mortality

Interactions between endemic frogs and introduced predators in Aotearoa New Zealand are important to document for consideration in species management. Predation has emerged as a formidable threat to the survival of native frog populations in Aotearoa, with most research focusing on predation by Rattus species. Here we collate unpublished observations of mortality events or predator interactions in introduced and endemic frog species.

We monitored 15 rock wrens Xenicus gilviventris wearing very high frequency radio-tags and/or colour bands following an aerial 1080 pest control operation in Kahurangi National Park. We found no evidence that rock wrens were susceptible to mortality from 1080, but we did note some welfare concerns for rock wrens from carrying radio-tags.