18:00,
Feb 15 2019
The
Auckland Museum has 3D-printed replica spotted shags to help attract real birds
in the Hauraki Gulf.
Century-old
bird specimens at the Auckland Museum could hold the key to saving a species
under threat in the Hauraki Gulf.
Six
spotted shag specimens in the Museum's collection have been scanned, 3D printed
and painted, before being installed as a colony on Otata Island, part of the
Noises island group. The specimens were collected by Museum staff from the same
islands back in 1913.
"In
those days museum staff went out and shot the birds, it was accepted
practice," said museum curator Matt Rayner.
Spotted
shags are abundant in the South Island, but scientists believe the small
population that remains in the Hauraki Gulf – some 300 breeding pairs – may be
genetically distinct. The birds are now limited to just two colonies, on
Tarahiki and Waiheke Islands.
As well
as the replica birds, the scientists have constructed nests from dried seaweed,
installed a solar-powered sound system, and used white paint to mimic the
droppings that mark seabird colonies.
Read
on and watch video
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