Tīeke found nesting on the mainland outside a sanctuary for only second time in a century

Tuesday, 9 January 2018

For only the second time in a century, the saddleback, or tīeke, has been found nesting on the New Zealand mainland outside a sanctuary.

The nest, found in Polhill Reserve just outside the Karori Sanctuary, contained two chicks, which are expected to fledge within a week.

Polhill Protectors co-leader Paul Ward said that, once out of the nests, the birds would have a much higher chance of survival, with the cavity-nesting saddleback highly vulnerable to mammalian predators.

Tīeke had been absent from the mainland for more than a century before they were successfully reintroduced to Zealandia in 2002. To put that in perspective, Ward said the tīeke left the mainland before the huia went extinct.

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'Knowing they can breed safely is really significant. What we don't know, and what we are trying to find out, is how long they can live for back over the fence.'

By the 1960s, the saddleback survived on one pest-free island off Northland, he said.

The Polhill Protectors have erected a perimeter around the nest to give the birds a fighting chance, with multiple manual and auto-setting gas traps to catch any rats or stoats that might find the nest. 

The last nest was also discovered on Polhill, in late 2014.

Ward said the bird was particularly charismatic, having a distinctive song and a feisty spirit, and had a particular important role in Māori mythology.

'Their rusty orange 'saddle' was gained as punishment for refusing to fetch water for Māui when the demanding demigod was taming the sun.'