Fake bird poo to help save spotted shags in the Hauraki Gulf

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. 

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Release of rare shore birds lifts hope

6 Feb, 2019 5:30am

Four rare shore birds endemic to New Zealand were released yesterday on pest-free Motutapu Island in the Hauraki Gulf after a successful breeding programme produced an abundance of chicks. The juvenile shore plover or tuturuatu are one of the world's rarest shore birds, with just 250 remaining. A small, curious animal, the shore plover nests on the ground and is easily disturbed, which makes them vulnerable in the wild.

The Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre near Masterton and the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust outside Christchurch have had a bumper year breeding plover chicks. Pūkaha ranger Mireille Hicks said between them they had raised 46 chicks. Hicks said the 30-year-old recovery programme hoped to lift the bird's survival chances.

"Many people do not know about how critical the situation is which ... we'd like to change".

The plover captive breeding programme uses five pest-free islands. Since the first release on Motutapu the little birds have been seen in the wider Auckland area, raising hopes for the plover's prospects.

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