTION Two parakeet species of the genus Cyanorampbus (subfamily: Psittacinae) occur sympatrically on the subantarctic Antipodes Islands. The parakeets form a distinct and significant part of an avifauna otherwise dominated by seabirds. The Antipodes Island Parakeet (Cyanoramphus unicolor) is the largest species of its genus and is endemic to the island group. Reischek's Parakeet (C. novaezelandiae hochstetteri) is also endemic to the Antipodes Islands, and is one of four other subspecies of the nominate Red-crowned Parakeet (C.
    [Show full text]
  • According to Dictionary
    Extinction: The Parrots We’ve Lost By Desi Milpacher The definition of extinction is “the act or process of becoming extinct; a coming to an end or dying out: the extinction of a species.” Once extinction has been determined, there is usually no chance of a species recurring in a given ecosystem. In mankind’s active history of exploration, exploitation and settlement of new worlds, there has been much loss of natural resources. Parrots have suffered tremendously in this, with over twenty species having been permanently lost. And there are many more that are teetering on the edge, towards the interminable abyss. In this article we find out what happened to these lost treasures, learn which ones are currently being lost, and why this is important to our world. The Old and New Worlds and Their Lost Parrots Little is known of the natural history of most of the world’s extinct parrots, mainly because they disappeared before in-depth studies were conducted on them. It is generally believed, save the Central American macaws which were least known, that most fed on diets similar to today’s parrots (leaves, blossoms, seeds, nuts and fruits), frequented heavy forested areas and nested mainly in tree cavities. A number could not fly well, or were exceptionally tame, leading to their easy capture. Nearly all of these natural treasures vanished between the 18th and early 20th centuries, and the main reason for their loss was overhunting. Some lesser causes included egg collecting (popular with naturalists in the 19th century), diseases (introduced or endemic), drought, natural disasters, predation by introduced species, and habitat alternation.
    [Show full text]
  • Success of Translocations of Red-Fronted Parakeets
    Conservation Evidence (2010) 7, 21-26 www.ConservationEvidence.com Success of translocations of red-fronted parakeets Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae novaezelandiae from Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) to Motuihe Island, Auckland, New Zealand Luis Ortiz-Catedral* & Dianne H. Brunton Ecology and Conservation Group, Institute of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 102-904, Auckland, New Zealand * Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] SUMMARY The red-fronted parakeet Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae is a vulnerable New Zealand endemic with a fragmented distribution, mostly inhabiting offshore islands free of introduced mammalian predators. Four populations have been established since the 1970s using captive-bred or wild-sourced individuals translocated to islands undergoing ecological restoration. To establish a new population in the Hauraki Gulf, North Island, a total of 31 parakeets were transferred from Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) to Motuihe Island in May 2008 and a further 18 in March 2009. Overall 55% and 42% of individuals from the first translocation were confirmed alive at 30 and 60 days post-release, respectively. Evidence of nesting and unassisted dispersal to a neighbouring island was observed within a year of release. These are outcomes are promising and indicate that translocation from a remnant wild population to an island free of introduced predators is a useful conservation tool to expand the geographic range of red-fronted parakeets. BACKGROUND mammalian predators and undergoing ecological restoration, Motuihe Island. The avifauna of New Zealand is presently considered to be the world’s most extinction- Little Barrier Island (c. 3,000 ha; 36 °12’S, prone (Sekercioglu et al. 2004). Currently, 77 175 °04’E) lies in the Hauraki Gulf of approximately 280 extant native species are approximately 80 km north of Auckland City considered threatened of which approximately (North Island), and is New Zealand’s oldest 30% are listed as Critically Endangered wildlife reserve, established in 1894 (Cometti (Miskelly et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Of Parrots 3 Other Major Groups of Parrots 16
    ONE What are the Parrots and Where Did They Come From? The Evolutionary History of the Parrots CONTENTS The Marvelous Diversity of Parrots 3 Other Major Groups of Parrots 16 Reconstructing Evolutionary History 5 Box 1. Ancient DNA Reveals the Evolutionary Relationships of the Fossils, Bones, and Genes 5 Carolina Parakeet 19 The Evolution of Parrots 8 How and When the Parrots Diversified 25 Parrots’ Ancestors and Closest Some Parrot Enigmas 29 Relatives 8 What Is a Budgerigar? 29 The Most Primitive Parrot 13 How Have Different Body Shapes Evolved in The Most Basal Clade of Parrots 15 the Parrots? 32 THE MARVELOUS DIVERSITY OF PARROTS The parrots are one of the most marvelously diverse groups of birds in the world. They daz- zle the beholder with every color in the rainbow (figure 3). They range in size from tiny pygmy parrots weighing just over 10 grams to giant macaws weighing over a kilogram. They consume a wide variety of foods, including fruit, seeds, nectar, insects, and in a few cases, flesh. They produce large repertoires of sounds, ranging from grating squawks to cheery whistles to, more rarely, long melodious songs. They inhabit a broad array of habitats, from lowland tropical rainforest to high-altitude tundra to desert scrubland to urban jungle. They range over every continent but Antarctica, and inhabit some of the most far-flung islands on the planet. They include some of the most endangered species on Earth and some of the most rapidly expanding and aggressive invaders of human-altered landscapes. Increasingly, research into the lives of wild parrots is revealing that they exhibit a corresponding variety of mating systems, communication signals, social organizations, mental capacities, and life spans.
