Campbell Islands Teal
Anas nesiotis
The smallest of the three endemic New Zealand teal species. Small, flightless dark brown duck. Males have green iridescence on head and dark chestnut-colored breast. Females are uniformly dark brown. Both sexes show bold white eye-ring. More secretive than the closely related Auckland Islands Teal; most often found on the shoreline foraging through piles of seaweed or rocks. Also can be found on peaty streams or in wetland pools with adequate cover from sedges and tussock. Confined to Campbell Islands other than an introduction on Codfish Island, where a small population remains. Males give a soft trill as an alarm or territorial call. Females give a growl and a rapid quack. Distinguished from other New Zealand endemic teal species by location and more prominent white eye-ring.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Anas nesiotis
- Authority
- (Fleming, JH, 1935)
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Anas
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
The Campbell teal was once found on Campbell Island, but was driven to extinction there by the introduction of Norway rats (which ate their eggs and chicks), and was for a while presumed extinct. In 1975 it was rediscovered on Dent Island, a small (23 hectare) islet near Campbell that had remained rat-free. The population was so small that a single event could have driven it to complete extinction; to prevent this from happening, 11 individuals were taken into captivity by the Department of Conservation for captive breeding at the Pukaha / Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre in 1984 while the rest followed in 1990. They were also put on the list of critically endangered species in 1979.<p>Captive breeding was initially very difficult to achieve, as no studies on the behaviour of the species had been carried out in the wild and "staff [at Mount Bruce] thus had to experiment with a range of techniques to encourage breeding. Success came in 1994 when Daisy, the only wild origin female to ever lay eggs in captivity, finally accepted a mate. Subsequently, breeding has occurred every year – wild origin males contributed genes by pairing with captive raised females."<p>A tiny population of 25 captive-bred individuals was released on Codfish Island in 1999 and 2000, already intensively managed and pest-free as an important habitat for the critically endangered kākāpō. In the final phase of the ecological restoration of Campbell Island (cattle, sheep and cats had already been removed), the world's largest rat eradication campaign was undertaken by helicopter drops of more than 120 tonnes of poisoned bait over the entirety of the island's 11,331 hectare area in 2001; this operation successfully removed what was estimated to be the world's densest population of Norway rats (200,000) from Campbell Island and it was officially declared rat free in 2003. Fifty Campbell teal, a mix of captive-bred and wild-acclimatised animals (from Codfish), were reintroduced to Campbell Island in mid-2004, after an absence of more than a century. Subsequent monitoring in 2005 has shown that the majority of these birds are now thriving in their ancestral homeland. By 2011 the species has firmly been returned to Campbell Island, resulting in a reclassification of its threat status to endangered, and vulnerable again in 2020.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Banggai Crow
Corvus unicolor
An entirely black, short-tailed, pale-eyed crow confined to the island of Peleng in the Banggai Islands. Occurs in groups within canopy of montane forest. Tail just barely extends beyond wingtips when perched. Shorter-tailed and shorter-billed than Slender-billed Crow, and shows a pale eye, unlike that species. Voice also differs. Song is a “whee-kew-kew-kew,” with a rasping note starting the series and higher-pitched, ascending whistles following.
Black-banded Woodcreeper
Dendrocolaptes picumnus
This is a large woodcreeper with a hefty straight bill. Look for the combination of pale streaks on the head and breast and dark barring on the belly. Large range from Central America to northern Argentina, but usually uncommon. Occurs from lowlands up to around 2,000 m. Typically found in mature forest, singly or in pairs, sometimes following a mixed-species flock or ant swarm. Listen for a loud ringing trill that usually falls slightly in pitch, where each note sounds clipped.
Collared Treepie
Dendrocitta frontalis
Like many other treepies, this is a noisy, social bird, often seen in flocks moving through the canopy and through openings in the forest. Extensively black face, silver hood, and lack of a wing patch distinguish this species from other treepies in its range. Inhabits forests from the lowlands up to montane areas. Loud, with a varied repertoire of whistles, clinks, and squawks.
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