They're on the brink of extinction but this breeding season's been a success for New Zealand's most endangered bird — the fairy tern.
Ten chicks have hatched this year, the result of an intensive breeding programme run by the Department of Conservation in Northland.
"They were once spread around the North Island, and even the top of the south, but due to things like predation and habitat loss they've been pushed into these few remaining sites which are in Northland and North Auckland," DOC biodiversity ranger Ayla Wyles said.
There are around 45 fairy terns left in the world, but that's an improvement on the 80s, when numbers dropped to just 10.
"Since then, we've been intensively managing them, doing predator control, having rangers out here full time, and trying to get them into these safer nests sites," Wyles said.
In 2019, tonnes of sand and shell were flown by helicopter to the dunes of Waipū, Mangawhai and Pakiri on Northland's east coast to give the birds a place to nest.
It worked, seven of the 10 chicks hatched at Mangawhai earlier this month.
DOC rangers are monitoring the precious chicks closely, as are their parents.
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