New
Zealand
Pigeon
Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae
Range and population
Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae is a forest pigeon endemic to
New Zealand
. The nominate subspecies breeds on the North, South and
Stewart
Islands
, and several offshore islands. It is in rapid decline in
Northland˜a 1993 survey indicated a 50% decline within 14 years6.
Studies indicate that declines are occurring elsewhere5.
Subspecies chathamensis is only found in the
Chatham Islands
. Introduced
predators are the primary cause of decline nationwide, in particular,
brush-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula, black rat Rattus rattus,
stoat Mustela erminea and cats5. T. vulpecula
and R. rattus also compete for fruit, reducing the number of
breeding attempts, and possibly causing the starvation of adults5.
Birds are illegally hunted for food, particularly in Northland, with perhaps
hundreds being shot each year2,7. In some small areas,
intensive predator control has seen numbers undergo unprecedented increases,
while work on the
Chatham Islands
has reversed the decline of chathamensis, from 40
individuals in the 1980s to c.200 in 19961.
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