Officials lose track of invasive bulbul birds

The trail has gone cold for Auckland Biosecurity officials tracking a pair of red-vented bulbul birds.

The birds, which are native to Asia, are recognised as an invasive species.

Biosecurity New Zealand has been on their trail since last year when they were sighted in Devonport and the central city.

Spokeswoman Sonia Bissmire said if the birds established a population, then gardens, native plants and other birds would suffer.

She said it took five years to eradicate a small number that became established between Takapuna and Mount Eden in the 1950s.

It is illegal to import the birds, which are small and dark in colour, with a white abdomen and a distinctive crimson patch under the tail.

- NEWSTALK ZB