Tiny alpine bird is an avid collector of feathers
Many people will never see a rock wren. Not everyone makes it up to the alpine and sub-alpine zone and the tiny rock wren doesn’t…
Researchers survey farmer attitudes to biodiversity
What are New Zealand beef and sheep farmers’ views on managing and protecting native biodiversity on-farm and what barriers do they face to taking positive…
Mamaku Point ranger doesn’t let age hold him back
Ernie Mason remembers that growing up, helping his parents break in their farm, he was always a kid for the bush… always hunting. Its a…
‘Social attractants’ tested for terns
Ground-nesting river birds are tricky to protect. Their eggs and chicks are an easy meal for predators and even though some species, like terns, nest…
Less stress = translocation success for tiny rifleman
Translocation is an important tool for conservation management – but it comes with risks. The capture and transfer process can be highly stressful to wildlife.…
Meet NZ’s very ‘unfroglike’ frogs
Aotearoa’s amphibians are not your typical frogs. Think of everything you know about frogs and chances are New Zealand’s native frogs do things differently. Frogs…
Know your bird calls – human brain vs hard-drive
It was human vs hard-drive in Rawhiti, Northland when researchers pitted volunteer bird enthusiasts of various ages and experience against Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs). Senses…
Farm between two forests rich in rare wildlife
Dan Herries manages Taramoa Station in Puketitiri, Hawke’s Bay, a 564 hectare sheep and beef farm which lies between two significant and beautiful blocks of…
Rats, mice and 264,457 tracking records shed light on rodent dynamics
Researchers Susan Walker, Joshua Kemp, Graeme Elliott, Corey Mosen and John Innes used 264,457 rodent tracking records collected quarterly from 23,709 tracking tunnel stations in…
Many-legged giant predator stalks NZ forests
‘Giantism’ is a bit of a thing on isolated islands – Aotearoa/New Zealand once had its giant eagle and giant moa – and we still…
‘Wine wētā’ makes itself at home in Marlborough vineyards
It’s not often you hear of native species benefitting from human modifications of its habitat – but one little-known wētā species has gone against trend…
Aaron and Raine team up to tackle predators at Shelly Beach
On the Coromandel Peninsula, individuals and organisations are coming together to tackle predators and protect the local wildlife and stunning surroundings. This is just one…
When economics meets ecology – assessing the ‘ecosystem services’ of farmland
Wetland areas and covenanted bush blocks on farms have a clear ecological value, but do they have an economic value as well? The answer is…
Study looks at kiore when rival rat species absent
The kiore is Aotearoa’s first, smallest and sometimes overlooked rat. It was also our first introduced mammal predator, arriving about 750 years ago with seafaring…
Tūī numbers treble in predator control study
When you remove predators from islands and restore forest habitat, the expectation is that native forest birds will flourish and that the new ‘improved’ conditions…
