Download Kawau Island Fauna - Department of Conservation

Kawau Island Fauna
Kiwi – North Island Brown
Islands such as Kawau play an important role in the protection of this endangered species as
predator control and habitat are more easily managed within an island setting. The Department
of Conservation conduct surveys on Kawau as part of the national kiwi recovery programme,
Ideal habitat sites are identified and examined for signs of kiwi presence – probe holes where
they have been feeding, signs of foot prints, burrows and faeces. On a series of consecutive
nights male and female calls are recorded and plotted, together with habitat characteristics and
weather conditions.
Kiwi tend to live in pairs, forming monogamous couples generally for life. Some bonds have
been known to last 30 years. They are extremely territorial birds that protect their patch (which
can be as much as 30 hectares) by calling and chasing intruders. Young kiwi leave the nest at
just three weeks old, weighing only 200 grams. Small and slow they are easy prey and very few
survive to 12 months when they reach the critical size that enables them to stand up to most
predators.
Kiwis prefer areas of undisturbed native bush with permanent ground water – areas with plenty
of earthworms, weta nymphs, spiders, fallen fruit and seeds, lavae of beetles and cicadas. It is
the only known bird to have nostrils at the end of its bill enabling it to sniff out food a bill-length
below the earth surface.
Threat to kiwi
There are three main threats to the Kawau Kiwi population:
• Predation
• Competition
• Habitat loss
Predation is direct and immediate and can dramatically reduce the size of the population in a
short space of time. Cats and dogs brought to Kawau by visitors, along with resident rats and
possums, can kill the birds or steal their eggs. The flightless kiwi has no defence against these
animals. No animals may be brought into the Department of Conservation Reserves for this
reason. Private land owners are asked to ensure that domestic animals are confined to their
property and are prevented from roaming.
The kiwi on Kawau also compete for habitat with possum and wallaby. The wallaby eat the
native bush seedlings preventing forest regeneration whilst possums damage the more mature
trees.
The future of Kiwi on Kawau
Kiwi surveys show that the kiwi population here is not large and therefore vulnerable to
disturbances in the environment. It is evident that the survival of the species is dependent on the
control of predators and competitors. Responsible restraint of dogs and cats by owners and
effective management of wallaby and possum populations are essential to prevent the extinction
of kiwi on Kawau Island.
Wallaby
Sir George Grey introduced five species of wallaby to
Kawau Island between 1860 and 1870. Four species are still
found on the island today.
Dama or Tammar Wallaby
Macropus eugenii
The most numerous species present on Kawau. It is small,
about 50cm when full grown, with a short rat-like tail. It is
silver grey in colour with reddish shadings on the shoulder.
Parma or White-throated Wallaby
Macropus parma
The parma is a small brown wallaby approximately the same
size as the dama. It has a long dark tail with a cream or
white coloured tip. Its chin and throat are also whitish in
colour. The parma was thought to be extinct in its native
Australia by 1932. After its rediscovery on Kawau in 1965
many of the species have since been returned to Australia.
Wallabia bicolor – Swamp Wallaby
Brush tailed rock wallaby
Petrogale pencillata
This 55-60cm high wallaby is the most brightly coloured of those on Kawau. It has a coppery
brown body with a dark bushy tail and dark markings on the face. It is very agile and can jump
as high as four metres onto sloping trees. It is found in low numbers in grassy clearings above
the cliffs.
Swamp Wallaby
Wallabia bicolour
This large wallaby is sometimes referred to as the “wallaroo”. I grows to a metre in height and is
a rich dark brown with a tapering dark tail. It is found over most of the island, although not
abundantly, and lives in damp or scrubby areas.
North Island Weka
In 1982 there were estimated to have been more than 88,000 North Island weka in the Gisborne
and East Cape area. However, between 1982 and 1986 most of the birds died during a long
drought. Other declines followed cyclone Bola in 1988 and the release, or escape, of ferrets
from a failed farming venture.
