kereru

The kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) is a large fruit pigeon that in New Zealand is an important seed disperser for native plant species. However, little is known about recent changes in kereru densities and how these changes might affect seed dispersal services. We used long-term kereru counts and seedfall trap data from Pelorus in Marlborough to measure trends in bird abundance and seed dispersal.

The suitability of line-transect-based distance sampling to robustly estimate population densities of bellbird (Anthornis melanura), kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), North island tomtit (Petroica macrocephala toitoi) and tūī (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) during concurrent multi-species surveys was investigated. Densities were estimated annually from 2006 to 2009 at three sites within the Coromandel Forest Park, New Zealand.

Indigenous peoples’ knowledge on changes in wildlife populations and explanations for these changes can inform current conservation and wildlife management systems. In this study, Tūhoe Tuawhenua interviewees provided mātauranga (traditional knowledge) about a repertoire of visual (e.g. decreasing flock size), audible (e.g. less noise from kererū in the forest canopy), and harvest-related (e.g.