Academic literature on the topic 'Extinct birds – New Zealand'
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Journal articles on the topic "Extinct birds – New Zealand"
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Haast, Julius. "Remarks on the Extinct Birds of New Zealand." Ibis 16, no. 3 (June 28, 2008): 209–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1874.tb05941.x.
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Rawlence, NJ, JR Wood, RP Scofield, C. Fraser, and AJD Tennyson. "Soft-tissue specimens from pre-European extinct birds of New Zealand." Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 43, no. 3 (September 2013): 154–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2012.704878.
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Seersholm, Frederik V., Theresa L. Cole, Alicia Grealy, Nicolas J. Rawlence, Karen Greig, Michael Knapp, Michael Stat, et al. "Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 30 (July 9, 2018): 7771–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1803573115.
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New Zealand’s geographic isolation, lack of native terrestrial mammals, and Gondwanan origins make it an ideal location to study evolutionary processes. However, since the archipelago was first settled by humans 750 y ago, its unique biodiversity has been under pressure, and today an estimated 49% of the terrestrial avifauna is extinct. Current efforts to conserve the remaining fauna rely on a better understanding of the composition of past ecosystems, as well as the causes and timing of past extinctions. The exact temporal and spatial dynamics of New Zealand’s extinct fauna, however, can be difficult to interpret, as only a small proportion of animals are preserved as morphologically identifiable fossils. Here, we conduct a large-scale genetic survey of subfossil bone assemblages to elucidate the impact of humans on the environment in New Zealand. By genetically identifying more than 5,000 nondiagnostic bone fragments from archaeological and paleontological sites, we reconstruct a rich faunal record of 110 species of birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and marine mammals. We report evidence of five whale species rarely reported from New Zealand archaeological middens and characterize extinct lineages of leiopelmatid frog (Leiopelma sp.) and kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) haplotypes lost from the gene pool. Taken together, this molecular audit of New Zealand’s subfossil record not only contributes to our understanding of past biodiversity and precontact Māori subsistence practices but also provides a more nuanced snapshot of anthropogenic impacts on native fauna after first human arrival.
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Bramley, Gary N., and Clare J. Veltman. "Failure of translocated, captive-bred North Island Weka Gallirallus australis greyi to establish a new population." Bird Conservation International 8, no. 2 (June 1998): 195–204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270900003269.
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SummarySince i960 107 translocations of wild-caught Weka (genus Gallirallus) have occurred in New Zealand. Only four of these Weka liberations resulted in a population that persisted for more than 10 years and only one was successful on the North Island (the resultant population is now believed extinct). The reason for these failures was not known. In 1991 members of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society commenced breeding North Island Weka Gallirallus australis greyi in captivity for another liberation. Between 1992 and 1996 101 weka were released. We used radio telemetry to follow the fates of the first 17 Weka released in the Karangahake Gorge, near Paeroa, North Island, New Zealand to determine possible outcomes of the liberation. Only one of the 17 birds released survived until 242 days post release. Most newly released Weka were killed by predators, mainly dogs. Future Weka and flightless rail introductions should occur only in areas where predators are being removed to allow survival of released birds and production of young to exceed mortality.
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Boast, Alexander, Brendan Chapman, Michael Herrera, Trevor Worthy, R. Scofield, Alan Tennyson, Peter Houde, Michael Bunce, Alan Cooper, and Kieren Mitchell. "Mitochondrial Genomes from New Zealand’s Extinct Adzebills (Aves: Aptornithidae: Aptornis) Support a Sister-Taxon Relationship with the Afro-Madagascan Sarothruridae." Diversity 11, no. 2 (February 15, 2019): 24. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d11020024.
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The recently extinct New Zealand adzebills (Aptornithidae, Aptornis spp.) were an enigmatic group of large flightless birds that have long eluded precise taxonomic assignment as they do not closely resemble any extant birds. Adzebills were nearly wingless, weighed approximately 16–19 kg, and possessed massive adze-like reinforced bills whose function remains unknown. Using hybridisation enrichment and high-throughput sequencing of DNA extracted from subfossil bone and eggshell, near-complete mitochondrial genomes were successfully assembled from the two Quaternary adzebill species: the North Island Adzebill (Aptornis otidiformis) and South Island Adzebill (A. defossor). Molecular phylogenetic analyses confirm that adzebills are members of the Ralloidea (rails and allies) and are sister-taxon to the Sarothruridae, which our results suggest comprises the Madagascan wood rails (Mentocrex, two likely sp.) in addition to the tiny (<50 gram) rail-like Afro-Madagascan flufftails (Sarothrura, 9 spp.). Node age estimates indicate that the split between adzebills and Sarothruridae occurred ~39.6 Ma, suggesting that the ancestors of the adzebills arrived in New Zealand by long-distance dispersal rather than continental vicariance. This newly identified biogeographic link between physically distant New Zealand and Afro-Madagascar, echoed by the relationship between the New Zealand kiwi (Apterygiformes) and Madagascan elephant-birds (Aepyornithiformes), suggests that the adzebill’s near relatives were formerly more widespread. In addition, our estimate for the divergence time between the two Quaternary adzebill species (0.2–2.3 Ma) coincides with the emergence of a land-bridge between the North and South islands of New Zealand (ca. 1.5–2 Ma). This relatively recent divergence suggests that North Island adzebills are the result of a relatively recent dispersal from the South Island, from which the earliest (Miocene) adzebill fossil has been described.
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ANDERSON, THOMAS J. "Aepyornisas moa: giant birds and global connections in nineteenth-century science." British Journal for the History of Science 46, no. 4 (September 25, 2012): 675–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007087412000726.
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AbstractThis essay explores how the scientific community interpreted the discoveries of extinct giant birds during the mid-nineteenth century on the islands of New Zealand and Madagascar. It argues that theAepyornisof Madagascar was understood through the moa of New Zealand because of the rise of global networks and theories. Indeed, their global connections made giant birds a sensation among the scientific community and together forged theories and associations not possible in isolation. In this way, this paper argues for a closer look at how the creation of science emerged from a world framework that involved multiple sites of discovery and interpretation that continually influenced and reshaped scientific theories. It also stresses the importance of local naturalists in participating in this global exchange of knowledge.
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A. E. Atkinson, I. "Recovery of wildlife and restoration of habitats New Zealand." Pacific Conservation Biology 8, no. 1 (2002): 27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc020027.
