![]() ![]() ![]() This makes them very vulnerable to dogs, making this a crucial time for owners to keep their dogs under control. They may do so on beaches where penguins are not normally present. From February to April, hoiho and other penguins remain ashore to moult. Cats also predate hoiho chicks.ĭogs threaten hoiho as they can kill chicks to adult penguins. They have been known to completely wipe out a breeding area in a single season. On the mainland, introduced predators such as stoats and ferrets are a major risk to hoiho chicks. But introduced predators, brought to New Zealand by humans, have added a lot of pressure to their numbers. In the past, hoiho have thrived despite their natural predators in the sea. Hoiho are at risk from introduced predators, dogs and cats as well as their natural predators. If hoiho moult in areas where they can be disturbed, rangers move them to safer habitats. The moult is a very dangerous time for penguins because if they’re disturbed, this lengthens the process which can lead to starvation.ĭisturbance during the moult can lead to hoiho damaging new growing feathers which can increase the risk of hypothermia when the birds return to sea. During this time penguins must sit ashore for 25 days to grow new feathers and can't go to sea to feed. In years of poor food supply, a missed meal for a chick may be life or death. This impact can reduce survival rates and limit the number of penguins who will breed in the following season.Įach autumn, the penguins also replace all their feathers in a process called the moult. ![]() This can lead to adults delaying their return to their nest and their chicks.ĭisturbances like these can mean adult penguins cannot readily feed their chicks, affecting weight gain. When people enter nesting areas or linger on beaches where hoiho come ashore it can disturb and stress nesting penguins. People who visit hoiho habitats and disturb them threaten nesting and moulting birds. This has helped us understand several reasons hoiho have declined or been unable to grow their population, including: We are also extending protection and management to Rakiura and Whenua Hou. We undertake research into what and how hoiho are eating, what’s causing disease and how to treat it, and their behaviours at-sea. Another threat to hoiho is incidental capture in set nets. Hoiho also face predation (for example, by barracouta), climate-driven changes in food supply and dog attacks while ashore for the moult. They have to deal with disease that affects both chicks and adults, mammalian predators attacking small chicks and the effects of starvation on both adults and chicks. planting of native vegetation to restore hoiho habitat.ĭuring the breeding season hoiho face a variety of threats.We also work with The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, the Wildlife Hospital Dunedin, Penguin Rescue, Penguin Place and other groups, to protect hoiho and restore habitat across most of the South Island range. Read the recovery strategy plan and action plan In 2020, a new recovery strategy and five-year action plan was released by DOC and our partners Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust/Te Tautiaki Hoiho, and Fisheries New Zealand/Tini a Tangaroa. How far the penguins are from the mainland limits our ability to do more. Only a small amount of research and monitoring work has been carried out on Campbell and the Auckland Islands. The last estimate was in 1992 of about 400 breeding pairs. There are no recent estimates for the Campbell Island population. ![]() This was consistent with an estimate made in 1989 of a minimum of 520 breeding pairs. In 2017 an estimate of 570 breeding pairs was made for the southern population of hoiho on the Auckland Islands. The total 2020 estimate for breeding pairs in the northern population was 233. Unfortunately a 2020 survey on Rakiura showed a similar pattern of decline (c. The decline was due to a series of poor breeding seasons caused by lack of food, disease and predators. The 2019 estimate was 265 breeding pairs, a 65% decline in 20 years. In 1999 there were about 741 breeding pairs in the northern population. The size of the hoiho population is measured in breeding pairs. This is determined by searching for nests during the breeding season. The southern population are those on the Subantarctic Auckland Islands and Campbell Island. The northern population includes hoiho on the South Island (Banks Peninsula to the southern Catlins), Stewart Island/Rakiura and adjacent islands. Over the past 20 years, the northern population has declined by 65%, while the status of the southern population is not well documented. Movement of hoiho between the two is rare. There are two populations of hoiho in New Zealand. An alternate name for some iwi is 'takaraha'. The Māori name hoiho means 'noise shouter', referring to their shrill call made at breeding sites. ![]()
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