Record Breeding Season for Tāiko, Critically Endangered Seabird

Conservationists celebrate the successful breeding season of the Tāiko, a Critically Endangered seabird native to New Zealand.

One of New Zealand’s most endangered birds just had a very successful breeding season! The Chatham Island Tāiko, also known as the Magenta Petrel, is a Critically Endangered seabird and was thought to be extinct for over 100 years until 1978. Invasive predator species are the primary threat to the Tāiko.

To conservationists’ delight, this breeding season, 22 chicks hatched out of a total 26 eggs–an 85% success rate. Every single healthy chick is a cause for celebration and a sign of new hope for a Critically Endangered species. Female Tāikos only lay one egg per year.  Adult Tāiko’s are monogamous–once they find a mate, they stick together for life.

For a bird as endangered as Tāiko – it’s an amazing boost. There are only 26 pairs of these birds in the whole world (the rest are too young to breed), so every chick counts in protecting and building the population.

Read the original article at Birdlife International.

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