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Birds
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Aotearoa New Zealand is world famous for its unique birdlife.
A total of 283 bird species were assessed in the Otago Region.
The number includes 32 native species deemed ‘Regionally Threatened’ while four others are classified as ‘Regionally At Risk.’ A total of 135 species are 'Regionally Non-resident Native', 22 species are ‘Regionally Not Threatened’, 25 are ‘Regionally Introduced and Naturalised’, 10 species are currently ‘Regionally Data Deficient’, and 43 species have gone 'Regionally Extinct'. Three species were identified as 'Conservation Translocations' where they have been deliberately moved to Otago for conservation benefit and currently have populations: two of these were reintroduced while one was introduced.
Ten species were identified as ‘Introduced, Not Established’. This is where a release has been documented, but there is no self-sustaining population in the wild or a deliberate introduction has been documented, and published records indicate the species bred (or probably bred), but it is no longer around. Two species were 'Not Assessed' but have been assessed in earlier national assessments.
Otago serves as a national stronghold for eight bird species, meaning more than 20% of the national population is here in the region. They include migratory shorebirds and domestic migrants, emphasising the region's critical role in preserving these species. One species was endemic to the region, the Otago shag/matapo. This species only currently breeds in our region but can be seen outside of Otago.
ORC completed this first conservation status of birds in Otago in 2024 with a panel of experts from the Department of Conservation | Te Papa Atawahi (Bruce McKinlay), University of Otago | Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka (Dr Nicolas Rawlence and Oscar Thomas) and Otago’s Regional Representative for Birds New Zealand (Dawn Palmer).
White-fronted Tern - Sterna striata
Yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) hoiho
Takahe at Orokonui ecosanctuary
White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
Silver gull or New Zealand red-billed gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)
Male paradise shelduck
Northern giant petrel (Macronectes halli)
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Category |
Status |
Number of Species |
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Regionally Threatened |
Critical |
9 |
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Endangered |
6 |
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Vulnerable |
17 |
|
|
Regionally At Risk |
Declining |
3 |
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Uncommon |
n/a |
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Recovering |
1 |
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|
Regionally Not Threatened |
|
22 |
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Regionally Non-resident Natives |
Migrant |
36 |
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Vagrant |
97 |
|
|
Coloniser |
2 |
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Introduced and Naturalised |
|
25 |
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Introduced, Not Established |
|
10 |
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Regionally Data Deficient |
|
10 |
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Regionally Extinct |
|
43 |
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Total number of birds identified |
|
281 |
Note: Two additional species have been reintroduced to the region and one species had an assisted migration, all for conservation benefit.
Bird searchable species spreadsheet link
Bird searchable threatened species link
Bird searchable regionally extinct species link
Bird searchable conservation translocations link
Bird searchable type locality link
Specified highly mobile fauna link
