Monitoring Kererū population size and investigating the relationship between cats and Kererū at Church Bay and Orton Bradley Park, Banks Peninsula

Abstract

The kererū (Hemiphaga noveaseelandiae) are New Zealand's native woodpigeon. The ability of kererū to inhabit fragmented native forest, their characteristic iridescent plumage and distinct noise when in flight, make them a well known and loved native bird. As with the vast majority of New Zealand‟s indigenous species, the population of kererū has declined significantly since the arrival of people and the foreign mammals they bought with them, approximately 1200 years ago. Currently, kererū are listed as in gradual decline and are categorised as of “least concern” under the IUCN Red List. However, kererū are of utmost concern to the ecological restoration of New Zealand‟s native forests as they are probably the sole disperser of large fruiting native plants. In recent years a number of kererū conservation projects throughout New Zealand have been established. One such initiative, is the Kaupapa Kererū project. Kaupapa Kererū is a collaborative, iwi-lead project, which aims to increase the numbers and range of kererū on Banks Peninsula by working with the community to raise awareness and appreciation for kererū, and also by researching kererū ecology.