I may not nest in the smartest places but I’m a wee beauty and so worth your vote!
Forest & Bird are celebrating their centenary so instead of Bird of the Year, the annual avian election has become Bird of the Century.
Rachel Kelleher, Environmental Services General Manager says the team selected the Northern NZ Dotterel to get in behind because if we continue to show them our support, they will be one of our success stories for threatened species recovery in the Auckland region.
“The conservation status of the dotterel has gone from “at risk” to “recovering” in a short period of time thanks to the work of our amazing dotterel minders who have played a large part in the recovery programme with the work they do across the Auckland region supported by the pest control programmes we have in place.
“This wee bird is extremely vulnerable as it nests in scrapes on the ground. As more Aucklanders and visitors are heading to their favourite beaches, the dotterel is increasingly at risk from being trampled on and predated on by dogs and cats. With some simple actions, we can all play a role in protecting them, so we’d love Aucklanders and the rest of New Zealand to throw their support in behind the dotterel as we head into the busy summer season.”
There are just 2,600 of the birds left in New Zealand and most of those reside in the Auckland region often enjoying million-dollar views we all envy from their “homes”, although they have been known to hang out on sports fields, construction sites and even the odd carpark.
The breeding season has just begun and continues through until the new year when chicks fledge, so when walking on the beaches, stay out of the dunes, keep your dog on a leash and give these wee beauties space to survive.
The dotterel is a tiny bird who knows how to camouflage itself on the seashore and has some charming antics; dotterel mums and dads try to distract intruders from their nest by performing ‘rat runs’ or pretending they’re injured with a broken wing to protect their bumblebee-like chicks.
But we rate them; so should you – vote for me here at Bird of the Century.
