Incredibly rare ‘fairy’ creatures take flight in New Zealand. ‘Exciting chapter’
From wild nests to the Auckland Zoo, the rarest bird in New Zealand just wrapped up its breeding season — and it was a “successful and exciting chapter.”
Tara iti, or New Zealand fairy terns, are a small, nationally critically endangered species with fewer than 45 adult birds living in the wild.
“Every chick is precious,” wildlife experts said in a June 18 news release from the Department of Conservation, making annual breeding programs essential for survival of the species in Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand.
“Thanks to intensive management of wild nests and a growing hand-rearing program with Auckland Zoo, this season saw 19 fledglings take to the skies,” officials said. “This is a significant improvement from last year’s nine, and just three the year before.”
The tara iti season began in December, when there were fewer than 35 terns remaining, officials said, but there were nine active nests and 25 eggs by the middle of the month.
By February, 10 chicks had already fledged into the wild, joining the other shorebirds surviving on their own, wildlife officials said.
“We’re pleased with how the season is progressing, but there’s still a long way to go,” Department of Conservation ranger Nikki Hartley said in February.
Once on their own, the birds are known to take significant flights, officials said.
One young bird, for example, traveled more than 1,000 miles across four flights while wearing a small tracking “backpack,” officials said.
The birds weigh just 2.5 ounces but can cross significant distances of land and sea.
“Post-breeding season monitoring recorded 50 individual tara iti (up from 33 individuals last season), including 28 adults, nine sub-adults and 13 fledglings,” officials said.
One of the birds spotted flying about was a young female that had been hand-reared during the 2023-2024 breeding season, according to the release.
“She survived the winter months, making her the first hand-reared bird known to have done so,” Department of Conservation senior ranger Alex Wilson said in the release. “Each fledgling is a step forward, and the information we’re collecting helps us understand how to get the best outcomes from our recovery efforts.”
The tara iti live on New Zealand’s North Island, east of Australia in the south Pacific Ocean.
