New Zealand birds evolved in isolation from natural predators for around 65 million years. When human settlers arrived, changes came rapidly, and birds were poorly adapted to withstand threats to their survival. Hunting, loss of habitat and the introduction of predators all had disastrous effects on the state of our native birds, whose numbers declined rapidly. The Department of Conservation has led many initiatives to reverse this decline.
What makes our endangered birds so vulnerable? There are a number of physical and behavioural traits which can make New Zealand's native bird species particularly vulnerable to introduced predators. In the absence of mammalian predators some, like the kiwi, evolved to become flightless.
What makes our endangered birds so vulnerable? There are a number of physical and behavioural traits which can make New Zealand's native bird species particularly vulnerable to introduced predators. In the absence of mammalian predators some, like the kiwi, evolved to become flightless.