A sighting of one of the world’s rarest birds, the tara iti or New Zealand fairy tern, has raised hopes that the tiny bird could return to breed at a site in Northland.
The tara iti is the smallest tern that breeds in New Zealand, and conservationists say it is probably the country’s most endangered native breeding bird. Fewer than 40 adult tara iti are thought to survive, with only about 10 known breeding females left.
The birds nest in small scrapes in the sand at just four regular sites: Waipū, Mangawhai, Pākiri and Papakānui, all on the lower Northland Peninsula. Back in 1983, numbers dropped to as few as three or four breeding pairs before years of conservation work helped them slowly recover.
Tara iti face several threats, including introduced predators such as rats, cats and stoats that eat eggs and chicks, as well as storms that wash away nests and people disturbing the beaches where they breed.
The Department of Conservation works alongside local iwi, Auckland Zoo and other groups to protect nesting sites, trap predators, and even hand-rear chicks when needed. Rangers rope off nests, put up warning signs, and sandbag nests against storms and high tides.
Conservationists are hopeful this latest sighting means the tiny birds might choose to nest at the site again this season.
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