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[1]
A takahe pairfeeding on
snow tussocks. Photo
supplied.
Published on Otago Daily Times Online News
(http://www.odt.co.nz)
Endangered pair find sanctuary
Created 05/05/12
Two endangered takahe will soon make themselves at
home at the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, writes Neville Peat.
Takahe in a natural setting in Dunedin! Who would ever have
thought it possible?
Two of these endangered birds - flightless giant rails - will
soon
make themselves at home at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. The
species disappeared from around the Dunedin area well before
Europeans arrived, and was probably waning in the time of
early
Maori settlement.
Large and slow-breeding, takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri)
look
similar to pukeko, the common native swamp hen, which can
still
fly when pushed.
Ancestors of takahe lost the power of flight in a land without
mammalian predators, and
evolved to more than double the size and weight of pukeko.
Takahe weigh in at 2kg to 3.5kg (males are heavier), they stand
about 12cm taller than
pukeko, and their bill, legs and feet are much sturdier.
The takahe colour scheme resembles that of pukeko - an indigo
head, neck and breast, a
metallic green back and red bill, legs and feet - but more
colourful. The size of the bill is
remarkable.
Whereas pukeko thrive, takahe are classified as "nationally
critical", with only about 260
remaining. Like many of New Zealand's ancient endemic birds,
takahe are notoriously slow
breeders. They breed only once a year and raise only one or two
chicks from up to three eggs
laid. Pukeko lay four to six eggs and they can have two or three
broods a year.
Takahe, however, live longer - up to about 20 years.
In prehistoric times, they were distributed widely across
mainland New Zealand but most live
now in remote mountain valleys in Fiordland, their last
stronghold. They were hailed as a
species brought back from the dead when "rediscovered" in the
Murchison Mountains in1948.
Takahe love feeding on snow tussocks, being equipped with a
stout bill that is well adapted to
strip the tussock's fine fronds.
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At Orokonui, snow tussocks newly planted near the open grassy
spaces of the upper areas of
the ecosanctuary should provide them with a good habitat. They
will be confined to a
temporary enclosure initially, to get them used to Orokonui
conditions.
The two birds are from Maud Island in the Marlborough Sounds,
which has been a refuge for
small numbers of takahe transferred from the Fiordland area.
Their role at Orokonui will be as
ambassadors for the species. It is hoped they will raise
awareness of the plight of takahe and
public support for recovery efforts. Since 2005, Mitre 10 has
been the main sponsor of the
takahe recovery programme.
We hope they will feel at home in the upper reaches of Orokonui,
close to 300m above sea
level. Through winter they will have lush bush bordering the
open areas for shelter and food,
such as fern rhizomes.
The takahe are going to be a big attraction for visitors once
they have settled in. Their calls
are similar to those of weka but deeper and more piercing. The
contact call is "coo-eet" and
pairs may duet. When alarmed they utter a deep "oomf".
In the past 200 years, takahe have declined in number and range,
virtually to the brink ofextinction.
In 1981, the population was estimated at 112. Predation by
stoats and competition with red
deer for food are thought to be the main factors in their
decline in modern times.
During the 1980s, a captive rearing unit was established for
takahe at Burwood Bush near Te
Anau, using eggs and chicks from Fiordland. About half of the
population lives in the
Murchison Mountains of Fiordland, with the remaining birds in a
fenced reserve at Burwood
Bush and in small numbers on island sanctuaries such as Kapiti,
Tiritiri Matangi, Maud and
Mana. There is also a pair of takahe at each of the mainland
sanctuaries of Zealandia(Wellington) and Maungatautari (south
Waikato), where there has been at least one
successful breeding attempt.
University of Otago zoologist Dr Ian Jamieson, who has studied
the species and is a member
of the Takahe Recovery Group, says the takahe is one of our
native species most at risk
because it is extremely difficult to manage its threats.
While many of our threatened forest species of birds can be
secured on "predator-free" island
sanctuaries, takahe require large grassland areas, not typically
abundant on our forested
offshore islands.
Takahe require relatively large home ranges and breeding
territories and the islands are often
too small to sustain large numbers. For this reason Orokonui
Ecosanctuary can host only a
few birds.
Nevertheless, Dr Jamieson says Orokonui can play a vital role as
an advocacy site, since the
opportunity to see takahe in their remaining native habitat in
alpine Fiordland is very limited.
Unlike many of our threatened species, the main hope for a
large, viable population of takahe
is on the mainland, where there are still large areas of native
grasslands.
The key to success for that plan is the ability to limit
introduced predators, such as stoats, to
low densities over large areas of the landscape. Orokonui's new
takahe can play an important
role in setting the stage to educate the public about that
crucial conservation message.