The North Island weka is now critically endangered and numbers less that 7% of the number of
North island brown kiwi. Between 75%and 84% of the remaining weka are on Kawau Island,
which equates to between 3,000 and 4,200 birds - depending on climactic conditions.
Since 1991 the weka around Mansion House have been monitored to determine nesting habitat,
the numbers of chicks raised, the life span and interaction with other weka and species. The
outcome of the study will determine when weka can be taken from Kawau Island to establish
other populations in safe places.
Weka are found all over Kawau, feeding on insects, fruit, and worms. They will also feed from
rock pools and beaches. The weka around Mansion House enjoy the tit-bits provided by visitors
and have been known to take chicks of other bird species as food.
The weka can begin having chicks from as young as nine months. They usually breed only once
a year between August and December and most pairs have two chicks. There are approximate
equal numbers of male and female weka raised and most remain near where they were raised.
Many chicks need to be raised each year to maintain the population as the mortality rate is high.
The maximum time a weka can live is eleven years but most die in their first two and a half
years. The high turn over rate is in part due to weka not finding enough water and food when the
leaf litter and upper soil dries. Wallaby browsing on Kawau has resulted in the restriction of
vegetation on most of the island to kanuka and this tree does not produce a deep moisture
holding leaf.
It is very likely that weka will be taken from Kawau Island for mainland liberations in 2003.
They will be mixed with North Island weka from other populations to maintain the gene pool.
Dr Tony Beauchamp
DOC Northland 1999.
Gallirallus australis greyi. North Island Weka
Kawau Birdlife
Common Name
Blackbird
Chaffinch
Cuckoo Shining
Dotterel, NZ
Duck, grey
Duck, mallard
Duck, shelduck (Paradise)
Fantail
Gannet, Australian godwit
Goldfinch
Gull, black backed
Gull, black billed
Gull, red billed
Hawk, harrier
Heron, blue reef
Heron, white faced
Kaka
Kakariki
Kingfisher, NZ
Kiwi, brown
Kookaburra
Magpie, Australian
Morepork
Myna
Owl
Oystercatche, variable
Parakeet
Peacock
Penguin, little blue
Petrel, grey faced
Petrel, white headed
Pigeon, NZ
Pipit
Pukeko
Rosella, eastern
Shag, black
Shag, little
Shag, little black
Shag, spotted
Shearwater, flesh footed
Shearwater, fluttering
Silvereye
Sparrow, hedge
Sparrow, house
Stilt, pied
Swallow, welcome
Tern, Caspian
Tern, white fronted
Thrust, song
Tui
Warbler, grey
Weka, North Island
Latin Name
Tardus merula merula
Fringilla coelebs gengleri
Chrysococcyx lucidus lucidus
Charadrius obscurus
Anas superciliosa superciliosa
Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos
Tardorna variegate
Rhipidura fuliginosa
Sula bassana serrator
Carduelis carduelis brittanica
Larus dominicanus
Larus bulleri
Larus novaehollandiae scopulinus
Circus approximans
Egretta sacra sacra
Ardea novaehollandiae novauhollandiae
Nestor meridionalis
Cyanoramphus auriceps
Halcyon sancta vagans
Apteryx australis mantelli
Dacelo novaguineae
Gymnorhina tibicen
Ninox novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae
Acridotheres tristis
Athene noctua
Haemotopus unicolor
Cyranoramphus species
Pavocristatus
Eudyptula minor
Pterodroma macioptera gouldi
Pterodroma lessonii
Hemiphaga novaseelandiae
Anthus novaseelandiae
Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus
Platycercus eximus
Phalacrocorax carbo
Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
Stictocarbo punctatus
Puffinus carneipes
Puffinus gavial
Zosteroops lateralis lateralis
Prunella modularis occidentalis
Passer domesticus domesticus
Himantopus leucocephalus
Hirundo tahitica neoxena
Hydroprogne caspia
Sterna striata
Turdus philomelos clarkei
Prosthemadera novauseelandiae
Gerygoneigata
Gallirallus australisgreyi