    [Show full text]
  • Resolving a Phylogenetic Hypothesis for Parrots: Implications from Systematics to Conservation
    Emu - Austral Ornithology ISSN: 0158-4197 (Print) 1448-5540 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/temu20 Resolving a phylogenetic hypothesis for parrots: implications from systematics to conservation Kaiya L. Provost, Leo Joseph & Brian Tilston Smith To cite this article: Kaiya L. Provost, Leo Joseph & Brian Tilston Smith (2017): Resolving a phylogenetic hypothesis for parrots: implications from systematics to conservation, Emu - Austral Ornithology To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2017.1387030 View supplementary material Published online: 01 Nov 2017. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 51 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=temu20 Download by: [73.29.2.54] Date: 13 November 2017, At: 17:13 EMU - AUSTRAL ORNITHOLOGY, 2018 https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2017.1387030 REVIEW ARTICLE Resolving a phylogenetic hypothesis for parrots: implications from systematics to conservation Kaiya L. Provost a,b, Leo Joseph c and Brian Tilston Smithb aRichard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA; bDepartment of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA; cAustralian National Wildlife Collection, National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO, Canberra, Australia ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Advances in sequencing technology and phylogenetics have revolutionised avian biology by Received 27 April 2017 providing an evolutionary framework for studying natural groupings. In the parrots Accepted 21 September 2017 (Psittaciformes), DNA-based studies have led to a reclassification of clades, yet substantial gaps KEYWORDS remain in the data gleaned from genetic information.
    [Show full text]
  • Cockatoos, Parrots and Parakeets Family PSITTACIDAE
    Text extracted from Gill B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. 2010. Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Wellington, Te Papa Press and Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Pages 249, 252-254 & 256-257. Order PSITTACIFORMES: Cockatoos, Parrots and Parakeets New molecular data and analyses support a view that the two subfamilies Strigopinae and Nestorinae form a single clade basal to all other Recent members of the order Psittaciformes (e.g. de Kloet & de Kloet 2005, Astuti et al. 2006, Tokita et al. 2007, Wright et al. 2008). They therefore need to be put in a family of their own (rather than in Psittacidae, e.g. Checklist Committee 1990) placed ahead of Cacatuidae in the systematic list. The name Strigopidae G.R. Gray, 1848 has priority. Family PSITTACIDAE: Typical Parrots Psittacini Illiger, 1811: Prodromus Syst. Mamm. Avium: 195, 200 – Type genus Psittacus Linnaeus, 1758. Subfamily PLATYCERCINAE: Rosellas and Broad-tailed Parrots Platycercine Selby, 1836: Natural History Parrots: 64 – Type genus Platycercus Vigors, 1825. Genus Cyanoramphus Bonaparte Cyanoramphus Bonaparte, 1854: Revue Mag. Zool. 6 (2nd series): 153 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Cyanoramphus zealandicus (Latham, 1790). Cyanorhamphus Sclater, 1858: Journ. Linn. Soc. London, Zoology 2: 164. Unjustified emendation. Bulleria Iredale & Mathews, 1926: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 46: 76 – Type species (by original designation) Platycercus unicolor Lear = Cyanoramphus unicolor (Lear). For general discussion of speciation in the genus see Taylor (1985), Boon, Daugherty et al.