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Although New Zealand's native fauna shares a Gondwana origin with that of Australia, there are major differences between our countries. The near-absence of land mammals and the restricted biodiversity and habitat range of New Zealand, contrast with the species-rich fauna and habitat variety of Australia. Both countries share an unenviable extinction record, particularly birds in New Zealand and mammals in Australia. Introduced mammals, often interacting with habitat destruction, have frequently been responsible for these losses in New Zealand. In some places, entire vertebrate foraging guilds have disappeared. On the mainland, control of introduced mammals has had limited success but a steadily increasing number of islands have been cleared of alien mammals. This has created new opportunities for translocating threatened species of native vertebrates and invertebrates to pest-free islands. It has also created options for substituting an ecologically similar species for one that is extinct, thus potentially achieving a more comprehensive restoration. Recent progress with island restoration has stimulated a "mainland island" strategy involving simultaneous intensive control of several pest mammals within a limited area that is then used to re-establish viable populations of threatened species. Examples are given to illustrate these conservation actions.
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Johnston, Peter, and Kieren J. Mitchell. "Contrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds." Diversity 13, no. 11 (October 26, 2021): 538. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d13110538.
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Avian cranial anatomy is constrained by the competing (or complementary) requirements and costs of various facial, muscular, sensory, and central neural structures. However, these constraints may operate differently in flighted versus flightless birds. We investigated cranial sense organ morphology in four lineages of flightless birds: kiwi (Apteryx), the Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), and the extinct moa (Dinornithiformes) from New Zealand; and the extinct elephant birds from Madagascar (Aepyornithidae). Scleral ring and eye measurements suggest that the Upland Moa (Megalapteryx didinus) was diurnal, while measurements for the Kakapo are consistent with nocturnality. Kiwi are olfactory specialists, though here we postulate that retronasal olfaction is the dominant olfactory route in this lineage. We suggest that the Upland Moa and aepyornithids were also olfactory specialists; the former additionally displaying prominent bill tip sensory organs implicated in mechanoreception. Finally, the relative size of the endosseous cochlear duct revealed that the Upland Moa had a well-developed hearing sensitivity range, while the sensitivity of the kiwi, Kakapo, and aepyornithids was diminished. Together, our results reveal contrasting sensory strategies among extant and extinct flightless birds. More detailed characterisation of sensory capacities and cranial anatomy in extant birds may refine our ability to make accurate inferences about the sensory capacities of fossil taxa.
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Carpenter, Joanna K., Jamie R. Wood, Janet M. Wilmshurst, and Dave Kelly. "An avian seed dispersal paradox: New Zealand's extinct megafaunal birds did not disperse large seeds." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285, no. 1877 (April 18, 2018): 20180352. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.0352.
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Often the mutualistic roles of extinct species are inferred based on plausible assumptions, but sometimes palaeoecological evidence can overturn such inferences. We present an example from New Zealand, where it has been widely assumed that some of the largest-seeded plants were dispersed by the giant extinct herbivorous moa (Dinornithiformes). The presence of large seeds in preserved moa gizzard contents supported this hypothesis, and five slow-germinating plant species ( Elaeocarpus dentatus, E. hookerianus, Prumnopitys ferruginea, P. taxifolia, Vitex lucens ) with thick seedcoats prompted speculation about whether these plants were adapted for moa dispersal. However, we demonstrate that all these assumptions are incorrect. While large seeds were present in 48% of moa gizzards analysed, analysis of 152 moa coprolites (subfossil faeces) revealed a very fine-grained consistency unparalleled in extant herbivores, with no intact seeds larger than 3.3 mm diameter. Secondly, prolonged experimental mechanical scarification of E. dentatus and P. ferruginea seeds did not reduce time to germination, providing no experimental support for the hypothesis that present-day slow germination results from the loss of scarification in moa guts. Paradoxically, although moa were New Zealand's largest native herbivores, the only seeds to survive moa gut passage intact were those of small-seeded herbs and shrubs.
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F. Recher, H. "Guide to the Birds of Fiji and Western Polynesia." Pacific Conservation Biology 9, no. 3 (2003): 234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc030234.
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FEW taxa have suffered at the expansion of humanity to the extent of the birds of Pacific Islands. Of the 130 or so birds to become extinct as a consequence of European exploration and colonization of the Pacific, most were island birds and most were flightless rails. Not so well understood is the scale of extinctions that accompanied pre-European colonization of the Pacific islands. Only now is the paleontological record revealing the richness of the lost Pacific avifauna much of which can be put on a par with the loss of moas from New Zealand and the Dodo Raphus cucullatus from Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Extinct birds – New Zealand"
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Starling, Amanda. "Behavioural plasticity of life history traits in the New Zealand avifauna." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Biological Sciences, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1327.
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The purpose of this research was to determine how predator control influences nest survival and changes in life history strategies of birds. All studies were conducted at two sites: one site had very little mammal control, while the other site is a 'mainland island' in which all introduced mammals were trapped or poisoned. Nest survival rates of introduced and native species were compared between the two sites by locating and monitoring nests of nine species. I found that mammalian predator control increased nest survival rates of both introduced and native species, but the incrase of nest survival was more pronounced in native species. The influence of predator control on the plasticity of life history strategies in introduced and native New Zealand birds was also examined. Some life history strategies (e.g. time spent incubating, frequency of visits to the nest) changed significantly in the area with predator control, while other life history traits (e.g. clutch size) did not vary between areas. I found that both introduced and native New Zealand birds changed a variety of life history traits and that the changes were likely a plastic response to the recent change in predator numbers. As it has been suggested that birds may become less responsive to mammals when predators are controlled, I tested the response of birds to a model of a feral cat. Birds in the predator control area were significantly less likely to recognise the cat model as a potential threat. This suggests the recognition of predators can be rapidly lost from a population. My research confirms that mammal control can increase nest success of native species, but reductions in predator numbers can also change a variety of life history traits and behaviours. As the removal of mammalian predators also appears to make birds less responsive to potential predators, it is important for continued mammalian control once management has begun. Otherwise, any reintroduction of predatory mammals into controlled sites would likely place such bird populations at greater risk as they would have behaviours suited to an environment with lowered nest predation risk.
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White, Robyn. "Response of New Zealand birds to the presence of novel predators." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Biological Sciences, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/10272.
