Rare birds to be sent back to Auckland's Motutapu Island despite stoat threat

Wednesday, 3 March 2021

Nine adult and one juvenile tūturuatu (shore plover) were evacuated off Motutapu Island due to a stoat – but they are to be sent back (File photo).

Ten rare birds are to be sent back to an island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, despite a stoat still running rampant.

Nine adult tūturuatu (shore plover) and one juvenile tūturuatu were captured on Motutapu Island in February and sent to Cape Sanctuary in Hawke’s Bay and the Wairarapa’s Pukaha National Wildlife Centre.

The capture of the 10 birds – believed to be the entire remaining tūturuatu population on Motutapu – came after three were found dead on the island, killed by a stoat.

The tūturuatu is one of the world’s rarest shore birds. With a wild population of around 240 birds, the survival of the endangered species relies on island biosecurity, breeding in captivity and predator-free islands.

A stoat continues to evade capture on Motutapu Island. (File photo)

* Hunt on to catch another stoat in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf after rare birds found dead

* Auckland's island-hopping stoat: Elusive pest found in trap on Rangitoto Island

Rangers first discovered a tūturuatu dead on November 17. The others were found dead on December 16 and January 14.

Nine weeks after first being spotted, an elusive stoat is still on the run from the Department of Conservation on Auckland's Motutapu and Rangitoto islands (video first published July 25, 2020).

They were killed at night while incubating their eggs, causing a disruption in breeding pairs and a serious setback for the Motutapu population, which has struggled to become established.

A takahē was also found dead on the island recently and could be the stoat’s latest victim.

The tūturuatu were evacuated for their own safety, but will be sent back by the end of next month, the Department of Conservation said.

Department of Conservation technical advisor Dave Houston said the ideal situation would be to hold the birds in captivity until the island could once again be declared pest-free.

But the facilities in which they are being held have limited capacity as chicks hatched at the sites are coming of age and need more space, he said.

“This means we have to return the birds to Motutapu before the end of April.”

Letting the birds go somewhere else is not an option as they would ultimately try to find their way back to Motutapu Island, Houston said.

“There are also limited safe habitats for these small shorebirds, and existing islands are already near population limits.”

The hunt for the stoat on Motutapu Island continues with more than 400 traps in place across the island as well as on Rangitoto.

Conservation dogs and trail cameras are also being used to try to find the stoat.