    [Show full text]
  • The Orange-Fronted Parakeet (<Em Class="Sciname">Cyanoramphus
    Notornis, 2003, Vol. 50: 27-35 0029-4470 O The Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Inc. 2003 The orange-fronted parakeet (Cyanoramphus malherbi) is a distinct species: a review of recent research into its taxonomy and systematic relationship within the genus Cyanoramphus JONATHAN C. KEARVELL ANDREW D. GRANT Department of Conservation, Private Bag 5715, Christchurch, New Zealand WEE MING BOON Institute for Molecular Systematics, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand Abstract The taxonomic status of the endangered orange-fronted parakeet (Cyanorarnphus malherbi) has been the subject of much debate since this endemic New Zealand parakeet was first described in 1857. The debate in the late 1800s and again over the past 30 years has been lively but inconclusive. We provide a summary of this debate and the most recent research into the taxonomic status of this parakeet based on mitochondria1 DNA (mtDNA), assortative pairing, bill morphology, vocalisation, and comparative ecology. Based on alI available scientific and historical data, we conclude that the orange-fronted parakeet is a distinct species. Kearvell, J.C.; Grant, A.D.; Boon, W.M. 2003. The orange-fronted parakeet (Cyanoramphus malherbi) is a distinct species: a review of recent research on its taxonomy and systematic and systematic relationship within the genus Cyanoramphus. Notornis 50(1): 27-35. Keywords orange-fronted parakeet; Cyanoramphus malherbi; taxonomy; Cyanoramphus; conservation INTRODUCTION continued to the present day (Holyoak 1974; Nixon Controversy has surrounded the orange-fronted 1981; Taylor 1998; Young & Kearvell 2001). In the parakeet (Cyanommphus malherbi) since Souanck first study to deal with the genetics of the problem, first described the bird in 1857.
    [Show full text]
  • Editorial Who's a Clever Bird — Now? a Brief History of Parrot Cognition
    Behaviour 156 (2019) 391–407 brill.com/beh Editorial Who’s a clever bird — now? A brief history of parrot cognition Alice M.I. Auersperg a,∗ and Auguste M.P. von Bayern b,c,d,∗ a Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in collaboration with the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria b Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany c Max-Planck Comparative Cognition Research Station, Loro Parque Fundación, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain d Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany *Guest editors’ e-mail addresses: [email protected]; [email protected] Published online 27 February 2019 Abstract Parrots are renowned for their intelligence and ability to imitate human speech ever since they have been kept as pets. Despite of impressive pioneering work on the cognitive abilities of parrots, research on parrot cognition has only recently gained momentum, probably given the new wave of interest in possible convergent evolution of complex cognition within the vertebrates. Together with corvids, they often parallel primates if not great apes in cognitive performance and have become important model systems to study the evolution of cognition. We briefly review the history of parrot cognition within the field of comparative cognition and introduce some of the laboratories that have contributed to this special issue as well as the studies they present. 1. Introduction This special issue features a selection of articles that focus on parrot cogni- tion. First reports of the sophisticated cognitive abilities of Psittaciformes have existed for over half a century, but, recently, the topic has sparked new inter- est and studies on parrot cognition as well as research groups dedicated to the subject have been augmenting increasingly, particularly within the past decades.