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Predation is the highest cause of mortality for birds and can place intense selection pressures on their behavioural traits. A number of studies have shown that some animals have innate predator recognition, while others which are predator-naïve have been unable to adapt to the introduction of exotic predators. For my thesis, I firstly studied how eight species of introduced and native birds respond to model predators at their nests. This enabled me to determine whether the native birds have been able to adapt to introduced mammalian predators and have developed recognition of them being a threat. In most species, the reaction to the stoat (Mustela erminea) (an introduced predator) was similar to that of a model morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae) (a native predator). This suggests these species can successfully recognise introduced mammals as a risk. It also allowed me to test whether recently introduced birds have any innate recognition of snakes, which are a significant nest predator in their native ranges but do not exist in New Zealand. I found that introduced birds did not appear to have any recognition of snakes as being a threat. These losses and gains of recognition may have been caused by evolutionary changes or they may be influenced by learning and experience.
Secondly, I examined how South Island robins (Petroica australis) on a predator-free island responded to predator models and compared this to the responses of robins on the mainland (where they co-occur with mammalian predators). The island birds were assumed to show the ancestral reactions to mammalian predators, while any differences in response shown by the mainland robins would indicate they had acquired these behaviours in response to increased predation risk. I found that the island robins did not appear to recognise or react to a taxidermic mount of a stoat while mainland robins did respond to the stoat, confirming that at least some native birds can develop recognition of novel predators.
Finally, I compared the personalities of South Island robins on a predator-free island and on the mainland (where mammalian predators are present). I tested where individuals placed on the ‘bold-shy’ continuum by observing their willingness and speed to approach a risky situation in order to collect food. Studies have shown that average personality between populations can differ where predation risk differs. I found that the island robins were on average bolder than mainland robins. They came nearer to the observer and were faster to approach and remove a food item, while mainland robins were less likely to approach, and those that did approach took a longer time. It is likely that these differences were due to selection pressures by mammalian predators favouring shy individuals on the mainland while other pressures such as interspecific competition favours bold individuals on the island. Personality has been shown to be genetic and heritable, however, learning and experience cannot be ruled out and may also play a part in influencing how personality is expressed.
Together, my results support the importance of historical and ontogenetic factors in influencing how predator recognition and personality traits are expressed.
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Numata, Mihoko, and n/a. "Cytochrome P450 activity and pollutant exposure in New Zealand native birds." University of Otago. School of Pharmacy, 2006. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070504.141101.
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Birds are potentially vulnerable to the toxicity of certain environmental pollutants due to limited detoxification capabilities of their liver microsomal cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. In wild birds, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation (EROD) activity, a marker of CYP1A activity in mammals and domestic chickens, has been used as a biomarker of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The aim of the present study was to investigate hepatic CYP activity as an indication of detoxification capacity in New Zealand birds. In addition to the use of conventional in vitro CYP activity assays, the applicability of a noninvasive CYP activity assay was tested using caffeine as the in vivo substrate.
The ontogeny of liver microsomal 3-hydroxylation of quinine, a marker of human CYP3A activity, was investigated in Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) from Ross Island, Antarctica. The results indicate that chicks (2-4 weeks old) possess a CYP3A-like isoform(s) as active as but not identical to the CYP3A-like isoform(s) in adults. Total CYP content was low at 2 weeks of age and increased rapidly and linearly approaching adult levels by 4 weeks of age implying a rapid development of CYPs other than the CYP3A-like isoform(s).
The main study was conducted on adult (and some post-fledging immature) birds of two native species, the herbivorous paradise shelduck (Tadorna variegata) and the omnivorous southern black-backed gull (Larus dominicanus). Birds were shot for liver collection at three sites in the South Island of New Zealand; West Coast, Lake Waipori and Dunedin landfill, in 2001-2002. The results indicate that shelducks posssess multiple CYP isoforms that independently catalyse EROD, p-nitrophenol hydroxylation (p-NP) and erythromycin demethylation (EMD), markers of mammalian CYP1A, CYP2E and CYP3A activity, respectively. In contrast, gulls appear to possess a single isoform catalysing both EROD and p-NP but possess no isoform capable of catalysing EMD.
EROD activity was high in shelducks and gulls from the landfill site, although it was not significantly associated with liver concentrations of PCBs (0.079-6.2 and 8.2-310 ng/g in shelducks and gulls, respectively), PCDD/PCDFs, toxic equivalents (TEQs) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) (0.85-317 and 44-4800 ng/g in shelducks and gulls, respectively) in either species. In shelduck livers from the landfill site, EROD was positively associated with Pb concentration but negatively associated with Hg concentration. Assessment of PCB congener patterns based on concentration ratios of individual congeners to the reference congener, 2,2�,4,4�,5,5�-hexachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC #153), indicate that the metabolism of 2,4,4�-trichlorobiphenyl (PCB#28) and 2,4,4�,5-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB#74) is inducible in shelducks but not in gulls. Hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH) content was higher in gulls than in shelducks suggesting greater resistance to oxidative stress in gulls.
The in vivo caffeine metabolism test as a noninvasive method to determine CYP1A activity in shelducks and gulls gave a positive outcome. The test was performed by administration of a single intraperitoneal dose of caffeine (1 mg/kg body weight) followed by blood collection at 2 and 4 h after caffeine administration for determination of the serum concentration ratio of the metabolite, paraxanthine, to caffeine (PX/CA) by HPLC. In both species, the PX/CA ratio was markedly increased by pretreatment with the model CYP1A inducer, β-naphthoflavone (BNF). BNF treatment also increased EROD activity determined after death (80-fold and 20-fold compared to controls in shelducks and gulls, respectively). However, sensitivity of the PX/CA ratio approach was lower in gulls than in shelducks due presumably to the formation of unidentified caffeine metabolites in gulls. Immunoblot analysis failed to reveal increased CYP protein levels caused by BNF treatment in shelducks and gulls due to poor cross-reactivity of avian proteins with polyclonal antibodies raised against mammalian CYPs.
EROD activity was also determined in livers of the piscivorous yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) (1 chick, 3 post-fledging immature, 1 adult) from Otago, South Island of New Zealand, and found to be below the limit of quantitation. The adult liver contained 18.5 ng/g of total PCBs suggesting that EROD in this species is insensitive to induction. Comparison of the PCB congener pattern based on [PCBx]/[PCB#153] between the penguin and its putative source of PCB exposure, New Zealand marine fish, indicates that CYPs in yellow-eyed penguins metabolise 2,2�,5,5�-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB#52) and 2,2�,4,5,5�-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB#101) as in many other avian species.
