- Shore Dotterel
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Shore Dotterel Male Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae Genus: Thinornis Species: T. novaeseelandiae Binomial name Thinornis novaeseelandiae
(Gmelin, 1789)The Shore Dotterel or Shore Plover (Thinornis novaeseelandiae) is a small species (20 cm in length, 60g)[1] of Plover endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is Tuturuatu.
The Shore Dotterel is an endangered species with a world population of around 200 birds. It once was found across the South Island in New Zealand but became extinct there, probably due to the predations of introduced cats and rats. It survived on one island, Rangatira, in the Chatham Islands, from where it has been introduced to other offshore islands in the Chathams (Mangere Island) and near the North Island.
A number of captive-reared juvenile Shore Dotterel were moved to Mana Island, off Wellington's westcoast, between March and May 2007, as part of a Department of Conservation plan to ensure their long-term survival. The Shore Dotterel surprised conservationists by breeding within months of their release. In February 2008, twenty more shore plover were released on Mana Island. The small flock there is monitored by the Department of Conservation, members of the Ornithological Society and Friends of Mana Island.
References
- ^ Barrie Heather and Hugh Robertson, "The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand" (revised edition), Viking, 2005
External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet.
- "New Zealand shore plover recovery plan 2001-2011" (PDF). Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand. 2001. http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/science-and-technical/TSRP44.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
- Transport to Mana Island
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