    [Show full text]
  • Sub-Antarctic Islands of New Zealand Wildlife List (PDF)
    Wildlife List of Sub-Antarctic Islands of New Zealand Compiled by Max Breckenridge KEY • H – Heard only • L – Leader only • I – Introduced species • E – Species is endemic to New Zealand • M – Species is endemic to Macquarie Island • e – Species is endemic to Australasia (Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Oceania) • ssp – subspecies • NZ – New Zealand BIRDS Species total: 116 Heard only: 1 Leader only: 3 KIWIS E (Apterygidae) Southern Brown Kiwi E (Apteryx australis) – Single heard by some, and seen by others, on Ulva Island. Typically a nocturnal species. DUCKS, GEESE & WATERFOWL (Anatidae) Canada Goose I (Branta canadensis) – Tens in Dunedin, Te Anau, and Glentanner. Black Swan e (Cygnus atratus) – Hundreds in Dunedin Harbour and Lake Dunstan. Paradise Shelduck E (Tadorna variegata) – Tens/singles around Dunedin, Oban, and hundreds at Lake Dunstan. Blue Duck E (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos) – Single seen briefly from the bus window between Milford Sound and Te Anau. Pacific Black Duck L (Anas superciliosa) – Three birds at Milford Sound. Some likely hybrids also observed near Twizel. Mallard I (Anas platyrhynchos) – Tens/singles on several occasions. Not pure Mallards. Most individuals in NZ are hybrids with domestic varieties or Pacific Black Duck. Auckland Islands Teal E (Anas aucklandica) – At least five individuals observed at Enderby Island along the shoreline and amongst ribbon kelp. A confiding pair of this flightless endemic greeted us at our beach landing. Campbell Islands Teal E (Anas nesiotis) – Great views of a confiding individual waiting for us at the dock on Campbell Island. New Zealand Scaup E (Aythya novaeseelandiae) – Singles at Lake Te Anau and tens around Queenstown and Twizel.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ouvéa Parakeet
    ORYX VOL 29 NO 2 APRIL 1995 The Ouvea parakeet - state of knowledge and conservation status O. Robinet, F. Beugnet, D. Dulieu and Ph. Chardonnet New Caledonia, a French territory in the south-west Pacific has a very high number of endemic taxa. The endemic fauna include a monotypic genus of parakeets - Eunymphicus. One subspecies, Eunymphicus cornutus uvaeensis, which is endemic to the island of Ouvea in the Loyalty Islands, is seriously threatened by degradation of its natural habitat, natural predators and capture for sale to collectors. There are now only 200-500 individuals left in the wild. The parakeet is the emblem of Ouvea and local people, together with research scientists, have formed a society with the aims of studying the parakeet in its natural environment, making the general public aware of its conservation requirements, combating smuggling, increasing its population by breeding it in captivity and, if possible, introducing it on to a neighbouring island. Introduction up of two parts linked by a narrow strip of land. This island, with 27 Melanesian inhabi- The Ouvea parakeet Eunymphicus cornutus tants per sq km, has a population density uvaeensis and the horned parakeet E. c. cornu- three times that of the rest of the Loyalty tus are the only two members of an endemic Islands (CTRDP, 1987; Mathieu-Daude, 1989). New Caledonian genus. The genus is related The parakeet's distribution is restricted to to Platycercus of Australia and Cyanoramphus Ouvea. It appears to have never colonized of New Zealand by its form and colouring, neighbouring islands despite their proximity which is mostly green with a red forehead and (45 km).
    [Show full text]
  • CAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN ANTIPODES ISLAND PARAKEET (Cyanoramphus Unicolor)
    Threatened Species Occasional Publication No.7 ANTIPODES ISLAND PARAKEET CAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN (Cyanoramphus unicolor) THREATENED SPECIES OCCASIONAL PUBLICATION NO.7 CAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN ANTIPODES ISLAND PARAKEET (Cyanoramphus unicolor) Prepared by Rob West and Christine Tisdall [July 1993] Rob West and Mike Aviss [March 1995] for the Threatened Species Unit Threatened Species Unit Department of Conservation P.O. Box 10-420 Wellington, New Zealand © 1995, The Department of Conservation P.O. Box 10-420 Wellington ISSN 1170-3709 ISBN 0-478-01735-9 Antipodes Island Captive Management Coordinator: Rob West 58 Riwai Street, Paraparaumu Telephone (04) 297-1062; Fax (04) 297-1042 Departmental Contact: Protected Species Division Department of Conservation P.O. Box 10-420; Wellington Antipodes Island Group: Cover illustration adapted from: PARROTS OF THE WORLD, Lansdowne Editions, 1989. 1. Introduction 1.1 Taxonomy The Antipodes Island parakeet (Cyanoramphus unicolor) belongs to the subfamily Platycercinae which includes the kakarikis, a genus found only in the South Pacific region. 1.2 Conservation Status The Antipodes Island parakeet is classified as a "Category C" threatened species according to Department of Conservation's threatened species priority ranking system. (Setting priorities for the conservation of New Zealand's threatened plants and animals. Molloy and Davis 1992. Revised 1994. Department of Conservation, Wellington.) Antipodes Island parakeets are not currently covered by a Species Recovery Plan and the department feels there is no immediate need to develop a recovery programme given the relative security of the species and its habitat. The perceived risks to the species, and thus its conservation status, have changed over the years, resulting in changes of direction for the wild and captive management program.
    [Show full text]