The findings of this study highlight substantial species differences in CYP activity in wild birds. Whether CYP expression in New Zealand birds is genetically distinct from birds in other parts of the world may warrant further investigation.
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Allen, Sophy Elizabeth. "The effect of population bottleneck size on parasitic load and immunocompetence of introduced birds in New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Biological Sciences, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1951.
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I investigated parasitic infection and immunocompetence in populations of introduced bird species in New Zealand (NZ) that had experienced a range of population bottlenecks (11-808 individuals), and compared these parameters to non-bottlenecked conspecifics in the United Kingdom (UK). My aims were two-fold; firstly to assess if population bottlenecks are linked to increased parasite loads and/or decreased immunocompetence, and secondly, to assess at what severity of bottleneck these effects become evident. I found that ectoparasite load (chewing lice, Order: Phthiraptera, Sub-Orders: Amblycera & Ischnocera) was significantly higher in the more severely bottlenecked species in NZ than in the UK, whilst this difference became non-significant at more moderate bottlenecks. The difference was mainly driven by the Sub-Order Amblycera. The prevalence of avian malaria (Plasmodium spp.) was significantly negatively correlated to bottleneck size within NZ, after controlling for body mass. Total leucocyte and differential lymphocyte counts were elevated in the less bottlenecked species that were infected with malaria, whilst the populations at the more severe end of the bottleneck spectrum did not exhibit such a response. Furthermore, heterophil/lymphocyte (HL) ratio (a parameter used as an indicator of environmental and/or immunological stress), was significantly raised in the more bottlenecked species when compared to their UK counterparts, and this difference was correlated with the size of the bottleneck. Immunocompetence was further assessed by the experimental challenge of six introduced birds species in NZ with the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Immune response to PHA was significantly correlated to bottleneck size, but in the opposite direction to that predicted; immune response was greater in the more bottlenecked species. However, this may be an indication of increased investment in immunity, due to increased parasite and pathogen pressure or differential investment in varying components of the immune system. Finally, the immune response to PHA was compared in nestlings of two species that had experienced very different bottlenecks (70 vs. 653). After controlling for ectoparasitic infestation, I found no difference between the two species; however, this finding may be confounded by interspecific competition. Overall, my findings suggest that more severe population bottlenecks may result in increased susceptibility to pathogens, and impact on the immune system. This has a number of implications for the development of conservation protocols, and future avenues of research are suggested.
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Flaherty, Payne Brittany(Brittany Jean). "The conservation sacrifice : how far New Zealand will go to save its birds." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/123782.
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Thesis: S.M. in Science Writing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Comparative Media Studies/Writing, 2019Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 20-22).
In July of 2016, the New Zealand government announced plans for Predator Free 2050, the biggest predator control effort ever undertaken in the country-and perhaps the world. Predator Free 2050 is a government-sanctioned goal to eliminate rats, stoats, and possums from New Zealand. Since New Zealand has no native land mammals, its bird species are poorly adapted to withstand predation from the mammals that have been introduced since humans first arrived on the nation's shores. The country is now home to nearly 170 native bird species, most of which are declining and considered at risk or threatened after years of predation by invasive mammals. 93 of these species are endemic, found nowhere else on the planet. Predator Free 2050 builds on years of conservation efforts to reduce predator numbers and provide safe spaces for bird populations to recover, including the successful elimination of mammalian pests on islands and fenced-in sanctuaries around the country. Birds are a critical component of the nation's cultural identity and the government hopes that Predator Free 2050 will protect New Zealand's rare birds. However, it's not yet clear whether this goal is feasible and some of the methods used to wipe out pests have been controversial. The difficult decisions being made in New Zealand right now reflect the challenges and conflicts that arise around the world when wildlife protection requires significant changes and sacrifices.
by Brittany Flaherty Payne.
S.M. in Science Writing
S.M.inScienceWriting Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Comparative Media Studies/Writing
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Wilkin-Slaney, Katherine. "Becoming - Pakeha questioning the use of native birds in representation as a means of exploring New Zealand post-settler identity in visual art : an exegesis submitted to Auckland University of Technology for the degree of Master of Art and Design, 2008 /." Click here to access this resource online, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/723.
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The depiction of birds by artists such as Don Binney, Bill Hammond, Michael Parekowhai and Grant Whibley has served as metaphors in the conceptual systems of post-settler New Zealanders’ expression of identity. This project investigated unease in New Zealand post-settler identity and its dislocation from the past by considering works depicting native birds. Is depicting native - rather than introduced birds, an incongruous and romantic settler iconography in identity, leading to a re-telling of our place in this land at the expense of not only the rightful indigenous place of Maori, but of our own cultural becoming? By exploring the painting of birds as metaphors of New Zealand post-settler identity, the project aimed to contribute to the complex issues surrounding the entwined and entangled post-settler relationships of both the past and present. This painting project investigated these issues through the medium of oil paint, culminating in a body of artwork presented in an exhibition with an accompanying exegesis representing 20% of the work.
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Horn, Thorsten. "Telomere length of kakapo and other New Zealand birds : assessment of methods and applications." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Biological Sciences, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/3329.
