Rare tuturuatu plover washes up in Hawke's Bay

Only 250 tūturuatu remain in the wild.

One of New Zealand's rarest animals, the tūturuatu, or shore plover, is now closer to extinction after one was found dead in Napier's Westshore last week.

The bird, named Obow after its leg bands, was found by a member of the public, a long way from the Waikawa Island home of the birds, off the tip of the Mahia Peninsula.

The birds sometimes visit the shores and rivers of Hawke's Bay.

After Obow was handed over to Department of Conservation staff, it was sent to Massey University where an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

DOC Hawke's Bay's operations manager, Connie Norgate, said the bird appeared to be in good health, but the team at Massey found small pinprick-sized holes in its chest.

"This suggests to us that this bird may have been killed by a predator," she said.

"Tūturuatu are highly susceptible to predation - a single rat can wipe out an entire population.

"This makes biosecurity and pest control highly essential to protect this species."

With only 250 left in the wild, the tūturuatu is critically endangered. The last naturally occurring population is on the remote Chatham Islands.

However, thanks to the captive breeding programme at Pukaka Mt Bruce and the Isaac Conservation Wildlife Trust, birds can be sourced to populate suitable new locations.

Norgate says Waikawa Island has proved to be such a location.

"With limited predator-free offshore islands with appropriate habitat, places like Waikawa are incredibly valuable for the future of this species," she says.

"The more secure and safe population that can be built up will mean that this species has a better chance of survival.

"It also means that every single one of these birds counts if we are going to save them from extinction.

"It reminds us that projects such as Predator Free 2050 are more important than ever."

Norgate asks the public to report tuturuatu sightings to naturewatch.org.nz or to their local DOC office.

"If you can observe the colours of the leg bands that can provide a lot of useful information to us," she says.