The South Island snipe (Coenocorypha iredalei) was described by Walter Rothschild in 1921 based on 3 specimens collected on Jacky Lee I, off Stewart I, in 1897 & 1898 and purchased from Henry Travers. The last 3 birds were seen 43 years later on Big South Cape I, and the species is considered extinct following introductions of weka (Gallirallus australis) or ship rats (Rattus rattus) to its 2 last strongholds. I surveyed surviving museum skins, literature, and personal accounts of the South Island snipe, including a previously unpublished account from the type locality, to learn more of the bird’s discovery and extinction. Seven only of the 24 known specimens had correct locality data associated with them; as a result, many were assumed until recently to be Snares Island snipe (C. huegeli). Based on specimen records, historic correspondence, and forensic examination of specimen labels, I conclude that Henry Travers never visited Jacky Lee I, and that the unknown collector of the type specimens of C. iredalei also collected bird specimens from Rangatira I in the Chatham Is in 1899 and 1900.
Sexual differences in vocalisations of the Vanuatu petrel (Pterodroma occulta) are described. Qualitative differences in burrow calls could be used to sex adults with 63-100% accuracy in listening experiments. Males sounded “clear” and females sounded “hoarse”. Higher accuracy is possible with the aid of spectrograms. Playback experiments demonstrated a male-bias in responses of incubating Vanuatu petrels to “war-whooping” and flight calls. Acoustic methods have practical and ethical advantages over handling breeding petrels and further studies of the vocal behaviour of gadfly-petrels are encouraged.
Edgar Stead (1881-1949) documented avian diversity on the islands around Stewart I during the 1930s and 1940s, and named 3 new passerine subspecies in 1936. Between 1912 and 1950, 6 other newly-recognised bird taxa were given the epithet ‘steadi’. Four of these were indisputably named after Edgar Stead: Stictocarbo steadi Oliver, 1930, Pseudoprion turtur steadi Mathews, 1932, Thalassarche cauta steadi Falla, 1933, and Petroica (Miro) australis steadi Fleming, 1950. Carbo carbo steadi Mathews & Iredale, 1913 was probably named after Edgar Stead. It is suggested that Procellaria aequinoctialis steadi Mathews, 1912 was most likely named after the Australian naturalist David Stead (1877-1957). Among the birds named by or for Edgar Stead, only Thalassarche cauta steadi Falla, 1933, Xenicus longipes variabilis Stead, 1936, and Bowdleria punctata wilsoni Stead, 1936 are recognised as valid taxa in the 2010 Checklist of the birds of New Zealand. Stictocarbo steadi Oliver, 1930 is permanently invalid. A list of type specimens collected by Stead is presented, representing 6 currently recognised taxa.
Food preferences of the bellbird (Anthornis melanura), an endemic honeyeater, were determined by comparing the proportional use of plant species for nectar, fruit, and invertebrate feeding with the proportional availability (foliar cover) of plant species in forest remnants on the Port Hills, near the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. Of 529 feeding observations throughout the year, 56% were on invertebrates, 29% on nectar, and 15% on fruit. Invertebrate feeding predominated in all months except August to November, when nectar feeding predominated. Kunzea ericoides, Fuchsia excorticata, and Hoheria angustifolia were used more than expected from their foliar cover for invertebrate feeding, while F. excorticata, Sophora microphylla, Pseudopanax arboreus, and Phormium tenax were used more than expected for nectar feeding, and Coprosma robusta and Myrsine australis more than expected for fruit feeding. Little nectar was available in winter, which may explain why some bellbirds moved from the hills to the city at the end of the breeding season. However, more research is needed on the influence of temperature on these movements and on the resources used by bellbirds in the city.
On 5 years between 1969 and 2006, counts were made of birds seen and heard along a 2.3 km transect through a central suburb of Wellington City. A total of 14,461 birds of 26 species were encountered, including 10 native and 16 introduced species. Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), sacred kingfisher (Halcyon sancta) dunnock (Prunella modularis) and rock dove (Columba livia) numbers remained similar over the 5 counts. By contrast, counts of tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae), fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa) and grey warbler (Gerygone igata) rose between 1988-89 and 2005-06. New Zealand pigeons (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) and bellbirds (Anthornis melanura) were 1st detected in 2005. The number of mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), song thrush (Turdus philomelos), chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), blackbird (Turdus merula), goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) and greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) increased more than 3-fold between the earliest and latest counts. Increases in the numbers of most native and introduced species may have resulted from a possum control programme that began throughout the Wellington district in the 1990s and to the establishment of the nearby Karori Wildlife Sanctuary (‘Zealandia’). Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and black-backed gull (Larus dominicanus) counts fell after 1971 as did the number of Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) between 1989 and 2005. Between 1969-71 and 1981-2, house sparrow (Passer domesticus) counts fell 37%, the figure remaining low until 2006. The coincidence of this decline in house sparrows with similar declines in the northern hemisphere is discussed.
Home range size, travel distances, and population density of the great spotted kiwi (Apteryx haastii) were investigated in the North Branch of the Hurunui River. Radio tracking was conducted on 10 great spotted kiwi between Dec 2007 and Apr 2008. The estimated minimum home-range sizes were determined using the concave polygon method and ranged between 19.6 ha and 35.4 ha, with a mean of 29.3 ha (± 1.6 SEM). The observed nightly distances travelled per hour varied from 7 to 433 m (n = 569). Most estimates of travel distances (73%) were clustered in the classes from 0 – 150 m/hour, and distances over 200 m/hour were seldom achieved (only c. 7% of distances). The kiwi population in the Mainland Island site on the western North Branch of the Hurunui River was estimated to hold around 290 birds in total. Population density for the entire North Branch area was estimated to be 2 pairs/km² and when including subadults, 5 birds/km². Our estimate of home range size is larger but with more variation than found in other studies. Differences in population density estimates between our study and those in the Hurunui and Arthurs Pass district may be due to different objectives and methods.
Population size and breeding success of northern New Zealand dotterels (Charadrius obscurus aquilonius) were studied on the recently mammalian predator-eradicated Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. The island’s entire breeding population was monitored during the austral breeding season from Nov 2007 – Feb 2008. Nine breeding pairs were identified and their breeding success recorded. A total of 41% of nesting attempts produced fledglings and 1.22 chicks fledged per pair for the season; each egg had a 38% chance of survival to fledging. The breeding success of this endemic shorebird was twice as high on Motuihe Island as that at unmanaged mainland sites, and is comparable to levels of breeding success at other managed sites with mammal trapping or predator-proof fencing. The only identified cause of nesting failure over the breeding season was avian predation. Suggestions are made to maintain and enhance breeding success at this locality.