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The age structure of populations is an important and often unresolved factor in ecology and wildlife management. Parameters like onset of reproduction and senescence, reproductive success and survival rate are tightly correlated with age. Unfortunately, age information of wild animals is not easy to obtain, especially for birds, where few anatomical markers of age exist. Longitudinal age data from birds banded as chicks are rare, particularly in long lived species. Age estimation in such species would be extremely useful as their long life span typically indicates slow population growth and potentially the need for protection and conservation. Telomere length change has been suggested as a universal marker for ageing vertebrates and potentially other animals. This method, termed molecular ageing, is based on a shortening of telomeres with each cell division. In birds, the telomere length of erythrocytes has been reported to decline with age, as the founder cells (haematopoietic stem cells) divide to renew circulating red blood cells. I measured telomere length in kakapo, the world largest parrot and four other bird species (Buller’s albatross, kea, New Zealand robin and saddleback) using telomere restriction fragment analysis (TRF) to assess the potential for molecular ageing in these species. After providing an overview of methods to measure telomere length, I describe how one of them (TRF) measures telomere length by quantifying the size distribution of terminal restriction fragments using southern blot of in-gel hybridization (Chapter 2). Although TRF is currently the ‘gold standard’ to measure telomere length, it suffers from various technical problems that can compromise precision and accuracy of telomere length estimation. In addition, there are many variations of the protocol, complicating comparisons between publications. I focused on TRF analysis using a non-radioactive probe, because it does not require special precautions associated with handling and disposing of radioactive material and therefore is more suitable for ecology laboratories that typically do not have a strong molecular biology infrastructure. However, most of my findings can be applied to both, radioactive and nonradioactive TRF variants. I tested how sample storage, choice of restriction enzyme, gel Abstract II electrophoresis and choice of hybridization buffer can influence the results. Finally, I show how image analysis (e.g. background correction, gel calibration, formula to calculate telomere length and the analysis window) can not only change the magnitude of estimated telomere length, but also their correlation to each other. Based on these findings, I present and discuss an extensive list of methodological difficulties associated with TRF and present a protocol to obtain reliable and reproducible results. Using this optimized protocol, I then measured telomere length of 68 kakapo (Chapter 3). Almost half of the current kakapo population consists of birds that were captured as adults, hence only their minimum age is known (i.e. time from when they were found +5 years to reach adulthood). Although molecular ageing might not be able to predict chronological age accurately, as calibrated with minimum age of some birds, it should be able to compare relative age between birds. Recently, the oldest kakapo (Richard Henry) was found to show signs of reproductive senescence. The age (or telomere length) difference to Richard Henry could have been used to approximate the remaining reproductive time span for other birds. Unfortunately, there was no change of telomere length with age in cross sectional and longitudinal samples. Analysis of fitness data available for kakapo yielded correlations between telomere length and fledging success, but they were weak and disappeared when the most influential bird was excluded from analysis. The heavy management and small numbers of kakapo make conclusions about fitness and telomere length difficult and highly speculative. However, telomere length of mothers and their chicks were significantly correlated, a phenomena not previously observed in any bird. To test if the lack of telomere loss with age is specific to kakapo, I measured telomere length of one of its closest relatives: the kea (Chapter 4). Like kakapo, telomere length did not show any correlation with age. I then further assessed the usefulness of molecular ageing in birds using only chicks and very old birds to estimate the maximum TL range in an additional long lived (Buller’s albatross) and two shorter lived species (NZ robin and saddleback). In these Abstract III species, telomere length was on average higher in chicks than in adults. However, age matched individuals showed high variations in telomere length, such that age dependent and independent telomere length could not be distinguished. These data and published results from other bird species, coupled with the limitations of methodology I have identified (Chapter 2), indicate that molecular ageing does not work in most (if not all) birds in its current suggested form. Another way to measure telomere length is telomere Q-PCR, a real-time PCR based method. Measurement of the same kakapo samples with TRF and Q-PCR did not result in comparable results (Chapter 4). Through experimentation I found that differences in amplification efficiency between samples lead to unreliable estimation of telomere length using telomere Q-PCR. These differences were caused by inhibitors present in the samples. The problem of differential amplification efficiency in Q-PCR, while known, is largely ignored by the scientific community. Although some methods have been suggested to correct for differing efficiency, most of these introduce more error than they eliminate. I developed and applied an assay based on internal standard oligonucleotides that was able to corrected EDTA induced quantification errors of up to 70% with high precision and accuracy (Chapter 5). The method, however, failed when tested with other inhibitors commonly found in DNA samples extracted from blood (i.e. SDS, heparin, urea and FeCl3). PCR inhibition was highly selective in the probe-polymerase system I used, inhibiting amplification of genomic DNA, but not amplification of internal oligonucleotide or plasmid standards in the same reaction. Internal standards are a key feature of most diagnostic PCR assays to identify false negatives arising from amplification inhibition. The differential response to inhibition I identified greatly compromises the accuracy of these assays. Consequently, I strongly recommend that researchers using PCR assays with internal standards should verify that the target DNA and internal standard actually respond similarly to common inhibitors.
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Debruyne, Christine Anne. "Fluctuating asymmetry and body morphology in relation to population bottlenecks of introduced birds in New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Biological Sciences, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/3326.
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The introduction of exotic bird species to New Zealand (NZ) from the United Kingdom (UK) over 100 years ago unintentionally created an ideal study system to examine potential changes in developmental stability due to bottleneck effects. In this study I measured fluctuating asymmetry (FA; random deviations from symmetry between bilaterally symmetrical traits) in 13 species of introduced birds in NZ. FA has been used for conservation purposes as an early warning system of increased developmental instability (DI; the inability to cope with random genetic or environmental perturbations during development). I evaluated DI using FA in several anatomical external and internal morphological traits, and compared differences in body morphology between introduced and source populations in relation to the bottleneck size. I also examined FA in nestlings in two closely related introduced species that passed through two different-sized population bottlenecks. Differences in FA in relation to bottleneck severity were only observed in external traits. FA in external traits in some NZ populations differed from their UK counterparts, but it was in the opposite direction than predicted. FA in external traits varied significantly across NZ populations of introduced species - the most severe bottlenecks species exhibited higher levels of FA than species that passed through larger bottlenecks. There were no patterns in FA and bottleneck size for skeletal traits, most likely due to differences in environmental and genetic stressors resulting in species- and characterspecific FA relationships. Nestling FA was the same for both species, despite the large difference in bottleneck size. FA did decrease over the nestling period, although not at the same rate for each trait, most likely due to the differing costs of development, functional importance, and other environmental stressors that might influence FA in each trait differently. Overall changes in body morphology occurred in four species introduced to NZ, and all species exhibited some changes in trait morphology but were not related to bottleneck size. Finally, the proportion of deformities (deviations from normal phenotype) was higher in NZ than in UK suggesting passing through a bottleneck increased the probability of abnormalities. Although the associations between FA, body morphology and bottleneck severity are complex, my results confirm that measures of morphology have the potential of being useful indicators of DI in the management of endangered species.
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Young, Laura May. "Seed dispersal mutualisms and plant regeneration in New Zealand alpine ecosystems." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Biological Sciences, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/6992.
