One of New Zealand's rarest birds has seen its population decline 19 per cent in the last year — and feral cats are to blame.
An annual flock count for the critically endangered Southern New Zealand dotterel / tūturiwhatu found an estimated 101 birds remain, down from 126 last year, the Department of Conservation (DOC) said.
"We believe at least 41 adult birds died over the 2023 breeding season. This was partially offset by this year's surviving chicks, meaning an estimated population reduction of 25 birds," DOC ranger Daniel Cocker said.
Cocker said the numbers highlight the precarious position the population is in, despite ongoing predator control efforts.
"Southern dotterels, which only breed on Stewart Island / Rakiura, have spent the past few decades on the brink of extinction and sadly this year looks to be a similar story," he said.
"Without our control efforts, it's frightening to think just how low the numbers would be."
While dotterels face a range of threats, the number one cause of their decline is feral cats.
"Adult dotterels will actively defend nests and chicks, making them easy targets for predators. Dotterels are also curious and easily approached," Cocker said.
Predator control strategies to be reviewed
Following this year's flock count, the DOC team will be reviewing its predator control strategies as part of an adaptive management programme.
DOC said feral cats often roam large distances and can be wary of traditional methods — such as trapping, hunting, and bait stations — to control their numbers.
During the recent breeding season, 32 feral cats were killed by the DOC team across the breeding sites on Stewart Island.
Currently, predator control is only carried out on a "patchy" portion of dotterel breeding habitat across Rakiura.
Despite the dotterels' low numbers, the DOC team is hopeful the population will recover.
Cocker said the population hit an all-time low of 62 birds in 1992, before bouncing back to 290 in 2009.
"Given the right conditions, dotterels can be very resilient and produce multiple chicks per year," he said.
"Southern dotterels were once widespread throughout the South Island and Rakiura is their last refuge. It is an uphill battle but it's one worth pursuing."
The New Zealand Nature Fund, which is supporting DOC's campaign to save the southern dotterel, has raised more than $82,000 from private donors in the past six months.
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