RARE SIGHT: Two of the handful of New Zealand fairy terns that carry the hopes of the species.
The Department of Conservation holds grave fears for the safety of New Zealand's most endangered indigenous breeding bird, the New Zealand fairy tern (tara-iti), and is warning Northlanders and visitors to be mindful of laws designed to protect them.
Only 39 of the birds, including 12 breeding pairs, remain, all
of them living and nesting in wildlife refuges in Northland (Waipu, Mangawhai and Pakiri, Papakanui Spit).
"The all-important breeding season has just started, and runs until February," DOC conservation services ranger Vivienne Lepper said.
"This is a particularly vulnerable time for the birds, and we are asking locals to remind visitors of the laws, which include no dogs, cats or vehicles on the wildlife refuges and for people to keep their distance from the birds, their nests and their eggs."
Dedicated DOC fairy tern wardens Paulla-Jean Pridham (Waipu) and Rangi Zimmerman (Mangawhai) have been fencing nesting sites and preparing nest sites by laying down shell, which the birds like to nest on. The birds then construct nests on exposed, low-lying areas of shell-covered sand. The nests are a simple scrape in the sand, set amidst the shells.