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The New Zealand alpine zone has many fleshy-fruited plant species, but now has a relatively depauperate animal fauna. The key question is, therefore, are native alpine plants still being dispersed, if so where to and by what? I first measured fruit removal rates among nine common species using animal-exclusion cages to compare natural fruit removal by all animals, and by lizards only. Over two years, mean percent of fruit removed by early winter ranged from 25–60% among species. Speed of fruit removal also varied depending on species. Secondly, I quantified which animals disperse (or predate) seeds of those fruits, into which habitats they deposit the seeds, and the relative importance of each animal species for dispersal, in two ways. A 2-year study using fixed-area transects to monitor faecal deposition showed that introduced mammals (especially possums, rabbits, hares, sheep, pigs and hedgehogs) were abundant and widespread through alpine habitat. Of the 25,537 faeces collected, a sub-sample of 2,338 was dissected. Most mammals dispersed most (> 90%) seeds intact. However, possums (numerically the important disperser) moved most seeds into mountain beech (Nothofagus solandri) forest, while rabbits, hares, and sheep dispersed seeds mainly into open grassland dominated by thick swards of exotic grasses (e.g. Agrostis capillaris and Anthoxanthum odoratum); all are less suitable microsites. Kea (Nestor notabilis), the largest and most mobile of only three remaining native alpine bird species, are potentially useful as a long-distance seed disperser, even though parrots are typically seed predators. I found that kea are numerically more important than all other birds combined, damage very few seeds, and are probably responsible for most dispersal of seeds between mountain ranges. Finally, I investigated the effects of seed deposition microsite (shady/high-light), pulp-removal (whole/cleaned), competition (soil dug/not-dug) and predation (caged/ not) on germination, growth and survival of eight subalpine plant species. There were strong positive effects of shady microsites for seed germination and seedling survival to 3.5 years for six of the eight species. Effects of other treatments were less important and varied among species and stages. Hence, both native birds and introduced mammals are dispersing alpine seeds, but the mammals often deposit seeds in habitats unsuitable for establishment. Any evaluation of the dispersal effectiveness of frugivores must consider their contribution towards the long-term success for plant recruitment through dispersal quantity and quality.
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Taylor, Sabrina S., and n/a. "The genetic and conservation consequences of species translocations in New Zealand saddlebacks and robins." University of Otago. Department of Zoology, 2006. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070118.101358.
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Species translocations result in demographic bottlenecks that may produce inbreeding depression and reduce genetic variation through random sampling and drift, an outcome that could decrease long-term fitness and adaptive potential of many New Zealand species. Despite considerable evidence for costs associated with inbreeding and reduced genetic variation, some species have recovered from a small number of individuals and are thriving, perhaps via high growth rates, differential survival of heterozygous individuals or inbreeding avoidance. I examined the genetic consequences of species translocations in saddlebacks (Philesturnus carunculatus) with additional data provided for robins (Petroica australis) where possible. I first assessed whether contemporary genetic variation represented historical levels or a decline following demographic bottlenecks. I then examined whether sequential demographic bottlenecks caused sequential genetic bottlenecks and reviewed whether populations founded with a small number of birds were likely to go extinct. This analysis was followed by an investigation of two mechanisms that may maintain or reduce fitness costs, differential survival of heterozygous individuals and mate choice to avoid genetically similar individuals.
Evidence from museum specimens suggests that low levels of genetic variation in contemporary saddlebacks is no different to historical genetic variation in the only source population, Big South Cape Island. An ancient founding event to Big South Cape Island is probably the cause of severe genetic bottlenecking rather than the demographic bottleneck caused by rats in the 1960s. In robins, genetic variation decreased slightly between museum and contemporary samples suggesting that recent population declines and habitat fragmentation have caused reductions in current levels of genetic variation.
Serial demographic bottlenecks caused by sequential translocations of saddlebacks did not appear to decrease genetic variation. Loss of genetic variation due to random sampling was probably minimized because the low level of genetic variation remaining in the species was probably represented in the number of birds translocated to new islands. Models assessing future loss of genetic variation via drift showed that high growth rates combined with high carrying capacity on large islands would probably maintain existing genetic variation. In contrast, low carrying capacity on small islands would probably result in considerable loss of genetic variation over time. Saddleback populations on small islands may require occasional immigrants to maintain long-term genetic variation.
Saddleback and robin populations established with a small number of founders did not have an increased risk of failure, suggesting that inbreeding was not substantial enough to prevent populations from growing and recovering. However, modelling showed that translocated saddleback and robin populations grow exponentially even when egg failure rates (a measure of inbreeding depression) are extremely high. Although inbreeding depression may be considerable, populations may be judged healthy simply because they show strong growth rates. Discounting the problem of inbreeding depression may be premature especially under novel circumstances such as environmental change or disease.
Finally, two mechanisms proposed to avoid or delay the costs of inbreeding depression and loss of genetic variation do not appear to be important in saddlebacks or robins. Heterozygosity was not related to survivorship in saddlebacks that successfully founded new populations, and neither saddlebacks nor robins chose genetically dissimilar mates to avoid inbreeding.
In conclusion, most saddleback populations should not require genetic management, although populations on small islands will probably need occasional immigrants. In robins, large, unfragmented populations should be protected where possible.
Books on the topic "Extinct birds – New Zealand"
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Paul, Martinson, ed. Extinct Birds of New Zealand. Wellington: Te Papa Press, 2006.
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Gill, Brian. New Zealand's extinct birds. Auckland, N.Z: Random Century, 1991.
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Berentson, Quinn. Moa: The life and death of New Zealand's legendary bird. Nelson, N.Z: Craig Potton Publishing, 2012.
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Don, Hadden, and Warham John, eds. New Zealand birds. Auckland, N.Z: New Holland Publishers, 1999.
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Alison, Dench, ed. Birds of New Zealand. Auckland, N.Z: New Holland, 2011.
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Hadden, Don. 99 New Zealand birds. Christchurch, N.Z: Caxton Press, 1990.
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Martinson, Paul. Paul Martinson's New Zealand birds. Wellington, N.Z: Grantham House, 1991.
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1951-, Morris Rod, ed. Beautiful birds of New Zealand. Auckland, N.Z: Random House New Zealand, 2006.
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New Zealand birds in focus. Willoughby, NSW, Australia: Weldon New Zealand, 1988.
