All monitored rifleman survived the 1080 operation.
We monitored rifleman at Mount Stanley in the Marlborough Sounds after the 1080 operation. Our researchers also tracked them in a nearby area without pest control.
All monitored rifleman survived the 1080 operation.
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This bright yellow-headed bird nests in tree holes. Here it’s vulnerable to pests that climb, like rats, stoats and possums.
Rat plagues after beech seeding have decimated mohua populations. Without more widespread pest control rock wren are at risk of dying out.
Studying how this bird responds to aerial 1080 predator control is a high priority for our scientists. Research shows beech seed-fuelled rat plagues are a key cause of bat population decline.
We can’t move bats to pest-free sites. So, without pest control they are likely to become extinct. Many of you will have seen the friendly South Island robin when out walking in forests. While common, this birds is also at risk from introduced predators.
Robin have been killed by 1080 in the past when different types of bait such as carrot was used. Results show on average 55% of kākā nests were successful up to a year after 1080 treatment but less than 2% of nests produced chicks in the comparison area.
This result meant that 30 times as many kākā chicks were produced in the area after 1080 treatment as the area where no 1080 was used. Adult birds also had a much higher survival rate in the area where predators were controlled with 1080. DOC scientists have monitored kea after 1080 operations for a number of years. This has allowed us to weigh up benefits of pest control with the risk that 1080 will kill some birds.
Overall, monitoring shows that when predators are controlled with well-timed aerial 1080 treatment and/or traps, about 70% of kea nests are successful, ie produce at least one chick. There are about 68,000 kiwi left. Kiwi populations are declining by about 2% per year in areas where predators are uncontrolled – that’s about 20 per week.
DOC uses aerial 1080 to protect kiwi from introduced predators in areas from Fiordland to the Coromandel Peninsula. Whio raise more ducklings after 1080 treatment than when only traps are used to control stoats.5/9/2019 In Kahurangi National Park after aerial 1080 operations in 2014 and 2016 duckling numbers increased to 65 and 40 in those years compared to less than 25 where there was no predator control.
Results from monitoring at Kahurangi are outlined below. Since 1989, there have been four 1080 drops in the Mangatutu Ecological Area east of Te Kuiti. The kokako population in the area grew by an outstanding 700%.
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