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Conservation Translocations of New Zealand Birds, 1863-2012

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Conservation Translocations of New Zealand Birds, 1863-2012 3 Notornis, 2013, Vol. 60: 3-28 0029-4470 © The Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Inc. Conservation translocations of New Zealand birds, 1863-2012 COLIN M. MISKELLY* Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, P.O. Box 467, Wellington 6140, New Zealand RALPH G. POWLESLAND 606 Manaroa Road, RD 2, Picton 7282, New Zealand Abstract Translocations (deliberate movement and release of wildlife) have been of crucial importance in the management of New Zealand threatened birds, and as part of site restoration projects. We review attempts to translocate New Zealand birds for conservation reasons since 1863. Following an early pulse from 1895-1908, there was concerted and increasing effort (both in the number of translocations and the number of taxa translocated) and success since the early 1960s. Sixty- eight taxa (55 species) of New Zealand birds have been translocated in over 1100 separate releases, with new populations of 50 taxa (41 species) successfully established. Translocations of 9 further taxa (7 further species) are in progress. Overall, 61% of New Zealand’s extant endemic waterfowl, shorebird and landbird taxa have been translocated (51% of the total successfully, with an additional 4% in progress). Five taxa exist solely as translocated populations (little spotted kiwi Apteryx owenii, buff weka Gallirallus australis hectori, kakapo Strigops habroptilus, South Island saddleback Philesturnus carunculatus and black robin Petroica traversi), and 10 further taxa would be confined to single wild populations but for successful translocations. Most translocations were undertaken within historical ranges, however, 6 taxa have been established beyond their historical ranges, with attempts for 2 further taxa in progress. Miskelly, C.M.; Powlesland, R.G. 2013. Conservation translocations of New Zealand birds, 1863-2012. Notornis 60(1): 3-28. Keywords conservation; ecological restoration; threatened bird management; New Zealand birds; translocation INTRODUCTION Although invasion of many Fiordland islands by Translocations are one of the success stories of New stoats (Mustela erminea) from 1900 on meant that Zealand conservation. Recognition of the devastating most of Henry’s efforts were ultimately futile, his impacts of introduced rats (Rattus spp.), mustelids pioneering efforts inspired later generations of New (Mustela spp) and feral cats (Felis catus) on the birds Zealand conservation managers (Ballance 2010; of the 2 main islands led to early calls to translocate Jones & Merton 2012). vulnerable bird species from the mainland to island Few translocations were attempted for the next sanctuaries (Potts 1872; Reischek 1886). Concerted 56 years, but from 1964, the number of translocations efforts began in 1895-1907 during Richard Henry’s increased dramatically, with many spectacular employment as caretaker of Resolution I, Fiordland, successes (Saunders 1994; Miskelly 2009a; Jones & with hundreds of kakapo1, little spotted kiwi and Merton 2012). The increases in effort and success South Island brown kiwi translocated to islands were due to improved techniques, especially use in Dusky and Breaksea Sounds (Hill & Hill 1987). of newly-developed mist nets, and developments Received 26 Jun 2012; accepted 23 Dec 2012 1Scientific names of birds are given in the appendices, ex- *Correspondence: [email protected] cept for those taxa mentioned only in the text. 4 Miskelly & Powlesland in island pest eradications, with effort co-ordinated and kakapo releases (Eason & Willans 2001; Eason & by increasingly effective conservation agencies Moorhouse 2006; Young 2006), and supplementary (Lovegrove & Veitch 1994; Saunders 1994; Clout & translocations of black petrel to Little Barrier I (Imber Russell 2006; Jones & Merton 2012). Translocation et al. 2003), New Zealand falcons to Marlborough effort has grown ever since, and for the last 2 decades vineyards (Fox & Wynn 2010), North Island kokako community groups, trusts and private landowners to the Hunua Ranges, and yellowhead to South have increasingly taken the lead in planning, Hurunui and Eglinton Valley. We also excluded funding and undertaking bird translocations in New translocations where there was no intention to Zealand (Parker 2008). A major development since establish a self-sustaining wild population, including 1999 has been the use of predator-resistant fencing single-sex ‘banishments’ of male kakapo to Pearl, to allow reintroduction of the most vulnerable bird Nukuwaiata and Maud Is (Ballance 2010) and North species back to the mainland (Burns et al. 2012; Island kokako to Mokoia I. Empson 2013; Smuts-Kennedy & Parker 2013). Translocations undertaken for reasons other