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Hallett, David. Native birds of New Zealand. Christchurch, New Zealand: Sandfly Publishing, 2014.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "Extinct birds – New Zealand"
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Smith, David A. Ehlers, Yvette C. Ehlers Smith, and Colleen T. Downs. "Continental analysis of invasive birds: Australia and New Zealand." In Invasive birds: global trends and impacts, 258–64. Wallingford: CABI, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/9781789242065.0258.
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Thorpe, Stephen J., and Leanne Bint. "Protecting New Zealand Native Birds: An Investigation of Founder Motivations in the Squawk Squad Collaborative Innovation Network." In Studies on Entrepreneurship, Structural Change and Industrial Dynamics, 129–38. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74295-3_11.
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Jones, Carl G., and Don V. Merton. "A Tale of Two Islands: The Rescue and Recovery of Endemic Birds in New Zealand and Mauritius." In Reintroduction Biology, 33–72. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781444355833.ch2.
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Fitzpatrick, Scott M. "‘Detritus of a Coming World’: The Colonization of Islands as Microcosms for Human Impacts on an Interplanetary Scale." In Speciesism in Biology and Culture, 65–93. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99031-2_4.
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AbstractThe ability of humans to colonize islands in the ancient past required centuries of innovation in boat construction and the development of increasingly sophisticated seafaring technologies and wayfinding strategies. Nowhere is this more evident than in the vast expanse of the Pacific, where around 3000 years ago, Micronesian and Polynesian voyagers colonized what were arguably the most remote and difficult places to reach on Earth. Because the biota on these islands evolved for thousands, or even millions of years, high rates of endemism in these environments also made them ecologically fragile. The first arrival of Homo sapiens—the ultimate adaptive omnivore—caused a wide variety of impacts that were amplified by an order of magnitude with Euro-American incursion. In this sense, as aquatically bounded places, islands serve as model systems and microcosms for how humans have affected the earth’s biosphere in the modern age. In this chapter, I document how the first island colonizers caused certain levels of ecological destruction, using Hawaiian and New Zealand birds as primary case studies. However, I take this concept further, suggesting that the processes involved in the prehistoric colonization and settlement of islands is also a corollary for how we can view the earth and future efforts to colonize other planets. Humanity is at a global tipping point, with unsustainably high human population impacts, habitat destruction, climate change, and recent pandemics. As the possibility of extraplanetary migration becomes an increasing reality—perhaps a necessity to ensure our survival—what lessons can be learned from the anthropological and archaeological study of islands as we seek new lives beyond terra firma? What are the possible consequences for our lineage and extraterrestrial life on this planet and beyond?
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Lutz Warren, Julianne. "2. Learning a Dead Birdsong." In Living Earth Community, 19–40. Open Book Publishers, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.11647/obp.0186.02.
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Remembered songs of extinct wattlebirds, endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand, catalyze Julianne Warren's storytelling. In Chapter 2, she spins a path from first listening to a Pākehā-narrated recording of an elder Māori performing traditional mimicry of Huia. Replaying these dead bird-human voices interacting with sounds in the near-Arctic helps her begin learning, in poet W.S. Merwin’s words, to 'hear what never/Has fallen silent.' Between antipodes, ancestral echoes escape from machines, and sleeping languages live on—in loss—uncanny companionships of hope's sound.
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Cockrem, John F., Dominic C. Adams, Ellen J. Bennett, E. Jane Candy, Emma J. Hawke, Sharon J. Henare, and Murray A. Potter. "Endocrinology and the Conservation of New Zealand Birds." In Experimental Approaches to Conservation Biology, 101–21. University of California Press, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520240247.003.0007.
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"7. Endocrinology and the Conservation of New Zealand Birds." In Experimental Approaches to Conservation Biology, 101–21. University of California Press, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/9780520930636-009.
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Lewis, Daniel. "Counting Extinction." In Belonging on an Island. Yale University Press, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.12987/yale/9780300229646.003.0003.
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This chapter looks at the Kauaʻi ʻŌʻō, Moho braccatus—a member of a small taxon of mostly yellow and black birds that all went extinct between the mid-nineteenth and late twentieth century. Long after birds went extinct in prehistoric times at the hands of Polynesian settlers who had no apparent understanding of their role in extinction, a dramatic new understanding emerged, as represented in this chapter by the Kauaʻi ʻŌʻō, through observation and documentation between 1966 and 1982. This period of observation also demonstrated the dramatic role the federal government could play in conservation matters in the islands. It was essential work, for it provided an enormous abundance of information previously unknown to science: the distribution, density, and presence or absence of birds in Hawaiʻi, especially forest birds; the identification of threats; and, possibly, clues to their future survival.
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Rogers, Susan Fox. "Introduction." In When Birds Are Near, 1–4. Cornell University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.7591/cornell/9781501750915.003.0001.
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This introductory chapter recounts how E. B. White's essay titled “Mr. Forbush's Friends” opened a new bird world to the author. The essay introduced the author to Edward Howe Forbush, who is best known for writing Birds of Massachusetts and Other New England States, a three-volume set published in 1928. Within the pages of Forbush's work, the author found the expected information — breeding and feeding, size and color — and a bit of the unexpected in his reports on the “Economic Status” of each bird. In this section, he offers how the birds are perceived in the human economy, like the Black-crowned Night Heron, which “is accused of being injurious to the fishery interests.” Forbush was an inspiration for this collection of reports from the field, which expand with reflections on love, family, life, and death and engage a range of emotions from wonder to humor. And because birds magnify our relationship to the natural world, this collection include stories about habitat loss, declining species, birds that collide with buildings, or birds now extinct.
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Dean, Jenn. "The Keepers of the Ghost Bird." In When Birds Are Near, 144–66. Cornell University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.7591/cornell/9781501750915.003.0018.
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This chapter focuses on the birds in Bermuda. Prior to 1600, it is estimated that half a million pairs of devil birds bred on Bermuda, making it, in essence, a gigantic seabird colony. The cedar trees that covered Bermuda were endemic and low-growing; they tilted in high winds, uprooting and leaving small cavities beneath. The birds used their black beaks, which ended in a graceful hook, to dig twelve-foot burrows beneath the trees, and used their webbed feet to push the dirt out behind them. The sailors called it the cahow after its sound. It would be centuries before it would emerge as a species of gadfly petrel — a sleek-bodied, hollow-boned soarer with three-foot-long, paddle-shaped wings. In 1906, Dr. Louis Mowbray, who would become the first director of the Bermuda Aquarium, found a live bird in a hole on one of the Castle Harbor Islands; he classified it as a Peale's petrel from New Zealand, blown off course. A decade elapsed before an ornithologist realized that Mowbray's live bird was actually the real thing: a Bermuda petrel.
