Bird of the Year: 'Shags looking for love' could defeat drunken pigeon
Monday, 28 October 2019
It is hoped that a shag could knock a drunken pigeon off its perch to win this year's Bird of the Year competition.
The spotted shag is a critically endangered native bird, found only in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.
But Auckland Museum has launched a campaign to back the creature in Forest & Bird's annual Bird of the Year poll to raise awareness of its dwindling numbers.
The current holder of the title is the kereru, a wood pigeon which has been observed in a state of 'intoxication' as a result of eating ripe fruit which can ferment in its digestive system.
**READ MORE:
* [More choice for bird lovers in rejigged Bird of the Year contest
*](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/116173161/more-choice-for-bird-lovers-in-rejigged-bird-of-the-year-contest) Kererū takes out Bird of the Year honours for 2018
* Bird of the Year: How an endangered bird ended up on Tinder**
The competition opens on Monday, and it will be the 14th year New Zealanders have been able to campaign and vote for their favourite native bird.
New Zealand is the world-centre of shag diversity, with 13 species more than any other country in the world.
Spotted shags are found the length of New Zealand, so for a long time the Hauraki Gulf species wasn't considered endangered.
But a recent study showed the Hauraki Gulf shag was genetically distinct from all others.
Once a population of thousands, there was currently only 900 left, correlating to only one breeding colony.
Museum curator, Dr Matt Rayner did his PhD on native seabirds.
'Being genetically unique makes them so important to protect,' he said.
'We need more shags in Auckland.'
Back in the early 1900s, people blamed the decline in fish stocks on the shags, and started shooting them.
Numbers recovered in a brief respite, following a shooting ban enforced in 1930s, but numbers have consistently declined to just one current breeding colony.
Shags nest in cliffs, where there are no rats or pests to pose a threat, so its biggest threats are over-fishing, bottom trawling, sedimentation and pollution.
'A count of the population has been ongoing for six years, the next step is tracking birds with GPS to find out where they go to hunt and forage,' Rayner said.
'With this information scientists can determine the threats and in turn, mitigate decline by removing the danger factors to improve breeding.'
Set nets are a massive threat for shags because when they dive for fish, they can get tangled in the nets and drown.
Bird of the Year voting begins October 28 and closes at November 10, with the winner announced November 11.
This year voters will rank top picks from one to five – much like how people voted in the local elections in some regions.
Forest & Bird asked for any person or company interested in campaigning for one of the native birds to register interest online.
Visit: birdoftheyear.org.nz