We here summarise a comprehensive dataset than conservation were also excluded, including of New Zealand bird translocations, and report multiple poorly documented releases of weka to on translocation effort and success over time, as islands around Stewart I, Solander I, Open Bay Is well as taxa and restoration sites that have been and Macquarie I undertaken before 1910 (Brothers the focus of the most effort, and taxa that have & Skira 1984; Marchant & Higgins 1993). The 1905 been saved from extinction or had their survival translocation of buff weka to Chatham I (and thence prospects greatly improved through translocations. to Pitt I in the 1960s) is included as this, perhaps We also summarise taxa that have proved difficult inadvertently, prevented extinction of buff weka to translocate, describe the few translocations made (Aikman & Miskelly 2004). We similarly include beyond historical ranges, and identify endemic birds translocations of black swan to New Zealand and of New Zealand that have yet to be translocated. thence to Chatham I, as these contributed to the restoration of a species otherwise extinct in New Zealand (Thomson 1922; Worthy 1998; Aikman & METHODS Miskelly 2004). We collated a dataset of 495 translocations of New The review focuses on 5 parameters only for Zealand birds undertaken between 1863 and 2012 each translocation: taxon (bird species or subspecies (Appendix 1). Data were gleaned from a multitude name), whether the birds were captive-bred vs of sources, including published partial summaries wild, release location, calendar year(s) of release(s), (Atkinson 1990; McHalick 1998; Miskelly 2004; and translocation outcome. This overlooks other Gaze & Cash 2008; Miskelly et al. 2009), 2 websites important translocation parameters including (Reintroduction Specialist Group http://rsg-oceania. source populations, number, ages and sexes of squarespace.com/nz-birds/; Avian Reintroduction birds translocated, release methodology, and & Translocation website http://www.lpzoosites. post-release management, as well as post-release org/artd/index.php, both viewed early Feb 2012), monitoring, and population modelling. It would be restoration site websites and newsletters linked a large, and perhaps impossible, task to locate these from the Sanctuaries of New Zealand website data for all the translocations listed, and this is best (http://www.sanctuariesnz.org/), the Department tackled within taxon-focussed reviews. We applaud of Conservation’s translocation database, and our authors who have compiled and published species-, own recollections and information gathered during genus- or family-level summaries of translocation a combined 49 years working for the NZ Wildlife information (e.g., Merton 1973; Nillson [sic] 1978; Service (RGP), Department of Conservation Butler & Merton 1992; Lloyd & Powlesland 1994; (CMM & RGP) and Museum of New Zealand Lovegrove 1996; Boyd & Castro 2000; Colbourne Te Papa Tongarewa (CMM). The data were & Robertson 2000; Dumbell 2000; Jamieson et al. verified by 56 species or site experts (listed in the 2000; Hooson & Jamieson 2003; Colbourne 2005; Acknowledgements) who were sent subsets of the Dowding et al. 2005, Miskelly et al. 2009; Dowding dataset to check and expand. & O’Connor 2013; Innes et al. 2013), and also site- or We limited the review to translocations intended region-focussed reviews (e.g., Brown 2004; Rimmer to establish new wild populations of native New 2004; Gaze & Cash 2008; Smuts-Kennedy & Parker Zealand birds. This specifically excluded both 2013). translocations to captivity, and reinforcement translocations (sensu Seddon et al. 2012), including Translocation outcome definitions releases of black stilts in the McKenzie basin Each translocation has been categorised as ‘Successful’ (Maloney & Murray 2000; van Heezik et al. 2009), (population established and expected to persist for Operation Nest Egg kiwi recovery programmes at least 50 years under the current site management (Colbourne et al. 2005) and similar blue duck, takahe regime), ‘Few present’ (birds still present, but fewer Translocations of New Zealand birds 5 Fig. 1. New Zealand bird trans- location effort per decade, 1890 to 2012. Multiple releases of the same taxon at the same site within a 5-year period were scored as a single translocation, with effort and success split pro-rata between decades if the translocation bridged 2 or more decades. ‘Unsuccessful’ includes ‘Failed’, ‘Few present’, ‘Hybrid population’, and ‘Unknown’ (see Translocation outcome defini- tions). than 6 pairs known), ‘Hybrid population’ (population there is risk of confusion with Campbell Island), known or believed to be descended from 2 or more NI = North Island, NZ = New Zealand, SI = South congeneric taxa), ‘Failed’ (birds no longer present, or Island. population functionally extinct) or ‘In progress’ if it is
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