Record number of critically endangered Takahe chicks born
22/02/2010 22:16:55
Takahe chick. Credit DOC
Burwood takahe breeding facility bursting at the seams February 2010. The road to recovery for the critically endangered takahe just got a little easier with a record number of chicks born on the islands this summer. At least 21 chicks hatched on predator free island sanctuaries and, for the first time, the small mainland population on Maungatautari Ecological Island, Waikato, produced a chick.
The increased numbers are a result of Mitre10's sponsorship and the work done to increase the number of functional breeding pairs at the various sites, takahe recovery manager Phil Tisch says.
Burwood Bush Takahe Rearing Unit
To prevent over crowding on the islands, eight chicks will soon be winging their way to the Department of Conservation's Burwood Bush Takahe Rearing Unit, near Te Anau, Southland, to be matched with the unit's breeding pairs. Their March arrival, combined with the 12 chicks already at Burwood, will be the largest number of young takahe the unit has cared for during a breeding season.
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A takahe chick being fed by the takahe puppet. Credit DOC
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Mr Tisch says the transfer of the chicks from the islands to the rearing unit is an important step towards releasing them into wild. He added that the islands' breeding pairs are a vital part of the recovery programme as they act as insurance populations in case something goes wrong in the wild.
"Their time here allows them to be trained by the other birds to feed from tussock and get used to the colder temperatures down here."
Takahe will be released the Murchison Mountains, Fiordland National Park.
Once the chicks are nearly a year-old they will be released into an extensively trapped area in the Murchison Mountains, Fiordland National Park. It's estimated that there are about 100 birds in the Murchison Mountains with the remainder on Maud Island in the Marlborough Sounds, Mana and Kapiti Island Nature Reserve north of Wellington off the Wairarapa Coast, Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf northeast of Auckland, and on Maungatautari Ecological Island, Waikato.
Takahe facts - Takahe transfers are used to manage to the genetics on the islands and try and prevent in-breeding and over-crowding.
- Keeping numbers at the optimal level on the islands helps breeding. If a bird can't get a territory, it can't breed, and it will fight for a territory.
| - In November 2009, 16 juvenile takahe were released into an extensively trapped area of the Murchison Mountains thanks to the support from Mitre 10. The release provided a 10-15% boost to that population.
- The Mitre10 Takahe Rescue sponsorship started in September 2005 and was re-signed for a further three years in September 2008.
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