Conference papers on the topic "Extinct birds – New Zealand"
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Nawaz, Shah, Alessandro Calefati, Moreno Caraffini, Nicola Landro, and Ignazio Gallo. "Are These Birds Similar: Learning Branched Networks for Fine-grained Representations." In 2019 International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand (IVCNZ). IEEE, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ivcnz48456.2019.8960960.
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Kerr, Vicki. "Performing nature unnaturally: Musique concrète and the performance of knowledge - one seabird at a time." In LINK 2021. Tuwhera Open Access, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.24135/link2021.v2i1.129.
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Migratory seabirds are an unseen conduit between marine and terrestrial systems, carrying the nutrients they consume at sea into the forests where they breed. Acting as environmental sentinels, their health and reproductive success provide early warning signals of deteriorating marine eco-systems as the climate changes, and fish stocks decrease. Aotearoa New Zealand is the seabird capital of the world, with ~25% of all species breeding here and ~10% exclusively so. They play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, with their long-term well-being is closely interconnected with our own prospects for a sustainable future. Now predominantly restricted to off-shore islands due to predation and habitat destruction, seabirds and their familiar sounds have become less available in an age when the unprecedented global movement and planetary spread of the human population has culminated in unsustainable fishing, predators and habitat destruction. Inspiring mythology, song, poetry and stories, birds have been significant in shaping our understanding of how our natural environment has come to be known and understood. This paper speculates upon how we learn to communicate and cooperate with these precious taonga, and what might be learned from such an exchange through creative practice. Reflecting upon what birds might tell us, musician Matthew Bannister and I, a visual artist, have taken our cue from seabirds sharing our local environment on the west coast of Aotearoa - from the petrel (peera) through to the gannet (tākapu). Working on the premise that bird vocalisation is a performed negotiation that includes defence of territory and mate attraction, a bird’s call is a form of communication that effectively says “Come here” or “Go away”, which arguably is true of music – marking a social space and time to invite or repel. Rather than limiting bird calls to functionalist categories of explanation, we ask whether seabirds can communicate and exchange information about environmental changes using a malleable vocabulary, comprised of unique acoustic units arranged and re-arranged sequentially for greater communicative depth. Granting a high level of agency and creativity to birds as opposed to believing a bird only avails itself of stereotyped ‘speech’ to survive an accident-rich environment, places greater importance on responses that are improvised directly upon environmental stimuli as irritant rather than as a signal. Matthew explores bird calls via musique concrète, sampling recordings of seabirds to abstract the musical values of bird song conventions – a human response to the ‘other’ in jointly formed compositions, reflecting a living evolving relationship between composer and bird. In further developing our research into a multimedia artwork, I shall extend a technique used for electroacoustic composition (granular synthesis) to video portraits of composer/performer and bird. In applying granular synthesis techniques to video, tiny units of image and sampled sound are reassembled within the frames. Through the mixing of existing synthesised sequences, performer/composer and bird become active participants in the making and remaking of a shared environment, articulating the limits of space/territory to find new ways to be heard within it.
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Waipara, Zak. "Ka mua, ka muri: Navigating the future of design education by drawing upon indigenous frameworks." In Link Symposium 2020 Practice-oriented research in Design. AUT Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.24135/lsa.4.
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We have not yet emerged into a post-COVID world. The future is fluid and unknown. As the Academy morphs under pressure, as design practitioners and educators attempt to respond to the shifting world – in the M?ori language, Te Ao Hurihuri – how might we manage such changes? There is an indigenous precedent of drawing upon the past to assist with present and future states – as the proverb ka mua ka muri indicates, ‘travelling backwards into the future,’ viewing the past spread out behind us, as we move into the unknown. Indigenous academics often draw inspiration from extant traditional viewpoints, reframing them as methodologies, and drawing on metaphor to shape solutions. Some of these frameworks, such as Te Whare Tapa Wh?, developed as a health-based model, have been adapted for educational purposes. Many examples of metaphor drawn from indigenous ways of thinking have also been adapted as design or designrelated methodologies. What is it about the power of metaphor, particularly indigenous ways of seeing, that might offer solutions for both student and teacher? One developing propositional model uses the Pacific voyager as exemplar for the student. Hohl cites Polynesian navigation an inspirational metaphor, where “navigating the vast Pacific Ocean without instruments, only using the sun, moon, stars, swells, clouds and birds as orienting cues to travel vast distances between Polynesian islands.”1 However, in these uncertain times, it becomes just as relevant for the academic staff member. As Reilly notes, using this analogy to situate two cultures working as one: “like two canoes, lashed together to achieve greater stability in the open seas … we must work together to ensure our ship keeps pointing towards calmer waters and to a future that benefits subsequent generations.”2 The goal in formulating this framework has been to extract guiding principles and construct a useful, applicable structure by drawing from research on two existing models based in Samoan and Hawaiian worldviews, synthesised via related M?ori concepts. Just as we expect our students to stretch their imaginations and challenge themselves, we the educators might also find courage in the face of the unknown, drawing strength from indigenous storytelling. Hohl describes the advantages of examining this approach: “People living on islands are highly aware of the limitedness of their resources, the precarious balance of their natural environment and the long wearing negative effects of unsustainable actions … from experience and observing the consequences of actions in a limited and confined environment necessarily lead to a sustainable culture in order for such a society to survive.”3 Calculated risks must be undertaken to navigate this space, as shown in this waka-navigator framework, adapted for potential use in a collaborative, studio-style classroom model. 1 Michael Hohl, “Living in Cybernetics: Polynesian Voyaging and Ecological Literacy as Models for design education, Kybernetes 44, 8/9 (October 2015). https://doi.org/ 10.1108/K-11-2014-0236. 2 Michael P.J Reilly, “A Stranger to the Islands: Voice, Place and the Self in Indigenous Studies” (Inaugural Professorial Lecture, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, 2009). http://hdl.handle.net/10523/5183 3 Hohl, “Living in Cybernetics”.