radio-frequency identification technology

Breeding activity of Chatham Island taiko (Pterodroma magentae) monitored using PIT tag recorders

We developed a new automated recorder, powered by a 12-volt battery, to monitor activity patterns of wild animals marked with passive integrated transponders (PIT tags). The recorder was used to monitor Chatham Island taiko (Pterodroma magentae), a critically endangered seabird species with remote and dispersed breeding burrows. We collected information on annual return rates of individuals and pairs, dates of return and departure for the courtship and egg-laying periods, duration and dates of incubation shifts and also chick feeding visits.