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The relationship between riverbed flooding and non-breeding Wrybills on northern feeding grounds in summer

Notornis, 32 (1), 42-50

K.F.D. Hughey (1985)

Article Type: Paper

I investigated the relationship between floods on the riverbed breeding grounds of Wrybills (Anarhynchus frontalis) and the number of Wrybills censused on northern harbours the following summer. For the purposes of the study I assumed that most birds oversummering on northern harbours are first-year non-breeders and that flood flows of the Rakaia River are representative of most other Wrybill breeding rivers. A highly significant negative correlation (r2=0.69; p<0.01) existed for the 1968-1982 period. The study’s findings provide some support for the observation that by the early 1960s the Wrybill population, after many years of growth, had begun to stabilise. Serious flooding in the 1982 and 1983 breeding seasons may have again destabilised the population structure.

Snipe in Southland

Notornis, 32 (4), 327-328

Miskelly, C.M., Cooper, W.J., Morrison, K., Morrison, J.V. (1985)

Article Type: Short Note

Long-tailed skuas Stercorarius longicaudus in New Zealand

Notornis, 32 (1), 51-73

D.S. Melville (1985)

Article Type: Paper

A wreck of Long-tailed Skuas (Stercorarius longicaudus) on North Island beaches in early 1983 is reported. Characters used to identify Long-tailed and Arctic Skuas in the hand are reviewed with reference to New Zealand material. It is suggested that there may have been several New Zealand records of Long-tailed Skuas before the first accepted specimen record in 1964. The importance of retaining all small skuas found on New Zealand beaches for critical examination is emphasised. The 1983 wreck may be related to the 1982/83 El Nino, which apparently caused a reduction of food for at least some seabird species.

Distribution of the Yellowheads (Mohoua ochrocephala) in New Zealand

Notornis, 32 (4), 261-269

Gaze, P.D. (1985)

Article Type: Paper

Historical records show that Yellowheads (Mohoua ochrocephala) were once present in most forest habitats of the South Island and Stewart Island but they have become less widespread over the last 100 years. Disappearance from some areas was rapid at the end of the last century but Yellowheads survived in other forests until quite recently. Reasons for this decline should be investigated in the hope that appropriate management may prevent this species from becoming endangered.

A Ruff in Southland

Notornis, 32 (4), 329-330

Miskelly, C.M., Cooper, W.J. (1985)

Article Type: Short Note

The mineral content of the faeces of Pukeko, Porphyrio p. melanotus

Notornis, 32 (1), 74-79

R.A. Fordham (1985)

Article Type: Paper

In coastal Manawatu pasture, faecal pellets of the Pukeko (Porphyrio p. melanotus) vary in weight through the year and on average disintegrate in about 16 days (range 7-29). The seasonal concentrations of 11 minerals in the faeces are discussed briefly in relation to soil type and the topdressing regime. The addition of faecal minerals to the pasture is estimated per hectare through the year and per bird for autumn. The amounts deposited fall with increasing distance from the edge next to swamp and are largest in autumn when the population is highest.

Breeding of Greenfinches in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

Notornis, 32 (2), 85-93

B.W.H. MacMillan (1985)

Article Type: Paper

Information on the breeding of Greenfinches (Carduelis chloris) was collected over three breeding seasons (1979-1981) in Hawke’s Bay from 104 nests, 78 clutches and 31 broods. The laying season lasted from mid-October to early February. The average clutch size was 4.60 eggs (n= 55 clutches). Sixty percent of completed clutches consisted of 5 eggs and 35% of 4 eggs. Twenty-seven percent of 297 eggs in 78 clutches resulted in young that flew. Predators removed 40 % of eggs and 31% of young. Comparisons were made with 191 Greenfinch nest record cards collected over 47 years by the Ornithological Society of New Zealand and with data from Britain. Clutch sizes and brood sizes of Greenfinches in New Zealand were significantly smaller than in Britain.
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